Diverse Radio for Minnesota’s Communities

17 Unique Stations from Border to Border

Minnesota Native News is a weekly radio segment covering ideas and events relevant to Minnesota’s Native American communities

Special Editions | documentaries and special reports

Native Lights | stories of people within Minnesota’s Native communities

MN Native News: Cultural Lessons for Kids at Home

 Lives are changing drastically due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Many people are out of work, more and more people are holding work meetings virtually, and everyone is making major adjustments. Students are also home from school. Which means families are trying to find ways to keep the learning going. And for Native students, there are online resources that provide culturally focused learning through language and art.

Native Lights: Sasheen Goslin & Deanna Reder Bring Their Distinct Abilities to the Team at AICHO

Today is a special episode of Native Lights. We have two guests! Sasheen Goslin and Deanna Reder from the American Indian Community Housing Organization (AICHO) in Duluth. They are two members of the small team at AICHO that is dedicated to all aspects of wellness for the Indigenous communities in Duluth.

Native Lights: Annie Humphrey’s Gift for Living With Care and Empathy

Today we chat with Annie Humphrey (Leech Lake Ojibwe). She’s an Anishinaabekwe mother, grandmother, and an award-winning musician who’s been a presence on the music scene for decades. We have a wide-ranging conversation with Annie that highlights her wisdom, her path to music, her care for her family and empathy for community. Annie talks about her latest album Eat What You Kill, building a hemp house, and the upcoming benefit show for the American Indian Community Housing Organization (AICHO)’s Dabinoo’Igan Domestic Violence Shelter expansion.


MN Native News: Young Indigenous Creatives Carve Their Path

Young Indigenous creatives from the Twin Cities are carving their path by using traditional practices and teachings. MN Native News reporter Isavela Lopez spoke with two artists who continue to drive their cultures forward.

MN Native News: Will AI Replace Native Artists? MN Native Artists say No

New Artificial Intelligence or AI programs can generate art based on phrases and prompts entered into a program that references art pieces and styles already found online to create a unique piece. This debate has taken the internet by storm. Reporter Emma Needham asks Minnesota Native artists to weigh in on how they feel about AI art.

Native Lights – LeAnn Littlewolf: Creating Vibrant Community Through Informed Leadership

Today we chat with LeAnn Littlewolf, a Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe citizen and co-Executive Director for the American Indian Community Housing Organization (AICHO) in Duluth. AICHO’s community informed programs aim to create a stronger, healthier, more stable Native community in Duluth.

Native Lights: Rebekah Fineday’s Gift for Building Trust in Healthcare Systems & Native Communities

Today, we’re speaking with Rebekah Fineday, a Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe citizen and Air Force veteran who serves as Sanford Health’s Native American community advocate in Bemidji, Minnesota. Through her work, she’s been advocating to improve health care in Native American communities which include community-minded patient relations, building relationships with other tribal health groups, and in-person patient advocacy.

Native Lights: Levi Brown’s Gift for Building Relationships Across the Table

Today we’re speaking with Levi Brown, Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe citizen and Director of Tribal Affairs at the Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDot). Levi talks with Leah and Cole about acknowledgment on a person-to-person level and on an institutional level. In his current position at MnDot, Levi helped facilitate the highway signs marking the 1854 Treaty boundaries in Northern MN, a step toward acknowledgment and a point of education. Levi is also a part of the Tribal State Relationship Training Program that helps develop collaboration and understanding between tribes and Minnesota state departments.

Elaine Fleming: Celebrating and Sharing the Culture of Leech Lake

Today Leah and Cole chat with Elaine Fleming. She teaches and preserves Leech Lake Ojibwe culture, history, and language. Elaine proudly lives in Cass Lake, where she has been an instructor at Leech Lake Tribal College for 29 years.


Native Lights- Amber Annis: Nurturing & Protecting Authentic Narratives

Today Leah and Cole chat with Amber Annis, a Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe citizen who is currently the director of Native American Initiative at the Minnesota Historical Society. Amber has a long history not only as a public historian, but as an educator, tribal nation liaison, community engagement specialist and collaborator.

Minnesota Native News: Keeping Stories Alive- Native knowledge, Culture, and Language are Alive

This week, Emma Needham talks with story-keeper Hope Flanagan about why stories are essential to keeping native knowledge, culture, and language alive.


Supported by...

McKnight FoundationMN Legacy