The Syracuse Gallery of Superb Printing, which issues awards for outstanding examples of printing in Central New York, has honored Cayuga Press of Ithaca with 15 awards -- two of them for publications from Cornell University's Akwe:kon Press.

In giving Gold Awards to Cayuga Press and Akwe:kon Press for Native Americas and People of the Seventh Fire in the magazine and book categories, respectively, the Syracuse Gallery cited both publications' printing and design quality. The winners were chosen by a team of printing and design experts, according to such criteria as registration, ink coverage, design and typography, difficulty of printing and overall appearance.

Tim Johnson, Akwe:kon Press's executive manager, said, "We are delighted with the recognition our publications have received recently by the printing industry and by our peers in the field of journalism. We congratulate Cayuga Press and hope that our continued association will continue to draw praise." he added. In addition to the latest honor, Native Americas was chosen "best magazine" last year by the Native American Journalists Association.

Native Americas is a quarterly journal that covers pressing events, issues and trends encountered by Indian peoples of the Americas. "As an editorial forum, Native Americas provides a bridge between the oral, community-based indigenous cultures and the world of academia," said JosŽ Barreiro, associate director of extension for the American Indian Program. "Its thematic range is deep and involves the hemispheric dimension of the Native American thought and analysis."

People of the Seventh Fire, the latest book published by Akwe:kon Press and edited by Dagmar Thorpe, is a collection of stories of Native American community leaders who have had an impact on cultural and political preservation and enhancement.

"It's important to us to gain recognition for the technical and aesthetic qualities of our publications," Johnson said. "Oftentimes, Indian voices are not taken seriously because community-based publications lack the polish that lends their content legitimacy. As a result, we've worked very hard to raise the resources to balance the excellence of our design and printing with the excellence of our content."

Akwe:kon Press, is housed in Cornell's American Indian Program. The Syracuse Gallery is sponsored by the Syracuse Club of Printing House Craftsmen Inc., a member of the International Association of Printing House Craftsmen Inc. Gold and Silver awards will be sent on to an international competition in Minneapolis, where they will be judged next month. The winning entries will be announced at the association's annual convention in Seattle in August.