Editoonist Asks For Raise, Paper Drops Him
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“My pay has not been adjusted since the 1970s.”
The Navajo Times informed readers the newspaper and editorial cartoonist Jack Ahasteen have parted ways.
The Jack Ahasteen Comics will no longer be printed in the Navajo Times.
The Times’s longtime editorial cartoonist, Jack Ahasteen, is separating from the Navajo Times Publishing Co. Inc., a sudden change at the largest Native American newspaper in the country.
Ahasteen, hailing from Teesto, Arizona, has been a creative force for the Navajo Times for an impressive 52 years. His final work, “Treaty Day,” was featured in the May 30 edition of the Navajo Times…
Cartoonist Jack Ahasteen fills in some details with his June 4 Facebook notice:
The majority of people seem to back Ahasteen including Navajo Nation President Buu Nygren:
… As with most of his cartoons, at the bottom were his little characters he calls Hosteen and Maii.
But last week, his long reign at the Navajo Times ended. What did Jack do to be handed his hat and shown the door? As he said in a letter to his devoted readers on his Facebook page, he asked to renegotiate his pay.
Instead, he was met with the headline “Ahasteen departs Navajo Times” and a story that begins, “The Jack Ahasteen Comics will no longer be printed in the Navajo Times.”
As I have said since I heard this news, the Navajo Times is not the Navajo Times without Jack Ahasteen.
Perhaps the paper thought he was asking too much. If the comments from his loyal fans on the Navajo Times own Facebook page is any indication, no amount is too much. I agree.
Everyone agrees…
Nygren had declared June 12 “Jack Ahasteen Day across the Navajo Nation.”
The Navajo-Hopi Observer carried that story and the Ahasteen/Times troubles:
Nygren’s proclamation states, “Jack Ahasteen’s unique style, blending traditional Navajo symbolism with modern comic art, has become instantly recognizable and has earned him a place as an iconic figure in Navajo society. On this day, we celebrate his achievements, express our gratitude for his dedication and reaffirm our commitment to supporting and nurturing the artistic talents within our community.”
Nygren said the proclamation is to honor Ahasteen’s outstanding contributions to the Navajo Nation and his enduring legacy as an artist, storyteller and cultural ambassador.
Nygren said he has assigned staff to begin the process to have his work nominated for the 2025 Pulitzer Prize in the public service category.
The Navajo Times has an archive of 275 Ahasteen cartoons going back to 2019.
(The archive has a few cartoons by Roger Willie who is The Navajo Times new editorial cartoonist.)
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