Cultivating Indigenous Voices

In this episode I feature student and musician Emilio Vavages (Tohono/Akimel O’odham). I wanted the share the story and experiences of a young person’s perspective about being a student musician, so I decided why not bring in my nephew Emilio. Emilio is thirteen year’s old and a student at Apollo Middle School in the Sunnyside School District. He started taking orchestra in t

In this episode I feature Native Tucsonan, Veteran Actor, and Comic Creator Jon Proudstar (Yoeme, Mexican, Jewish). Growing up in Tucson, Jon spent his childhood drawn to television and comic books as a source of entertainment. While in high school he got a small taste of what it feels like to be in the entertainment industry. Jon and a buddy of his both loved a lot of the same thi

Diné singer/songwriter Hataałii (pronounced: hah – toth – lee) visited Tucson in October 2024 as the opener for the Katie Pruit show at Club Congress. Born Hataałiinez Wheeler, he grew up on the Navajo Nation in Window Rock, Arizona and began experimenting with music during his teenage years. Now Hataalii is an artist signed to Dangerbird records and just released his second

In this episode I sat down with KXCI’s very own Nenny G of the Latin Connection show which broadcasts Wednesday nights 8pm-10pm. Off air Nenny G is known as Gwen Hernandez; as you tune in you will hear stories of her child hood and all the musical influences that surrounded her in various stages of her life. But, what laid the foundation of musical interests and expression was th

Over the past months I had the opportunity to interview and see two live performance by Jaime De Anda here in Tucson, AZ. As a kid growing up in the nineties I remember hearing Jaime’s music and his popularity amongst the O’odham community on the Tohono O’odham Nation. Over the year’s many waila bands have been inspired by his musical talent as an accordionist and have cove

Culturally based recovery programs render a space to reconnect with traditional ways and cultural roots by rebuilding cultural identity and spiritual support systems. In this episode I feature staff from the The Haven’s Native Ways Program. It was developed by, and is staffed with, professionals with backgrounds in the local Indigenous cultures and includes the teachings of White

In April 2024 I had the opportunity alongside my colleague Elva, to attend the annual Native Broadcast Summit in Phoenix, Arizona. The Summit is Native Public Media’s largest gathering of Tribal and Indigenous broadcasters and media professionals serving Indian Country. The theme “Globalizing Indigenous Storytelling” acknowledges that Native broadcast stations play an essenti

On April 11th and 12th, 2024, I had the opportunity to attend the first national conference called, The U.S. Indigenous Data Sovereignty and Governance Summit hosted at the Casino Del Sol – Conference Area. I learned that Indigenous Data Sovereignty is, “To recognize Indigenous Peoples’ inherent rights to access, use, and steward data critical for effective governance, and to

Photo of Lourdes Escalante standing by KXCI Community Radio sign in front of the radio station Lourdes Escalante (Yoeme) was born and raised in Tucson and is the Executive Director of the Alianza Indigena Sin Fronteras, Indigenous Alliance Without Borders (AISF). At a young age Lourdes pushed herself, with the support of her dad, to take opportunities for growth, which also meant a

Photo of Annamarie Stevens, Career Readiness & Employment Program Coordinator, American Indian College Fund In episode 29, I feature special guest Annamarie Stevens who is a member of the Tohono O’odham Nation. She is from the community of Tecolote located in the Chukut-kuk District. She is the current Career Readiness and Employment Program Administrator for the American Indian