(mystical music) (mystical music continues) (mystical music continues) - [Narrator] Production for "Native Report" is made possible by grants from the Blandin Foundation, the generous support from viewers like Jack and Sharon Kemp, and viewers like you.

- This evening, we're thrilled to welcome back some of the key voices who shaped "Native Report" over the years.

From its creators to its host, these individuals brought authenticity and passion to every episode.

We'll hear their reflections, learn about their favorite moments, and celebrate the enduring importance of Indigenous storytelling.

So without further ado, let's meet our special guests for tonight.

Please welcome former host and creators of "Native Report," Tadd Johnson, Stacey Thunder, and Dr. Arne Vainio.

Let's start off by introducing ourselves, your tribal affiliation, and let our viewers know which seasons you worked on "Native Report."

Tadd, why don't you kick things off?

- Thanks, Rita.

I'm a member of the Bois Forte Band at Chippewa, and I worked on Seasons 1 through 10.

- Stacey, can you share a little bit about yourself with us?

- Yes.

Hi, and congrats.

I'm Stacey Thunder and I am from Red Lake, I'm Red Lake Ojibwe, and also from Lac Courte.

And like Tadd, I was on Seasons 1 through 10.

- Thank you.

Both of you have done such an amazing work with "Native Report" over the years.

We really appreciate you being here with us tonight.

Dr. Vainio, how long have you been with "Native Report?"

- Since season 11, 9 years.

- Thank you for joining "Native Report" nine years ago, and it's an honor to share space with all of you guys.

Over the past 20 years, we've shared a lot of of amazing Indigenous stories across Indian Country.

So I just wanna say me miigwech to all of you.

Now, for myself, I am your current host, Rita Karppinen, and I'm a citizen of the Fond du Lac band of Lake Superior Chippewa, with also ancestral ties to White Earth, Grand Portage, and Turtle Mountain.

I've had the honor of working on the show since the 11th season.

So before we dive into individual interviews, let's reflect on some remarkable achievements of "Native Report".

Over 20 years, the show has aired on 193 channels nationwide, reaching millions of viewers and sparking meaningful conversations about Indigenous life and culture.

Within the last few years, we found that 68% of the local Native population tune in weekly to PBS North.

That's an incredible connection and speaks to the station's role as a trusted source of stories and information for the community.

"Native Report" has also won several awards, the latest being Best Multimedia and Two-Spirit Coverage from National Native Media Awards tonight.

Tonight, we celebrate the legacy and the many stories yet to come.

So Tadd and Stacey, you two are the original creators and hosts of "Native Report."

What inspired you to start the show and what was your vision for it?

- Well, the "Native Report" and PBS, this WDSE station, has a citizens advisory board, and I was on that, and as a good Native American I said, "Why aren't you doing more things for Native Americans and on telling our stories?"

And they, rather than shutting me, said, "What would you like to do?

What do you think we should do?"

So the next thing I knew, Juli Kellner was interested in producing a program with us.

Stacey and I worked together at Mille Lacs, I was the Solicitor General or the General Counsel.

And we had a lot of local opposition to us from some of the non-Indians there, there were three anti-Indian groups, and we wanted to just show that American Indians, Native Americans, are just regular folks.

And that was the idea behind the show, to kind of promote understanding and do some educational pieces on who we are as a people.

And, you know, that we are mathematicians, we are computer scientists, violinists, everything you can think of.

And so the idea was to show people who we are and kind of gain some understanding, and hope to gain some respect from the local communities.

- Thank you, Tadd.

I appreciate that, and I appreciate the work and the foresight that you both had in creating the show.

Stacey, you have brought such warmth and energy to your time on "Native Report."

What does the show mean to you personally?

- It means a lot of things.

I guess, just starting from the very beginning, Tadd and I were colleagues in Mille Lacs, we're both attorneys, so we didn't have any experience in television, and so, for me, it was just the kickstart of my whole storytelling side.

I've been a storyteller since I was younger, and law school, college, just, you know, took me down a different path, but then Tadd asked me to do this, and meeting people and telling their stories, it just started a fire.

So it opened many doors as a storyteller, as a writer, as an actress.

So it means a lot to me because this, like I said, it just kickstarted the whole thing.

- Aww, miigwech.

I appreciate that insight and that feedback.

Tadd, looking back, what has surprised you most about the show's journey?

- Well, I'm surprised it lasted 20 years.

It's kind of amazing to me.

But I think that there's been a lot of support in the Native American community, and the show has always been funded by one or more of the tribes, and also local community foundations.

And I know it's got a lot of viewership 'cause, you know, it's been 10 years since I left the show, I still get recognized and they're like, "Wow, you got older."

And I said, "Well, I haven't been on the show for 10 years."

So, anyway.

We knew there were more stories out there, and so when we left, we wanted to ensure that the program kept going and the station assured us that it would, and we're really glad that it did.

- And I think there's still a lot of stories to be told from Indian Country.

So let's take a look at one of Tadd's favorite segments from the early days of "Native Report."

- [Wanda] Understanding of the tree goes hand-in-hand with the understanding of one's own existence.

- We have culture, we have a way of life.

Bimaadiziwin.

The good life.

And so this is part of that bimaadiziwin, to understand that we have to honor sacred places and sacred things.

And if we continue doing that, honoring those things and honoring all creation, that we will have a good life and the people will be safe, they'll be protected, they'll understand the need to share, to take care of each other, to respect each other, understand, love each other.

So it's very important that the future generation doesn't understand this place, even Grand Portage, the whole area of Grand Portage, that our ancestors preserved this area for us, it's only been through years of going out and seeking that knowledge of the traditions and the history and the understandings that over the years, I began to really understand the significance of this tree to our people.

(mystical music) - So hearing from former Councilman John Morrin from Grand Portage, you know, it's really, really amazing to hear the importance of the spirit tree.

What did you guys think about the clip?

- I love that story because that was supposed to be a story about the spirit tree, and John Morrin and I just taught a class together last week, and with John, you get the entire Ojibwe world viewpoint.

And so for him, everything ties together, the tree, the lake, the traditions, the language, and you get this viewpoint of the world that is unlike any other people's.

and to me, that just continues to resonate as something that's evocative of Ojibwe culture and the importance of it.

- Thank you.

Now, Stacey, can you share a memorable moment or story from your time as a host?

- I have many.

There's so many.

Like Tadd and I said, we were with "Native Report" for, I'd say 10 years, 10 seasons, but we did a pilot of four episodes too, so 11 years.

And I think for me, it was the... My favorite part was just meeting people, going on the road, meeting people, hearing their stories.

And um I just have a lot of fun memories and a lot of favorite stories, that it's just hard to pin down one story.

- Absolutely.

Well, here's the segment Stacey chose as one of her favorites.

Check this out.

(melodious music) - Our location is in the southwest part of South Dakota.

We're located about 70 miles east of Mount Rushmore.

We have in the park, 244,000 acres, half of which is located on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation, and the other half, of course, is a north unit.

And as you can see around you, the Badlands was designated as a park because it's Badlands.

Initially, it wasn't really of any use to the local pioneers when they went through, and was designated as such back in the early part of the fifties, and became a park as it required more land.

The Badlands is noted for its beauty, it is incredible.

You can see quiet out here, people come just to see what the place was like.

And there's no people.

The Badlands also is noted for the fossils.

We have an incredible number of fossils in the Badlands, and the geology of the place also, of course, is an attraction.

- So as a superintendent who happens to be Native American, how does that affect how you manage the park?

- My heritage, my background has, I believe, contributed to the perspective that we have here, as would anyone's background, I would add, to managing any place, be it a park or a corporation or whatever else.

In this particular instance, I believe that being raised on a reservation, also working with not only my own tribe, but also other tribes in the past.

And I would add, working with county governments in other parts of the country, as well as foundations and non-Indian public as well, has contributed to a fabric that has really helped in building a philosophy that's encompassing, that we try to continue the organic act, number one, that is how do we maintain this park into the future?

- You know, getting out in Indian Country and really understanding the stories that we're covering for "Native Report" is an amazing experience.

Stacey, can you talk to us about visiting historical ancestral sites?

- Well, I think visiting any place is an honor.

Like, I just love visiting many places, but visiting, for example, the Badlands was... You just feel... You feel it.

And the stories that we created on our own while covering the stories and talking to Dr. Paige Baker, I just...

I don't know, I think being in a place is very powerful and meaningful to me.

- Absolutely.

So Dr. Vainio, your passion for Indigenous health really shone during your time with "Native Report," why do you think this platform is so important for Indigenous communities?

- Because people watch it.

The Latin word "docere" means...

Doctor comes from that, and it means to teach.

And I think that's a big part of my job, is to teach.

And if I taught all my patients how to take care of themselves and gave away all my trade secrets and they didn't come back to see me because they were healthy, that would be fine.

and I want this inside you."

And I've had people watching "Native Report," I've been recognized at the Seattle Airport.

And there are very few days that go by that somebody doesn't come up to me, somewhere, and say they watch "Native Report" and they love it.

- Mmm-hmm.

Absolutely.

And I think your segment particularly, is...

It embodies what you find important, that storytelling, and that education, and that teaching.

Is there a story that has resonated with you throughout the years?

- Yes.

Keith Secola did Beyond the Music, and he's just... Keith Secola is a musician, but he is a songwriter, and a producer, and a storyteller, and a genius.

And he cares about Native people, and that comes through when he is talking and when he is singing.

But when he's on stage, he tells stories, and he tells why things are important, and he talks about boarding school and those children praying to the stars, and those prayers not coming back down to them, but coming back down to maybe us, generations later, and as stories, as songs, as teachings, as lawyers, as physicians.

from Keith or from traditional musicians is... You know, the sound of the wind is in there, the sound of the water is in there, and healing happens there, you know?

but, you know, the music that that you listen to Healing is not out there somewhere, it's here.

And that's all part of what I found so beautiful about that segment.

- Absolutely.

Let's watch a clip of Dr. Vainio's favorite segment.

- You know, like, there's a song that I play on my flute a lot, and it's called "When the Buffalo Return His Children," and it's about this prophecy that the Lakota people have that the buffalo will return his children, and we see it in our lifetime, you know, in some form, if we know the immense slaughter of the buffalo, and the correlation of our people too.

But now we see these small herds coming, like a small kids playing and selling bracelets and sweets and things, and laughing, you know?

And being part of the healing, normalizing being happy.

- Yeah, no, that would be something to see, wouldn't it?

The normalizing of being happy.

♪ Say your name ♪ Show your face ♪ Leave no trace ♪ Of the chains ♪ Tears come falling ♪ 500 years ♪ Prayers of our children ♪ Late at night ♪ Down the hall ♪ Monsters scream ♪ Run across ♪ Don't tell no one ♪ You get bad dreams - When you hear his music, you hear the elements that are true to who we are as Indigenous peoples.

Dr. Vainio, do you have any insight on the clip that we just watched?

- Yeah, I think when...

I think of musicians, and artists, and writers, and people that do creative things are...

When we're born, we're all singers and dancers and storytellers, and somehow learning to color inside the lines in kindergarten and some other things, and, you know, eventually buying car insurance and some of those things, takes that away from us somehow, and convinces us we're not singers, and we're not dancers, and we're not songwriters, and we're not writers.

And there are people that remember that, and they remind us that those things are there, that you walk outside at night and the stars... That, you know, how small we are and that we're just a part of that, and somehow that we came from there, and people can look up at... You know, driving by, you see frost in the trees on a sunny morning after a cold snap, and the world is just so beautiful, but, you know, you're trying to get to work on time and, you know, trying to watch out for somebody that's not staying in their lane.

And artists remind us that there are important things that we're here for.

- Absolutely.

Beautifully stated.

I appreciate your reflection on that because I don't know if I could have put it so eloquently, so I appreciated that you did the hard work and did that for us.

So thank you for sharing that.

I wanted to take some time and share what moments have stood out to me during the time on the show.

One of my favorite segments is sharing time with one of the Fond du Lac elders, Joyce LaPorte, who really spent time with me, teaching about faceless dolls.

And, you know, that segment was really special to me is because it resonates with what Tadd says, with what Stacey shares, with what Dr. Vainio also shared, about spending time in Indian Country, spending time with elders, learning and listening, because that just feeds who you are and your spirit.

So let's watch a clip from my favorite story now.

In the quiet of her living room, Joyce LaPorte sews together pieces of buckskin and stuffs them to make a simple figurine.

This is the Ojibwe faceless doll.

I visited Joyce to learn more about this traditional craft.

- I make the Ojibwe faceless dolls.

I've done the small child size, the six inch warrior mom, you know?

And even a pregnant one.

And then I do the 18 inch ones, but those are mostly go to museums.

When I work on a doll, it's very calming.

It's to keep my grandmother alive in my life because when I do make the dolls, I think about her, I think about her little fingers 'cause she was a tiny woman and she was just always doing something, always telling us a story, always creating something, and it just keeps her alive in my mind.

To me, it's my grandmother speaking to me through that doll.

- Well, that is definitely one of my favorite clips, although I have very many that come from "Native Report."

I just wanna do a special shout out to Fond du Lac Elder Joyce LaPorte, who shares her time so generously in our community to teach us about faceless dolls.

And a shout out to all our elders across Indian Country that generously share their time with community members across Indian Country.

Sharing and passing down that knowledge is extremely important.

- I think some of our best stories are when we go interview local people on reservations.

I remember, I think during our first season, we went up to the Bois Forte Reservation and interviewed somebody who was holding a language camp in her backyard.

And sometimes those little things that go on on the reservations, those traditions that continue on in small ways, also demonstrates, you know, how people are carrying on traditions in their communities and in quiet ways, doing nice things with kids and just keeping those traditions going, is so important.

- Absolutely, I think you're totally right about it showing...

Passing down traditions, and it also demonstrates that resilience piece in Indian Country.

- What would you say to the younger generation about storytelling like we do on "Native Report?"

Tadd, would you like to start?

And so storytelling for me, is telling the reality of everything from the beginnings of the Americas, the first coming of the Europeans, to everything from the allotment policy, this boarding school policy, the termination policy, and up till today.

And those are true history stories that I think we need to... Somebody needs to continue to teach the Native American side of history because it's not taught in schools, and we're hoping that that'll come about eventually.

But that type of storytelling is what I do, which is, I think, another side of reality that people haven't seen.

- Mmm-hmm.

Absolutely.

Stacey, what would you say to the younger generation about storytelling like we do on "Native Report?"

- I would tell the younger generation, and I tell this to my kids, is to use your voice, and tell stories, and help other people do the same.

So I'd like to pass the baton over to our younger generation like we did to you with "Native Report," to just continue doing that because there's so many stories to share.

- Thank you.

Dr. Vainio?

- I'd have to echo what Stacey says, you know, tell your stories and...

But listen to stories, and our creation stories teach us how to live, and teach us, you know...

I mean, Wenabozhou, if you listen to the creation stories, sometimes he was wise, and sometimes he was foolish, and sometimes he was generous, and sometimes he was greedy.

But all of those are emotions and qualities that we all have.

And even when I'm talking to people from a medical standpoint and visits, but sometimes when I speak at conferences, you can tell stories, and it makes us realize that we're all the same, you know, that we all have the same... We all have the same qualities and we all have the same faults, and we can work in that framework and we can support each other.

- If you missed a show or wanna catch up online, find us at nativereport.org.

And don't forget to follow us on Facebook, YouTube, and Instagram for behind the scene updates.

Drop a comment on social media if you enjoyed the show.

Thank you so much for joining us tonight to celebrate this incredible milestone.

We're grateful to our former hosts and creators for sharing their reflections, and to you, our viewers, for your continued support.

Here's to 20 more seasons on "Native Report."

Goodnight and miigwech.

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