The Mandan, Hidatsa, and Arikara peoples learn more about the missiles on their lands, and this knowledge adds greater significance to preserving their culture and heritage. In this final episode of the podcast series, Ella Weber returns to her tribe to share what she discovered.
The Tribe Learns About the Missiles
Ella met with her grandmother, Debra Malnoury, to find out when she first learned about the missiles. Debra said that she didn’t know much about it and wasn’t even aware of them. She expressed her concerns and fears about a major war and its impact on the tribe.
The Impact of the Missiles on the Tribe
Ella reflects on her first visit to the reservation to understand how the missiles came to the reservation and how much the community actually knew about them. She talks with Edmund Baker, the environmental director for the MHA Tribe, who knows little about the missiles. Ella discovers that the environmental and social impacts of the missiles go beyond what is mentioned in the environmental document.
The Struggle for Culture and Land
Ella discusses the efforts on the reservation to reclaim their identity and relationship with the land, including reviving the language and growing community gardens. She meets Melanie Muniz, who works at the community garden in Twin Buttes, and shares her experience in reconnecting with her culture and the importance of that for survival.
The Future of the Tribe
Ella discusses what might happen in the future after people become aware of what the missiles mean for the reservation. Could the missiles be removed from the reservation? Can communities in North Dakota, including Native and non-Native people, work together towards a different future without missiles in the state?
Ultimately, Ella expresses her hope for the new generations who wish to continue the struggle for the tribe, the land, culture, and future. She poses the question to the rest of us: What will we do?
Although this is the end of the podcast series, it could be the beginning of a new chapter for the tribe. Resilience and survival run deep in the MHA Tribe, and one thing is certain: things can change.
This episode was prepared by Ella Weber, produced by Sebastian Philip and Tulika Bose. Text editing by Tulika Bose. Design and post-production mixing by Jeff Delviscio. Special thanks to special advisor Ryu Morimoto and Jessica Lambert. Music provided by Epidemic Sound.
I’m Ella Weber, and this has been “Missiles on Our Lands”, a special podcast collaboration from Scientific American, the Princeton University Program on Science and Global Security, Nuclear Princeton, and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.
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