KSUT, in collaboration with independent producer Adam Burke, will be releasing several new episodes of the storytelling project Native Braids over the coming weeks.
The first will be included in this week's Four Corners Edition (Friday 8:30-9 AM) for National Native American Heritage month. The initial pilot series of 11 stories was successfully launched in December 2019. Further production was stalled due to Covid-19 restrictions for the next 18 months.
Native Braids is a series of produced vignettes, capturing intimate conversations between Native American youth and elders. The pilot series focused on Southern Ute and Ute Mountain Ute tribal members, but will expand to include other tribes from Indian Country.
The concept for Native Braids began in spring 2018, as a pilot project for the Tribal Media Center, located in KSUT’s new building. The series was founded by KSUT's Sheila Nanaeto and Tami Graham, and independent producer Adam Burke.
KSUT's Tribal Media Center plans to offer producers across Native America training in the broadcasting arts; where tribes can partner on oral history and cultural preservation efforts. It's also an opportunity for KSUT to increase its media production and strengthen content-sharing partnerships with other tribal media organizations.
When to listen on KSUT:
Native Braids episodes can be heard on both Tribal Radio and Four Corners Public Radio at approximately the following times (actual time may vary slightly due to story length):
Mondays and Wednesdays: at approx 7:50 AM during Morning Edition
Tuesdays and Thursdays: at approx 5:50 PM during All Things Considered
Initial funding for Native Braids was provided by Richard Ballantine, a local philanthropist. Additional funding has been provided by grants from Rocky Mountain Health Foundation and Next Fifty Initiative.
For more information on Native Braids and to listen to stories, visit www.nativebraids.org. Learn more about KSUT Tribal Radio at www.tribalradio.org.
