PBS Western Reserve celebrates Native American Heritage Month! Join us for special programming that honors the rich and diverse history, culture and traditions of Native American communities. The following programs will air on our PBS Western Reserve (WNEO 45.1 / WEAO 49.1) and Fusion (WNEO 45.2 / WEAO 49.2) channels.
Sunday, Nov. 5, at 4 PM
Monday, Nov. 13, at 9 PM
Two Indigenous artists create new works reflecting on their tribal homelands, the Wind River Indian Reservation. Ken Williams (Arapaho) is a Santa Fe art celebrity and Sarah Ortegon (Shoshone) is an up-and-coming actress in Denver. Both artists travel to Wind River Reservation to reconnect with their ancestors and present their artwork.
Tuesday, Nov. 7, at 9 PM
Wednesday, Nov. 8, at 2 AM
Saturday, Nov. 11, at noon
Native women are leading, innovating and inspiring in the arts, politics and climate action. This program explores the diverse ways they carry forward deep traditions to better their communities, their lands and the world.
Friday, Nov. 10, at 9 PM
Experience the story of the Oscar-winning Indigenous artist from her rise to prominence in New York’s Greenwich Village folk scene through her six-decade groundbreaking career as a singer-songwriter, social activist, educator and artist.
Monday, Nov. 13, at 8:30 PM
Each year in the United States, nearly 5,000 high school girls basketball players earn a full-ride Division I scholarship. In 1992, only one was Native American: Blackfeet Nation’s Malia Kipp. Living in two worlds presented challenges, but Kipp carried the burden with grace and grit. Described by her chief as “a warrior,” she blazed a heroic and inspiring trail for other Native girls to follow.
Monday, Nov. 13, at 10 PM
Three Indigenous students experience the highs and lows of adolescence while attending one of the most remote high schools in the United States. Living in the uniquely beautiful but isolated Diné community within the Navajo Nation reservation, they navigate life as teenagers and dream of a glittering future.
Tuesday, Nov. 14, at 9 PM
Wednesday, Nov. 15, at 2 AM
Saturday, Nov. 18, at noon
Celebrate the power of Native languages and the inspirational people who are saving them. From secret recordings to “Star Wars” films dubbed in Navajo, witness the beauty of Native American communication and how their voices continue to shape 15,000 years of world-changing history.
Sundays beginning Nov. 19 at 3 PM
In 1968, 5-year-old Bezhig Little Bird was forcibly removed from Long Pine Reserve and adopted into a Jewish family, being stripped of her identity and becoming Esther Rosenblum. Now in her 20s, Bezhig longs for the family she lost and to fill in the missing pieces. Her quest lands her in the Canadian prairies where she discovers that she was one of the generation of children forcibly apprehended by the Canadian government through a policy, later coined “the 60s Scoop.”
Sunday, Nov. 19, at 11 PM
Monday, Nov. 20, at 4 AM
Saturday, Nov. 25, at noon
Spanning two countries and three Cherokee nations, this program details Sequoyah’s life and mysterious death. Chronicling his travels from east to west, the documentary recounts his final journey to Mexico and shows viewers more about Sequoyah through the written language he created for the Cherokee people, interviews with his descendants, depictions of cave writings and more.