Coyote64

coyot...@ubtanet.com
John Martin, is Coyote64, he writes news stories for the Ute Bulletin,
runs the paper almost all by himself, been doing it a while. He once
told me, that growing up in Nevada he wanted to go to school, to
college and had no car to go anywhere, so he got on a bike and rode it
to Provo, Utah where BYU is located. They told him he had to cut his
hair, so he got on his bike and went further north to the University
of Utah.

He started writing some years ago, did some time in the service and
started writing for the small tribal newspaper. He has worked late
including this past week to put the paper together every two weeks. He
is the photographer, writer, editor, columnist and layout person.


The Ute Bulletin is run by the Ute Indian Tribe, Fort Duchesne, Utah
and John has been working there for some time now. He stands about
foot, I wouild say, a slim tall guy dressed in blue jeans, boots,
western shirt and wears a scarf around his neck as a bandana. He has
had braided hair for as long as I can remember.


Sometimes we have lunch, this past week we ate some cooked chicken and
tea, talking about his trip back to Nevada and his little girl who
lives somewhere up in Oregon or Washington. He used to be married but
not anymore, his ex is a teacher somewhere, he doesn't talk about her
much but he does talk about his little girl a lot. She stays with her
mother, far away from him, so he doesn't get to see her very often,
but now is hooked by email with her and they get together through
hotmail.


John told me he was feeling a little tired, he stays by himself with
two horses and a cat. He is 66 but doesn't look it, you would think he
is much younger. He writes fairly well, and has a good ear for
listening to folks, and is well read. We talked about a book by
Fielding the English author and to hear him tell it, you could see him
standing outside the Western back then just watching the characters of
the book. He is a pretty good storyteller and has a good laugh.


Some native writers are famous, others are rich but John just tries to
keep the paper going. He should be retired but the tribe asked him to
stay on and he is still working. He told me the other day that he is
not feeling very well, his body is telling him to slow down, but he
keeps going because writing is his life.


He covers the beat, the rez road, on the pow wow highway, the kids in
school, those events important to the tribe and writes a columnCoyote
Tales and another giving advice to a young person, creating stories
out of thin air and teaching about life and culture. I think he is
writing to his little girl, I am not sure but he goes on every week.


In the accolades that follow a man around, those things that speak of
your achievenemts, there aren't any national awards from the Native
American Journalist Association being given to him and he hasn't
written a book of any kind. He is still learning to use a computer and
is new to the workings of the internet, but in the end when the lights
go out there is on light on, at the Ute News building and you can see
John standing there pasting the paper together to get it out the next
day.


He is quiet, not brash or outspoken, he is quietly intelligent and
when he really talks to you, he talks pretty straight and I like that
about him. If it were me I would give him enough to retire on, but
since the tribe does not have retirement program and he isn't from
this rez, he writes as if he were born here and does it week after
week, month after month. In some ways he is one of the guideposts, a
beacon of light for me with this integrity and life experiences he
shares from time to time. He always tells the kids to keep going, to
to go on to school and be something. He says hello to everybody and
that is a reward in and of itself. I am lucky that he calls me a
friend of his and for that I am grateful. His e-mail address is
Coyot...@ubtanet.com, or John Martin, Box 190, Fort Duchesne, Utah
84026. Send him an email and let him know writing for small tribal
paper is worth the time and effort that he has given it