‘Native View’ touches on ‘anything and everything that deals with current issues Indian people are dealing with’
By Adrian Jawort — Today correspondent
HELENA, Mont. – On Thanksgiving Day of 2006, Shawn White Wolf thought a TV show from a Native perspective about their own current events and people was needed: and the idea of ”Native View” was born.
”I called my friend, Calvin Two Teeth, with my idea,” he said. ”I think he must have thought I was nuts, but he took to my idea. White Wolf Media Productions was then created. We launched our first show on January 17, 2007,” and it aired on a local Helena station.
In July of that year, he sat in a local restaurant thinking about what he could do to make ”Native View” a better success when Northern Cheyenne Jenna Spotted Wolf, who happened to be working there, walked by.
White Wolf asked her if she had ever thought about being on TV. She laughed, but he gave her his business card. A week later she called, and has been hosting the show ever since with Two Teeth and White Wolf as co-hosts.
As a minister, Two Teeth, Chippewa/Cree/Pend d’ Oreilles, had a lot of experience in public speaking and talking to crowds.
”While preaching in Indian country, I learned about a lot of the issues that a lot of the Natives were concerned about.”
”At first, I was kind of nervous to tell my friends just in case I did something embarrassing on the show,” Spotted Wolf said, now 18 and on her way to college at the University of Montana this fall to study journalism. ”But after a while when I became more confident, I told my teachers. And they ended up telling all of my fellow peers.
”I was kind of a celebrity there for a while, but of course I was humble about everything and kind of just kept to myself about the show. And if anyone asked me if I was ‘that girl on that TV show,’ I would just smile and say, ‘Yes! That’s me.”’
The show has grown from a local weekly show aired on the Helena Civic Television station to a statewide program on the Big Sky channel with advertisements for the show, thanks in part to Bill Bresnan of the Bresnan Communications cable company. The show will expand to all of the reservations as Bresnan provides service to them.
In one Bresnan commercial, Spotted Wolf tells how on her first show, she stumbled when saying her own name because she was so nervous.
”But you can really see my progress,” she said regarding her improving anchorwoman skills, which she attributes to White Wolf and Two Teeth’s encouragement and guidance. ”It’s interesting that you get to see me grow on TV.”
As far as her public spotlight, she said it has made her more conscious of her choices now, and hopes to inspire young people in a positive way.
White Wolf has provided all but $1,000 of the program’s funding.
”A lot of people don’t want to sponsor our show because they think we, as Indian people, are too political,” he said. Although political issues are discussed on the show, other topics include ”anything and everything that deals with current issues Indian people are dealing with.”
”Since we are not a non profit organization,” he added, ”we don’t have a huge budget to do all we do. However, in Helena, Mont., White Wolf Media Productions has quickly become a well-known Indian business and I think we are accepted as far as the general public goes.”
In the June 30 episode, an interview with ”American Indian Mafia” author Joseph H. Trimbach drew complaints from the surrounding community. Trimbach, a former FBI agent, was present at and wrote about the American Indian Movement’s ordeal at the 1973 Wounded Knee standoff.
”There were a handful of people that showed up that were upset. But as a media company, it was good for us to show both sides of the story,” Two Teeth noted. ”I think the biggest complaint was the use of the word ‘mafia.”’
That was the first national issue pertaining to American Indians that ”Native View” covered, and they hope to eventually find a broader, regional audience. They’ve hosted events like concerts and luncheon events to draw out the public so that they could know each other more personally.
White Wolf has been content to see his media company and ”Native View” succeed so much as they tackle issues that affect American Indians by interviewing people from politicians to religious leaders, talking about health issues and even discussing stereotypes of Natives.
”Part of my purpose was to get people educated about Indian issues and let people know that we Indians are a part of society,” White Wolf said. ”When I started, it wasn’t ever really a money issue. I just wanted to get the show out and represent.”
He plans on having comedians, song artists and even one of Canada’s top Native fashion designers, Angela Demontigny, appear on future shows.
”We’ve made little jumps here and there, and we’ve kind of progressed as we’ve went along,” White Wolf said. ”The exciting thing is we really have no idea where we are going. We’re just kind of off and running!”