Covering Indian Country Blog

Nez Perce traditions in a journalist’s job

According to the elders of my tribe, the Nez Perce Indians handed down their values and history through oral tradition for centuries. Particularly during the long winters when people gathered in longhouses, stories were passed on to younger generations who in turn, would repeat those passages for their children.

To keep the culture preserved, such speakers had to be observant, accurate, objective, and bear excellent communication skills.

Sound like a familiar job today?

I often reflect on my work as a journalist, and wonder if I’ve some inherent genetic code that comes from this time-honored practice. And while print, television and the Internet have given us more venues to learn of events and culture, I’m still drawn to the spoken word. 

I like to hear a voice, conversational and assuring, as it provides me news of the day’s events or a profile of a compelling person.  I sometimes even wish the walls of my house or car could vanish, and be replaced with a makeshift lodge of deer hide or tule grass, a fire burning in the center like the days of old.

But then a car horn blares somewhere behind me, or the phone rings.  The modern world’s intrusion reminds me of my place and time.  I return to my computer and begin to think how best to share the next story for my audience.

-- Brian Bull, Wisconsin Public Radio

Posted on 03.17.05 at 11:09 AM by Victor Merina