Dixie Treichel, Author at KFAI - Minneapolis + St. Paul

Members of AIM and other Internationally recognized delegates speak before the UN

First Person Plural | AIM Through the Lens of Dick Bancroft

*** In this edition of First Person Plural, we hear the story of Richard “Dick” Bancroft, who used his passion for social justice to become a documentary photographer for the American Indian Movement (AIM). Bancroft began working with AIM in the Twin Cities in the 1970s and travelled the world, covering many of the movement’s political, spiritual and cultural activities for more than 40 years. This story was produced by Dixie Treichel. Listen here:

KFAI's MinneCulture · First Person Plural | AIM Through the Lens of Dick Bancroft

Photo of Indigenous Delegations & Russell Means at the World Forum in Geneva, Switzerland, 1977 by Dick Bancroft. First Person Plural is funded in part by the Minnesota Humanities Center with money from the Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund that was created with the vote of the people of Minnesota on November 4, 2008.

Screen shot from the title screen of "Harold of Orange."

First Person Plural | Harold of Orange: Gerald Vizenor’s Silver Screen Trickster

*** Writer and scholar Gerald Vizenor, of the White Earth Nation, wrote the screenplay for the film Harold of Orange in 1983 while teaching at the University of Minnesota. It’s a playful film about a modern day trickster played by Native American actor/comedian Charlie Hill (Oneida). Set in Minnesota and filled with comedy and irony, the film explores the interaction between Native Americans and philanthropic foundations. It premiered in Minneapolis in 1984 at the Uptown Theater. KFAI’s Dixie Treichel has the story. Listen here:

KFAI’s MinneCulture · First Person Plural | Harold of Orange: Gerald Vizenor’s Silver Screen Trickster

Photo courtesy Vision Maker Media. This work is funded in part by the Minnesota Humanities Center with money from the Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund that was created with the vote of the people of Minnesota on November 4, 2008.

Citizens attend a meeting of the Minnesota Citizens Review Commission on the FBI

First Person Plural | The G-Men Cometh: When the FBI Targeted Nuns, AIMsters, Cab Drivers & More

*** In the 1970s, throughout the Twin Cities and beyond, the FBI infiltrated activist organizations and disrupted these groups using the grand jury system. The Minnesota Citizens Review Commission on the FBI listened to testimonies from a variety of communities who were being harassed and intimidated by the FBI. The Review Commission’s goal was to educate and inform citizens about the FBI’s tactics and explore what could be done if targeted. KFAI’s Dixie Treichel has more. Listen here:

KFAI’s MinneCulture · First Person Plural | The G-Men Cometh: When the FBI Targeted Nuns, AIMsters, Cab Drivers & More

Photos courtesy of the MIGIZI Legacy Radio Archive. This work is funded in part by the Minnesota Humanities Center with money from the Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund that was created with the vote of the people of Minnesota on November 4, 2008.” Search for more First Person Plural Stories at KFAI.org.

KITTO kneels on a basketball court in the dark

MinneCulture | KITTO: Living for the Moment

*** Anishinaabe-Dakota hip-hop artist KITTO is set to release his new album “1999” later this summer. The new album riffs on themes of personal loss, social justice, and healing. In this candid interview with KFAI’s Dixie Treichel, KITTO speaks about the past year, and what it means to him to live for the moment. Listen here:

KFAI’s MinneCulture · KITTO: Living for the Moment

Support for MinneCulture on KFAI comes from the Minnesota Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund.

Students seated on the floor of a class room at the Red School House in St. Paul

First Person Plural | Self-Determination and Other Teachings of the Red School House

*** In the early 1970’s, Native American youth were experiencing discrimination in the Twin Cities public schools that created turmoil and high drop out rates. This lead to the creation of an alternative accredited educational place named The Red School House. KFAI’s Dixie Treichel filed this report. Listen below. “Being at Red School House, you didn’t have anyone telling you you couldn’t be who you are,” said Dorene Day, a former Red School House student. “We were encouraged to delve into every aspect of our life as a Native person.” The Red School House began in February of 1972. The idea was hatched by concerned parent Charlotte Day alongside St Paul American Indian Movement Executive Director Edward Benton-Benai. Day and Benton-Benai then developed the concept with members of the community. First Person Radio interviewed Edward Benton-Benai in 1976. “So our relationship with the public school system of St. Paul has not been one of romance. They had threatened to pick all the kids up from school and charge them with truancy at one time. When that call came, we sent out a call to the Indian community. In about 40 minutes there were about 250 Indians that surrounded the building and dared them to come and get the kids. And we knew too that we had a responsibility to live up to and that was the maintaining and enlarging of the school.”

KFAI’s MinneCulture · Self-Determination and Other Teachings of the Red School House

This work is funded in part by the Minnesota Humanities Center with money from the Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund that was created with the vote of the people of Minnesota on November 4, 2008. Photograph Courtesy of the American Indian Movement Interpretive Center.

dated photograph of the 1975 National All-Indian Boxing Team

First Person Plural | The Native Boxing Gyms of 1970s Minneapolis

*** In Minneapolis, Native American youth boxing reached its peak during the 1970s. Experienced boxers committed their time and energy to start gyms and coach the youth. In the turmoil of the urban environment, boxing was a way for Native American boys like Lee Goodman Sr. to step into the ring, stay out of trouble and gain self confidence. “In my experience in the Native youth boxing when I was a kid was not mainly what I gained from winning or losing,” says Goodman Sr. “It’s what I gained from it being a positive influence in my life being that young. And it was like that with a lot of us young Native boys. You know it gave us that self worth.” Listen to our story by KFAI’s Dixie Treichel.

KFAI’s MinneCulture · First Person Plural | The Native Boxing Gyms of 1970s Minneapolis

Banner photo: The 1975 National All-Indian Boxing Team; Soundcloud Photo: Ricky Littlewolf, 1971. First Person Plural on KFAI is supported by Migizi Communications. This work is funded in part by the Minnesota Humanities Center with money from the Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund that was created with the vote of the people of Minnesota on November 4, 2008.

Annie Mack looks down, wearing long tight braids and a gold necklace against a gray backdrop.

MinneCulture | Singer-Songwriter Annie Mack Finds Her Truth in The Blues

*** Singer songwriter Annie Mack does it all, from powerhouse blues to New Americana and beyond, highlighting her unique vocal presence and original songs. She released two new singles in 2020, “Shadows of a Kingdom” and “Judge and Jury.” Her new EP Testify dropped in January 2021. She is also featured in the book 50 Women in the Blues (Supernova Books, 2020). This story was produced by Dixie Treichel. Listen here.

KFAI’s MinneCulture · Singer Songwriter Annie Mack Finds Her Truth in The Blues

Photo by Shelly Mosman. MinneCulture on KFAI is made possible by the Minnesota Arts & Cultural Fund.

Artwork, of "Soil Horizon" depicting sky, dry grass, dark soil, roots, a lighter bedrock

MinneCulture | Like the Banks of a River: Deborah Foutch’s Fiber & Mixed Media Art

Minneapolis artist Deborah Foutch creates rich and complex work with fiber and mixed media that expresses her love of the natural world. Her Soil Horizon series portrays a living system using special layering techniques and honors her father who was a soil conservationist. This story was produced by Dixie Treichel. “My work is about a living system in the world,” says Foutch. “I’m looking at a way that layers will show me qualities that I see when I stand and look at water. I take paint and I water it down a lot and I pour it through layers. I spreads on whatever material I’m using it on.”

KFAI’s MinneCulture · Like the Banks of a River: Deborah Foutch’s Fiber & Mixed Media Art

Funding for MinneCulture on KFAI is made possible by the Minnesota Arts & Cultural Heritage Fund. Photo of “Soil Horizon” and “Rooted Earth,” courtesy of Deborah Foutch.