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Native Americans share ancestral stories, history, & culture. www.nativechoctalk.com
Episodes
Friday Aug 08, 2025
Friday Aug 08, 2025
PART 1
On this episode of Native ChocTalk, my cousin, Cheryl and I took a road trip into the heart of Choctaw country to explore the fascinating and little-known history of Tamaha, Oklahoma - a town with stories that are anything but small.
As we meandered along banks of the Arkansas River, we met a local gentleman walking his dogs. That chance encounter led me to Tonia Brannan - an unofficial town historian with a deep connection to the land, the stories, and the Choctaw history embedded in the soil who shares it all with me today.
From early ferry landings of the Choctaw trading points following Removal, to a Civil War steamboat raid led by Confederate Cherokee General Stand Watie, to the very first prisoner of the Tamaha jail, and even the scrappy boxing legend Wild Wilson Dunn, a Choctaw man who claimed to be Osage and once fought Jethro’s dad from the show, The Beverly Hillbillies - Tamaha has seen it all!
(By the way - know any Choctaws with the last name Dunn? Let me know!)
Native ChocTalk Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/nativechoctalkpodcast
All Podcast Episodes: https://nativechoctalk.com/podcasts/
Monday Jul 28, 2025
Monday Jul 28, 2025
PART 3
Join me in this 3-part series as LaNora Parker, great-granddaughter of legendary Comanche leader Quanah Parker, shares her story of leadership, survival, and healing.
LaNora was one of the first women to serve as Vice Chairman and Interim Chairwoman of the Comanche Nation. She reflects on her family’s powerful legacy—her father, Simmons Parker, was a Comanche Code Talker and WWII hero—and how that shaped her path.
She opens up about the painful realities of Native boarding schools, the loneliness, and cultural erasure she experienced, and how Comanche language and hymns remained a source of strength.
Now, as a voice for Native recovery, LaNora shares her personal healing journey and her mission to support sobriety through culture and purpose! Along with her niece, she co-founded Warchief Collection, a non-alcoholic beverage line rooted in Native wellness and resilience. Learn more at warchiefcollection.com
Her words of encouragement for all who are in recovery? “Pray about it. Cry about it. Read about it. Write about it. Talk about it. Be about it.”
Native ChocTalk Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/nativechoctalkpodcast
All Podcast Episodes: https://nativechoctalk.com/podcasts/
Monday Jul 28, 2025
Monday Jul 28, 2025
Join me in this 3-part series as LaNora Parker, great-granddaughter of legendary Comanche leader Quanah Parker, shares her story of leadership, survival, and healing.
LaNora was one of the first women to serve as Vice Chairman and Interim Chairwoman of the Comanche Nation. She reflects on her family’s powerful legacy—her father, Simmons Parker, was a Comanche Code Talker and WWII hero—and how that shaped her path.
She opens up about the painful realities of Native boarding schools, the loneliness, and cultural erasure she experienced, and how Comanche language and hymns remained a source of strength.
Now, as a voice for Native recovery, LaNora shares her personal healing journey and her mission to support sobriety through culture and purpose! Along with her niece, she co-founded Warchief Collection, a non-alcoholic beverage line rooted in Native wellness and resilience. Learn more at warchiefcollection.com
Her words of encouragement for all who are in recovery? “Pray about it. Cry about it. Read about it. Write about it. Talk about it. Be about it.”
Native ChocTalk Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/nativechoctalkpodcast
All Podcast Episodes: https://nativechoctalk.com/podcasts/
Monday Jul 28, 2025
Monday Jul 28, 2025
PART 1
Join me in this 3-part series as LaNora Parker, great-granddaughter of legendary Comanche leader Quanah Parker, shares her story of leadership, survival, and healing.
LaNora was one of the first women to serve as Vice Chairman and Interim Chairwoman of the Comanche Nation. She reflects on her family’s powerful legacy—her father, Simmons Parker, was a Comanche Code Talker and WWII hero—and how that shaped her path.
She opens up about the painful realities of Native boarding schools, the loneliness, and cultural erasure she experienced, and how Comanche language and hymns remained a source of strength.
Now, as a voice for Native recovery, LaNora shares her personal healing journey and her mission to support sobriety through culture and purpose! Along with her niece, she co-founded Warchief Collection, a non-alcoholic beverage line rooted in Native wellness and resilience. Learn more at warchiefcollection.com
Her words of encouragement for all who are in recovery? “Pray about it. Cry about it. Read about it. Write about it. Talk about it. Be about it.”
Native ChocTalk Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/nativechoctalkpodcast
All Podcast Episodes: https://nativechoctalk.com/podcasts/
Sunday Jul 27, 2025
Sunday Jul 27, 2025
PART 3
In this powerful 3-part episode, we dive into the tragic legacy of the Wounded Knee Massacre and its connection to the ongoing fight for Native American religious freedom.
My guest, law Professor, Richard Garnett - a Choctaw citizen and expert in religious freedom at Notre Dame - helps unpack what the law *actually* says about Native religious rights, sacred land use, and the balance between tribal sovereignty and U.S. legal systems.
From the Ghost Dance to peyote use in the Native American Church, and from religious Acts and the Constitution, we explore how Native faith practices have been criminalized, protected, and misunderstood throughout U.S. history.
We also discuss the painful irony that Native communities often need specific legislation just to practice their traditions, unlike many other faiths in America. Professor Garnett shares why religious freedom isn't just about individual rights - it's also about land, language, and the deep communal connection to sacred spaces.
If you’ve ever wondered how law students and Professors at places like Notre Dame are shaping the future or how land rights like those at Oak Flat and beyond are tied to religious liberty, this episode is for you.
Native ChocTalk Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/nativechoctalkpodcast
All Podcast Episodes: https://nativechoctalk.com/podcasts/
Sunday Jul 27, 2025
Sunday Jul 27, 2025
PART 2
In this powerful 3-part episode, we dive into the tragic legacy of the Wounded Knee Massacre and its connection to the ongoing fight for Native American religious freedom.
My guest, law Professor, Richard Garnett - a Choctaw citizen and expert in religious freedom at Notre Dame - helps unpack what the law *actually* says about Native religious rights, sacred land use, and the balance between tribal sovereignty and U.S. legal systems.
From the Ghost Dance to peyote use in the Native American Church, and from religious Acts and the Constitution, we explore how Native faith practices have been criminalized, protected, and misunderstood throughout U.S. history.
We also discuss the painful irony that Native communities often need specific legislation just to practice their traditions, unlike many other faiths in America. Professor Garnett shares why religious freedom isn't just about individual rights - it's also about land, language, and the deep communal connection to sacred spaces.
If you’ve ever wondered how law students and Professors at places like Notre Dame are shaping the future or how land rights like those at Oak Flat and beyond are tied to religious liberty, this episode is for you.
Native ChocTalk Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/nativechoctalkpodcast
All Podcast Episodes: https://nativechoctalk.com/podcasts/
Sunday Jul 27, 2025
Sunday Jul 27, 2025
In this powerful 3-part episode, we dive into the tragic legacy of the Wounded Knee Massacre and its connection to the ongoing fight for Native American religious freedom.
My guest, law Professor, Richard Garnett - a Choctaw citizen and expert in religious freedom at Notre Dame - helps unpack what the law *actually* says about Native religious rights, sacred land use, and the balance between tribal sovereignty and U.S. legal systems.
From the Ghost Dance to peyote use in the Native American Church, and from religious Acts and the Constitution, we explore how Native faith practices have been criminalized, protected, and misunderstood throughout U.S. history.
We also discuss the painful irony that Native communities often need specific legislation just to practice their traditions, unlike many other faiths in America. Professor Garnett shares why religious freedom isn't just about individual rights - it's also about land, language, and the deep communal connection to sacred spaces.
If you’ve ever wondered how law students and Professors at places like Notre Dame are shaping the future or how land rights like those at Oak Flat and beyond are tied to religious liberty, this episode is for you.
Native ChocTalk Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/nativechoctalkpodcast
All Podcast Episodes: https://nativechoctalk.com/podcasts/
Sunday Jul 13, 2025
Sunday Jul 13, 2025
PART 3
In this new season of Native ChocTalk, I sat down with Tiffany Baker, the heart and hands behind Bakers Bar Soapery!
Tiffany shares her powerful journey of tracing her Choctaw ancestors — all connected by one common thread: the land. From uncovering family allotments and the deep sentiment of holding onto family land, to the tangled stories of district agents, guardianship scams, and the feisty squabbles between Choctaw mammas — with a bit of Tamaha, Oklahoma town gossip sprinkled in too!
Tune in to hear how Tiffany weaves her family’s past into her modern-day business, creating soaps that carry the love, land, and legacy of her people — and maybe a bit of Tamaha mischief too.
Listen now and get inspired by the strength that runs through the land — and the families who keep it alive.
Native ChocTalk Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/nativechoctalkpodcast
All Podcast Episodes: https://nativechoctalk.com/podcasts/
Sunday Jul 13, 2025
Sunday Jul 13, 2025
PART 2
In this new season of Native ChocTalk, I sat down with Tiffany Baker, the heart and hands behind Bakers Bar Soapery
Tiffany shares her powerful journey of tracing her Choctaw ancestors — all connected by one common thread: the land. From uncovering family allotments and the deep sentiment of holding onto family land, to the tangled stories of district agents, guardianship scams, and the feisty squabbles between Choctaw mammas — with a bit of Tamaha, Oklahoma town gossip sprinkled in too!
Tune in to hear how Tiffany weaves her family’s past into her modern-day business, creating soaps that carry the love, land, and legacy of her people — and maybe a bit of Tamaha mischief too.
Listen now and get inspired by the strength that runs through the land — and the families who keep it alive.
Native ChocTalk Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/nativechoctalkpodcast
All Podcast Episodes: https://nativechoctalk.com/podcasts/
Sunday Jul 13, 2025
Sunday Jul 13, 2025
PART 1
In this new season of Native ChocTalk, I sat down with Tiffany Baker, the heart and hands behind Bakers Bar Soapery!
Tiffany shares her powerful journey of tracing her Choctaw ancestors — all connected by one common thread: the land. From uncovering family allotments and the deep sentiment of holding onto family land, to the tangled stories of district agents, guardianship scams, and the feisty squabbles between Choctaw mammas — with a bit of Tamaha, Oklahoma town gossip sprinkled in too!
Tune in to hear how Tiffany weaves her family’s past into her modern-day business, creating soaps that carry the love, land, and legacy of her people — and maybe a bit of Tamaha mischief too.
Listen now and get inspired by the strength that runs through the land — and the families who keep it alive.
Native ChocTalk Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/nativechoctalkpodcast
All Podcast Episodes: https://nativechoctalk.com/podcasts/