JULY 15, 2000
5
Alligators everywhere in Southern Florida.
By Brent Merrill
With only nine of his ten fingers still
intact, Seminole Nation Tribal Chair
man and legendary alligator wrestler
Chief Jim Billie, welcomed this year's
contingent of Native journalists to the
annual Native American Journalists
Association conference. This year's
event was held in Fort Lauderdale,
Florida the traditional homelands
of the Seminole Nation.
Billie showed off all nine of his re
maining fingers and told the crowd
how he lost one of them in a wres
tling match with a local alligator.
Billie welcomed the Native print,
radio and television journalists to
Southern Florida for the first time in
the group's 16-year existence.
"The Native American Journalists
Association (NAJA) is one of the most
important groups operating on behalf
of Indians today," said Billie. "The
power of the press has long been rec
ognized and through NAJA, that
strength is being transferred to Ameri
can Indians across the continent."
Amid the many conferences and
workshops, which are a staple of
NAJA conferences, young people
with a desire to learn the trade took
part in Project Phoenix. Students
produced a 12-page publication that
showed off their writing and photog
raphy skills. The students worked
closely with current mainstream and
Native press journalists and gained
valuable insight into their chosen
field.
Workshops focused on subjects like
ethics and management, Native im
ages in the media, environmental
reporting, skills building and
roundtable discussions on Tribal life.
A job fair was held throughout the
conference and information was
shared on careers with publications
like the New York Times, the Miami
Herald and the Florida Sun-Sentinel.
On the conference's last day, Chief
Billie hosted a CD release party at
Alligator Alley. Native groups Clan
destine and Tiger, Tiger joined the
Chief Jim Billie Band at the event.
Trips were taken into the Florida
Everglades and alligators were seen
in their natural habitat along with a
variety of natural wildlife indigenous
to Southern Florida.
At the NAJA awards banquet,
neighboring Miccosukee Tribal
Chairman Billy Cypress explained
the importance of the everglades.
"Every Tribe has a different way of
doing things," said Cypress. "People
Smoke Signals wins
second award
1;
J'f
I - fir,- o-v
Congratulations to Brent Merrill
By Justin Phillips
At this year's Native American Jour
nalists Association (NAJA) Conference
in Ft. Lauderdale, Tribal member and
Smoke Signals Staff Writer BRENT
MERRILL took home honorable mention.
He won his award for best newsfeature
writing in a Native newspaper published
twice a month category.
Merrill's honorable mention story "Yesterday & Today: The long, rich history of
Chemawa Indian School," is from the February 15, 2000 issue. Merrill worked for
the Tribe from 1989 to 1991 as the editor of Smoke Signals. He returned last year
in October as staff writer.
According to NAJA, the organization serves and empowers Native communica
tors through programs and activities designed to enrich journalism and promote
Native cultures. NAJA recognizes Native Americans as distinct peoples based on
tradition, culture and protection of the earth. NAJA encourages both mainstream
and Tribal media to attain the highest standards of professionalism, ethics and
responsibility so that Native communities will be well-served.
need to understand each other and
everybody has something they must
teach their children. We (the
Miccosukee Tribe) would not have
survived without the everglades."
Cypress explained that his people
used the everglades to hide from con
querors and survive. Now, he
said, it is time to try and save the
. everglades and each other.
"We need to unite to save the
everglades," said Cypress. "What
can you do? At home where you are
from you can save your wetlands.
Now, our everglades are diseased
and polluted."
Cypress closed the conference with
a word of advice for all indigenous
people.
"Be a good neighbor," said Cypress.
"Look after each other."
Gators Everywhere t
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