Montana's oldest and award-winning tribal newspaper, Wotanin Wowapi, faced serious financial troubles in August after the Fort Peck tribal government decided to cut its funding.

But instead of closing shop, the tribal newspaper staff rolled up their sleeves and trudged forward, and for the first time in its 35-year history, the newspaper became independent of its tribal government, the newspaper's editor, Bonnie Red Elk, said on Monday night.

Red Elk said that as a result of tribal government budget problems, tribal officials told her two months ago that the tribes wouldn't be able to help fund the newspaper.

"They informed us that they could no longer ‘carry' us — meaning that we were overspending our small operating budget," said Red Elk. "It was sink or swim time for us in August, with still two and a half months of fiscal year 2003 left."

The newspaper, formerly owned by the tribal government, has an annual budget of $260,000, which includes the tribal funding of $40,000.

Red Elk said that the newspaper, which has never closed its doors since its inception in 1968, learned how to swim, operating off income from advertisements and newspaper sales.

The Wotanin Wowapi, meaning "something to read" in Dakota, is based out of Poplar and is known as the first published tribal newspaper in Montana. Today, the tribal newspaper has a circulation of more than 1,900 and employs four full-time staff.

And fortunately for the newspaper, the tribal government in the end did decide to fund $40,000 to the newspaper.

"The update is that the Tribes funded us at $40,000 for fiscal year 2004, which began on Oct. 1," said Red Elk.

However, she said it was probably the best thing that ever happened to the newspaper, as it took its first step toward financial independence.

"We plan to use the $40,000 as a start-up cost now that we are no longer a ‘program' but a ‘business' of the Tribes," Red Elk said.

Reporter Shawn White Wolf can be reached at 447-4028 or shawn.whitewolf@helenair.com.