The following Substack is written by Joe Williams, Art of the Rural’s Media & Editorial Collaborator and host of the 5 Plain Questions podcast, to whom we are deeply grateful for contributing to our collective work.
“It’s a good day to be Indigenous. It’s 45 degrees in the sun. It’s 8 a. m. Indian Time in 1998.” The iconic introduction by John Trudell’s character, radio DJ Randy Peone, in Chris Eyre’s 1998 classic film Smoke Signals.
The structure of the entire line is intentional: empowering from the start, acknowledging a beautiful new day, and grounding it in place and time. It embodies an optimism that has always persisted with Indigenous people, despite the immeasurable hardships of the past three centuries. He states this as he leans into his microphone, broadcasting to his audience across the Coeur d’Alene Reservation in Idaho.
While Peone is fictional, John Trudell was a trained radio broadcaster (among his many other roles) and spent his life speaking professionally. He was a prime example of the contemporary nature of oral tradition in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. The oral tradition has always had its core structure, mentor and mentee: the mentor shares history and perspective while the mentee engages and listens. How has that transaction changed as culture and technology have changed?
Indigenous people have always been contemporary people, and so the expression of oral tradition has always advanced with technology. From radio to film, television, and most recently, podcasts, the exercise of the oral tradition has always utilized technology. But at its core, what hasn’t changed is its intent to both share knowledge and uplift the community. We all have memories of our grandparents sharing stories with us, experiences that taught us lessons on how to improve our skills or what to avoid. Oftentimes, stories from trusted family and community members were told in a reassuring, constructive way. And if not, we would share the experiences with our friends and find humor in the way these lessons were delivered.
5 Plain Questions leans into this tradition. Initially an audio-only podcast, my original intent was to encourage the listener to be present with the guest’s voice as they shared their stories. Ideally, they would allow themselves to be transported, to drift into the world of the guest, experiencing their story and perspective, all in a safe and reassuring manner. This is the core of the oral tradition.
As technology and societal expectations shift toward video, the intent doesn’t change. Now, with a face to the voice, its function is to support the community being together. The guest’s age and the visuals of their work all demonstrate an experience that puts the listener at ease as they learn from the podcast guest’s story. Video adds the richness of watching the guest’s cues: What do their hand gestures emphasize? Do their eyes shine when reminiscing about an old mentor, or does their face grimace, recalling a past trauma? With the evolution of the podcast, the listener or viewer finds themselves more immersed in the experience.
Like the stories of our youth and those of previous generations, interviews on 5 Plain Questions are shared together and continue tradition in a deeply personal and meaningful way. This and similar podcasts are more than just sharing the highlights of the month; they put us in place and time with the guest and remind us it’s a good day to be Indigenous.
—Joe Williams
Media & Editorial Collaborator, Art of the Rural
Host, 5 Plain Questions
elevenwarriorarts.com
More from 5 Plain Questions
About Joe Williams
Joe Williams (Waȟpéthuŋwaŋ Dakota, from the Sisseton Wahpeton Oyate) is Media & Editorial Collaborator at Art of the Rural. He is the former Director of the Indigenous Programs at the Plains Art Museum in Fargo, North Dakota, and is a storyboard artist for live action film.
Joe earned a MFA degree in Visual Effects from the Academy of Art University in San Francisco, and a Bachelor of Arts in American Indian Studies from the University of South Dakota in Vermillion. He is the host of the 5 Plain Questions podcast and a retired soldier in the U.S. Army National Guard, having served for 20 years, deploying three times overseas in service to his country. He is also a 2023 Bush Foundation Fellow.
Art of the Rural Broadsheet is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.
Comments
Nothing yet. Say the first thing.
Sign in to join the conversation.