logo
episode-header-image
Feb 2018
21m 53s

It's Not Just About The Blood

NPR
About this episode
If you're Native American, who or what gets to define your identity? We dive into an old system intended to measure the amount of "Indian blood" a person has. We hear from two families about how they've come to understand their own Native identities and how they'll pass that on to future generations.

See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.

NPR Privacy Policy
Up next
Yesterday
How Hollywood stole the zombie from Haiti
Zombies have roots most fans have never heard of. In Haitian Vodou, being zombified meant being enslaved even in death. B.A. Parker talks to Maya Annik Bedward, director of the new documentary Black Zombie, about how a spiritual metaphor for slavery was repackaged by Hollywood an ... Show More
28m 27s
Oct 6
The shady deals behind data centers
Clarksdale, Mississippi, the birthplace of the blues, has been losing people, jobs, and businesses for years. Now land there has been rezoned to make room for a hyperscale data center, a process that got underway before anyone even put the words “data center” in writing. Capital ... Show More
31m 20s
Oct 2
Let’s stop pretending we desegregated schools
Seventy years after Brown v. Board of Education, Black parents still face an impossible choice about where to send their kids. Gene talks with his twin sister about the different choices they’ve made for their kids, and with historian Noliwe Rooks about why Black families are sti ... Show More
42m 44s
Recommended Episodes
Nov 2022
What Are We Really Made Of?
A legacy isn’t just something you leave behind, it’s something you carry on. Our DNA holds the stories of that legacy and in this episode, the Ellises unlock some of those stories with their report from 23andMe. Dead ass.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. 
1h 23m
Oct 2021
5 | Blackfeet Nation
In today's episode we dive deeper into life on the reservation 
32m 15s
May 2022
Sideshow 11: Inseparable
Families are curious entities. Blood, they tell us, is thicker than water. But what happens if there’s something stronger than blood that keeps you together… for better or for worse? See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. 
29m 45s
Nov 2022
One Who Is Understanding
Family names bind one generation to the next. But what if that name is lost? In this episode, a grieving family learns their legacy is being kept alive by a stranger from far away.See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship an ... Show More
22m 24s
Dec 2023
Bonus: He Goes And Gets People
The relationship between law enforcement and Native people is deeply impacted by generational trauma. We speak to Chief O'Rourke and former Deputy Trent James, to learn how the inherent distrust of law enforcement impacts MMIP investigations and how a Trauma Informed approach can ... Show More
26m 24s
Nov 2021
Forgotten
<p>Who we are is closely tied to what we—and others—know about ourselves. These stories offer examples of how that might be taken to the extreme.</p><p> </p> Learn more about your ad-choices at <a href="https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com">https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com</a ... Show More
9m 58s
Feb 2022
Family Ties
This week, the hosts chat with Walter English, aka Former Love Poet, about the power of discovering one's genealogy and how he's giving that power to the people.  Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy infor ... Show More
45m 20s
Aug 2020
America's Caste System
"Race" is often used as a fundamental way to understand American history. But what if "caste" is the more appropriate lens? In conversation with Pulitzer Prize winner Isabel Wilkerson, we examine the hidden system that has shaped our country.See pcm.adswizz.com for information ab ... Show More
40m 26s
Nov 2021
identity
our identity encompasses who we are. our passions, our inspirations, our personality, how we express ourselves, how we treat others. it’s constantly evolving. but understanding it can be hard. it can be confusing. it was for me, and i know it probably is for a lot of you too, so ... Show More
38m 21s