Editors Note:
Our well known News From Indian Country Associate Editor Pat Calliotte needed to take some time off for health reasons during September and it became apparent not long afterwards that she would not be returning.
Pat Calliotte was the voice at the end of the line when you might have inquired about sending a submission or wanted a classified advertisement placement, or maybe you were looking for a past article, long before so much material was digitalized and available on-line.
Pat started with News From Indian Country when the publication was first launched by ICC or (Indian Country Communications, Inc.), and she was one of the first five and only non-Native stockholder ever of this privately held company. At the time, in 1986, there were some regional publications, but no other national Native newspapers being published by a privately stock owned company, and Pat took pride in the fact that she was one of the first to believe that a private endeavor of this kind could succeed, especially since we are located on an Ojibwe reservation in the woods of northern Wisconsin.
One of the reasons Pat worked well in helping launch this newspaper is that she had tangled with Indigenous people through out north America. She could recite names in a personal way from the famous Butler brothers of the west coast, to Pine Ridge elders and some guy named George on the Atlantic coast that went back into AIM politics and the rush of the Native renaissance that was taking place. She was also known as Water Woman in some circles and it was one of her responsibilities inside the lodge.
The formerly chain smoking Pat, with a course laugh, just as the likes of the late Richard LaCourse (who knew Pat well from hanging out in the designated smoking areas at Native conferences) will be missed, but the indelible imprint of her contributions to this office, this newspaper and staff, Native journalism and history documentation has already been made and will live on for people centuries from now to read and experience. Thank you Pat.
