Hello everyone!
Soooo that is the question we have been getting a lot… and we are truly sorry for not making our relaunch date… we truly did intend for that that have been before now.
However… we NOW truly have a relaunch date to start recording new episodes of our show…. MAY 3RD will be our first record date, and the show will resume weekly from that point on!
As we mentioned previously, Dave has been diligently building a new house for his family, and we are happy to report that it is now complete and he is in the process of moving in. As some of you may remember, Dave and his wife have had to live in a small camper near the construction site, and it wasn’t always optimal to produce shows there, but Dave is a true trooper, and as always, made it work.
For our regular listeners of our show, you know Dave lives in Florida. It is the only state that borders both the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic Ocean. Therefore weather patterns can be very unpredictable. I am always worried about Dave in terms of weather there, and in particular, when the hurricane season started this past year. Worried first for there for their personal safety, and secondarily, for the new home they are building. However, I happen to know that Dave can design and build one hell of a house!
For myself, my schedule has been insanely busy with my day job. I work in the field of tribal historic preservation. Recently, I was honored to be named the Tribal Historic Preservation Officer for my tribal nation. Tribal Historic Preservation Officers (or otherwise known as THPOs) are officially designated by federally recognized Indian tribes to direct a historic preservation program approved by the National Park Service, a federal agency of the United States Government. A THPO often assumes some or all of the functions of state historic preservation officers on tribal lands. These duties can include enforcing tribal and federal preservation laws, identifying and nominating historically significant places to the National Register of Historic Places, and preserving traditional cultural properties.
This work can sometimes occupy hours that are not confined to regular daytime job hours. Since President Biden signed the Inflation Reduction Act and Congress approved funding for states and their infrastructure projects, there has been a severe increase in infrastructure-related projects in our traditional territories. This has also resulted in local towns having the opportunity to weigh in on projects at evening hearings.
Between Dave's construction schedule and my own work schedule over the latter half of this year, we decided to take an unofficial hiatus from producing episodes of our show. During the past couple of episodes, we have alluded to trying to get back on schedule but have failed to do so, including Dave's Wednesday edition of Native Opinion.
But we very much miss producing the show, and therefore, we are announcing the return of weekly episodes of Native Opinion, beginning mid-January 2024!
We are confident we can resume a regular schedule of episodes. As for the Wednesday Edition, Dave is currently evaluating how he can resume that schedule as well.
There has been a lot happening in and around Indian country, as well as in the world around us. In my opinion, reality sure seems to be upside down and inside out! For example, the war initiated by Hamas against Israel. That attack was terrible. However, the response by Israel, along with the funding provided by the United States, is worth discussing. The goal of Native Opinion has always been to draw Indigenous perspective on current affairs issues. The war in Gaza is worthy of discussion from this perspective.
We will discuss more during our re-launch episode. (# 430)
We want to thank everyone for their patience with us and the concern some of you have expressed for us. You have touched us both deeply.
We look forward to returning in 2024!
Happy New Year, and we will shout at you soon!
Kutupitushmyuu (Thank You),
Michael Kickingbear
Co-host and Technical Producer
The Native Opinion Podcast