James Giago Davies
A newspaper editor proves that dreams can come true
Now is the time for the Millennials to take the bull by the horns
By James Giago Davies News reports from Indian Country have evolved over the years. It most often consisted of petty gossip, ego-driven squabbles, blatant nepotism, or of newspapers owned, operated and dictated to by tribal governments. Men like Tim Giago have spent decades trying to establish an operational baseline for positive change, have struggled to bring relevance and credibility to a fringe world the Wasicu partly misunderstands but mostly doesn’t really give a rip about. For most Wasicu, Indians are a past history they romanticize, or present day misfits they wish would just go away and stay gone. Giago faced a challenge in the 1970’s—how to establish independent Indian journalism, journalism which addressed Indian Country priorities, critically directed at Indians by Indians, but was not racist or occlusive; credible journalism which presented enlightening perspectives Wasicu elite found threatening, but which did not chase away all Wasicu advertisers, because how then to pay the bills and keep any publication afloat? Giago’s background was business, not journalism, but he had the knack, and the itch, and he started with a column, Notes From Indian Country, and later a half hour issues program on KEVN-TV in Rapid City, and by the 1980’s he saw the need for a paper for Lakota by Lakota because it was obvious Wasicu publications had no interest or comprehension of who Lakota were, or what they cared about. Lakota were just a “human interest” angle; boy, that kid can sure play basketball, oh, that girl is a math whiz, stuff like that. More than any other single factor, self-identity directs a person’s attitude and behavior, and for too long Lakota had no publicly accepted, let alone socially endorsed identity that was accurate and positive. Most Lakota are part Wasicu but society rejects the Iyeska identity, mostly by simply never acknowledging it exists, and if they do they dismiss the Indian as a “mixed blood.” Most are forced to be Lakota by factors beyond their control, forced away from the inner workings of a Wasicu culture which would benefit them far better had they a deeper understanding, and like many before him, Giago grew up facing this same dilemma. A stint in the U.S. Navy spent mostly in Korea in 1952 and 1953, and decades spent working in urban areas far from South Dakota, gave Giago the understanding of the Wasicu world he needed to attempt to start a newspaper in Pine Ridge back in 1981. He knew nothing about the actual business of newspapers, and had much to learn about the details of professional journalism, and because his roots ran so deep on his home reservation, it was very difficult to step away from old conflicts, alliances and influences that threatened the credibility of the paper. All of this took time and many versions of newspaper—painstakingly developed, sold, restarted, sold again, always building toward a powerful, long-term, economically viable and sustainable model to provide all people, whether Lakota, other tribes or Wasicu with an alternative news source which better articulates and understands issues facing Indian Country. I have witnessed this struggle from its inception, knew of these ideas when they were just plans from a young Tim Giago with no credentials, no successes, just a determined mind full of ideas no South Dakota Lakota had ever tried before My story is of a different nature altogether, but it is relevant in that it puts me in a special position to intimately understand all the struggles it took to establish a Lakota newspaper, to understand the contributions of a person seldom exceed his individual identity or character, but Tim Giago’s have. He has spent over 80 years in Indian Country, over half that time spent fighting to provide you with a platform, with a voice, with the knowledge you need to help build a better life for all Lakota. The torch will soon pass, and sadly, it cannot be passed to me. I can write, and I know journalism, but I do not have the desire or temperament to build the business he did against such heavy odds and racist, narrow minded opposition. Somewhere out there is a young person with just the right combination of smarts and skill, and it is not enough to dream you can be the next editor or publisher of a quality Lakota newspaper, dream like Tim Giago did, turn your own visions into a new reality that builds on everything you can learn from his experiences. You have the internet he never had, an age of instant, world-wide communication. Build a better newspaper than he did, have a deeper impact on improving society than he did, that is what would make him most proud, because unlike his situation, you don’t have to build up everything from absolute scratch. As Millennials, you can reach heights not possible for his Silent Generation, because his generation paid the price to give you that opportunity; Giago has done all the thankless prep work. Don’t waste the opportunity like my generation, the Baby-Boomers, did, like Generation X did, no Lakota of those two generations stepped up to the plate; learn from our mistakes, be the next generation to leave behind a better Lakota world than the one they were born into. (James Giago Davies can be reached at skindiesel@msn.com) Copyright permission Native Sun News
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