NAPT completed and released two Native-produced series on PBS in November 2006. Indian Country Dairies, a two-part series comprised of two 90-minute documentaries hit the airwaves and the festival circuit last year. Indian Country Diaries is a co-production of NAPT and Adanvdo Vision. Major funders of the series include the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, the MacArthur Foundation, the Ford Foundation, PBS, and the Independent Television Service.

Seasoned with Spirit, a five-part series of half hour programs took PBS viewers on a journey through the traditional epicurean culture of five regions of the country. Seasoned with Spirit is co-produced by NAPT and Connecticut Public Television, in association with Resolution Pictures.

Indian Country Diaries is available on DVD at www.visionmaker.org, and Seasoned with Spirit will be available in the coming weeks. Check the website for release announcements.

NAPT founding executive director Frank Blythe (Cherokee/Dakota) retired this fall, but continues to work in development. Director of radio and television Shirley K. Sneve (Lakota) was named NAPT's new executive director in October.

Original Audio Plays Broadcast Live on AIROS

The Native Radio Theater (NRT) Project brought 33 Native writers, directors, actors, musicians and producers to the National Audio Theater Festival Workshop in West Plains, MO, June 18-23.

Read on...

One-Hour Native Radio Theater (NRT) Special

A one-hour NRT special features three original plays by Rose-Yvonne Colletta (Lipan- Mescalero Apache), Arigon Starr (Kickapoo) and Rhiana Yazzie (Navajo)

Read more...

Tune in to the one-hour NRT special on the web:
Tuesday, Jan 23rd: 9am, 3pm, 9pm ET
Saturday, Jan 27th: 10am, 4pm, 10pm ET
Sunday, Jan 28th: 10am, 4pm, 10pm ET

Another high point of 2006 was the selection of three documentaries funded by NAPT for inclusion in the PBS series, POV, television's longest-running showcase for independent non-fiction films. Coming in 2007, POV's 20th anniversary season, is Standing Silent Nation, produced by Prairie Dust Films. In 2008, POV will present Casino Nation, produced by Ignition Pictures and The Last Conquistador, a Kitchen Sync production. Look to this newsletter and our website at www.nativetelecom.org for updates and release announcements on these and other excellent programs in the pipeline.

NAPT was also honored to collaborate with ITVS in presenting Trudell as part of the groundbreaking ITVS/PBS series, Independent Lens, last April. Also in April, ITVS presented California's "Lost" Tribes, Episode 1 of California and the American Dream, a four- part series that explores the dynamics of culture, community and identity in one of the most diverse regions in the world. California's "Lost" Tribe is produced by Jed Riffe and Jack Kohler (Hupa/Karuk/Yurok). Look for many more NAPT/ITVS co-presentations to come.

A high point was reached in 2006 in the number of public television stations that have applied for, and received NAPT support. NAPT is extremely pleased to see more stations producing projects about Native Americans, and involving emerging and established Native talent in these productions. The growing list of stations and projects includes: Wisconsin Public Television, which completed The Oneida Speak and Way of the Warrior in 2006; Nebraska's NET- TV is in development on Standing Bear: The Long Road Home; WGBH in Boston, Massachusetts, is producing We Shall Remain, a five-part series for American Experience; and WHRO in Norfolk, Virginia is in production on Journey Home. This is the same WHRO that produced the radio program, Jamestown 2007: the Native American Connection featured in this newsletter.

A new fund has been established to support media production through Native American Public Telecommunications. The Vision Maker Fund honors the career of Frank Blythe, founding executive director of NAPT.

AIROS provided the following podcasts:

• Native Nation Building Series: Building effective governments, developing strong economies that fit a variety of cultures and circumstances, solving difficult social problems, and balancing cultural integrity and change -- these are just a few of the challenges facing contemporary Native Nations across the United States and Canada. These nation- building challenges are the focus of this podcast series


• 2006 State of Indian Nations: President of the National Congress of American Indians (NCAI) Joe Garcia, Governor of Ohkay Owingeh, (Pueblo of San Juan, New Mexico). President Garcia spoke Feb 2 at the National Press Club in Washington, DC.


• Native Health Series: A collection of programs about Native American health issues, this series of programs takes a look at wellness from a Native perspective focusing not only on problems, but solutions.

Shirley Sneve (Lakota), pictured with Mary Ann Thyken (left), ITVS and Dan Bigbee (Comanche), Big Productions, was elected to the Native American Journalists Association (NAJA) Board for a three year term.