The world's oldest Native American student newspaper is published by Haskell Indian Nations University in Lawrence, Kansas.
KANSAS CITY-November marked 120 years that The Indian Leader has been published. This, the world's oldest Native American student newspaper, is published by Haskell Indian Nations University in Lawrence, Kansas.
To celebrate the event, the university held a reception which included a mayoral proclamation, Dr. Venida Chenault, President of Haskell Indian Nations University, discussing the importance of maintaining a Native American presence in journalism, a history of the newspaper, and greetings from other tribal newspapers and the Native American Journalists Association. The city proclaimed November 8 as Indian Leader Day.
Haskell Indian Nations University opened in 1884 as the United States Indian Industrial Training School, focusing on agricultural education for grades one to five. Within one semester, the enrollment grew from 22 to over 400 students. In the 20th century the school changed its purpose from assimilation to Native American education. Today Haskell serves the educational needs of American Indian and Alaska Native people from across the United States, offering classes and programs oriented towards these cultures.
The paper is printed and has an online presence at TheIndianLeader.com.
