
Jonathan Thunder: Finding Joy in Art and Life
In today’s episode, we welcome back Jonathan Thunder, who last appeared on Native Lights in 2021. Since then, the Red Lake Nation citizen and multidisciplinary artist has become a father and opened an art gallery.

Tribal Energy Evolution Summit Comes to St. Paul, MN Tribal Nations Call for Unity
This week on Minnesota Native News, the third annual Tribal Energy Evolution Summit brings over 70 Indigenous nations to St. Paul, and leaders from 11 Minnesota tribes call for unity and action following recent neighborhood violence impacting the Little Earth community.
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Dan Ninham: Honoring Athletes and Indigenous Sports Traditions
In this episode, we speak with Dan Ninham, PhD, a retired physical education teacher and coach, co-founder of the North American Indigenous Athletics Hall of Fame and prolific freelance writer.
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MMIW Awareness Day is May 5th, and Pow Wow Season Guidance for Visitors
May 5th is MMIW Awareness Day — a day to honor Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls, and Two-Spirit people, with events statewide. Plus, pow wow season kicks off in Spring, and pow wow planners provide guidance, especially for those new to attending these events.
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BearPaw Shields: Leaving a Legacy for Future Generations
In this episode, we speak with BearPaw Shields from the Fort Peck Assiniboine and Sioux Tribes. She is a Saint Cloud State University alumna and is currently the Indigenous Learning Community Program Coordinator at the University’s American Indian Center.
In her forties, she decided to go to college and get a degree so that she could make the change she wanted to see in the world. She does that now through her work at St. Cloud State’s American Indian Center, helping Native students to succeed in school and connect with their culture through language, field trips and other experiences.
As a board member with the Friends of the Sherburne National Wildlife Refuge, she had been instrumental in teaching park staff and visitors about the land’s Native history. Last year, that included the opening of an amphitheater with art provided by Indigenous artists and the names of park animals provided in Dakota and Ojibwemowin.
BearPaw Shields lives in Zimmerman where she likes to go on hikes and find her serenity at the nearby Refuge.
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