© 2024 Kansas City Public Radio
NPR in Kansas City
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations
Polls have closed in Missouri and Kansas. Listen to live election coverage on KCUR 89.3 or streaming online.

Reconnecting with Native culture in Lawrence

A new generation of Native American students in Lawrence, Kansas, is learning the art of thatching and reconnecting with a Great Plains tradition. Plus: A Black karate master from Kansas City represented the U.S. at a world kickboxing tournament.

Hundreds of years ago, Kansas’ native Wichita Tribe built their prairie homes with rows of thatched grasses. A new generation of students at Haskell Indian Nations University are learning the skill, and reconnecting with a Great Plains tradition. KCUR’s Julie Denesha reports.

Lifelong martial artist David Muhammad has used a background in karate to launch his kickboxing practice onto the global stage. The two disciplines have fed his thirst for competitive combat and helped him build a diverse community in south Kansas City. KCUR’s race and culture reporter Lawrence Brooks IV has the story.

Contact the show at news@kcur.org. Follow KCUR on Instagram and Facebook for the latest news.

Kansas City Today is hosted by Nomin Ujiyediin. It is produced by Anna Schmidt, Byron Love, and KCUR Studios, and edited by Gabe Rosenberg and Lisa Rodriguez.

You can support Kansas City Today by becoming a KCUR member: kcur.org/donate

As a newscaster and a host of a daily news podcast, I want to deliver the most important and interesting news of the day in an engaging and easily understandable way. No matter where you live in the metro or what you’re interested in, I want you to learn something from each newscast or podcast – and maybe even give you something to talk about at the dinner table.
Anna Schmidt is the fall 2023 intern for KCUR Studios. She recently graduated from Kansas State University, where she was the Opinions Desk Editor for the Collegian student newspaper and took over the role of podcast host. You can email her at anna.schmidt@kcur.org.
As an on-demand producer, I am focused on using my skills and experiences across multiple digital applications, platforms and media fields to create community focused audio, video and on-demand products for KCUR Studios. The media that I produce aims to inform, entertain and connect with the Kansas City metro area as we continue to learn from each other. Email me at byronlove@kcur.org.
KCUR serves the Kansas City region with breaking news and award-winning podcasts.
Your donation helps keep nonprofit journalism free and available for everyone.