Old wounds were reopened Wednesday at a symposium titled
“American Indian Issues and the California Press,” and
through dialogue, those present attempted to alleviate the pain
caused by misunderstandings between the media and tribes.
Amid the purple curtains of the Northwest Campus Auditorium,
American Indian tribal members informed journalists and the general
public of issues that cause anguish and suffering when
misrepresented or erroneously stated in the press.
Tribal members at the symposium conveyed their disgust at the
media’s inclination toward joining issues of American Indian
gaming with other tribal news.
Anthony Rivera from Orange County, a member of the audience,
described during a panel on sacred sites a situation where a
malicious article was written about his tribe’s desire to
keep a scared site free from development.
A cartoon accompanied the article illustrating a stereotypical
“Indian” holding a sign that read “Don’t
worry, we’ll move the graves later when we build our
casino.” Rivera described how this painful portrayal caused
him to question the credibility of the media, and he asked
panelists how tribes should respond to such injustices.
Most of the panelists agreed that communication and education
are integral to changing the way tribal concerns are presented in
the media.
In Rivera’s example, the idea of what defined a
“sacred site” was essentially misunderstood and
consequently ignorantly portrayed, panelists said.
“Even in the Indian community the concept of
“˜sacred’ is not fully explained, because there is no
simple explanation,” said Liz deRouen, chair of the Dry Creek
Rancheria tribe.
Issues of American Indian culture are often very difficult to
synthesize, especially in an American mainstream context. Problems
arise because tribal members require lots of time and discussion to
explain the issues, panelists added.
“We’re walking in two worlds and it’s foreign
territory … we don’t understand each other’s
values,” deRouen said.
Conversely, the media is often on a deadline and lacks the time
to investigate tribal issues in the necessary historical, cultural
and social context, panelists said.
Articles written by the press often do not convey the issues in
the right light because of the complex legal and political status
of tribes in California and the tendency to look at all American
Indian issues through the lens of Indian gaming, said Carole
Goldberg, a UCLA law professor and organizer of the symposium.
Whereas mainstream media have recently been looking at tribal
issues in the context of gaming and revenue, American Indians often
look at their issues in the context of their own history, said Mark
Macarro, chair of the Pechanga Band of Luiseño Indians.
“Every action of my tribe goes through the lens of our
eviction from the Temecula Indian Village in 1875. As far as
we’re concerned, it could have happened a week ago …
it’s that fresh,” Macarro said.
Many of the tribal members at the symposium expressed much
sensitivity over past injustices their ancestors had suffered.
“One of the things we can do is build better relationships
… we both have to get beyond the fear. We need to talk.”
said Chet Barfield, a reporter from the San Diego
Union-Tribune.
Barfield wanted to tell tribal members that his experience
covering Southern California tribes has taught him there is a
fundamental difference between the two parties.
“For native people, the past is part of the now, but what
news focuses on is the here and now,” Barfield said.
While tribal members want to describe their concerns in a broad
context covering history and culture, reporters often just want the
facts. This can lead to uninformed articles and eventually an
uninformed public, Barfield added.
All the panelists urged discussion between the two parties could
bridge the gap between the two worlds, but time and patience would
be needed.