Indianz.Com > News > Native America Calling: Rewriting the historical context for Native Americans
native america calling
Native America Calling
Listen to Native America Calling every weekday at 1pm Eastern.
Alternate Links: Native Voice One | NAC
Native America Calling: Rewriting the historical context for Native Americans
Wednesday, October 1, 2025
nativeamericacalling.com   nativeamericacalling   nativeamericacalling

Rewriting the historical context for Native Americans
Culture keepers and historians are closely watching President Donald Trump’s review of the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian (NMAI) to eliminate what he calls derisive or partisan narratives.

With facilities in Washington, D.C., Maryland and New York City, the NMAI is among eight institutions that are currently under review. Exhibits include Native American perspectives on historical documents and events that include treaties, Indian Boarding Schools, the Termination Era, the American Indian Movement, and the Indian Child Welfare Act, among many others.

Those watching are concerned Trump’s directive could permanently alter how those topics are presented to the public. NMAI also develops educational curricula that counters incomplete instruction on historical events, like Thanksgiving.

Tune into Native America Calling to hear from those who were instrumental in NMAI’s founding, as well as get perspective on Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s announcement that soldiers that took part in the Wounded Knee Massacre would retain their Medals of Honor.

National Museum of the American Indian
A display about Native Americans in the U.S. armed forces is among the many exhibits created by the National Museum of the American Indian, shown here on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. Photo by Indianz.Com (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0)

Guests on Native America Calling
Dr. Suzan Shown Harjo (Cheyenne and Hodulgee Muscogee), president of the Morning Star Institute, a founding trustee of the National Museum of the American Indian, and recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom

Rick West Jr. (Cheyenne and Arapaho), CEO emeritus of the Autry Museum of the American West and founding director of the National Museum of the American Indian

OJ Semans Sr. (Rosebud Sioux), co-executive director of Four Directions Vote

All Episodes on Spotify | More Options
Search
Filed Under
Tags
More Headlines
President Trump makes his mark on tribal gaming agency with new appointment
Press Release: Billy Kirkland joins National Indian Gaming Commission
NAFOA: 5 Things You Need to Know This Week (June 1, 2026)
Chuck Hoskin: Cherokee Nation continues to share its legacy
Native America Calling: Alaska bears are the targets of a controversial management program
Native America Calling: A Native cafe, camas restoration and the Indigenous food pyramid
Source New Mexico: Uranium mine under consideration near sacred Mount Taylor
Native America Calling: Exploring home, culture, and personal resolve with writers Joan Kane and Sherman Funmaker
Montana Free Press: Lawsuit challenges cancellation of federal grants for tribal agricultural programs
Press Release: Institute of American Indian Arts announces scholarship created by Pueblo artist Rose B. Simpson
Press Release: Umatilla Tribes approve contract for Native legal aid program
Press Release: Department of Transportation opens $19 million tribal grant program
Native America Calling: Oil drilling vs cultural preservation at Chaco Canyon
NAFOA: 5 Things You Need to Know This Week (May 26, 2026)
Native America Calling: Border wall construction damaging sacred sites
More Headlines