News Detail
Savannah Maher '13: An Interview with Award-Winning Native Affairs Reporter
When Savannah Maher ’13 was growing up in Mashpee, she was concerned that local news didn’t cover things that mattered to her Wampanoag friends and family. “They reported on dysfunction in our tribal government or came to photograph children in regalia at the annual Pow Wow. Nothing in between.” After majoring in Sociology and Native American Studies at Dartmouth and working as a producer on Here & Now in Boston, she finally realized her dream of covering Native affairs as a reporter for Wyoming Public Radio. She focuses on the Northern Arapaho and Eastern Shoshone tribes who share the Wind River Reservation. Her dedication was very apparent as she recently won an award for Best Feature from the Public Media Journalists’ Association for her reporting on the buffalo returning to Northern Arapaho Land.
FA: What do you think of Wyoming?
SM: I’d never been to Wyoming before. I’d never been to this part of the country actually. But I knew it was the kind of reporting I wanted to do and I wanted to give it a shot. Also I’d lived my entire life in New England and figured it was time to go live somewhere else. It’s very different, but I love it. I live in Lander, which is in the center of the state outside of the Wind River Reservation. It’s beautiful and a really interesting place. I think it’s a great place to be a reporter.
FA: What stories have captured you?
SM: Reporting on buffalo restoration has been my favorite part of the job. When I arrived a year ago, the Eastern Shoshone Tribe’s small herd had just received a gift of five buffalo from the Fort Peck Assiniboine and Sioux Tribes.That was the first ever tribe-to-tribe transfer of buffalo from one reservation program to another, and a victory in terms of two tribes using their sovereignty to sidestep federal bureaucracy. That was really special.
The idea that buffalo should be conserved and treated like wildlife is pretty controversial, even within reservations and tribes. And for years, the Eastern Shoshone and Northern Arapaho Tribes didn’t agree on whether there should be buffalo on Wind River. The Eastern Shoshone had a growing buffalo herd, and the Northern Arapaho tribe had a successful cattle ranch.
But in October of last year, that changed. The Northern Arapaho started their own conservation herd with 10 buffalo from a federal wildlife refuge. So, I got to attend and report on two buffalo releases within my first six months on the job. A lo tof tribal members said it felt like bringing family home. I feel incredibly lucky that I got to be there and play a small role in that history.
FA: What else has inspired you?
SM: Wyoming Public Radio has never had a reporter based here before. I’m the first one and I’m a good three hours away from my newsroom. I work out of my apartment. We looked at our past coverage and saw what we’ve missed and gaps I can fill. I’m a local, daily reporter, so it’s not always about what inspires me. But I’m lucky to cover a really fascinating place. So, for every story about what the school board or the business council is up to, there’s another really complex story about buffalo restoration, or tribal healthcare, or repatriation of cultural objects.
FA: How has your Wampanoag background informed what you do or your experience in Wyoming?
SM: Mashpee is very different from Wind River. In a lot of ways, my identity doesn’t make a difference. But being a Native person and also studying Native issues in college gave me a baseline understanding of certain things. I know how a tribal government works. I’m familiar with federal Indian law. I don’t ask dumb questions. There’s a lot that I’ve had to learn about this community, and I’m still learning. But I showed up with a baseline understanding that I think helped me build trust a little bit more quickly and not make as many mistakes as I might have otherwise.
FA: Do you feel like you were readily accepted?
SM: Wind River has been really kind to me. I’m grateful to all the Shoshone and Arapaho people who have welcomed me into their homes and trusted me with their stories. People really love this place and have wanted to help me learn and understand it the way they do.
But Wyoming is Ground Zero for media distrust. Wind River especially has every reason to distrust reporters, because reporters have come here before me and have done significant harm. A huge part of my work has been trying to repair the harm that’s been done and build trust where I can. It will be something I’ll have to continue to be mindful of as long as I live here and keep doing this job.
FA: Do you feel like you’re making a difference?
SM: I’d like to think that. I think I’m making some progress. I feel like this first year has been setting a foundation here for a lot of the work I’d like to do. I hope to make a bigger impact in my second year and hopefully my third. A lot of it has been baby steps, behind the scenes, trust and relationship building.
FA: How else have you become involved in the community?
SM: I work as a community mentor with the journalism club at Wyoming Indian High School on the reservation in Ethete, and that’s been really fun. In my reporting I spend most of my time talking to older people, so it’s fun to work with teenagers every week. It’s good to hear what they care about and what they want to see in the news. The teacher sets me up with a kid or two to talk through their story. I’ll help them with writing or figure out who to interview. It’s a blast. I love it.
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