Growing Up Native American, Instrument of War

Growing Up Native American in Modern America Guests: Chrystal Begay, Miss Indian Tribe of Many Feathers 2017-2018, BYU; Andrew Benally, President, BYU’s Tribe of Many Feathers; Jay Begaye, 2010 NAMMY Male Artist of the Year for the album “Horses Are Our Journey” The historical record of how the Pilgrims and the Wampanaog ended up feasting together at the first Thanksgiving is scant. There’s no evidence the native residents of the region were actually invited to the harvest festival, for example. But the historical record is very clear about the centuries that followed when Native Americans died in massive numbers from European diseases, were killed, enslaved and forced from their lands. In the 19th and 20th centuries, Native American youth often taken from their communities and placed in government-sponsored boarding schools meant to make them more “civilized.” They were forced to dress in European clothing and forbidden to speak their native languages. Today, many of the children and grandchildren of those boarding school students are finding a way back to their Native American heritage. Special thanks to Jay Begaye for permission to use the music in this converastion. All of the songs come from Begaye's album "Horses Are Our Journey," which won the 2010 Native American Music Award for Male Artist of the Year.   Behind-the-Scenes: BYUtv Holiday Movie "Instrument of War" Guests: Adam Anderegg, Director, BYUtv’s Instrument of War; Russ Kendall, Producer, Instrument of War An American bomber pilot during World War II is shot down and captured in northern Germany. As a prisoner of war trying to keep his spirits up, he gets a crazy idea: build a violin. This is a true story. Clair Cline is the name of the American pilot, and you can see the violin he made in the National World War II Museum in New Orleans. And Thanksgiving evening at 6 p.m. Mountain Time on BYUtv, you can see the movie his story inspired. It’s called Instrument of War. The Link Between Mass Shootings, Domestic Violence and Suicide Guest: Sonia Salari, PhD, Professor of Sociology, University of Utah Half of mass shootings that have taken place in the United States during the last decade have had one thing in common: they stemmed from domestic violence. The man who killed 26 people in a Sutherland Springs, Texas church last month was believed to have been targeting his in-laws and had previous domestic violence charges that should have prevented him from owning a firearm. The gunman who killed three of his neighbors and then attacked an elementary school in Northern California last week, first killed his wife and hid her body. Sonia Salari's research indicates a strong link between domestic violence, suicide and firearms.  State-by-State Gun Law Database (Originally aired June 6, 2017) Guest: Michael Siegel, MD, Professor of Community Health Sciences, Boston University Because relatively few gun laws have been passed by Congress, it’s up to individual states to decide if, for example, you need a permit to carry a concealed weapon. Or if someone convicted of domestic violence can have a gun. The number of gun laws on the books in each state varies dramatically: California has 104. Alaska has just 4. A comprehensive new database of state gun laws offers a way to track the effects of restricting access to firearms. Our Willingness to Waste (Originally Aired on Aug. 31, 2017) Guest: Selina Juul, Founder, Stop Wasting Food Movement in Denmark As you prepare to feast on Thanksgiving, don’t forget to be creative with the leftovers. On average, Americans and Europeans waste 25 percent of the food they buy. That’s basically like throwing out one in every four shopping carts you fill up at the grocery store. 3,000 Year-Old Uffington White Horse (Originally aired on Aug. 21, 2017) Guest: Andrew Foley, Ranger, National Trust in England Three thousand years ago, the image of a giant white horse was cut into the rolling hillside of Uffington, which is about 20 miles southwest of Oxford, England. It’s a sleek and minimalist stallion, as long as a football field, leaping across the landscape, bright white against the green turf.  It’s made of chalk, and you have to wonder how it has survived the forces of erosion over three millennia.