Native Lights: Where Indigenous Voices Shine

Steve Premo shares how he first discovered his passion for drawing, as a child while bed-bound and recovering from an injury, he first found his flair for drawing and painting. Steve’s drawing skills brought attention from his classmates, then his teachers, and then from the public eager to purchase his artwork. Steve tells Leah and Cole about some of his latest projects, including illustrating stories for Rosetta Stone Ojibwe language videos. And he offers advice for young and budding artists to just keep doing what they love, and eventually, the money and recognition will come. [Read Transcript...]

Today, a lively conversation with Khayman Goodsky (Bois Forte Band of Chippewa) a Duluth filmmaker who creates films exploring Ojibwe teachings side by side with punk music. Khayman tells about how she first found her path, her love of comic books and cosplay, and how she enjoys the whole collaboration process. Khayman also shares her plans for an upcoming sequel to her short film Dream Wanderer. [Read Transcript...]

As a Bemidji resident for over 6 years and a Beltrami County resident for over 30 years, Daniel Jourdain shares how he did not originally plan to go into politics. But when a seat on the council opened up, many friends and mentors urged him to throw his hat into the ring. Daniel tells us what it was like learning to run a campaign (door-knocking in sub-zero temperatures), raising funds, and introducing himself by sharing his voice and speaking from the heart. Now as an elected official, Daniel Jourdain seeks to serve constituents by building positive partnerships among diverse communities and creating policies that serve the public’s interest. [Read Transcript...]

Today on the show we meet Jessica Engelking, a descendent of the White Earth Band of Ojibwe, who is a researcher with the Great Plains Action Society, and the author of a new book geared toward younger readers, called "Peggy Flanagan: Ogimaa Kwe, Lieutenant Governor." The book is part of the Minnesota Native American Lives series, a partnership between the Minnesota Humanities Center and the Minnesota Indian Affairs Council. [Read Transcript...]