Dispatch from the IJA conference: ‘We shall remain’

Regis Pecos, former governor of Cochiti Pueblo, offered a blessing and talked to the audience about letting one’s core values dictate their path while also honoring relatives and mentors. He discussed the geographic — and sacred — features of the region surrounding the resort, namely the Manzano Mountains, the Rio Grande River and the desert mesa lands of the Rio Puerco toward the west. After Pecos’s prayer, the Isleta Color Guard presented their tribal flag and the American flags. Christine Trudeau introduced the current IJA board, ahead of Thursday’s elections.

A live radio broadcast of Koahnic Broadcast Corporation’s flagship program, “Native America Calling,” was held in one of the conference rooms. Host Shawn Spruce discussed how Native media is facing continuous falsehoods and misunderstandings about tribal communities with guest journalists Angel Ellis, Shaun Griswold, Nancy Marie Spears and retired national reporter Hattie Kauffman. Listeners asked about trying to get truth out in a world that seems dominated by social media screaming matches and deliberate misinformation campaigns.

Another breakout session looked at a media landscape devoid of CPB funding, with panelists Loris Taylor of Native Public Media, Antonia Gonzales of Koahnic Broadcast Corporation and Tara Gatewood of the International Women’s Media Foundation Fund for Indigenous Journalists. All spoke of the difficult and uncertain times ahead after Congress approved a $1.1 billion clawback last month. But the tone was one of resourcefulness and determination rather than defeat.

“We shall remain,” said Gatewood. “This is when we as Native people shine. We don’t need lights, we don’t need running water. It’d be nice to have, but we’re cool.”