Episode 1: Can Humor Heal?
Adrianne Chalepah was never afraid to speak out. Growing up, she couldn’t keep quiet when her teachers brushed over Native American history and tradition, calling Native Peoples “basically Asian.” Adrianne talked back and was subsequently punished by her teachers for having a big mouth.
Today, Adrianne brings her “big mouth” to the stage as a comedian. She jokes about being Native in the US not only as a way to release all that energy, but to help her communities heal from the trauma, past and present, that the US government has inflicted on Native people.
Listen to our first episode to learn how Adrianne is creating change through comedy.
Listen
Transcript
Read the full transcript here.
Get Involved
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Read more about Adrianne's comedy group, Ladies of Native Comedy.
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Learn more and donate to IllumiNatives, which is working to increase the visibility of – and challenge the negative narrative about – Native Nations and peoples in American society.
References
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"Archaeology of the Phoenix Indian School," Owen Lindauer, Archeological Institute of America.
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"Disparities," Indian Health Service.
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"European colonizers killed so many indigenous Americans that the planet cooled down, a group of researchers concluded," Aylin Woodward, Business Insider.
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"How the US stole thousands of Native American children," Ranjani Chakraborty (Producer), Vox.
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"Indigenous boarding schools will be investigated, Interior Secretary Haaland announces," Emma Ascott, KOLD News.
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"Unseen Tears: The Native American Boarding School Experience in Western New York," Ron Douglas (Director).
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"US Indian Boarding School History," National Native American Boarding School Healing Coalition.