Monday, June 9, 2025 – Lack of government coordination and follow-through fail Native residents confronting climate change

Native America Calling

At least two tribal relocation efforts foreshadow what can go wrong when even small communities are forced to contend with the increasing threats posed by climate change. A report by the Washington Post, ProPublica, and Bethel radio station KYUK documents the ongoing difficulties which the residents of Newtok, Alaska confront after moving their village to escape the effects of the rising sea and thawing permafrost. We’ll hear about that report and the worries about future efforts to react to changing landscapes.

GUESTS

Bernice John (Yup’ik), president of the Newtok Native Corporation

Chantel Comardelle (Jean Charles Choctaw Nation), tribal secretary for the Jean Charles Choctaw Nation

Emily Schwing, freelance reporter based in Alaska

Break 1 Music: Into the Light (song) Susan Aglukark (artist) The Crossing (album)

Break 2 Music: Shawnee Stomp Dance (song) Little Axe Singers (artist) Traditional Voices: Historic Recordings of Traditional Native American Music (album)