Buffalo Yell examines aboriginal postsecondary education

In First Nations culture, the buffalo yell signifies joy and celebration, and is a call to "a journey of healing through learning."

Buffalo Yell, the inaugural issue of which ran off the presses last month, is the first newspaper in North America devoted to First Nations and post-secondary education. The U of A-based publication, edited by Cathy Sewell and Lewis Cardinal of Native Student Services, has a starting circulation of 2,500, but interest is already so strong the numbers are sure to grow.

"The word is starting to spread," says Cardinal, who admits it helps to have one issue out to prove you can do it. "No one believed us at first."

In addition to education news of interest to the aboriginal community, each issue will include "survival tips" for aboriginal students, a section on career planning, a column written by an elder on the importance of pursuing education, letters to the editor, a feature profiling an outstanding alumnus, as well as information about bursaries, scholarships and events.

There is even a special section for northern students who have "a whole different set of needs," says Cardinal. "We're trying to include really useful information-that's the key." Starting in the second issue, the paper will also feature a humorous cartoon strip by Kevin Buffalo-Stoyko called "Wee-zil," based on aboriginal student life.

Buffalo Yell actually started out in 1986 as a simple newsletter run off the photocopy machine at Native Student Services. It was a time-consuming and costly endeavor. As interest in the newsletter grew, Cardinal calculated, with a little co-ordination, he could produce a more polished product for a larger audience without paying a great deal more. When indigenous people from as far away as Ghana and Ecuador were asking to be added to the mailing list, it was clear demand would not be a problem. Neither would finding advertisers.

"We realized that the government and private sector were very interested in having a tool like this to place advertising to reach secondary students," says Cardinal. While he's had to rely on some funding from Native Student Services to get the eight-page paper off the ground, he eventually hopes to fund it entirely through advertising sales. "The goal is to become self-sufficient, because we want to use this also as a tool to teach aboriginal students here how to write and publish.and we will take volunteers." To that end, Cardinal says he and Sewell are looking for volunteer writers.

Buffalo Yell is sent to all First Nations' agencies across the country, including high schools, tribal councils and postsecondary institutions. It's also circulated throughout the United States and to selected countries as far away as Argentina and New Zealand.

Most gratifying, however, has been the response closer to home, says Cardinal. The aboriginal liaison from Edmonton Public Schools, for example, has asked for a number of copies to hand out to students. "She said our aboriginal students need to know there are native students successful at school, that there are opportunities and avenues," says Cardinal. "We always highlight a U of A grad, somebody who's doing well out in the world."

As excited as Sewell and Cardinal are to be treading uncharted waters with their ground-breaking publication, they say they'll never stop looking for ways to make Buffalo Yell even better. "Cathy and I are perfectionists and we know where there's room for improvement," says Cardinal.