Lingít artist Chloey Cavanaugh released the first issue of the Black and White Raven Company Magazine earlier this month. She said she was frustrated seeing Alaska media outlets cover stories about Indigenous people without care and follow-through. She said she wanted a platform for Indigenous artists and writers to have control of their own stories.
“I thought that well, if this is something that I’m seeing and this is something that I’m frustrated by then I should do something about it,” Cavanaugh said.
In the 43-page debut issue of the magazine, one essay by X’adasteen Connor Meyer delves further into what it means for non-Native media to extract Alaska Native stories, opening with the line, “Outside people are telling inside stories.”
The issue also features a short story by renowned Juneau author Saankaláxt’ Ernestine Hayes about memories of her grandmother. Work by Lingít artists Rachel Martin, Guná Jensen and others fill the space between stories, essays, and a poem.
Cavanaugh said the contributors made her role as a first-time magazine editor easier.
“People made it really easy with what they shared,” she said. “And it kind of came together through everyone just being willing to be vulnerable or share the things that they wanted to share, the things that they care about.”
Contributors donated their work for the debut issue, Cavanaugh said. She hopes to pay creators in the future.
The plan now is to put out one or two issues a year. In future ones, Cavanaugh wants to see people dig into current matters that affect tribal citizens in Juneau.
“I think it would be really cool to be able to include more things about things that are shifting in our community,” she said. “Getting Goldbelt to talk about the dock that’s being built, and how that impacts our community. Sealaska to talk more in depth about the things that they’re invested in, and sometimes we skim the surface, but I want this to be a space to be able to dive deeper.”
And while Cavanaugh is the creator and editor of the magazine, she wants it to be filled with multiple and diverse perspectives.
“These voices in this magazine are representative of our community,” she said. “And every community has people who think differently and have different ideas, lived experiences, and I wanted that to be reflected in the magazine.”
The Black and White Raven Company Magazine isn’t online yet — just print — and the first run of 100 copies sold out a couple of hours into the launch. Cavanaugh ordered hundreds more, and it’s now restocked. She’s already seeking sponsors for the second issue.
The magazines are available in downtown Juneau for $25 at Alaska Robotics and Ewing Dry Goods.
