Native Circles
This podcast features Native American and Indigenous voices, stories, and experiences for everyone to learn, not only in North America but also throughout the world. The founders of Native Circles are Dr. Farina King (Diné) and Sarah Newcomb (Tsimshian), who were inspired to start this podcast to educate wider publics about the interconnections and significance of Native American, Alaska Native, and Indigenous experiences and matters. The primary co-hosts of the podcast are Dr. King, Dr. Davina Two Bears, and Eva Bighorse. Dr. King is the Horizon Chair of Native American Ecology and Culture and a professor of Native American Studies at the University of Oklahoma. Dr. Two Bears (Diné) is an assistant professor in the School for Human Evolution and Social Change at Arizona State University. Bighorse (Cayuga and Diné) is an Indigenous human development advocate with expertise in tribal healthcare relations. Brian D. King is an editor for the podcast with experiences in journalism and writing. Learn more about the podcast and episodes on the official website of "Native Circles" at https://nativecirclespodcast.com/.
Episodes
60 episodes
Indigenous Biblical Interpretation with T. Christopher Hoklotubbe and H. Daniel Zacharias
In this episode of Native Circles, co-hosts Dr. Farina King and Eva Bighorse speak with Dr. T. Christopher (Chris) Hoklotubbe and Dr. H. Daniel (Danny) Zacharias, co-authors of Reading the Bible on Turtle Island: An Invitation to North Amer...
Indigenous Archaeology and Sovereign Stories with Dr. Joe Watkins
Co-hosts Dr. Davina Two Bears and Dr. Farina King talk with Choctaw archaeologist Dr. Joe Watkins about the changing dynamics of Indigenous archaeology from AIM-era protests and NAGPRA to tribal historic preservation offices and global collabor...
"Children Like Us": Brittany Penner on the Sixties Scoop and Walking Home
In this episode of Native Circles, Drs. Farina King and Davina Two Bears meet Dr. Brittany Penner to discuss her memoir, Children Like Us: A Métis Woman’s Memoir of Family, Identity, and Walking Herself Home (Regalo Press, 202...
Voices of Indigenous Feminisms in "Beyond the Glittering World"
This episode features a rich and timely conversation between Native Circles co-hosts Dr. Farina King and Eva Bighorse and the co-editors of the anthology Beyond the ...
"The Water Remembers": Amy Bowers Cordalis on Healing the Klamath River
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
Learning Choctaw Language and Legacy with Freddie Lewis
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 ...
Come Together: Learning and Teaching Ojibwe Language Through Partnership with Anton Treuer and Chelsea Mead
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 la...
A Collaboration of Indigenous Truthtelling of Boarding Schools
This episode features voices from a panel on the collaboration, “Indigenous Truthtelling of Boarding Schools,” held at the University of Oklahoma in August 2025 and funded by a NHPRC-Mellon Planning Grant for Collaborative Digital Editions in A...
Heather Tanana's Work for Universal Water Access in Tribal Communities
Heather Tanana (Diné), a law professor at the University of Denver and associate faculty member with the Center for Indigenous Health at Johns Hopkins University School of Public Health, joins host Farina King to discuss her chapter in COVI...
"The Language Called Me": Robert Collins and Learning Potawatomi Language
At age 40, Robert Collins realized that the Potawatomi language was still alive, which changed the course of his life. Now a dedicated language instructor for the Citizen Potawatomi Nation and various universities across Oklahoma, Collins share...
"Language Is the Key": A Conversation with Cheyenne Language Protectors Michael Elizondo, Jr. and Chaz Meadows
On this episode of the special series featuring Native Language Protectors and Carriers, we reflect on the legacy of the Native American Languages Act of 1990 through the stories of Michael Elizondo, Jr. and Chaz Meadows. They are two citizens ...
Wołí Bee: Christine Ami's Journey of Cultural Arts and Resilience
In this powerful conversation, Dr. Christine Ami shares her journey of navigating the cultural arts program and collaborating on the T’áá wołí bee exhibit at Diné College during the COVID-19 pandemic. Through the lens of Wołí Bee
Gavin A. Healey on "Demistifying" Native Graffiti and Aerosol Muralism of the Pandemic
In this episode, Dr. Farina King is joined by Dr. Gavin A. Healey, a contributing author of COVID-19 in Indian Country and Assistant Professor of Anthropology and A...
Amoneeta Beckstein and Tapati Dutta Discuss Reziliency of Native College Students During COVID-19
In this episode of Native Circles, Dr. Farina King, co-editor of COVID-19 in Indian Country, talks with co-authors Dr. Amoneeta Beckstein and Dr. Tapati Dutta about their chapter, exploring the lived experiences of eight Nativ...
Shaina A. Nez and "COVID-19 Memory Dreamscapes"
In this episode, co-editor Dr. Farina King of COVID-19 in Indian Country: Native American Memories and Experiences of the Pandemic speaks with contributing author Dr. Shaina A. Nez about her chapter, “COVID-19 Memory Dreamscapes.” A Di...
Native Wellbeing and Dr. Yvette Brown-Shirley's Healing Path
In this episode of Native Circles, Eva Bighorse and Dr. Farina King talk with Dr. Yvette Brown-Shirley, a Diné neurologist specializing in sports neurology and brain injury medicine at Barrow Neurological Institute. Dr. Brown-Shirley s...
Cherokee Elder Christine Armer and "Keeping the Language"
Christine Armer is a Cherokee elder and language instructor of nearly 20 years at the University of Oklahoma who grew up in a Cherokee community where she wasn’t introduced to the English language until she attended grade school. This is the fi...
"Buffalo Dreamer": Violet Duncan on Creativity, Community, and Healing
In this Native Circles episode, Eva Bighorse and Dr. Farina King sit down with Violet Duncan, an award-winning author, dancer, and storyteller from the Plains Cree of the Kehewin Cree Nation and of Taino descent. Together, they trace Violet's p...
Kaitlin Reed and "Settler Cannabis"
In this episode, Dr. Davina Two Bears and Dr. Farina King are joined by Dr. Kaitlin Reed (Yurok/Hupa/Oneida) to discuss her groundbreaking first book, Settler Cannabis: From Gold Rush to Green Rush in Indigenous Northern California, pu...
Indigenizing Technologies for Learning: Kelly Berry on Gaming, Education, and Culture
This episode features Dr. Kelly Berry, an enrolled citizen of the Apache Tribe of Oklahoma (Plains Apache) with affiliations to the Kiowa and Choctaw Nations. Dr. Berry is a Mellon Impact Post-Doctoral Fellow and Lecturer in the Department of N...
Blaire Morseau and Neshnabé Knowledge
In this episode, Dr. Blaire Morseau joins Dr. Davina Two Bears and Dr. Farina King to discuss her work with Neshnabé (Potawatomi) knowledge systems, focusing on birch bark, language, and archives. Dr. Morseau highlights the significance of Simo...
Calling Back Home with Ah-in-nist Sipes
Ah-in-nist, also known as Clifford, Sipes is Cheyenne with family ties in both Oklahoma and Montana. His father was the last authorized historian of the Cheyenne People, and a respected Chief and Pipe Carrier. His Mother is a citizen of the Cad...
"With the Ancestors": Mel Fillmore and Policy Work with MMIP
Co-founders of the Native Circles podcast Sarah Newcomb and Farina King co-host this session introducing Dr. Melanie ("Mel") Fillmore (they/them/she/her) who is urban mixed Hunkpapa, Lakota of the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe of North and South Da...
Liz Ellis and "The Great Power of Small Nations"
Dr. Elizabeth (Liz) Ellis talks with co-hosts Davina Two Bears and Farina King about her journey, which led her to writing her first book The Great Power of Small Nations: Indigenous Diplomacy in the Gulf South. She highlights aspects ...
Dr. Joshua Nelson and "Trail of the Thunderbirds"
Dr. Joshua Nelson, a Cherokee Nation citizen scholar, talks with Dr. Farina King about his experiences in Italy and work on a documentary tentatively titled, "Trail of the Thunderbirds." His documentary film project features two Native American...