Giago, Cook-Lynn and DeCory honored at West River History Conference

 

LEAD – Native Sun News publisher Tim Giago was among three Lakota writers who were recognized posthumously, by the West River History Conference in early October. The West River History Conference, Inc. is dedicated to preserving the historic record of Western South Dakota and the northern Great Plains. . Events for the last day of the 3 day conference were held at the Historic Homestake Opera House in Lead where the three notables were honored.

Giago, who passed away in 2022 was honored for his lifetime service to journalism and reporting about Native American issues. A member of the Oglala Lakota tribe, Giago was the founder of the first independently-owned Native American newspaper in the United States. He founded the Lakota Times in 1981, which was renamed Indian Country Today. In 2000 Giago founded The Lakota Journal and in 2009 he founded the Native Sun News based in Rapid City.

Accepting the award for Tim Giago was his wife Jackie Giago who said, “I’m proud to accept this award on behalf of Tim’s legacy and want to thank the nominating committee for recognizing his contribution to preserving West River history.”

Also honored was Elizabeth Cook-Lynn who passed in July of this year.  A member of the Crow Creek Sioux Tribe, Cook-Lynn was a professor of Indian Studies and was among a small group of Native Americans who created Indian Studies as a university discipline.  She was a tenured professor of Indian Studies and Federal Indian Law at Eastern Washington University. She also was a visiting professor at University California at Davis and Arizona State University. She has written many books

“I think whenever my mother was recognized for something, depending on who was doing the awarding and recognizing, I think she often felt she had been marginalized by the very people who were then giving her an award. So, she often wouldn’t participate. I think she felt it was contradictory of her to be so critical of US and South Dakota relations with the tribes and then to accept an award from the people in power who historically marginalize Native Americans. I am grateful to some of the board members, friends and colleagues of my mothers who have worked tirelessly to bridge the gap between Native and non-Natives. In that spirit, I thank the West River History Conference for honoring and recognizing my mother’s contribution.”

Another notable Native American honored by the West River History Conference was Jace De Cory who also passed in 2022. De Cory pioneered the American Indian Studies program at BHSU where she taught for 33 years. Upon her retirement in 2017, BHSU named the Jace De Cory Center for American Indian Studies in her honor. De Cory was a regular attendee and presenter at the conference throughout the years. A member of the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe, De Cory earned her undergraduate degree in Anthropology and American Indian Studies from the University of North Dakota, received her Masters in Education from SDSU, pursued her doctoral studies at the University of Washington.

Also honored were Olga Parker Watson, (1929-2023), Dolores “Dode” Lee (1924-2022), and Charles Rambow (1935-2023).

The post Giago, Cook-Lynn and DeCory honored at West River History Conference first appeared on Native Sun News Today.

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