The NNI digital resources team spread its wings this summer with the development of NNI’s first podcast series. In each 30-minute episode, Indigenous high school and college students discuss how the public health crisis has affected them and share their views on how tribal governments are adapting to the pandemic. The podcast platform provides NNI a creative and accessible way to inform a broad audience about the key role that the principles of the Native nation building play in tribes’ responses to the crisis.

Amanda Cheromiah (Laguna Pueblo), University of Arizona doctoral student in higher education and NNI graduate intern, serves as the podcast host. Her guests include 2020 high school graduates, Morris K. Udall and Stewart L. Udall Foundation 2020 Native American Congressional Interns, and college-age participants in NNI’s Future Native Nation Builders workshop series, who together provide perspective on the experiences of a wide range of Native nations—including the Tohono O’odham Nation, Pascua Yaqui Tribe, White Mountain Apache Tribe, Pueblo of Zuni, Pueblo of Laguna, Navajo Nation, Swinomish Indian Tribal Community, Eastern Shoshone Tribe, and Northern Arapaho Tribe. Amanda’s reflection on the series underscores its unique content:

“Although there is a lot of news coverage about how the health crisis impacts Indian Country, I have not seen news outlets feature Indigenous students’ perspectives about tribal governance during the pandemic. The podcast episodes bring a fresh perspective from our Indigenous communities and fills a void in the national conversation about the impact of the pandemic.”

Check out the podcast episodes on NNI’s SoundCloud and stay tuned for more episodes!