Jordana Bass: Continues to grow into her Winnebago Indian News role

WIN editor describes Ho–Chunk, Inc. internships as ‘building blocks’ to communicate in business.

Using her writing, photography and design skills, Jordana Bass is working hard to publish a newspaper that tells the stories of the people and important issues that impact the Winnebago Tribe of Nebraska.

“I’ve always felt I have been a writer,” Jordana said.

Therefore, heading up the Winnebago Indian News is not only a good artistic outlet but also a great position from which, “to tell stories that drive awareness of the issues that our community faces,” she added.

It is the same newspaper that by age 12 Jordana recalled reading and also sketching on at home, in her early version of delving into graphic design.

Now two decades later, Jordana, since April 2022, has been editor of Winnebago Indian News, or WIN, which is the official newspaper for the Winnebago Tribe of Nebraska.

The WIN was established in 1972 and publishes bi–weekly editions with the goal of informing Tribal members of crucial issues impacting them. Working out of the WIN office in Winnebago, Jordana works with Office Circulation Manager Tyler Snake to produce the newspapers.

Jordana likes the fare of broad newspaper topics that have been addressed in the Winnebago Indian News. That includes coverage of Winnebago High School and how a buffalo herd was established in Winnebago. In the future, Jordana said she aims to delve into the sometimes-thorny topics of the Indian Child Welfare Act and also blood quantum.

Blood quantum is the controversial measurement through a construct of race on the amount Native blood a person has, which can impact several things, including whether a person or their children can become citizens of their tribes.

Some tribes are debating whether to throw out blood quantum minimum percentages and use lineal descent to address enrollment requirements, and Jordana said she wants to give awareness on all those options via WIN.

Tribal members get a free subscription, and she is working to increase advertising.

Jordana worked in other fields and had a few internships with Ho–Chunk, Inc. in the 2010’s that helped her feel her way into the right career path. She has an Associate’s Degree from Salish Kootenai College in Montana in 2015, where her field of study was graphic design, plus a later Bachelor’s Degree in Cinematic Arts & Technology from the Institute of American Indian Arts in Santa Fe, New Mexico.