Madonna Peltier Yawakie’s Gift for Connecting Tribal Communities through Technology

Native Lights: Where Indigenous Voices Shine

Native Lights: Where Indigenous Voices Shine – Weekly Radio Show

Native Lights is a weekly, half-hour radio program hosted by Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe members and siblings, Leah Lemm and Cole Premo. Native Lights is a space for people in Native communities around Mni Sota Mkoce -- a.k.a. Minnesota -- to tell their stories about finding their gifts and sharing them with the community.

Native Lights – Madonna Peltier Yawakie’s Gift for Connecting Tribal Communities through Technology

On today’s show, we talk with Madonna Yawakie (Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians) who is the President of Turtle Island Communications, Inc. (TICOM). Together with her husband, Madonna founded this company which provides broadband engineering and consulting services to Tribal Nations. Madonna Peltier Yawakie holds a B.S. in Business Administration, and a Masters in Community & Regional Planning from NDSU.

TICOM has provided engineering and consulting services to the first 100% tribally owned Commercial Wireless System in the Nation, and the first 100% tribally owned Fiber to the Home Network which provides 1-gigabit capacity to all residents and businesses within its tribal lands. Madonna Peltier Yawakie has contributed to the FCC’s Telecom/Broadband Policies for Tribal Nations.

It is fantastic to hear how Madonna and her company are helping to close the digital divide in Indian Country, by increasing broadband access in education, public safety, and healthcare opportunities for those living and working on tribal lands.

Turtle Island Communications, Inc. is online at: www.turtleislandcom.com

Native Lights: Where Indigenous Voices Shine is produced by Minnesota Native News and Ampers, Diverse Radio for Minnesota’s Communities with support from the Minnesota Arts and Cultural Heritage fund. Online at https://minnesotanativenews.org/