Frank Buffalo Hyde and Ed Kabotie

In the first half-hour, Tiokasin speaks with Frank Buffalo Hyde (Onondaga and Nez Perce), one of the five Native artists featured in the upcoming exhibition, “Sensing Sasquatch,” which will be on view March 2, 2024 - January 12, 2025 at the High Desert in Bend, Oregon. Native peoples of the Plateau have long known about, encountered, depicted and told stories about Sasquatch, and the exhibition will examine the primate-like, reclusive and elusive being in the context of the High Desert region through an Indigenous lens. Frank Buffalo Hyde grew up in New York on his mother's Onondaga reservation. He began exhibiting his artwork at 18 years old as a hobby. He began taking his artwork career more seriously when he attended the Institute of American Indian Arts in Santa Fe. His artwork has been described as “Bold, Culturally Relevant and Inspiring!” featuring vibrant colors and animal subjects, most commonly buffaloes and his tribe. Frank’s way of creating his artwork is to combine numerous aspects of modern culture with the internet and technology and combine it with Native American ideas. Frank has stated that the intention of his artwork is to highlight the social and political problems today’s society. In addition, issues in today's society and in the lives of Native Americans is what drives him to continue with his career. Frank’s goal for his artwork is to change the way people perceive Native American artwork and abolish any stereotypes that follow Native American artwork. He hopes to teach aspiring Native American artists to make the artwork that they want to make and not worry about their artwork being "Indian enough" or "Native enough.” Frank says, "Indigenous people are now at a point where they have to be dealt with … the popular culture, and the world can no longer ignore what we know and who we are.” More about Frank can be found at https://frankbuffalohyde.com/.  "Sensing Sasquatch" is made possible by Bigfoot Beverages, the Bend Cultural Tourism Fund, Bend Magazine, Brooks Resources Corp., Central Oregon Daily, the James F. and Marion L. Miller Foundation, the Old Mill District, the Visit Central Oregon Future Fund and The X 100.7 FM with support from Bend Pet Express, Travel Oregon and Waypoint Hotel. Learn more at highdesertmuseum.org/sensing-sasquatch.

In the second half-hour, Tiokasin welcomes back our friend Ed Kabotie with an important update. "The continued contamination of lands occupied by the Indigenous nations of the Colorado Plateau must be recognized for what it is: a continuation of the genocidal philosophies of Manifest Destiny. Many issues that Indigenous people face remain out of sight, out of mind to the general public,” says Ed. Ed is an artist and musician from the Hopi village of Shungopavi and the Tewa village of Khap’o Owinge. He considers himself to be an “edu-tainer,” combining visual art, music, and education for his lectures and performances about “Alter-Native History” and issues related to the Indigenous people and lands of the four corner states region. Ed is also an event organizer and, along with his band Tha ‘Yoties and the generous support of nonprofits and committed friends, has held events that feature the Native voices in his homeland. Ed’s solo music incorporates acoustic guitar, Native American flute, harmonica, percussion and voice. His lyrics are sung in English, Hopi and Tewa, and are often written in a storytelling fashion. Ed describes the music as “Nu-Native,” utilizing contemporary instrumentation as a vehicle to share the virtues of his Indigenous heritage, as well as our past and present struggles with colonialism.