Anybody want to share a great tribal story?

Since 2011, a group of dedicated western aficionados has been producing a weekly radio show to capture the many unique “voices” and stories of the “Wild American West”. 

Each week, the one-hour show, aired at 4:00 p.m. on Saturday features a special guest, ranging from ranchers, rodeo cowboys and cowgirls, famous actors and stunt men who played in western movies, producers of westerns, descendants of settlers, the Chinese railroad builders, musicians, historians, writers, museum directors and especially Indians.

It was originated by the late Emil Franzi, a retired and well-known broadcast journalist and political consultant, first as a local radio station in Tucson, Arizona. It was supported by the Empire Ranch foundation and produced there for years. During that time, the show received the prestigious Spur Award for contributions to western history.

When Franzi decided to partially retire from the weekly grind of producing the show, three other hosts stepped in to keep it going. (By the way the producers do this all out-of-pocket, a rather expensive retirement hobby).

In 2017, the show began to be produced from Tucson, AZ and started an internet website. Over the years that has generated thousands of domestic and international listeners. For example, they have fans from Iceland, New Zealand, Africa and of course Europe, the Germans especially fascinated by the ‘wild west’ and Indians. If a fan misses a show, they are recorded and available on the website: Voices the Wild West.com.

The other western fellows who joined as co-hosts who have continued since then. Todd Roberts was born into the entertainment industry, his father a film producer who made the movie Monte Walsh, among others. His parents were also avid collectors of Native American art and traveled extensively through Indian Country, seeking to buy directly from the artists – learning the story of each piece – rather than relying upon traders. Todd lived for a short time on the Hopi and Navajo reservations, near Shiprock.

Harry Alexander was the second volunteer. He had retired from 50 years of broadcast, radio and T.V. resident of Arizona since 1959. He is a lover of history, citing that his great-grandfather serves at FT Huachuchi during Geronimo’s imprisonment, before being shipped to Florida. Alexander’s great-grandfather had to rare opportunity to befriend and speak with the great Apache days, finding him to be a great man.

“One of our exciting guests recently on the show was Gerry Geronimo, a grandson of Geronimo,” the hosts enthused. Jerry worked for the Florida Park Service for 20 years and participated in Civil War re-enactments. Roberts added “I got to have my picture taken with him, he in full tribal regalia, and he autographed the photo. I will ever treasure that”.

The third host is Steven “Bunker” LaFrance, retired Hollywood stunt man, horseman, wrangler, trainer and genuine cowboy, retired after 30 years in the business of making western movies. For example, he played on more than 50 of the High Chaparral series. He is also a U.S. veteran.

These hosts are very open to guests who would like to speak about the multi-faceted western experience. “It was a giant mixing bowl,” Roberts noted. “Nothing else quite like it happened anywhere else in the world.”

As noted, they have had several Native guests and hope to have more. Previous tribal guests were Jerry Geronimo, Apache; Shyla Conner, Northern Cheyenne Rodeo queen; Robert Redfeather, Apache knife expert and blade man who has trained U.S. military forces and is in the Martial Arts Hall of Fame, CA:   and even this writer, who chose to tell horse stories. If interested in these or other Voices of the West interviews, check out the website: voicesofthewest.net. All the shows have been archived.

In the near future other special Native guests scheduled to be on the show include: Lettie Irons Connell, Standing Rock descendant who will talk about her great-grandmothers experience as a translator for Sitting Bull during heaviest conflict with the U.S. Military and related matters; Jerry Robinson, Northern Cheyenne writer, winner of a national book award about the Northern Cheyenne odyssey from Oklahoma to MT;  Senator Ben Nighthorse Campbell, Northern Cheyenne will tell the history of getting the name of Custer’s Last Stand changed to the Battle of the Little Big Horn; Richard Sherman, Oglala Sioux, an expert on native indigenous plants and buffalo; and Butch Artichoker, a tribal resident of Mission, SD who has recently written a children’s book about traditional Lakota values.

The hosts of the show are ever scouting to feature people who have a tale to tell related to the Wild West. Thus, if any readers are interested contact Todd Roberts at 310-422-4901. They will make sure your story is presented in a good way. Tell him, I said to call.

Until next week….

(Contact Clara Caufield at acheyennevoice2@gmail.com)

 

The post Anybody want to share a great tribal story? first appeared on Native Sun News Today.

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