In this episode, co-hosts Dr. Farina King and Dr. Davina Two Bears welcome Amy Bowers Cordalis, a member of the Yurok Tribe and author of The Water Remembers: My Indigenous Family’s Fight to Save a River and a Way of Life (October 2025). Amy discusses her family’s generations-long fight to protect the Klamath River, a vital ecosystem and life line of the Yurok people. She shares insights from her book, which chronicles this history and the landmark legal battle that led to the removal of four dams, one of the world’s largest river restoration efforts. The dam removal reopened the river’s flow and revived long-endangered salmon populations.

Amy Bowers Cordalis is a fisherwoman, attorney, and mother from the village of Rek-Woi at the mouth of the Klamath River. As Co-Founder and Executive Director of the Ridges to Riffles Indigenous Conservation Group, she leads work that uplifts tribal sovereignty and advances environmental restoration across Indigenous homelands. A former general counsel for the Yurok Tribe and attorney with the Native American Rights Fund, Amy is widely recognized for her leadership and vision, honored as both a UN Champion of the Earth and a Time 100 climate leader.

Together, we talk about restoration, responsibility, Indigenous knowledge, and how the river “remembers” the care of all its relatives- human and more than human.

Resources:

Order The Water Remembers at Barnes & Noble and other major booksellers

https://www.hachettebookgroup.com/titles/amy-bowers-cordalis/the-water-remembers/9780316568951/

https://amybowerscordalis.com/

https://www.ridgestoriffles.org/about-us

This special episode of the Native Language Protectors and Carriers series features Freddie Lewis, a dedicated Choctaw language instructor at the University of Oklahoma. Dr. Farina King talks with Freddie about the challenges and joys of sustaining Indigenous languages such as Choctaw. Freddie shares personal stories about his family’s experiences with boarding schools, the power of community-led language revitalization, and how teaching connects generations. The conversation highlights the rich legacy of the Choctaw Code Talkers, the significance of cultural memory, and exciting new projects bringing the Choctaw language to young learners and mass media.

Freddie Lewis is recognized by the Choctaw Nation as a certified language teacher and has over 12 years of experience teaching multiple levels of Choctaw at the University of Oklahoma (OU). In addition to his university work, he leads community classes, collaborates with museums, and involves his students in projects that support language learning and cultural preservation.

Listeners are especially encouraged to check out the powerful new short documentary (about 14 minutes long) Voices of Valor, which honors the Choctaw Code Talkers and shines a light on their enduring impact. The film will be screening at the Native Nations Center event room on the OU Norman campus on November 11, 2025, starting at 9 am Central Time.

Resources:

"Voices of Valor Film Debut," The Middle Ground

Choctaw Code Talkers: Telephone Warriors

"Native American Languages at OU"

Choctaw Language Classes, Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma

Choctaw Cultural Center

First Americans Museum

Classroom VR Trunks: Choctaw Code Talkers 1918

Marvel ECHO x Choctaw Nation

"‘Sinners’ Puts ‘Truth on Screen’ for the Mississippi Band Of Choctaw Indians," AP June 6, 2025.

Learn more about the efforts to protect and support the study of Native American languages (and all languages) at the University of Oklahoma through the following petitions:

Oppose the Removal of Foreign Language Gen Ed requirements at the University of Oklahoma

Keep Indigenous Languages Alive at OU

For more information about the Oklahoma Native American Youth Language Fair, see the hyperlink.

In this episode, host Dr. Farina King is joined by Dr. Anton Treuer and Dr. Chelsea Mead to explore the transformative partnership between Bemidji State University and Minnesota State University, Mankato, dedicated to revitalizing the Ojibwe language. The conversation delves into the power of intergenerational learning, the use of technology to bridge distances, and the importance of community in language preservation. Anton and Chelsea share personal stories, discuss the challenges and triumphs of building university-based Native language programs, and reflect on the healing and strength that come from reconnecting with ancestral languages. Listeners will gain insight into the collaborative efforts that are making a difference for students, families, and communities across Ojibwe country and beyond.

Dr. Anton Treuer is a Professor of Ojibwe at Bemidji State University, renowned author, and leading advocate for Indigenous language revitalization. He was raised near the Leech Lake Reservation of the Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe in north-central Minnesota, although his mother is enrolled in the White Earth Nation (also known as the White Earth Band of the Minnesota Chippewa Tribe). Anton has dedicated his career to building Ojibwe language programs, developing teacher training initiatives, and fostering equity in education. His work has had a profound impact both regionally and nationally, and he is recognized for his engaging teaching style, community leadership, and commitment to cultural preservation.

Dr. Chelsea Mead is a settler-colonist/non-Indigenous scholar who grew up in Anishinaabeg homelands of Michigan and now works in Dakota homelands of Minnesota. She is a Professor of History and American Indigenous Studies at Minnesota State University, Mankato, and has been learning Anishinaabemowin since she was a college student herself. Her research examines how educational institutions can be accountable to their pasts while supporting Indigenous students and communities in the present. Chelsea is also a contributing author to the edited volume COVID-19 in Indian Country, sharing insights on language, community, and resilience.

Resources:

Chelsea M. Mead, "Maawanji’idiwag: They Come Together," in COVID-19 in Indian Country: Native American Memories and Experiences of the Pandemic, eds. Farina King and Wade Davies (Palgrave Macmillan, 2024).

Anton Treuer, Everything you Wanted to Know About Indians But Were Afraid to Ask (Minnesota Historical Society Press, 2023 revised & expanded edition)

Anton Treuer's website- https://antontreuer.com/

"Multi-Campus Collaboration Funding: Ojibwe Language" (2023)

Ojibwe Language Programs, Bemidji State University

For more information about the Oklahoma Native American Youth Language Fair, see the hyperlink.