GENERATIONS: Native American Radio

Richard Two Elk

Oglala Lakota - Independent Journalist

I began, without trying, as a Journalist, back in the early to mid 1970s when I first wanted simply to share the words I was hearing from various Native people of the day. In the late 1960s and early 1970s, Native America, as a result of events in the greater world, was undergoing changes, much of that was being expressed in the Oral traditions and I wanted for others to hear what I had, in that regard. So, I began simply, with a portable recorder & cassette tapes, to record the voices and to share the tapes.

Then, I heard "Indian Airwaves" flowing out of a radio in Berkeley, Calif. in 1977 and it just fit. To be able to hear, for my first time, the sounds; music and voices of Native America coming over the airwaves was an absolute wonder to me. So, when I received an opportunity to take part in that, learn how and help to make the programs, I could not resist. So began, my official entry into Native American Radio Journalism with the radio program, "Living On Indian Time" and host Peggy Berryhill at KPFA-FM, Berkeley, Ca. This is a copy of the first program I did: America: This Is Our Message (KPFA-FM Berkeley 1978) (1:01:53) - (MP3)

Later, in 1978, upon return to Colorado, and Boulder, I found a new home at KGNU-FM, Boulder with a chance to join with students from UC Boulder to develop Native American programming. We settled on the name "GENERATIONS" and the concept of Native American Radio representing the Past, Present & Future of Native America. Over time, the original group of students graduated or moved on and I was left with the responsibility to continue, and I did. For five years, til 1983, GENERATIONS produced and broadcast weekly Native American programming, for the KGNU audience, on a variety of topics, events and issues. GENERATIONS programs documented and presented Native American events & organizations, including their origin, history and works, including; Native American Awareness week of OYATE, (the Native student organization at CU Boulder), Energy Resource developments, Legal and Educational conferences. Programs also featured interviews with Native Writers, Artists and Musicians, as well as key historical people in the Native Community. All of these recordings comprised the content of five years of GENERATIONS programs on KGNU. In addition to a vast collection of Native American Radio archive programs, two (2) programs of note were produced for National Public Radios, HORIZONS series, they are: At The Crossroads: Indian Control of Indian Education (HORIZONS-NPR 1980) (28:55) and We Can't Live Here: Uranium Mining at Dalton Pass, (HORIZONS-NPR 1981) (29:12)

In 1983, the GENERATIONS program on KGNU was transferred to Theresa Halsey, and became INDIAN VOICES on KGNU and has continued to this day. Over the years, I have continued also to help with the programming and have undertaken other efforts in this regard. in 1990, I undertook a Native Youth Radio project where for one year, about a dozen Native youth from 7 to 17 years old, attended weekly training sessions on Radio production and broadcast, then produced weekly radio programs for the Indian Voices program on KGNU. The youth, identified themselves as, "Goin' On: Young Indian Producers, and you can hear a few of the programs (linked below) in MP3 format. In 1991, I was invited to take part in Spirits Of the Present, a 13 part Radio Smithsonian program series for which I produced one segment; Sustaining Our Communities: Natural Resource Management (SOP- RADIO SMITHSONIAN 1992) (27:01) The series was released and broadcast Nationally in 1992 As mentioned above, we have below, links to the MP3 audio files of GENERATIONS & Goin' On: Young Indian Producers archive programs. You can listen to them online, or Download the programs to your computer and "burn to disc" or upload to your MP3 player.

GENERATIONS:
Native American Radio Archives