Clara Caufield
A Shout Out to Native Sun News
By Clara Caufield
A Cheyenne Voice I’m not a trained journalist, just a scribbler. After four years of publishing my own newspaper, A Cheyenne Voice, and now a reservation correspondent for The Native Sun, I’ve been on a sharp learning curve, recently discovering a new journalistic term – shout out-publically commending somebody or something. So, I give a “shout-out” to Tim Giago and all the fine staff at the Native Sun. I have never personally met any of them; we communicate via phone and emails where they sound like regular “skins.” No pretense or up-town stuff and Tim will take time to hear the woes of a small Reservation publisher, (such as me) offering encouragement. Thus, when I read Dr. Chaver’s recent opinion detailing all of Tim Giago’s accomplishments (which I never knew) I thought “Yikes! Why did I waste Tim’s time? He has way more important things to deal with than the piddley problems faced by a Rez Rag publisher.” The mark of a great person is how they treat others “when no one is looking”. By that standard, Tim is not only a great journalist but a great person because he accommodates a “little guy”, like me. He reminds me of Robert Bailey, very successful and long-time Northern Cheyenne politician, usually clad in worn jeans with a bandanna holding back his long hair, who gave good advice when I was first elected to the Tribal Council: “Don’t ever buy a new vehicle while you are on the Council. Drive your old one. And don’t get too full of yourself. Always remember you are a Cheyenne and someday you will once again be just like your fellow tribal members: poor and kind of pitiful.” That’s also good advice for a newspaper publisher which I keep in mind. And, the Native Sun staff is also ever helpful and professional, offering guidance and suggestions when I run into a snag (not the two-legged kind, but the journalistic kind.) Hmm…on second thought, I wonder if they could also advise about two-legged snags, which also occasionally present trouble. After four years A Cheyenne Voice has saturated our local area, gaining many loyal readers, Indian and non-Indian alike, including many out-of-area folks who subscribe through my website (acheyennevoice.com). Yet, many stories generated from Northern Cheyenne and other reservations deserve more wide-spread audiences. We are the skins “on the ground” breaking new trails, surviving Reservation conditions and maintaining our traditions, languages, unique cultures etc. Isn’t that the heart of Indian Country? As Mr. Giago previously noted, it is challenging to operate newspapers, especially in Indian Country, where there is a very limited business base. We don’t make money by selling newspapers, rather rely upon paid ads. Sometimes there just ain’t enough of them. About five years ago, I resigned from a high-paying job “Executive Assistant to the Tribal President” because I lost my confidence in the system of tribal government after about 25 years of varied service in tribal, state and national politics. “I admire and support you on a personal basis” I told then Tribal President Leroy Spang, “But, I don’t want to work for the Tribe anymore because, in my view, the system mostly serves the interests of the politicians rather than the people. I have this crazy pipe dream – a local newspaper. Our people need to know what’s going on, accurate information instead of rumors and gossip. That might be a better use of my time and talents”. President Spang replied, “Heck, you don’t have to quit. If you want to have a newspaper, the Tribe can start one and you can run it.” “It would only be a short time,” I explained “before I wrote something offending the Tribal Council to get canned. The only way a newspaper on a Reservation can work is to be independent.” (If I’d have known what I was getting into, I’d have never done it.) “Okay,” he said. “I will support you.” And he did, by establishing and paying for the regular “President’s Voice” column, reporting faithfully to the Tribal members about the goings-on in Tribal Government which proved to be extremely popular with our readers, even MT Governor Schweitzer who told Spang “I subscribe to that little Cheyenne paper just to keep up with what you are doing.” But the next Tribal President had a different view and almost sunk me by subsidizing a short-lived Tribal newspaper and cutting off support for mine. Not a new story in Indian Country, but new to me. Thankfully, current Tribal President Llevando “Cowboy” Fisher is a strong supporter of private tribally owned businesses, including A Cheyenne Voice as are many area businesses and federal agencies, especially the Tribal College. Yet, it continues to be a financial struggle. But every time I think about quitting, some tribal member will come up and say “We need you. We love the paper” or something to that effect. They call me the “newspaper lady or sometimes just The Voice.” Tim Giago and the Native Sun staff know all about this dilemma. He went through it in spades, even having his office shot up, getting death threats etc. because of tribal politics when he first started a newspaper at Pine Ridge in the old AIM days. And I thought I had problems! In the overall scheme of business, the Native Sun probably doesn’t make much money either, fully aware of the threats to print journalism, primarily the internet. Yet, they continue, even expanding, the ultimate defenders of free speech in Indian Country. Sometimes, I am amazed at the editorials Tim prints (keep going Mr. Jeff Whalen and Mr. Ivan Star Comes Out. I am a fan). Yet, while some sentiment in the Native Sun might offend tribal politicians, it most accurately reflects the views and feelings of average “skins” like you and me. Key advice to journalists is “Write what you know about.” Aging, I seem to know less and less each year, just a little bit about Northern Cheyenne. Our elders remind “We have a remarkable, colorful and noble history.” I say that we are still remarkable, colorful and occasionally noble as are other tribal people. Our stories are worth sharing. Thanks to the Native Sun we now have increased opportunity to tell those stories on a national basis. (Clara Caufield can be reached at acheyennevoice@gmail.com) Copyright permission Native Sun News
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