Native Americas, the award-winning publication of Akwe:kon Press at Cornell's American Indian Program, has had a busy summer: The journal won national awards, launched its electronic version and received an educational grant.
The journal shared the top honor General Excellence with Tribal Colleges magazine in the Native American Journalists Association's annual awards, presented in Minneapolis June 20.
In addition to sharing the award for General Excellence, Native Americas was awarded first place for best editorial a column by James Treat, "On Laughing and Praying." The editorial called for reconciliation and understanding between traditional and Christian Indians, and it appeared in the Fall 1996 issue.
Kallen Martin, a Cornell graduate student enrolled in the American Indian Program, also received a Special Citation for an article that examined New York state's attempts to tax Indian nations. The article, "Indians Not Taxed: Will Sovereignty Survive?" appeared in the Summer 1996 issue.
"We are delighted with these honors from our peers," said José Barreiro, associate director for extension at the American Indian Program. "Increasingly, Native Americas is being recognized for its deep understanding of the pertinent issues, trends and historical and cultural Indian contexts throughout the Western Hemisphere."
Cornell's Akwe:kon Press started publishing the journal two years ago. Conceptualized by Barreiro and Tim Johnson, executive manager of Native Americas, the journal has focused on issues such as casino gaming, taxation and federal trust responsibilities.
"Native Americas has drawn praise from educators, development professionals and policy-makers," said Barreiro. The journal routinely features overviews of national trends impacting Indian life in any country in the hemisphere where Indian peoples live and work to maintain their land, rights, freedoms and values. The journal also goes one step further by bringing its readers inside the social, cultural, political and intellectual workings and debates of the Indian nations themselves.
In addition to winning the prestigious awards, the journal has begun Native Americas Online.
Designed by Brendan White '98, editorial assistant and computer technician at Akwe:kon Press, Native Americas Online will provide global access and increase the reach and impact of the American Indian Program's communication and extension efforts.
"Native Americas is one of Cornell's most prominent and highly respected publications. It's gratifying to know that issues of concern to indigenous peoples in the Western Hemisphere are now issues of concern for the world," White said. "I'm proud to be part of this endeavor."
White, a Mohawk from the Akwesasne Mohawk Nation, has worked for the past three years in expanding the reach of Native Americas by managing its circulation and fulfillment operations and by spearheading the development of Native Americas Online. As a student of the American Indian Program, White's success is consistent with the program's "full-circle approach" to higher education by which students are encouraged to return to their communities or work in other capacities in the service of Native people, Johnson said.
"This new access greatly enhances our capacity to reach broad publics," Barreiro said. "More than words on paper, Native Americas is an information hub on Native issues and positions. The Internet offers an interactive capacity that puts our material out in the first current of the information age."
Individuals and institutional subscribers now can opt to receive an electronic version of the journal at http://nativeamericas.aip.cornell.edu . In addition to carrying several feature articles, each edition of Native Americas Online will feature departments such as the Hemispheric Digest, Indigenous Rights Watch and The Public Eye. Other departments and sections are in development, including Extensions (coverage of Cornell's field work with Native American communities) and The Open Forum (a site that encourages reader dialogue).
"Brendan [White] is to be commended for his initiative and dedication to Cornell's vital communities outreach mandate," said Johnson. "Native Americas Online greatly amplifies the dissemination and impact of our communications and extension work. Cornell University's Akwe:kon Press now has the capacity to reach millions of new readers and students in homes, schools, libraries and other institutions around the globe."
Native Americas journal also has been awarded a $25,000 grant by the Educational Foundation of America (EFA). EFA helped launch the publication two years ago, and the new grant will support increased marketing and distribution of the journal, Barreiro said.
EFA was established by Richard Prentice Ettinger in 1959 to "support the rich diversity of American higher education." Barreiro said Ettinger built a foundation that preserves his interest in developing effective teaching materials to improve the quality of instruction.
"Support from the Educational Foundation of America is greatly appreciated," Barreiro said. "We share with EFA's founder and current directors a profound interest in providing the best possible information and education to any students who desire to learn about the intricacies of the Indian world."