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.

Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices

NPR Privacy Policy
Up next
Jan 24
What the quarter-zip craze tells us about Blackness and respectability
What does the humble, boring quarter-zip sweater have to do with respectability politics and Blackness? Apparently, a lot! When two young Black men on TikTok brought the quarter-zip into vogue for young folks, they unknowingly waded into some very long-lived discourse on Black fa ... Show More
17m 25s
Jan 21
How local police extend ICE's reach, even in sanctuary cities
Sanctuary policies have been described on both sides of the aisle as protecting immigrants. But in many ways, in practice, they have given rise to a specific kind of policing that gives ICE a much wider reach than it might otherwise have. We talk to anthropologist Peter Mancina, ... Show More
39m 15s
Jan 17
Freedom through the eyes of foes: Rev. Martin Luther King and Sen. Barry Goldwater
In honor of MLK Day, we sit down with historian Nicholas Buccola, author of One Man’s Freedom, to re-examine the concept of "freedom" by comparing the legacies of Reverend Martin Luther King Jr. and conservative politician Barry Goldwater. In our conversation, Buccola reveals the ... Show More
22m 21s
Recommended Episodes
Oct 2021
Native Americans Take Over The Writers' Room and Tell Their Own Stories
After decades of Indigenous stories told by non-Natives, two shows from this past year signal a change. Reservation Dogs from FX on Hulu was created by and stars Native people. It follows four Indigenous teenagers growing up on a reservation in rural Oklahoma, with dreams of adve ... Show More
11m 41s
Jun 2022
What do Australian books and plays tell us about our national identity?
Australian national ‘identity’ has long been contested, as has the narrative of the foundation of Australia. What does the history of Australian literature and theatre tell us about who we are, and how we have changed? Are we now ready to put the history and culture ‘wars’ behind ... Show More
54m 53s
Jan 2023
Bedside Manners 2: Bleed ‘em Dry
Our language is ripe with turns of phrase that invoke the idea of blood. These idioms seem to illustrate some of our most intense human experiences – it’s the thing that we can’t live with, after all. So tell me this: what happens when the blood spills? See omnystudio.com/listene ... Show More
26m 14s
May 2024
Understanding the profound connections First Nations have with the land - Verstehen der tiefen Verbindung, die First Nations mit dem Land haben
The land holds a profound spiritual significance for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, intricately intertwined with their identity, belonging, and way of life. - Die Ureinwohner und die Inselbewohner der Torres Strait haben eine tiefe spirituelle Verbindung zu ihrem ... Show More
7m 38s
Feb 2024
Identity 10 Nationalism
In this episode we discuss the history of Nationalism and the idea of a nation state. What does it mean to be an American? What is an american? To whom should we be loyal? How should a government relate to its people? 
46m 12s
May 2023
Season 5 - EP 4: The Ancestors
We explore the magic in magic mushrooms and the ancestral and Indigenous origins of using them to heal. What does ancestral knowledge mean for Black people disconnected from our lineage? Wise Ones: adrienne maree brown: author, activist. Undrea Wright, The Ancestor Project. 
30m 14s
Mar 2022
The demography of blood groups
Knowing your blood group is handy information if you need a blood transfusion, or even an organ transplant. And it's essential information for the blood bank recruiting donors who match your blood type—and for people needing a blood product. 
8m 22s
Oct 2022
48. Identity Crisis!
What does identity really mean? And how do we know when we’ve found it, can we ever truly embody our ‘true selves’? In this episode we discuss what it means to undergo massive shifts in our identity and come out of it the other side and how we might assist that journey.See omnyst ... Show More
40m 6s
Jun 2023
Episodio 67 Los Indios americanos, sus características culturales y sus costumbres
<p>Si han leído o escuchado hablar de las tribus de indios americanos seguramente los relacionan con conceptos como los siguientes:</p> <ul> <li>Fuertes guerreros con un gran espíritu de lucha.</li> <li>Grandes cazadores que solían utilizar flechas o pequeñas hachas conocidas ... Show More
26m 59s
Aug 2020
American Caste with Isabel Wilkerson
Lately everyone has been talking about race, but Pulitzer Prize-winner Isabel Wilkerson wants us to look at caste as well. We may associate that strict social hierarchy with India, but Wilkerson argues it has been present in the U.S. for over 400 years. She talks with Don about h ... Show More
21m 17s