KFAI's MinneCulture Presents

The Orphan Train by Annie Wu In September, 1854, the first "orphan train" carried 46 homeless children from New York City to far off homes to become laborers in the pioneer West. It was the first step in what was to become the emigration of as many as 250,000 orphan children to new homes throughout the entire United States. Widely duplicated throughout its 75 year history , the original orphan train was the creation and life project of Charles Loring Brace , a now largely forgotten man who became the father of American  child welfare policy. In this one-hour documentary we will hear interviews from surviving orphan train riders as well as readings from period newspapers, letters, and journals about one of the least known, yet most significant social experiments in American history.

Responding to the Opioid Crisis in Minnesota Native Communities by Melissa Townsend For over a decade, the prescription pain killer and heroin abuse crisis has had a hold on communities across the U.S. Opioid overdoses tripled between 2000 and 2015. In 2015, Minnesota had more American Indians dying from overdoses than any other state. Many American Indians in Minnesota are still wrestling with how best to help people heal from the addiction and the historical trauma at the root of this crisis. In this special report fro m  Minnesota Native News , reporter Melissa Townsend explores the unique nature of addiction in Native communities, and how it is - or is not - shaping a response to the current crisis.

Stolen Childhoods by Melissa Olson America's attempt to separate Native children from their families didn't end with boarding schools. In the decades after World War II, the U.S. government created the Indian Adoption Project , an effort designed to place Native kids with white parents. In this one-hour documentary, KFAI producer Melissa Olson explores the personal and historical impact of this policy. Her Ojibwe mother, Judy Olson, was raised by a white family as were the mothers of several friends. We will hear and explore how the emotional impact of the Indian Adoption Project — and similar state projects — still  continues  today. Photo by John Other Medicine

Jillian Rae from Minneculture Recorded live at Broken World Records in Winona at the 5th annual MidWest Music Fest . Produced and recorded for KFAI’s Minneculture by the one and only Tom Garneau. You can hear Jillian Rae's latest recording, a cover of Prince's When Doves Cry at her Bandcamp page. Ayvah from Minneculture In the second half of our show, the  jazz and funk influenced Twin Cities quintet Ayvah perform live at The Icehouse in Minneapolis. Ayvah is Ava McFarlane on vocals, Samuel Rosenstone on piano, DeCarlo Jackson on bass, Joey C. Hays on drums and Andy Schupp on guitar. This "Live from Minnesota" concert was recorded by Ryan Mach. It was mixed and produced by Tom Garneau . You can hear more from Ayvah by visiting their Soundclound .

The Minneculture Podcast from KFAI Introducing the MinneCulture Podcast ! We are going to celebrate by playing three installments from the new bi-weekly series which will feature the best arts, culture, and history reporting from KFAI. In these first episodes, we'll learn how Black Lives Matter got an anthem, the story of a college student from Minnesota who got the Swedish band Roxette on U.S. radio, and a 28-hour music marathon .  Also, we're going to dive deep into the animal world in interviews with nature videographer Sam Easterson , taxidermist Sarina Brewer , and a harpist that has been playing for primates at the Como Zoo in St. Paul for nearly a decade. We'll hear how the gorillas react, with a beautiful sound all of their own. Our show will feature work by independent producers  Diane Richard , Mason Butler ,  Lila Cherneff , Sam Radwany , Ryan Dawes , and Nancy Rosenbaum . Minneculture is made possible by a grant from the Minnesota Arts and Cultural Heri...