What happens when Lakota author and artist Donald Montileaux collaborates with our librarian, Claire Nehring, and her students to create an illustrating project? Let’s listen in.

What happens when a beloved Lakota artist joins ranks with the traditional tribal storytellers who used their wisdom and gifted voices to paint pictures of wonderful, magical animals and colorful birds on the walls of young people’s minds? To borrow some words from Donald Montileaux himself, this one is for all those children whose eyes dance in the firelight as he creates words and images that jump boldly from the pages of his books and into young imaginations.

What do an impromptu visit to a friend’s house, a pick-up basketball game, going on an out-of-state trip or cultural activities have to do with a healthy residential environment for kids? We’re about to find out from the Council on Residential Education Executive Director Don Forrester.

Strength and resiliency – these are perhaps two sides of the same coin. The apostle Paul would say, in my weakness I am strong. Let’s hear what Joseph Marshall III says about the traditional Lakota bow and arrow and the power that comes from overcoming adversity.

Some tout the elegance of simplicity. And, nowadays it seems everyone is talking about “Ikigai,” the Japanese word-become-buzzword for purpose. It is said to be the secret to a long and happy life. But it has been more than a decade since Joseph Marshall III drew on centuries-old Lakota wisdom to write about simplicity and purpose as characteristics of a life well lived.

A simple ash-wood bow. A willow arrow. What can these two things teach us about life? Listen as Joseph Marshall III unpacks the power and beauty of lessons from the bow and arrow in a three-part series, here on Hóčhoka.

The Sundance and the Paschal Mysteries – the great, annual religious ceremonies of the Lakota and Christian traditions. Let’s talk about their surprising similarities and very important differences as Dr. Damian Costello provides another fresh perspective.

What do you want to be when you grow up? Today we ask this question to a mostly grown-up audience. Why? Because, no matter what you do, Sr. Cathy Bertrand wants you to know you matter, it matters and even the smallest act or word of kindness you offer in this world makes a difference. Think about it.

What happens when a jaded adolescent living in Roman luxury and urban pretension finds himself transplanted to a tribal society with deep connections to the land? What lesson does his story contain for us? Listen as Dr. Damian Costello explains and enjoy the Deer’s Cry sung by our school's own Oglala Lakota artist Sharla Krogman.

When average Americans think about St. Patrick, they likely conjure up images of parades, shamrocks and green beer. “There is much more to this legendary guy,” says Dr. Damian Costello. As Patrick’s feast day is near, we share a two-part series on this fabled saint and the important lessons his life holds about human nature and ultimate meaning.

Prosetelize. Evangelize. Catechize. Supporting the spiritual dimension of life with children and adolescents in residential care is difficult to get right. Join our conversation with Michelle Maikoetter of Cal Farley’s to talk about lessons her organization has learned along the way.

"It is easier to build strong children than to repair broken men,” says today’s guest quoting Frederick Douglass, who 200 years later continues to inspire social workers and human rights activists worldwide. Our guest is Milton Hershey’s AJ Rinaldi, a man committed to building strong children, particularly by being better youth workers. Let’s get to know him.

It’s been eleven months since we asked the question, “What happens when a high school senior interviews a residential school administrator?” We found out in Season 3, and we’re here again today to find out what happens when Basil Eagle Star and Sean Milner meet again almost one year later.

What goes on in 615 days in the life of the Provincial Superior of the Priests of the Sacred Heart in the United States? Roughly half-way through his three-year term, Fr. Vien Nguyen is here to give us an up close and personal account.

Did you know that of the 2,336 characters on 345 of the most popular TV shows airing between 1987 and 2007, only three were Native American? Sixty-two percent of non-Native Americans report not knowing a single one of the over five million Native people in the U.S., 70% of whom live in urban areas. And then, there is the issue of stereotypes. What if well-known and gifted storyteller Joseph Marshall III wanted to change that landscape?

“The heavens declare the glory of God; the firmament proclaims the works of his hands.” So begins Psalm 19. “We sell our ancestral traditions short if we don’t delve deeper into what that means,” says Dr. Damian Costello. Listen as he gives us another fresh perspective on Catholicism through an Indigenous lens.

Hóčhoka podcast returns to the airwaves this January 22 with Season 5, offering 16 more episodes that engage audiences in the conversation about Native American education today. Hear about the wisdom of the traditional Lakota bow and arrow from Joseph Marshall III.Learn from Don Forrester, Michelle Maikotter and AJ Rinaldi, thought leaders in residential education.Spend time with Oglala Sioux ledger artist Donald Montileaux and follow him into sessions in the classroom with our students.Join Dr. Damian Costello as he again provides fresh perspectives on Catholicism through and Indigenous lens.And so much more.

A scallop shell, a walking stick and a young woman from Nebraska – let’s find out what this is all about. Today we are talking with Religious Studies Teacher Kim Schneider. This was a summer of pilgrimage for Kim, and we invited her here to share her experiences with us.

Few things are more arresting that the smell of burning sweetgrass, according to Dr. Damian Costello. He says re-connecting with this relative, which some people call the hair of Mother Earth, can help re-indigenize our faith and heal wounds that affect our planet. Learn the promise and the lesson of this humble plant.

Someone you know has gone missing. What should you do? Allison Morrisette, South Dakota’s Missing and Murdered Indigenous Persons Coordinator, and Mary Beth Holzwarth, Human Trafficking Coordinator, discuss their new roles and educate us about human trafficking and missing and murdered indigenous persons.