Extra, extra: Tribal newspapers and tribal radio

Sophisticated tribal economies go back well before the time of Columbus. While empires like the Maya, Inca and Aztec are well known, tribes as far north as the Arctic Circle had a flourishing trade-based economy that networked from the Atlantic to the Pacific. Agriculture based economies like the Iroquois and Cherokee required more organization and planning than hunter/gatherer economies like the Lakota and Comanche, but the most impressive economic models formed in the large empires of Central and South America.

According to the website Aztecs and Tenochtitlan, the Aztec economy was sustained by three things: “Tribute from the subjugated city-states, agriculture and farming, and trade. All three were vital to the empire but perhaps the most important pillar of the Aztec economy was its trade. This was because a lot of goods used by the Aztecs were not locally produced and thus they needed to trade with others to acquire those goods.”

 

The land around the ancient city of Tenochtitlan was not ideal for farming and so the Aztecs adapted their land to service their economy: “Various unique and innovative methods were used for Aztec farming and agriculture in order to make the swampy ground of Lake Texcoco arable. The most innovative way was the creation of artificial lands which could be used to grow crops.”

Agriculture provided the Aztec with the goods they needed to trade. Their economy differed from modern economies in that there was

a small, privileged class of nobility and a large underclass of farmers and laborers, these classes socially stratified into permanent separation. A modern economy has three sectors: the primary sector, raw materials; the secondary sector, manufacturing; and the tertiary or service sector.

According to the website Economic Activity, the tertiary sector “encompasses the production of services instead of end goods that meet the needs of individuals. The tertiary sector is composed of the ‘soft’ parts of the economy, that is, activities where people offer their knowledge and time to improve the productivity, performance, potential, and sustainability of the economy.”

Most Americans live and work in the tertiary sector. Indian reservations are unique in that tribal members participate in the tertiary economy as consumers, but the reservations are generally the poorest places in the nation, with struggling economies. A reservation town like Pine Ridge has only a fraction of the economy of a white border town like Winner.

Far from being a relationship between sovereign equals, the trust-based treaty relationship between a tribe and the federal government has produced two factors that greatly hamper the development of tribal economies. One, tribes see their economy as treaty obligated funding from the federal government, and so a means to an end, that end being that the tribe is satisfactorily supported by the government, which results in little effort being made to develop a strong, independent tribal economy to support the tribe. Two, Congress has the power to amend or abrogate any and all aspects of any treaty for any reason. This is called Plenary Power, and it is a power they have exercised, the Black Hills Act of 1877 being the prime example. Basing your welfare on a government tribes tend to hold in contempt, and a government which has violated every treaty it has ever signed with any tribe, does not seem like a sound plan for developing and maintaining a secure future for the people.

Most tribal governments, and prominent activists, are focused on social justice issues, many that happened as far back as the 19^th Century. While social justice is an important building block for any healthy community, the disproportionate priority paid to past transgressions fueling present day grievances, is reflected in the news tribes read and report.

The website Beyond Bylines (Covering the intersection of journalism, emerging media and blogging) drew up a list called “Eight Native American news sites we love.” How much do these websites pay attention to economic issues?

1. Native American Calling. Refers to itself as a “national electronic talking circle.” The live call-in show is heard on nearly 70 radio stations in the US and Canada. Of the nine featured broadcasts on June 26, 2021, none were about economics. The archive revealed ten stories, the closest ones to anything about the economy being a discussion on severe droughts and another on Native American fashion models.
2. Indian Country Today (ICT). Founded by Native Sun News Today publisher Tim Giago, the paper has undergone many transformations since Giago sold it back in the 1990’s. No longer a print publication, ICT does have a subsection for business news. There were three stories about a tribal oil boom, debt relief for farmers and a story about an Alaskan fish processing facility. There were no stories about economics or business on their main page. Everything was targeted at social justice issues or entertainment.
3. High Country News (HCN). Without a doubt the best source for any news about Indian Country, but certainly about economic issues. HCN has a special Indigenous Affairs section, with insightful, professionally written articles that bring all aspects of the economic picture into the discussion.
4. National Native News (NNN). Described as “an NPR-style daily audio news digest covering topics related to Indigenous peoples across the U.S. and Canada. In addition to audio of the broadcasts, the site includes feature stories and reporting on special projects.” What NNN doesn’t have are stories about economics or business, although, oddly enough, they do have a nice big ad from the Indian Loan Guarantee and Insurance Program. This is an important program for tribal members seeking funding for business ventures, and the program can be emailed at DC/@BIA.gov.
5. Native Business (NB). An online magazine: “NB focuses on business, finance, and entrepreneurship amongst Native Americans. Coverage spans all major industries along with sections featuring startups, disruptors, and future leaders. Going well beyond gaming, the magazine emphasizes the diversity of Native American businesses from small to large. In its May 2019 issue, Native Business named the Native Business Top 50 Entrepreneurs.”

NB was started by Cherokee tribal member Gary Davis (former Native rap star Litefoot, and star of the movie Indian in the Cupboard) and his wife Carmen Davis. While the site smacks a bit of self-promotion, it is the only site keenly focused on the world of business and finance as it applies to Indian Country.

6. com. Owned and operated by the Winnebago Tribe of Nebraska, Indianz.com is the go-to resource for hard Indian Country news. It, too, suffers from a social justice obsession, but the breadth of the news offerings from publications all over the world, eventually touches on every aspect of Native interest. The tribe does more than just maintain this website. Ho-Chunk Inc. is a $200 million a year company operated by CEO and tribal member Lance Morgan. Ho-Chunk Inc. has provided tribes in the Midwest with a hugely successful business model, although efforts to start such companies on nearby reservations have not met with near the success. Ho-Chunk Inc. operates independently of tribal government, and this proved critical when the tribal council was recently indicted by the FBI for rampant corruption. The scandal did not touch Ho-Chunk, Inc. Other tribes fail because their companies are subject to tribal interference.
7. Native News Online (NNO). Founder Levi Richter means well but NNO has less than a passing interest with economic issues. You have to go seven pages deep before you find a business story. There is a section for business news, 17 pages long, compared to 183 pages for the main section. Nine stories in the business section got us all the way back to February, whereas seven pages in the main section, mostly about social injustice, took us back to the beginning of June.
8. Native Max. Founded in 2012 and called the Nation’s first Native American Fashion Magazine. Fashion is a legitimate aspect of any economy and hopefully there will be more websites like this in the future.

What these websites reveal is that Indian Country focuses far too strongly on social justice grievance issues and devotes little to no attention to the economic issues that could help build strong, stable tribal economies that can provide a sustainable, healthy future. Reconciling social injustice is important but it has become an obsession for tribes at the expense of building economically viable societies. Art shows and pow wows are better than reliance on government funding, but they are not an economy. Even casinos are not the long-term economic solution every tribe must develop. Their viability is too closely tied to a trust relationship that can end by Congressional act. Smart tribes like the Choctaw and Cherokee use their casino profits to build economic models independently competitive in the world market.

(Contact James Giago Davies at skindiesel@msn.com)

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