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Redbird Smith Annex
Investigation Request
Native Grains
The facility will provide additional
services such as physical therapy
and mammography. HEALTH, 8
Two Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Tulsa rewards
players have filed complaints with the Cherokee
Nation Gaming Commission. NEWS, 3
Chris Cochran makes benches, swings,
cedar boxes, picture frames and other
creations. MONEY, 14
July 2015 • cherokeephoenix.org
187 Years of Cherokee Journalism
PHOENIX
CHEROKEE
Baker, Crittenden win 2nd terms
Bill John Baker
avoids a runoff
against three
opponents, while S.
Joe Crittenden beats
his sole competitor.
By Will chavez
Senior Reporter
and
JAMI MURPHY
Reporter
TAHLEQUAH, Okla. – According
to certified results, Principal Chief
Bill John Baker and Deputy Chief
S. Joe Crittenden retained their
respective offices following the June
27 general election.
According to the Election
Commission, Baker received 52.59
percent of the votes with 10,138 of the
19,279 ballots cast in the race. Those
ballots included absentee, early,
election-day and challenged votes.
Candidates must receive more
than 50 percent of the vote to win a
race and avoid a runoff election.
Former Principal Chief Chad
Smith came in behind Baker at
27.97 percent with 5,392 votes.
Dist. 86 State Rep. Will Fourkiller
finished third at 10.58 percent with
2,040 votes, and the former group
leader the of the tribe’s Community
Services, Charlie Soap, finished last
at 8.86 percent or 1,709 votes.
“Wado. Thank you all for your
Principal Chief
Bill John Baker
garners 52.59
percent of the
votes to win
outright.
support. We are honored to
continue to serve the Cherokee
Nation,” Baker said in a statement
that also referred to Crittenden, his
running mate.
The EC certified the results on
June 29 at a special meeting.
Former
Principal Chief
Chad Smith
earns 27.97
percent of the
principal chief
votes.
6 Tribal Council
candidates win,
2 are incumbents
State Rep.
Will Fourkiller
garners 10.58
percent of the
votes in the
principal chief
race.
Deputy Chief S.
Joe Crittenden
is re-elected by
getting 62.62
percent of the
votes.
In a statement, Smith conceded
the race to Baker after seeing
unofficial results on June 28.
“I sincerely thank each of you
who worked and contributed to the
campaign. I am honored to have
shared a common effort and vision
with you for a better Cherokee
Nation. Again, it was my honor
to serve with each of you in this
campaign. Thank you,” Smith said.
The Cherokee Phoenix’s calls
requesting statements from Fourkiller
and Soap were not returned.
Baker served 12 years as a Tribal
Councilor. In 2011, he ran for principal
chief against 12-year incumbent
Smith. After recounts and handcounting ballots, the CN Supreme
Court could not determine the
outcome with mathematical certainty,
Ex-Community
Services Group
Leader Charlie
Soap gets 8.86
percent of the
principal chief
votes.
See RE-ELECTED, 2
Tribal Councilor
Lee Keener
takes 37.38
percent of the
votes in the
deputy chief
race.
END OF THE TRAIL
Dick Lay and David
Walkingstick win
re-election, while
four others win their
respective races.
Rex Jordan
David Walkingstick
BY STAFF REPORTS
TAHLEQUAH, Okla. – According
to certified results, six Tribal Council
candidates won their respective
races in the June 27 general election,
including two incumbents – Tribal
Councilors David Walkingstick and
Dick Lay.
The Cherokee Nation’s Dist. 1 Tribal
Council seat goes to Rex Jordan after
he defeated Ryan Sierra.
Results showed Jordan won by a
vote count of 856 for 63.41 percent
of the ballots to Sierra’s 494 votes and
36.59 percent.
The Cherokee Phoenix attempted to
contact Jordan but was unsuccessful.
See WINNERS, 6
Shawn Crittenden
Dick Lay
Buel Anglen
William Pearson
Dist. 6, At-Large
council races
head to runoffs
“Remember the Removal” participant Wrighter Weavel, of Tahlequah, Oklahoma, is overcome with emotion after
reuniting with his mother Tonia Weavel on June 25 at the Cherokee Courthouse Square in Tahlequah. Weavel and 18
other cyclists finished a nearly 1,000-mile ride retracing the Trail of Tears. PHOTOS BY WILL CHAVEZ/CHEROKEE PHOENIX
‘Remember the Removal’
cyclists finish in Tahlequah
They rode into the Cherokee Nation capital on June 25 greeted by friends
and family members on the Cherokee Courthouse Square.
BY WILL CHAVEZ
Senior Reporter
TAHLEQUAH, Okla. – With quiet
determination, 19 “Remember the
Removal” cyclists pedaled up a long,
steep hill on June 24 about two miles
from Stilwell – the next-to-last stop of
their nearly 1,000-mile journey retracing
the northern route of the Trail of Tears.
On a hot day, the cyclists stared at the
pavement or looked straight ahead as
they quickly ascended the hill with legs
strengthened by climbing mountains in
Tennessee and rolling hills in Missouri.
One of those riders, 37-year-old Kevin
Tafoya, of the Wolftown Community in
Cherokee, North Carolina, was a cyclist
Natalie Fullbright and Bryan
Warner race for Dist. 6, and
Wanda Hatfield will face Betsy
Swimmer for the At-Large seat.
BY Tesina jackson and STACIE GUTHRIE
Reporters
TAHLEQUAH, Okla. – According to certified results,
there will be runoff races for the Dist. 6 and At-Large Tribal
Council seats. Those elections are set for July 25, according
to the Cherokee Nation’s Election
Commission election timeline.
Natalie Fullbright and Bryan
Warner will face each other in the
Dist. 6 race after Fullbright received
44.11 percent of the votes with 618
ballots, while Warner garnered 35.76
percent with 501 votes.
See RUNOFFS, 2
Natalie Fullbright
Bryan Warner
Wanda Hatfield
Betsy Swimmer
Kayla Davis, of Stilwell, Oklahoma, celebrates completing the “Remember the
Removal” bicycle ride of nearly 1,000 miles. Riding next to her is Jake Stephens
of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, one of six EBCI citizens who rode.
at the rear of the group, but still moved
steadily up the hill. He was riding with
his new “family” and would not quit nor
let them down.
“I thought I was going to have a hard
time matching faces to names, but now
that we’ve ridden together, camped
together, eaten together, it’s like you
know everybody personally, all their
little quirks. You can recognize them
from behind and their riding style. It’s
just like they’re family now,” Tafoya said.
He said if called upon when he gets
home to speak about the three-week trip
through seven states he would tell people
the trip is mostly about remembrance.
“Just to remember what happened
to our people and what they had to go
through. We need to honor that memory
and just keep it alive for our kids, so we
know what our past is and how much
we’ve been affected as a people,” he said.
Caleb Cox, 19, of Miami Oklahoma,
said the ride’s last day was “surreal” and
“emotional” for him as he anticipated
riding into Tahlequah on June 25 with
family and friends waiting on him.
“It’s really bittersweet. We’re all excited
to see our families, but we also made
another family here. It’s going to be
really, really hard, but we’re excited and
grateful,” he said. “Coming in I didn’t
think that all of these people that I didn’t
even know would become family. It’s
kind of like those blessings in disguise
I guess. I’ve learned a ton about our
history and culture, and I’m just really
blessed to be a part of the select few that
were able to do this.”
He said now that he’s seen firsthand
the graves, the tough terrain and other
obstacles Cherokee people faced during
See CYCLISTS, 3
2
CHEROKEE PHOENIX • July 2015
News • dgZEksf
Ewf #>hAmh • JB?/ 2015
EC certifies general election results
Election Commissioners certify the
general election results during their
special meeting on June 29.
• Dick Lay, Dist. 12,
TAHLEQUAH, Okla. – The Cherokee Nation’s Election
Commission certified voting results from the June 27 general
election during a special meeting on June 29.
Winners for the eight races in which a victor was declared are:
• S. Joe Crittenden, deputy chief,
• David Walkingstick, Dist. 3,
• Shawn Crittenden, Dist. 8,
BY JAMI MURPHY
Reporter
• Bill John Baker, principal chief,
• Rex Jordan, Dist. 1,
• Buel Anglen, Dist. 13, and
• William “Bill” Pearson, Dist. 14
There will be two run-off elections slated for July 25. In the
Dist. 6 Tribal Council race, Natalie Fullbright will face Bryan
Warner. In the At-Large Tribal Council race, Wanda Claphan
Hatfield will face Betsy Swimmer.
The EC will mail runoff absentee ballots July 13-14. Voters
interested in early walk-in voting can do so from 7 a.m. to 7
p.m. on July 18 and July 21- 23 at the Election Services Office
in Tahlequah. Election day voting will be held from 7 a.m. to 7
p.m. at precincts inside the tribe’s jurisdiction.
The EC election timeline states the recount request deadline
was 5 p.m. on July 1. Recounts were scheduled for July 2-3 with
Supreme Court justices in attendance.
The election appeals deadline was July 6. Provided there are
any appeals, the Supreme Court was expected to hear any of
those cases on July 7-9.
Candidates elected to office during the general and runoff
elections are to be sworn in Aug. 14, according to the tribe’s
election timeline.
For more information on the upcoming runoff elections,
call 918-458-5899.
According to the EC, the June 27 election had 19,298 ballots
cast out of 63,703 registered voters.
Supreme Court approves
bylaws to establish CNBA
BY JAMI MURPHY
Reporter
Principal Chief Bill John Baker and Oklahoma Governor Mary Fallin shake hands
after signing a hunting and fishing compact on May 29 that will allow Cherokee
Nation citizens to receive a combination hunting and fishing license that will be valid
throughout the state. WILL CHAVEZ/CHEROKEE PHOENIX
Chief, governor sign
hunting, fishing compact
Principal Chief Bill John
Baker and Gov. Mary
Fallin sign it in a ceremony
at the Tribal Complex.
BY WILL CHAVEZ
Senior Reporter
TAHLEQUAH, Okla. – After two years
of negotiations between the Cherokee
Nation and the state of Oklahoma, the two
governments have agreed on a three-year
hunting and fishing compact, which was
signed in a May 29 ceremony.
Principal Chief Bill John Baker and
Governor Mary Fallin signed the compact in
a ceremony at the Tribal Complex.
“This is a great day in the Cherokee Nation.
We get to exercise our sovereignty so that
not only can each and every one of our
citizens hunt and fish in the 14 counties (CN
jurisdiction), but they also can trophy fish
at Beaver’s Bend (McCurtain County). They
can go out and take the turkeys in western
Oklahoma,” Baker said during the signing
ceremony. “Today, I am proud the Cherokee
Nation is the first tribe to compact with the
state in proper recognition of our long-held
treaty rights to hunt and fish the lands within
not only our jurisdictional boundaries but all
77 counties in Oklahoma.”
He added the compact is a way for
the CN and state to make the lives of all
Oklahomans better.
“I see it as a win for the Cherokee people.
I see it as a win for the people of the state of
Oklahoma. I see it as a win for the hunters and
fishers all over the state of Oklahoma,” he said.
Fallin said it was a historic day for the state
and CN. She thanked Chief Baker and the CN
for working with the state “to do what’s in the
best interest of all the citizens of the state.”
She said the compact reflects a cooperative
relationship between the state and CN and
creates “dual-jurisdiction” for hunting and
fishing licenses in the state.
“There are other states and other tribal
nations that many times go down the
path of litigating versus negotiating and
cooperation. Over the last 11 or 12 years we
have been working together to try to find a
resolution so that we could do some good
for everyone today. It is a big day for all of
us,” she said. “The compact is one of the first
of its kind in the country, and I think can
serve as model for other states and certainly
other tribes in the state.”
CN Attorney General Todd Hembree
said the compact does not waive the tribe’s
sovereignty. It solidifies already established
hunting and fishing rights given to the
Cherokee Nation by treaty, and is a “win-win”
for the Cherokee Nation and the state, he said.
The compact is also an alternative to fighting
for hunting and fishing rights in court, which
would cost hundreds of thousands dollars, if
not millions of dollars, he said.
“This will be a model compact that I believe
tribes across the United States will use. When
we brought this concept up to the federal
government they said every tribe in the nation
should be doing this,” Hembree said.
CN citizens will receive a combination
hunting and fishing license that will be jointly
issued by the state of Oklahoma and the
Cherokee Nation. Hembree said the tribe is
the one who will actually produce the licenses
and do all of the administrative costs. He
added the CN is working with the state to
define what those administrative costs should
be, but “they shouldn’t be significant.”
The compact states the CN will purchase
and issue a minimum of 150,000 compact
licenses for its Oklahoma residents between
the ages of 16 and 65 years old at a cost of $2
a piece, which would equal $300,000 annually.
The licenses should be ready to be issued on
Jan 1, 2016, Hembree said.
Hembree said the tribe’s hunting and
fishing laws already mirror the state’s hunting
and fishing laws, so that was not a big issue in
the negotiations.
“The license itself will go to all Cherokees in
Oklahoma, so this is a huge benefit to at-large
citizens,” he said. “Also with that license is one
free deer tag and one free turkey tag.”
Hembree said some CN citizens may
question why the tribe should “pay for a
right we already have.” He explained the
other alternatives would be to do nothing
and continue having CN citizens fined
and arrested for hunting and fishing with
their tribal citizenship (blue) cards or go
to court and fight the state in a long and
costly court battle.
The game licenses will be distributed to
CN citizens using the CN Tax Commission’s
database.
“The Tax Commission does such a good
job on car tags, especially now that they do
it outside the (tribe’s 14-county) jurisdiction.
They have the ability to do it (distribute
licenses) very, very well,” he said.
For every license issued by the CN, the
state will receive $2 for “the management and
preservation” of the state’s natural resources.
The usual cost for an annual combination
hunting and fishing license in Oklahoma
is $42. So, the cost to the tribe is “minimal”
per license, Hembree said. Annual individual
hunting and fishing licenses are $25 each.
“What makes this very advantageous to the
state is that the licenses that we guarantee to
issue will allow the state to avail themselves to
federal funds ... for millions of dollars a year,”
Hembree said.
He explained in order for a state to qualify
for federal Dingell-Johnson Act funds, which
provides federal aid to states for management
and restoration of fish having “material value
in connection with sport or recreation in the
marine and/or fresh waters of the United
States,” the state has to have $2 clear profit for
every license it issues. Hembree said that rule
prevents states from issuing every citizen a
license in order to qualify for federal funding
related to outdoor activities.
Because the CN is paying the state $2 per
license, at no cost to the state, it qualifies the
state to receive additional Dingell-Johnson
funds, Hembree said, which means $3 to $4
million in additional federal funds for state
wildlife conservation efforts every year.
Through the compact the state could also
qualify for federal funds under the Pittman–
Robertson Federal Aid in Wildlife Restoration
Act of 1937, which was created as an excise
tax that provides funds to states to manage
animals and their habitats.
“It’s a no-brainer for the state, and it’s a
great deal for the Cherokee Nation because
were only paying $2 per issue. It’s going to
give us the ability to exercise our hunting
and fishing treaty rights that we haven’t
been able to exercise for well over 100 years,”
Hembree said.
TAHLEQUAH, Okla. – The Cherokee
Nation Supreme Court on May 26 approved
bylaws to govern the Cherokee Nation Bar
Association and create a board with hopes
to make the CNBA the top bar association
in the country.
CN Attorney General Todd Hembree said
the association was established several years
ago, but had not yet had members from the
CNBA who met on a regular basis.
“The purpose of today was to reconstitute
the Cherokee Nation Bar Association that
has laid dormant for a number of years. We
believe that we have the ability to make this
into the premiere bar association for Native
Americans in the nation. That starts with a
first step and this is the first step.”
With the bylaws being approved by the
Supreme Court the next step is to elect
officers that will help to govern the CNBA.
“We just look forward to having an
organization who’s purpose is to better the
judicial system and to enhance and maintain
the rule of law and the rights of Cherokee
citizens,” Hembree said.
The Supreme Court will oversee the
RUNOFFS
from front page
“I am deeply humbled by receiving the
majority of votes in Saturday’s election.
The people of District 6 deserve ethical,
experienced leadership. I’m so proud of
our campaign and all who participated, we
are on a journey together to improve our
District,” Fullbright wrote in an email. “We
just have to work hard for the runoff. I have
wonderful supporters who have prayed for
us and worked tirelessly and we will continue
on down this path.”
Warner said he was “proud and humbled”
to be in a runoff race for Dist. 6. He added
that it has been hard work to get to where
he’s at and he will continue to work hard for
the seat.
“We plan on continuing to work hard, I
think it’s important as a potential council
member to work hard,” he said. “Then if
you’re left to be elected, that’s when the real
work starts.”
He also extended his appreciation to all of
the CN citizens who cast their votes for him.
“One thing like I’ve always told all of them
is it’s a group effort, and I feel like I want
them to be part of this process because if
I’m elected I’ll continue to inform and have
the citizens be aware of everything, use their
ideas with mine to do the best job possible,”
he said.
Brian Keith McCoy came in third with
11.85 percent or 166 votes, and Ron Goff
came in fourth with 8.28 percent or 116
votes.
Dist. 6 covers the eastern part of Sequoyah
County.
In the At-Large race, Wanda Hatfield and
Betsy Swimmer will face each other in a
runoff.
Results showed Wanda Hatfield leading
with 25.94 percent or 1,057 votes, while
RE-ELECTED
from front page
so a second election was held Sept. 24, 2011.
Baker won that special election with
nearly 54 percent of the vote.
According to EC results, Crittenden
received 11,882 votes for 62.62 percent
of the ballots cast. His opponent, Tribal
Councilor Lee Keener, received 7,092 votes
or 37.38 percent.
Crittenden said he was very happy that
the election turned out the way it did.
“It looks like the Cherokee people
appreciate the forward progress we’ve
accomplished over these last four years
and I look forward to serving the Cherokee
people this next term,” he said.
As for Keener, he said he enjoyed meeting
and visiting the many Cherokee people over
the past few years.
“It has been a wonderful experience, and I
would like to thank all my supporters. Helen
Keller said, ‘what we have once enjoyed,
CNBA, according to officials. This is the
first time officers have been selected by
the CNBA. To be an officer members must
submit a name to the SC with 15 other
members backing the nomination.
The CNBA was established in the early
1990s after the District Court was reestablished by legislative act.
Attorneys not already members of the
CNBA can do so by filling out the application
and submit documentation that shows one
in good standing. This must all be submitted
to the court.
“After review and approval by the Justices,
notice will be sent informing you of such.
The process usually takes around forty-five
(45) days to complete,” according to the
court’s website. “If you have submitted an
application and review has taken longer
please contact the Supreme Court Clerk.”
Payment to the bar is not needed until one
has been officially approved as a member.
Applications can be mailed to P.O. Box
1097, Tahlequah, OK 74465 with attention
to Kendall Bird, Court Clerk, Cherokee
Nation Supreme Court.
For more information or to download the
application visit http://www.cherokeecourts.
org/BarAssociation.aspx.
Betsy Swimmer was second with 18.9
percent or 770 votes.
“We’re very excited about it,” Hatfield said.
“We’re already planning what we’re going to
do next.”
Hatfield, from Oklahoma City, said
the At-Large race was clean, respectful
and all online comments were kind and
professional.
“It was a race that I feel like there were 10
very qualified candidates, and I think we all
worked very hard,” she said.
Swimmer, of Broken Arrow, said she
felt privileged the Cherokee people have
confidence in her.
“I will work very, very hard to make
sure that they have proper representation,”
she said. “We had some really wonderful
candidates running, so with that in mind I
certainly feel like it’s a great honor to have
been selected.”
According to results, the vote breakdown
for the remaining At-Large candidates were:
• Shane Jett with 17.6 percent or 717 votes,
• Deborah Reed with 7.98 percent or 325
votes,
• Tommy Jones with 6.82 percent or 278
votes,
• Pamela Fox with 6.06 percent or 247 votes,
• Benjamin McKee with 6.06 percent or 247
votes,
• Linda Leaf-Bolin with 4.71 percent or 192
votes,
• Darell R. Matlock Jr. with 4 percent or 163
votes, and
• Trey Brown with 1.94 percent or 79 votes.
Two At-Large districts cover anywhere
outside of the Nation’s 14-county jurisdiction.
The other At-Large Tribal Councilor is Jack
Baker, whose term expires in 2017.
Runoff absentee ballots will be mailed out
on July 13-14.
Candidates who are successful in their
races are set to be sworn into office on
Aug. 14.
we can never lose. All that we love deeply
becomes a part of us,’” Keener said. “My
supporters and new friends will always be
a part of me. My devotion to the Cherokee
people has not wavered or diminished. Now
is the time to pray for our Nation as we move
forward together.”
Keener said he would wait until certified
results were posted to determine if he would
take any further action this election cycle.
Candidates had until 5 p.m. on July 1 to
request a recount. Any recounts were slated
for July 2-3 with Supreme Court justices
monitoring.
The election appeals deadline was slated
for July 6. Provided there were any appeals,
the Supreme Court would have heard those
cases July 7-9.
According to the EC, about 63,703 CN
citizens are currently registered to vote and
nearly 20,000 voted in the 2015 general
election. Also, more than 2,000 CN voters
participated in early voting and 11,000
requested absentee ballots
All elected officials are to be sworn into
office on Aug. 14.
2015 Ewf #>hAmh • JB?/
News • dgZEksf
June 2015 • CHEROKEE PHOENIX
3
Casino patrons request investigation of player rewards
The complaint alleges that
event tickets intended
for rewards players have
instead been given to
Tribal Councilors.
BY TESINA JACKSON
Reporter
TAHLEQUAH, Okla. – Two Hard Rock
Hotel & Casino Tulsa rewards players have
filed complaints with the Cherokee Nation
Gaming Commission, one with more than a
dozen signatures, requesting investigations of
alleged misuse of player rewards benefits.
Both complaints state complimentary items
intended for rewards players have instead
been given to elected officials, including
concert/event tickets to The Joint, a concert
venue inside the Hard Rock.
Glenda Rowe and Randy Pierce said they
were prompted to ask for the investigations
after being told by Cherokee Nation
Entertainment employees that suite tickets
to The Joint intended for them were given to
Tribal Councilors instead.
Pierce submitted his complaint in March.
Rowe submitted her complaint, which had 13
signatures, in April.
“The Gaming Commission has received a
complaint from two patrons of one of Cherokee
Nation Entertainment’s casinos regarding
an alleged issue during a concert at The
Joint,” CNGC Director Jamie Hummingbird
said in regards to Rowe’s complaint. “The
Gaming Commission is still investigating receive complimentary tickets to The Joint.
this complaint and the Attorney General’s
“The 17-member Tribal Council is offered
Office has been notified. No further details up to 98 seats in The Joint to be used in an
are available at this time as the investigation ambassador role to entertain potential
is ongoing.”
business partners, constituents or other
Hummingbird sent an acknowledgement stakeholders,” he said. “This has been common
letter to Pierce on March 24 stating the practice since The Joint opened in 2010.”
CNGC has “opened an investigation into the
The tribal administration had also received
matter. The CNGC is committed to providing tickets to The Joint, but according to CN
safe and fair activities at all Cherokee Nation officials, the administration no longer accepts
gaming facilities.”
them. Officials said the administration stopped
Rowe and Pierce both said Hummingbird accepting its 12 allotted tickets approximately
told
them
their
a year ago as those tickets
complaints were still being
were better used at the
investigated.
discretion of CNE and The
I don’t feel that the
According to the Hard
Joint officials.
Rock Hotel & Casino
Both complaints also
Cherokee Nation
Tulsa website, players with
allege that CN officials who
Star Rewards benefits can
receive
complimentary
officials appreciate
use points that they receive
items are in violation of
the players.
from playing, shopping,
tribal and federal laws.
– Glenda Rowe, Pierce’s complaint cites
dining and staying at the
hotel to purchase tickets
Cherokee Star Rewards Section 2 of the CN Ethics
for
promotions
and
Act of 2012 that states “no
player official, member or officer
special events, and receive
invitations to tournaments
of the Council, Cabinet
and special events.
Member, employee of any official, Council,
“I don’t feel that the Cherokee Nation Cabinet, or subdivisions thereof, or any person
officials appreciate the players,” Rowe said. employed in any capacity by the Cherokee
“I just want to stand up for the players, and Nation shall receive from any individual,
until these people (elected officials) are held partnership, corporation, or entity doing
accountable, it will just continue. I just want business with the Cherokee Nation directly
them to treat the people right.”
or indirectly, any interest, profit, benefits or
Cherokee
Nation
Businesses gratuity, other than wages, salary, per diem, or
Communications Director Amanda Clinton expenses specifically provided by law.”
said CNE officials were not aware of the
He also cites Section X of the CN
complaint. However, CNB interim CEO Constitution that states “no official, member
Shawn Slaton said that Tribal Councilors do or officer of the Council, Cabinet Member,
employee of any official, Council, Cabinet, or
subdivisions thereof, or any person employed
in any capacity by the Cherokee Nation shall
receive from any individual, partnership,
corporation, or entity doing business with
the Cherokee Nation directly or indirectly,
any interest, profit, benefits or gratuity, other
than wages, salary, per diem, or expenses
specifically provided by law.”
According to the NIGC, complimentary
items are services and items provided to
patrons at the discretion of an agent on
behalf of the gaming operation or by a third
party on behalf of the gaming operation.
Services and items may include, but are not
limited to, travel, lodging, food, beverages or
entertainment expenses.
When issuing a complimentary item
or service, supervision must be provided
as needed for approval of complimentary
services by an agent with authority equal
to or greater than those being supervised.
Records must include the name of patron,
name of issuer, actual cash value, type of
complimentary service or item and the date it
was issued.
A detailed reporting of complimentary
services or items transactions that meet an
established threshold approved by the Tribal
Gaming Regulatory Act must be prepared at
least monthly and forwarded to management
for review.
“The Hard Rock is great for the economy
but they’re (elected officials) going to ruin it,”
Pierce said. “They get benefits that the players
are paying for. They’re taking money away
from their own people.”
CYCLISTS
from front page
the forced removals in 1838-39, it’s his and
the other cyclists’ responsibility to share those
stories and how they felt at those places with
others.
The cyclists averaged 60 to 70 miles a day,
and Cox said getting up early some mornings,
at 5:30 or 6, was tough because the cyclists
were always fatigued.
“It was the hardest thing, but then again
when you’re sitting there you’re thinking ‘I’m
blessed to be able to sleep in a bed, and I’m
blessed to be able to rest.’ That’s what kept
us going along with all the other riders, the
support we had, and the kinship we gained
on the ride. When we struggled, we helped
each other out, and we just remembered our
ancestors had it a lot worse,” he said.
Darius Thompson, 19, of the Wolftown
Community, said the trip was life-changing,
and he’s more appreciative of what his
ancestors went through.
“Just being at the campsites and seeing it
firsthand and seeing what they went through...
it’s been an amazing journey. I know the true
meaning of being Cherokee now,” he said.
“Every day was something new. We had a
tough time dealing with the heat. Some days
I just wanted to fall over on my bike, but I
looked over at my teammates and they were
struggling with me, so that gave me strength
to keep pedaling.”
“Remember the Removal” ride coordinator
Joseph Erb also said the trip was a “lifechanging experience” for the 12 Cherokee
Nation and seven Eastern Band of Cherokee
Indians cyclists who started the ride June 7 in
New Echota, Georgia.
“You know we travel those long distances
and we run into lots of people who don’t
know our story, and they’re living right on
the trail. This crew represented you guys
very well,” Erb said to the parents and family
members at the return ceremony held June 25
on the Cherokee Courthouse Square. “It’s a
painful journey, to not only learn the history,
to see the places where our people perished.
Cemeteries, sites, camps, we got to see all of
that, and we’re honored and thank our nations
for the support. These kids are better than
when they left. They’ll be better for the rest of
their lives for it.”
The other 2015 Remember the Removal
cyclists are CN citizens Tristan Trumbla,
25, Tahlequah; Kayla Davis, 19, Stilwell;
Tanner Crow, 19, Tahlequah; Charles “Billy”
Flint, 25, Tahlequah; Shawna Harter, 18,
Tahlequah; Maggie McKinnis, 16, Hulbert;
Wrighter Weavel, 18, Tahlequah; Alexis Watt,
Hailey Seago, of Claremore, Oklahoma, right, and Savannah Hicks, of Cherokee, North Carolina, along with other “Remember the
Removal” cyclists ride through Lincoln, Arkansas, on June 24 with a goal of reaching the Oklahoma state line.
PHOTOS BY WILL CHAVEZ/CHEROKEE PHOENIX
Coming in I didn’t think
that all of these people
that I didn’t even know
would become family.
– Caleb Cox,
“Remember the Removal”
cyclist
21, Monkey Island; Tennessee Loy, 22,
Kenwood; Hailey Seago, 18, Claremore;
and Haylee Caviness, 18, Tahlequah.
The other EBCI cyclists are Savannah
Hicks, 21, Painttown Community;
Corlee Thomas-Hill, 25, Yellowhill
Community; Matthew Martens, 30,
Yellowhill Community; Kelly Murphy,
25, Painttown Community; and Jake
Stephens, 36, Birdtown Community.
The 2015 “Remember the Removal”
ride is chronicled on Facebook at www.
facebook.com/removal.ride.
“Remember the Removal” cyclist Billy Flint, right, hugs fellow cyclist Wrighter Weavel after
crossing into Oklahoma on June 24 near Westville. The 19 cyclists finished their three-week
ride the next day in Tahlequah. WILL CHAVEZ/CHEROKEE PHOENIX
Cherokee language available on Google Android
BY STAFF REPORTS
language is now available for download on
more than 20 Android devices, making the
language even more accessible to millions of
Google smartphone and tablet users.
The Cherokee Nation’s Language Program
spent nearly two years working with Google
to translate more than 50,000 technology
terms into Cherokee. The team developed a
syllabary font to use on Android, Samsung
Galaxy S6, Motorola Moto X and Google
Nexus 6, among other devices.
Principal Chief Bill John Baker and the
Tribal Council honored the department’s 13
translation specialists for the milestone during
the May 11 Tribal Council meeting.
“Cherokees have always been early adopters
of adapting our native language onto the
newest device of the time, from one of the first
printing presses to manual typewriters and
now the Android,” Baker said. “It’s important
that tribes preserve and share our language
Cherokee Nation Language Program
Manager Roy Boney writes “Hello
everyone!” using the Cherokee keyboard
on a Nexus 6 device. The Cherokee
language is now available for download
on more than 20 Android devices.
COURTESY
because it’s our identity, such a big part of who
we are.”
Craig Cornelius, software engineer for
Google Internationalization in California,
said it’s Google’s intent to support all world
languages, including the Cherokee syllabary, as
fonts on their devices so Cherokee speakers can
use their language in email, searches and texts.
“For more than four years, translators
from the Cherokee Nation and the Google
Internationalization team have collaborated
on Cherokee language support in Google
Search, Gmail, Chromebooks and now
Android,” Cornelius said. “Cherokee visitors to
the Googleplex headquarters have enhanced
engineers’ understanding of language change,
and Cherokee speakers are now able to use the
latest technologies in their daily lives.”
The partnership between the CN and
Google is also mentioned in the book “Work
Rules!” by Google’s head of People Operations,
Laszlo Bock.
CN Language Program staff began work
on the Cherokee font, Noto Sans Cherokee in
2012 for web browsers. Testing to move the
font to Android mobile devices began in 2013,
became first available in November 2014 on
the Nexus 9 tablet and rolled out over the past
few months on other Google devices.
“With Android devices being used by
millions of people around the world, this
firmly places the Cherokee language in a
league with all the other major languages of
the world,” CN Language Program Manager
Roy Boney said. “I’m proud of our speakers,
the tribe and Google for seeing this latest
language technology accomplishment come
to fruition.”
To get the Cherokee language on an
Android device, the operating system 5.0
Lollipop update is required. To download
the update, go to the device setting and check
for system update. Add a Cherokee language
keyboard by downloading the free MultiLing
app and Cherokee plugin from the Google
Play store.
The CN also has the Cherokee language on
Apple and Microsoft products.
For more information on CN translation
and language technology programs, call 918453-5000, ext. 5487.
4
News • dgZEksf
Warrior Memorial deemed unsafe, new one planned
Workers will begin taking
the current memorial
down at the end of
September. It’s anticipated
it will take a week to
remove the existing
memorial and four weeks
to install the replacement.
BY WILL CHAVEZ
Senior Reporter
TAHLEQUAH, Okla. – Cherokee Nation
Cultural Tourism is coordinating the creation
and delivery of a new Warrior Memorial after
engineers deemed the current one unsafe, said
Principal Chief Bill John Baker.
“Unfortunately, I guess we saved too much
money building it because the engineers
have told us that is unsafe, that the marble is
popping off of it, the plastic letters are falling
off. So, I’m here today to tell you we’re going to
replace it with a real monument...that will last
for generations to come,” Baker said March
11 at the Cherokee Veterans Service Center.
The memorial sits adjacent to the Cherokee
Veterans Service Center at the Tribal Complex.
“They’re going to tear that one down and put a
better footing underneath it.”
The memorial has granite tiles attached to
a cement centerpiece or base to form a twosided wall. Inscriptions in both Cherokee
and English are on the walls. On one side
the wall reads, “A grateful Cherokee Nation
dedicates this memorial to all Cherokee men
and women, both living and dead, who have
defended their families, their people, and
their homeland. All Gave Some, Some Gave
All.” The other side reads, “These names are
carved in stone forever – so that we and our
children can learn and remember. POW-MIA,
you are not forgotten.”
The new $250,000 memorial will be
made of solid granite with its words
engraved instead of glued. Some letters on
the current memorial have fallen off and
had to be glued back.
“The marble is loose and cracked and the
sides are warped, and the letters continue to
fall off our current Warriors Memorial. We’ve
been patching up the old one as well as we can
for the past couple years. So safety is obviously
a concern, but equally important is the desire
to have a real monument that honors our
military veterans that we can all be proud of
and that has a long lifespan,” Deputy Chief
S. Joe Crittenden, a Navy veteran, said. “We
have a wonderful new Veterans Center, and
we want a Warriors Memorial that is equal
to it. This memorial is a place that recognizes
generations of Cherokee service to this great
country, so we have an obligation to do it right
and make it special.”
The current memorial was constructed in
2004 and 2005 and was dedicated on Veterans
Day in 2005. Four months later high winds
damaged the memorial and knocked off some
off of the granite tiles on the east side. As a
precaution, the tiles on the west side were
removed.
In October 2006, a new centerpiece or
base made of concrete was poured to replace
The Cherokee Warrior Memorial sits adjacent to the main Cherokee Nation Complex and the Cherokee Veterans Center in Tahlequah,
Oklahoma. The 10-year-old memorial will be replaced in October after it was deemed unsafe engineers.
PHOTOS BY WILL CHAVEZ/CHEROKEE PHOENIX
a centerpiece made of concrete blocks, and
the granite tiles were placed back on the
new base. The cost of repairing the wall was
about $83,000, which was covered entirely by
insurance.
The 2005 memorial cost nearly $100,000 to
build. The Tribal Council contributed more
than $50,000. The other half came from brick
sales. The $25 bricks, engraved with veterans’
names and their military branch, are part of a
walkway on the north side of the memorial.
Workers will begin taking the current
memorial down at the end of September. It’s
anticipated it will take a week to remove the
existing memorial and four weeks to install
the replacement, Molly Jarvis, Cultural
Tourism vice president, said.
The new memorial is expected to arrive
in Tahlequah the first week of October from
Willis Granite, a Native-owned company in
Granite. The largest pieces will be 3 feet wide
by 8 inches thick by 10 feet tall. There are
seven pieces of that size, Jarvis said.
“We hope to have the new memorial set by
Veterans Day,” she said.
Letters fell off the current Cherokee Warrior Memorial and had to be glued back.
Engineers have also deemed the memorial unsafe. It will be replaced this fall with solid
pieces of granite and the letters on the new memorial will be engraved.
We have a wonderful new Veterans Center, and we want a Warriors Memorial that is equal
to it. This memorial is a place that recognizes generations of Cherokee service to this great
country, so we have an obligation to do it right and make it special.
– Deputy Chief S. Joe Crittenden, Navy veteran
CHEROKEEPHOENIX.ORG
OPINION • Zlsz
‘Trust ye not’
July 2015
The Cherokee Phoenix is published
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Application to mail at Periodicals postage rates is pending at Tahlequah, OK
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Teresa Lewis
Wado for the dumpling story
Agreement expands hunting, fishing
rights for Oklahoma Cherokees
By Bill john baker
Principal Chief
For
millennia,
we Cherokees have
provided for our
families by hunting
and
fishing
the
lands. Even before
European encroachment, it’s how we fed
our communities, clothed our children
and crafted tools. Hunting and fishing
are not simply honored traditions in our
Cherokee culture, it is what kept us alive
and sustained us. Hunting and fishing is
and was our basic way of life. We had full
reign of the land when our ancestors lived
in the southeast United States, and we
retained those rights by an 1828 treaty with
the United States that carried over to our
removal to present-day Oklahoma.
In the modern Cherokee Nation,
those traditions continue. Hunting and
fishing are skills that are passed from one
generation to the next. I remember learning
from my father and granddad how to cast a
line on the lake or bring down a buck in the
woods. These are skills I’ve shared with my
own children and now delight in sharing
with my grandchildren.
That’s why I am so proud to announce
a historic agreement between the state of
Oklahoma and Cherokee Nation. I recently
signed a hunting and fishing compact with
Governor Mary Fallin that both upholds
our inherent treaty rights to freely hunt
and fish our own lands, and extends those
rights across all 77 counties in Oklahoma.
Now Cherokees can go fishing at
Beaver’s Bend or pheasant hunting in
western Oklahoma. This right to hunt and
fish across the state will be at no charge to
Cherokee Nation citizens.
Our treaty rights say Cherokees can freely
hunt on tribal land. But as state and tribal
jurisdictions have overlapped or connected,
there has been confusion on exactly where
Cherokees can exercise their inherent right
to hunt and fish the land. The Cherokee
Nation and state of Oklahoma had separate
laws that required different documents to
be carried, depending on who was hunting
and fishing and where they were engaged
in the sport. State law required people to
purchase a license to hunt or fish within
the state, while Cherokee Nation required
only that our citizens carry a copy of his or
her blue card.
Unfortunately, with these different laws in
place, Cherokees have been wrongly ticketed
or fined by the state of Oklahoma, or made
to answer unnecessary questions about their
fundamental rights as Cherokee hunters or
fishermen. Under this compact, Cherokee
Nation and Oklahoma will unify regulation.
Cherokees need to carry only one hunting
and fishing license issued by our tribe that
will be honored by state game wardens.
When I assumed the office of principal
chief, I took stock of the lingering issues
that could be resolved for the good of
our people. Hunting and fishing rights
was one of them, and it became a major
priority for my office. We spent more than
two years negotiating with the state on
how to protect the inherent rights of our
citizens and, most importantly, our tribal
sovereignty. I’m proud to say this compact
accomplishes that.
There are no more “gray areas” in
Oklahoma when our tribal citizens hunt
or fish. They can now hunt and fish on
tribal and state land or, with landowner
permission, on private property without
fear they may accidentally step into an area
where they may be ticketed.
Beginning January 1, every Cherokee
16 and older residing in Oklahoma will be
allowed to hunt and fish with a Cherokee
Nation-issued license, and also receive one
deer tag and one turkey tag. About half
of our Oklahoma Cherokees live outside
our 14-county jurisdiction, so this also is
a way to help Cherokees living in central,
southern and western Oklahoma. Too
often, these Cherokees feel disconnected
from our tribe and our services. Now they
can show their Cherokee Nation hunting
Joy Rollice
Justin Smith
Distribution Specialist
[email protected]
918-207-4975
Editorial Board
Robert Thompson III
Maxie Thompson
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Kendra McGeady
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I just want to say thank you for your work to bring real people
stories to the Cherokee Phoenix. The grape dumpling story “Choctaw
woman shares grape dumpling recipe” just warmed my heart with
many great memories. We never used the wild grapes but used the
similar approach to making blackberry dumplings, wild cherry
dumplings. You have a heart for the people, places and things of
Cherokee country.
Clarice Doyle
Claremore, Oklahoma
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5
Talking Circles
Last year at the veteran’s dinner at the Cherokee Nation Veterans
Service Center my wife and I extended the hand of friendship to Chad
Smith, former principal chief. Unfortunately a picture was made and
used against all other candidates for principal chief this year (in a
campaign flier). The words of God are true. “Trust ye not in a friend.”
Micah 7:5.
Dewey Alberty
Tahlequah, Oklahoma
Volume 39, No. 7
July 2015 • CHEROKEE PHOENIX
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Today!
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Contact
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and fishing license with pride and know
their tribe is reinforcing their inherent,
sovereign rights as Cherokees.
Not only is this a great example of
Cherokee Nation reinforcing our sovereign
rights, once again we are leaders in all of
Indian Country. Cherokee Nation is the first
tribe to enter into a compact with the state
to properly recognize our long-held treaty
rights to hunt and fish the lands within our
jurisdictional boundaries and beyond.
Under our new agreement, Cherokee
Nation will pay two dollars for every license
issued to the Oklahoma Department of
Wildlife Conservation for environmental
conservation. The state of Oklahoma can
match these funds with federal dollars
and reinvest them into conservation and
wildlife management. By law, the money
from Cherokee Nation to the Oklahoma
Department of Wildlife Conservation can
never be diverted to any other purpose.
As good stewards of the land ourselves,
it’s very important to protect our natural
resources and wild game and fish so they
are there for our future generations.
More details will be forthcoming in the
following weeks, but we encourage tribal
citizens to make sure their registration and
contact information has been updated and is
current by contacting the Cherokee Nation
Tribal Registration Department at 918-4535000 or at [email protected].
I am honored to deliver this agreement to
the Cherokee people and deeply appreciate
the outstanding work of Cherokee Nation
Attorney General Todd Hembree, Senior
Assistant Attorney General Sara Hill and
other members of the attorney general’s
office and executive branch for their work
in negotiating this compact.
Through this compact, hunting and
fishing will remain a vital part of our
survival. As our ancestors lived, and their
ancestors before them lived, hunting and
fishing will continue to be a way of life for
Cherokees for generations to come.
[email protected]
918-453-5618
6
News • dgZEksf
CNTC working toward online
motor vehicle renewals
The Cherokee Nation Tax
Commission hopes to have
the online renewal process
for motor vehicle live by
Sept. 1.
BY STACIE GUTHRIE
Reporter
TAHLEQUAH, Okla. – At its June
3 meeting, the Cherokee Nation Tax
Commission unanimously approved new
rules and regulations for online renewals for
motor vehicles.
CNTC Administrator Sharon Swepston
told commissioners the CNTC is still testing
the new system but hoped to have the online
renewals ready by Sept. 1, if not before.
“We’re doing testing on it right now. The
front side for the customers works perfect,”
she said. “Right now we’re working on the
backside for reporting and all of that for us
because I got to make sure the backside works
as well as the front.”
Swepston said the online system would
be targeted for motor vehicle renewals only,
including motorcycles.
“It will just be for regular tags, the farm tags
and things like that takes extra documents so
it will just be for a regular tag,” she said. “We
want to set that up were any of our citizens
throughout the state can do the renewals. It is
for our in-jurisdiction, expanded jurisdiction
and At-Large citizens.”
Swepston said she believes the system
should speed up the renewal process.
“I think it’s going to make the renewal
process a lot more convenient for our citizens
to be able to renew their tags,” she said. “They
won’t have to come to the office. They don’t
have to worry about the mail getting it to us.
I just think it’ll be a lot more convenient for
them to be able to do that.”
She said when renewing motor vehicle tags
online citizens would input their information,
which would be their CN tribal citizenship
WINNERS
from front page
Dist. 1 covers the western part of
Cherokee County and a portion of eastern
Wagoner County.
Walkingstick defeated four challengers for
the Dist. 3 Tribal Council seat by garnering
686 votes for 54.1 percent of the total ballots
cast, according to certified results.
Those results also listed Kathy Poor
Kilpatrick as Walkingstick’s closest competitor
at 25.16 percent with 319 votes, while Larry
Pritchett finished third at 12.22 percent with
155 votes. Brian Berry followed at 7.33 percent
with 93 votes, and Brandon Girty rounded out
the candidates at 1.18 percent with 15 votes.
“It feels really humbling that people have
confidence in my leadership, but I also have
a lot of respect for the other candidates,”
Walkingstick said. “It’s exciting to see qualified
candidates come out and want to be a part of
these exciting times for the Cherokee Nation.”
Walkingstick indicated the campaign
was hard won, but beneficial in terms of
moving forward.
“I met a lot of good people along the way
and I got to see my constituents in their
environments and their lifestyles,” he said.
“I worked harder this time than what I did
last time, and I think it was because of the
potential I see that the Cherokee Nation
has to help people. I care so much for the
Cherokee people and I know I’m the guy
that’s going to deliver.”
Walkingstick said he’s already looking to get
back to work, indicating a desire to continue
finalizing the $60 million dollar Indian Health
Service Joint Venture Construction Program
project announced in January. He also said
he wants to increase scholarship amounts for
students, as well as seek out grants to build
storm shelters and install storm sirens in
rural communities.
Dist. 3 covers the southern portion of
Cherokee County.
Shawn Crittenden defeated Corey Bunch for
the Dist. 8 Tribal Council seat after receiving
486 votes for 61.29 percent of ballots cast.
Bunch received 307 votes for 38.71 percent,
according to certified results.
“I’m mainly humbled and thankful for the
folks in my district,” Crittenden said. “I had
a lot of support and I thank the good Lord
for the good feeling I have right now. I’m
ready to get down to business with the people
in my district. My plans are to be accessible
and to stay on top of issues when folks need
something, when they want to be heard. I
want to do everything I can to show them I
care and I’m going to work hard for them.”
Dist. 8 covers the eastern part of Adair
County, as well as much of its northern border.
Lay retained his Dist. 12 Tribal Council seat
after receiving 61.18 percent of the votes with
446 ballots, while his opponent, Dora Smith
Patzkowski, received 38.82 percent of the
votes with 283 ballots.
“Feeling very humble, grateful and thankful
today,” Lay said. “Thanks to my wife and
family they have allowed me the time to have
the privilege to serve the Cherokee people.
Thanks to all of our family, friends, and
supporters who made it happen. Old friends
and new worked hard to get it done. God bless
you all and God bless the Cherokee Nation.”
Dist. 12 includes Washington County and
part of Tulsa, Rogers and Nowata counties.
Cherokee Nation Tax Commission
Administrator Sharon Swepston discusses
an online renewal process for motor
vehicles during a June 3 meeting in
Tahlequah, Oklahoma. Online renewals
for CN motor vehicle tags are expected
to be available by Sept 1. STACIE GUTHRIE/
CHEROKEE PHOENIX
numbers, their vehicle identification numbers
and their insurance information. She said the
system would then identify if the imputed
information is correct. If the insurance is
not valid the system would not accept the
application. She said citizens would not be
able to renew their tags online if they have any
penalties on it because the online renewal site
would not be able to calculate penalties.
Swepston said from there citizens would
see the renewal price and be prompted to
check the box that would send the request
to a “shopping cart.” From there citizens
would be asked to enter their credit card
information before checking out and receiving
conformation numbers and receipts.
Swepston said after this process is complete
staff members at the tribe’s Tahlequah tag
office would process the information and mail
the citizens their renewal stickers.
“It works exactly the same way as the state
of Oklahoma’s works on their online renewal,”
she said.
She said this process should be faster than
if citizens mailed in their information. She
said the mail-in process takes two to three
days after they have actually received the mail
while the online renewal process would take
24 hours to complete before it is mailed.
According to certified results, former Tribal
Councilor Buel Anglen will return to the
Tribal Council to fill the Dist. 13 seat.
Anglen, who previously served as Tribal
Councilor from 2002-13, won the race with
63.67 percent of the votes at 517 votes. His
opponent, Kenneth Holloway, had 36.33
percent or 295 votes.
“I am honored that the Cherokee Citizens
of District 13 have placed their faith and trust
in me and voted for my return to our Tribal
Council,” Anglen wrote in an email. “Even
though over the past 2 years I never stopped
serving our Cherokee Citizens, I look forward
to my return in an official capacity to continue
serving. My Mother was extremely proud of
her Native American heritage and Saturday
on election day would have been her 95th
birthday. I know she was looking down with
pride as the preliminary results were posted. I
look forward to continuing progress and being
a voice for our district again. The support and
encouragement I received throughout this
campaign has been overwhelming. Of course,
I could of never ran a successful campaign if it
wasn’t for my wife Clara, my family and all the
dedicated volunteers, those who generously
donated and those who excised their right to
vote in our election.”
Dist. 13 covers most of northeast Tulsa
County and part of western Rogers County.
According to the certified results, William
“Bill” Pearson beat Keith Austin by one vote to
win the Tribal Council’s Dist. 14 seat.
Results show that Pearson received 534
votes for 50.05 percent of the ballots, while
Austin received 533 votes for 49.95 percent.
Pearson said he’s delighted with the results
of the race and that he wishes the margin
of victory was greater. He said if a recount
occurs he would “cross that bridge when he
comes to it.”
“I wouldn’t be presumptuous enough to
assume what the opponent might or might
not do,” he said.
He added that his plans over the next four
years are the same as when he chose to run.
“To continue to provide informed, full-time
representation for the people of Dist. 14 in the
tradition that Lee Keener and Cara Cowan
Watts have provided the last several years
there in Rogers County and northern Tulsa
County,” he said.
Pearson added he would like to thank all
the supporters on both sides of the race as
well as the Election Commission for it’s work
during this election.
Austin said he was examining his options
but did not commit to requesting a recount.
“Having not found out these numbers until
early this morning, my family and I are totally
exhausted,” he said. “We are now looking at
all options available to ensure this election is
decided fairly and accurately.
Dist. 14 covers part of Rogers County.
The EC certified the results at a June 29
special meeting.
Candidates had until 5 p.m. on July 1 to
request a recount. Recounts were scheduled
for July 2-3 with Supreme Court justices in
attendance. Any election appeals were to be
filed July 6. Provided there were any appeals,
the Supreme Court was slated to hear those
cases July 7-9.
All elected candidates are expected to be
sworn into office on Aug. 14.
– Senior Reporter Will Chavez, Reporters Jami
Murphy, Stacie Guthrie and Tesina Jackson,
as well as Multimedia Intern Brittney Bennett
contributed to this report.
Dusten Brown urges
revisions to ICWA
The father of a now
5-year-old girl, “Baby
Veronica,” has stayed out
of the public eye since
a non-Native couple
assumed custody of his
daughter in 2013.
BY LENZY KREHBIEL-BURTON
Special Correspondent
TULSA, Okla. – After almost two
years removed from losing an interstate
custody battle, Dusten Brown broke his
silence on May 14.
The father of a now 5-year-old girl known
in the press as “Baby Veronica,” Brown has
stayed out of the public eye since a nonNative couple from South Carolina assumed
custody of his daughter in September 2013.
With representatives from the Bureau of
Indian Affairs hosting a listening session
on potential changes to the Indian Child
Welfare Act at the Southern Hills Marriott,
the Cherokee Nation citizen from Nowata
issued a statement through his attorney in
support of the new regulations.
Meant to strengthen the provisions of the
1978 law and give tribes an active voice in
custody proceedings involving their children,
the proposed revisions were sparked in part
by the legal fight over Brown’s daughter that
went all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court.
“Hopefully, these regulations will keep
other Indian children, families and tribes
from experiencing the same heartbreak we
experienced over the last five and a half years,”
Brown’s statement said. “Veronica, again I say
to you, my home will always be your home. I
miss you more than words can express.”
Brown did not attend the listening session
in person, where officials heard more
than three hours of comments from tribal
officials, attorneys, social workers, foster
parents, adoptees, family members and
others, both Native and non-Native, wanting
to weigh in on the law, both as it is written
and its potential overhaul.
CN Assistant Attorney General Chrissi
Ross Nimmo, who represented the tribe
during Brown’s court fight, was the first to
the microphone during the public comment
period. Wearing pink, Veronica’s favorite
color, Nimmo read into the record details of
what happened on the night the family had
to hand over the girl to Matt and Melanie
Capobianco. Refuting media reports that the
preschooler did not cry about the custody
swap, Nimmo blasted the proceedings.
“It is important for the Bureau of Indian
Affairs hear that when they’re talking about
the forced removal of our children. It isn’t
just something that happened in the ‘40s,
‘50s and ‘60s,” she said. “It’s something that
still happens every day in Indian Country.”
Among the crowd were other players
from the Baby Girl v. Adoptive Couple
saga, including Tulsa attorney Paul Swain,
who was local legal counsel not only for the
Capobiancos, but also for another non-Native
couple from South Carolina who attempted
to adopt an Absentee Shawnee infant over
objections from the tribe and family members.
That pre-adoptive placement was eventually
overturned. Swain, like several other adoption
attorneys at the session, expressed their
disdain for the suggested changes.
“Everything in this proposal was
either outright rejected by Congress or in
discussions,” he said. “There are several
things in here that violate U.S. Supreme Court
rulings. The agency simply does not have the
authority to make laws out of thin air.”
Also on hand was Angel Smith, who was
the guardian ad litem for Veronica during
the CN court proceedings. A CN citizen,
Smith was an ICWA case as child and urged
the panel to adopt the changes as written.
“I’m an ICWA success story,” Smith
said. “Veronica is a prime example of an
ICWA failure.”
The American Academy of Adoption
Attorneys and the American Academy
of Assisted Reproductive Technology
Attorneys have both publicly come out in
opposition to the proposed changes, with
its membership going so far as to hand out
a bound copy of their objections to each
attendee at the session.
“This is simply an overreaction to the Baby
Veronica case,” Wichita, Kansas, adoption
attorney Megan Monsour said. “These
changes will hurt women and children,
as this is a states’ rights issue more than
anything and will potentially violate birth
mothers’ constitutional right to privacy.”
The May 14 session was the last of six
open forums on the matter, although the
Department of the Interior will accept written
comments through May 19. A final version
will be published in the Federal Register after
all public comments have been reviewed and
taken into consideration. The version that
appears in the Federal Register will not go into
effect for at least 30 days after publication.
Community • nv 0nck
Community Meetings
July 2
Greasy Fellowship Community
Organization
Greasy Community Building
7 p.m.
Washington County Cherokee
Association
300 E. Angus Ave., Dewey
7 p.m.
Call Ann Sheldon 918-333-5632
July 6
Belfonte
6:30 p.m.
Call Sallie Sevenstar at 918-427-4237
Eucha Indian Fellowship
Eucha Community Building
8 p.m.
Marble City Community Organization
MCCO Building
7 p.m.
Lost City Community Organization
6 p.m.
Native American Association of Ketchum
280 East Gregory, Ketchum
6:30 p.m.
July 7
Tulsa Cherokee Community Organization
6 p.m.
Contact George Hoos at 918-402-4667
[email protected]
Muldrow Cherokee Community
Organization
MCCO Building
6 p.m.
Call Pat Swaim at 918-427-5440
Vian Peace Center
604 W. Schley
5:30 p.m.
July 9
Lyons Switch
7 p.m.
Call Karen Fourkiller at 918-696-2354
Native American Fellowship Inc.
215 Oklahoma St., South Coffeyville
6:00 p.m.
Call Bill Davis 913-563-9329
Okay Senior Citizens, Inc.
Okay Senior Building, 3701 E. 75th
Street
7 p.m.
Adair County Resource Center
110 S. 2nd St., Stilwell
6:30 p.m.
Stilwell Public Library Friends Society
5 N. 6th St., Stilwell
5 p.m.
July 12
Rogers County Cherokee Association
2 p.m.
Contact Beverly Cowan at
[email protected]
July 13
Marble City Pantry
7 p.m.
Call Clifton Pettit at 918-775-5975
Brent Community Association
461914 Hwy. 141, Gans
6 p.m.
Call 918-774-0655
[email protected]
July 14
No-We-Ta Cherokee Community
Cherokee Nation Nutrition Site
6:30 p.m.
Call Carol Sonenberg at 918-273-5536
Victory Cherokee Organization
1025 N. 12th St. Collinsville
7 p.m.
Call Ed Phillips 918-371-6688
[email protected]
July 20
Neighborhood Association of Chewey
Chewy Community Building
7 p.m.
July 21
Central Oklahoma Cherokee Alliance
Oklahoma City
BancFirst Community Room
4500 W. Memorial Road
6 p.m.
Call Franklin Muskrat Jr. 405-842-6417
Oak Hill/Piney
7 p.m.
Call Dude Feather at 918-235-2811
Rocky Mountain Cherokee Community
Organization
7 p.m.
Call Vicki McLemore 918-696-4965
Fairfield Community Organization, Inc.
Fairfield Baptist Church, Road 4720
North
6:30 p.m.
Call Jeff Simpson 918-605-0839
July 27
Christie
7 p.m.
Call Shelia Rector at 918-778-3423
July 28
Fairfield
7 p.m.
Call Jeff Simpson at 918-696-7959
Dry Creek
7 p.m.
Call Shawna Ballou 918-457-5023
July 30
Tri-County (W.E.B.) Association
J.R.’s Country Auction
6 p.m.
Orchard Road Community Outreach
(Stilwell)
Turning Point Office
6 p.m.
Community Calendar
Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays
Marble City Nutrition Center
711 N. Main
Marble City, Okla. 918-775-2158
The Marble City Nutrition Center serves
hot meals at the Marble City Community
Center at 11:30 a.m.
Third Tuesday of even numbered
months
Mayflower UCC Church
Oklahoma City 405-408-0763
The Central Oklahoma Cherokee Alliance
meets at 6 p.m. on the third Tuesday
of every even numbered month at the
Mayflower Church.
First Friday of every month
Concho Community Building
Concho, Okla. 405-422-7622
Year Round
Will Rogers Memorial Museum
Claremore, Okla. 918-341-0719
Fourth Thursday of each month
American Indian Chamber of Commerce
of Oklahoma – Eastern Chapter monthly
luncheon at Bacone College
Muskogee, Okla. 918-230-3759
The lunch begins at 11:30 a.m. at Benjamin
Wacoche Hall. Please RSVP one week
ahead of time.
Second Saturday of each month
Cherokee Basket Weavers Association at
the Unitarian Universalist Congregation
Tahlequah, Okla. 918-456-7787
Monthly meetings are at 6 p.m.
Second Tuesday of each month
Cherokee Artists Association at 202 E. 5th
Street, Tahlequah, Okla. 918-458-0008
www.cherokeeartistsassociation.org
The CAA meets at 6 p.m. the second
Tuesday of each month.
Every Friday of each month
Dance at Tahlequah Senior Citizens Center
230 E. 1st St. in Tahlequah, Okla.
For seniors 50 and over, 7 p.m. to 10 p.m.
Admission is $2.50, includes pot luck
dinner
Every Tuesday of each month
Dance at Hat Box Dance Hall
540 S. 4th St. in Muskogee, Okla.
For seniors 50 and over, 7 p.m. to 10 p.m.
Admission is $2.50, includes pot luck
dinner
To have an event or meeting listed, fax
information to 918-458-6136 attention:
Community Calendar. The deadline for
submissions is the 10th of each month.
7
8
Health • aBk 0sr
A-Mo Center
doctor named
national ‘champion’
BY STAFF REPORTS
Cherokee Nation health officials Dr. Charles Grim, left, Jerry Caughman, center, and Dr. Roger Montgomery look at the
eyeglasses dispensary in the tribe’s new Redbird Smith Health Center annex that opened June 1 in Sallisaw, Oklahoma.
JAMI MURPHY/CHEROKEE PHOENIX
CN opens Redbird Smith
Health Center annex
The facility will provide additional
services such as physical therapy and
mammography.
BY JAMI MURPHY
Reporter
SALLISAW, Okla. – The
Cherokee Nation opened its
new annex on June 1 at the
Redbird Smith Health Center,
doubling the size of the center
and offering new services
including
mammography,
a drive-thru pharmacy and
physical therapy.
RSHC Clinic Administrator
Jerry Caughman said the
opening includes an addition
of 30,000 square feet, which
makes the campus a total of
about 63,000 square feet.
“New services that have
never been offered here are
mammography, which we’re
very excited to have. Then
also we have physical therapy,
which we haven’t been
able to offer,” he said. “Our
citizens have had to travel
to Muskogee, Tahlequah,
Stilwell. So it’s a real blessing
for our citizens to be able to
have this.”
The center serves about
10,000 patients a month and
the added services should
also add new jobs.
“So in a year we have
approximately 120,000 visits,”
he said. “With our additional
services we will be adding
staff to service those areas.
We have approximately
120 employees right now.
By the time the expansion
and everything is over we’ll
probably have close to 140.”
Tribal Councilor Janelle
Fullbright, of Sallisaw, who
chairs the Tribal Council’s
Health Committee, said
during the annex’s opening
that it was a “happy day.”
“I wanna thank all the
employees out here that
put up with a lot of being
crowded and scrunched up
in mobile facilities, but it was
well worth the wait,” she said.
“The doctors, nurses, nurse
practitioners, housekeeping,
people who take care of
the grounds – everybody is
important out here.”
Tribal Councilor David
Thornton, of Vian, said the
best thing that is instilled in
the people who visit the clinic
and those who work there is
pride.
“I’d love to have a big pride
sign across here (the entrance
of the annex) because it helps
our people have pride within
their self when they come
to work,” he said. “When
they come to the doctor and
get served, you can’t hardly
beat that folks. And these
employees that work around
here are some of the best.”
The tribe completed a
$4 million renovation of
the center’s main building
in 2014, according to CN
Communications.
The
renovation added dental
space, a new fitness room,
six rooms that double as
storm shelters and a large
community room available
for public use.
“The Redbird Smith Health
Center expansion is further
evidence of the Cherokee
Nation’s commitment to
provide first-class health care
in state-of-the-art facilities,”
SCAN CODE
WITH SMART
-PHONE TO
SEE VIDEO
CN Health Services Executive
Director Connie Davis said.
“Cherokee Nation Health
Services wants our citizens
treated by the best medical
practitioners in the best
medical facilities, and we are
making that happen under
the $100 million health care
capital improvement plan.
The Cherokee Nation health
care system is not only an
example of premier quality
for Indian Country, but also
the entire nation.”
SALINA, Okla. – A Cherokee Nation doctor has been
recognized by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention as one of 30 “champions” across the nation for
saving lives by lowering the blood pressure of at least 70
percent of his patients.
Dr. Brett Gray, a physician at the CN’s A-Mo Health
Center in Salina, is a 2014 Million Hearts Hypertension
Control Challenge Champion. The Million Hearts initiative
was launched by the U.S. Department of Health and Human
Services in 2011 with the intent to prevent one million heart
attacks by 2017. It also identified doctors making change.
The CN employs 166 doctors in its eight health centers
and W.W. Hastings Hospital. The tribe held a proclamation
signing March 30 on National Doctors’ Day at Hastings to
thank all CN doctors for their service to CN citizens.
“I feel honored to get the award and be recognized for the
kind of medicine that we’re trying to practice as a team, to
improve lives not only for patients with hypertension, but
other health issues as well,” Gray said. “I’m really honored
that my name is on the award, but I also want to make sure
that the credit goes where it’s due. This has always been a
team effort.”
Gray and his team of nurses have a patient success rate
of 81.2 percent of controlled hypertension, which is when
a patient maintains a healthy blood pressure, lowering the
chance for cardiovascular complications.
“For years the government has measured the quality
of our health facilities’ success, and the Cherokee Nation
continues to lead the nation in their quality scores,” said
Connie Davis, CN Health Services executive director,
said. “This recognition of Dr. Gray, who is a leader here at
the tribe among his peers, is very deserving and another
example of how the Cherokee Nation reaches its high
quality scores.”
High blood pressure is a leading cause of heart attacks
and strokes, and keeping levels regulated has been proven
to save lives. Gray is credited with more frequent patient
follow-ups and trying to keep patients with a routine team
of practioners.
Principal Chief Bill John
Baker said the expansion of
services would also allow
the tribe to provide more
pediatric care, elder care
and services specifically for
women.
“These are the kinds of
world-class care options
that will improve health
care in Sequoyah County
for generations of Cherokee
families,” he said.
Dr. Brett Gray stands with state Sen. Marty Quinn,
of Claremore, Oklahoma, while being recognized on
the State Senate floor as “Doctor of the Day” during
Cherokee Nation Legislative Day in February. COURTESY
Health • aBk 0sr
9
IT’S MOSQUITO AND TICK TIME!
Experts say it could be summer
of severe tick infestations
The second case in the U.S.
of a new Bourbon virus
has been confirmed in
Oklahoma.
TAHLEQUAH, Okla. (AP) – As wonderful
as summer can be, one of the most irritating
aspects are ticks. And this summer there’s a
new reason for concern.
The second case in the U.S. of a new Bourbon
virus has been confirmed in Oklahoma.
With the warm winter and recent rains,
ticks are expected to be worse this summer
than usual, and prevention is the first line of
defense.
The Oklahoma State Department of Health
confirmed through laboratory testing by the
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
that a Payne County resident tested positive
for a tick-borne disease caused by a recently
identified virus known as the Bourbon virus.
Reports indicated that although the man
confirmed with the virus died in Kansas last
year, the person in Oklahoma recovered.
The Bourbon virus was discovered in
Bourbon County, Kansas, according to the
Centers for Disease Control website.
The CDC reports that the first case of
Bourbon virus disease identified was in a
previously healthy man over age 50. The
patient had reported exposure to ticks
before becoming ill and the clinical signs
and symptoms in the patient were fever,
fatigue, anorexia, nausea, vomiting and a
“maculopapular rash.” Based on the patient’s
clinical signs and symptoms, he was thought
to have a tick-borne disease. The patient was
given doxycycline but failed to improve. His
condition worsened, and he died.
More research is needed to fully understand
the severity and geographic range of Bourbon
virus because it is so new. The CDC report
indicated it does not yet fully know how
people become infected with Bourbon virus,
but based on similar viruses, it is likely the
Bourbon virus is spread through tick or other
insect bites. No lab tests are routinely available
to tell if someone is infected with Bourbon
virus, but tests to help a doctor diagnose the
infection are being developed.
The OSHD report indicates doctors can
only treat the symptoms. Some patients may
need to be hospitalized and given intravenous
fluids and treatment for pain and fever. Most
tick-borne diseases can be treated successfully
with early diagnosis and appropriate
antibiotics, so it is important to seek medical
attention if a fever and other signs of illness
are noticed within 14 days of a tick bite.
Oklahoma ranks among states with the
highest incidence of other tick-borne diseases
such as Rocky Mountain spotted fever,
ehrlichiosis and tularemia. Symptoms of
these more common tick-borne illnesses may
include fever, chills, headache, vomiting, rash
or painful swelling of lymph nodes near the
tick bite.
Preventing bites from ticks and other insects
is the best way to prevent infection. Wear
light-colored clothing to make ticks easier
to see and remove before attachment. Wear
long-sleeved shirts and long pants tucked
into socks to deprive ticks of attachment sites.
Wear closed-toe shoes, not sandals.
Hikers and cyclists should stay in the center
of trails to avoid grass and brush.
Check for ticks at least once per day,
particularly along waistbands, hairline and
back of neck, in the armpits and groin area.
Remove attached ticks as soon as possible
using tweezers or fingers covered with a tissue.
Use an insect repellent containing DEET
on skin and clothing according to directions.
Insect repellents with permethrin should
be used on clothing only and according to
directions.
Check with a veterinarian about tick
control for pets. Dogs and cats can get tickborne illnesses too, and they are a traveling
tick parade, bringing ticks into a home if not
on a tick preventive regimen.
Two local veterinarians agree that 2015
is already becoming a severe summer for
ticks. Dr. Steve Ullum and Dr. Bill Elliott
recommend caution in removing ticks.
“We’ve had a mild winter and wet spring
so we’re going to have a bad tick season,” said
Ullum.
He suggests using caution when removing
ticks. “Use alcohol to loosen them up, and
tweezers to rotate or twist them a little to
pull them off. And be careful not to crush
them while pulling them off,” said Ullum.
“If you crush them, and they have disease or
organisms in them, you can potentially release
it. The chances are slim, but with a cut or bad
fingernail it could get into the blood stream.”
He suggests using a good flea and tick
medicine to keep ticks off dogs for 30 days,
and a topical treatment for cats, “to keep a
buffer between you and your dog or cat.”
“Start this year planning for next spring
using flea and tick crystals – they work pretty
good – and put it heavy around the perimeter
or fence line. Wildlife here have them,” said
Ullum.
Elliott recommends the public be aware of
Bobcat Fever.
“Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever is not an
issue here, but Bobcat Fever is bad. In people,
it’s the No. 1 disease in Cherokee County,” said
Elliott, who lost a favorite cat to Bobcat Fever.
“Bobcat Fever is considered 100 percent fatal.
It’s been the worst year ever for cats.”
Start this year preparing for next year’s
problem, Elliott advised.
“Rake in the fall and burn the leaves. Keep
the yard clear,” he said.
Ticks and their diseases
American Dog Tick is the most commonly
identified species responsible for
transmitting Rickettsia rickettsii, which
causes Rocky Mountain spotted fevever.
The Gulf Coast Tick resides in coastal areas
of the United States along the Atlantic
coast and the Gulf of Mexico. It can
transmit a form of spotted fever.
The Lone Star tick transmits Ehrlichia
chaffeensis and Ehrlichia ewingii, causing
human ehrlichiosis, tularemia and STARI.
It’s found in the Southeast and East.
The Western Blacklegged tick can transmit
organisms responsible for causing
anaplasmosis and Lyme disease. It is
distributed along the Pacific coast.
The Rocky Mountain Wood Tick can
transmit Rocky Mountain spotted fever
and tularemia to humans. It is found in the
Rocky Mountain states.
The Brown Dog Tick has recently been
identified as a reservoir of Rickettsia
rickettsii, causing Rocky Mountain spotted
fever.
The Blacklegged Tick, commonly known as
a “deer tick,” can transmit the organisms
responsible for anaplasmosis, babesiosis
and Lyme disease.
Maps and information provided by the U.S.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
For more information regarding tick-borne
diseases of the United States, visit the website
http://www.cdc.gov/ticks/diseases/ or write
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention,
1600 Clifton Road, Atlanta, GA 30333 or call
1-800-CDC-INFO (1-800-232-4636).
The Centers for Disease Control on its website has this graphic of how the West Nile
Virus is transmitted to animals and people from mosquitos.
PHOTOS BY CENTERS FOR DISEASE CONTROL
With West Nile Virus emergence,
officials address mosquitos
TAHLEQUAH, Okla. (AP) – Oklahoma
has at least two confirmed cases of West
Nile Virus so far this, but none in Cherokee
County.
WNV symptoms include fever, headaches,
body aches, back pain and fatigue. Those
infected also may have skin rashes, swollen
lymph glands and eye pain, according to the
Mayo Clinic.
The state’s health department confirmed
cases in two counties on June 4. The state
health department said the increase in
mosquito population due to recent heavy
rains has not increased the risk of WNV.
“The type of mosquitoes that hatch after
severe flooding are primarily the species
of mosquitoes classified as ‘nuisance
mosquitoes,’” the Oklahoma Health
Department stated. “They bite aggressively
and cause lots of itchy bites, but they are
not typically involved with transmission of
diseases.”
The state also said floodwater mosquito
populations tend to die out three weeks
after rains stop and low-level areas dry.
Unfortunately, the risk of WNV will not be
leaving with them.
“WNV is spread through the bite of the
Culex mosquito, which feeds on infected
birds and transmits the virus when biting
humans, horses and some other mammals,”
the Oklahoma Health Department stated.
“This type of mosquito increases in numbers
during mid- to late-summer when the
temperatures climb and the weather pattern
is drier.”
The Culex is also not a floodwater
mosquito.
There are still multiple ways to avoid the
bugs. Cherokee County’s health department
officials suggest the public follow “the four
D’s” to avoid mosquito bites.
The first “D” is to stay indoors during dusk
and dawn. The second is to dress in long
sleeves and long pants when outside. The
third is to drain all standing water outside
the home. The final suggestion is to use
DEET insect repellent or repellents using
Picaridin of eucalyptus oil.
Oklahoma State University Extension
Office educator Roger Williams said he
recommends the public use malathion.
“For adult mosquito control, mix 5-6
tablespoons of 50 active ingredient malathion
and spray around doorways, shrubs, flowers
and windows,” said WIlliams. “Malathion is
also labeled to spray temporary rain pools
and other area where water collects and
becomes stagnant.”
Williams said other options are sprays
with pyrethrins, though they are not as safe
as malathion. It is most effective on shrubs
and doorways, but is not as effective when
sprayed on stagnant water.
“Sevin can be used to spray around homes
like pyrethrins but is not to be used for
stagnant water,” said Williams. “The LD50 of
Sevin is 300 so it is the least safe of the three
chemicals”
Each of these chemicals are only effective
for two to four days and there is no limit on
the number of applications.
“All can be sprayed to control most
insects around the home,” said Williams.
“Mosquitoes found inside the house can be
killed with most household aerosol sprays
that are labeled for flying insects indoors.”
For those looking for a more natural
solution, there are multiple organic do-ityourself options, including mixing salt, water
and purification essential oil. There are also
many ready-made herbal insect repellents.
Known as a vector for the West Nile
virus, this Culex mosquito has landed on
a human finger.
10
People • xW
Lawrence
earns OBU
scholarship
for running
The 17-year-old will run
cross-country and track
for the Oklahoma Baptist
University Bison.
BY WILL CHAVEZ
Senior Reporter
Cherokee Nation citizen Aliana Barnoski, right, competes in a wrestling match in Oklahoma City. Barnoski started wrestling in
November after watching her younger brother compete in the sport. COURTESY
Barnoski shows love for wrestling
BY STACIE GUTHRIE
Reporter
MUSKOGEE, Okla. – Cherokee Nation
citizen Aliana Barnoski, 12, excels in
academics, but also shines as an athlete. One
of her new undertakings is wrestling.
Barnoski, a sixth grader at Grant-Foreman
Elementary School in Muskogee wrestles
in the Muskogee Area Youth Wrestling
Program.
Aliana said she became interested in
wrestling after watching her younger brother
wrestle.
“I thought it was cool, so I wanted to try it
out,” she said.
Aliana’s father, John, said he was excited
when his daughter wanted to try out the
sport.
“She just fell in love with it, took to it and
loved it ever since,” he said. “She can’t get it
out of her mind.”
Aliana’s mother, Russanda, said Aliana
began wrestling in the MAYWP in November.
“She got started late in the season because
she was signed up for basketball,” she said.
Russanda said despite the late start, Aliana
picked up quickly in her new sport.
Aliana said training and cutting weight for
wrestling was not an easy task.
She said when she first started she was in
the 12-and-under, 130-pound weight class.
She said at this weight she was fighting
against tougher opponents.
This is when her MAYWP coach, Andre
Hill, had her diet to get in the 120-pound
class.
“When I go to practice I’d have to wear a
hoodie and sweatpants so I can cut weight,”
she said. “It was pretty hard. I can only eat
certain things. I can’t eat any takeout, fast
food and stuff.”
Aliana practices three to four nights a week
for approximately two hours a night. Through
hard work and determination she has faired
well at several wrestling competitions,
including the Novice Junior Nationals,
which she placed third in her category; the
Tulsa Novice Nationals, which she placed
third; and the Oklahoma Kids Wrestling
Association Novice State Tournament, which
she won.
Aliana said she thought it was “pretty cool”
to start winning after just starting. She also
said she likes getting medals and beating
boys. She added that she usually makes
friends with the girl wrestlers, and tends to
win against them in matches, too.
Russanda said Aliana has gone through
some trials in wrestling and is glad to see her
succeeding.
“When she first started she injured her
shoulder and set out a week, so that put her
behind a little bit, and then when she got her
stitches (under her eye) she couldn’t practice
for a few days,” she said. “I was really proud to
Cherokee Nation citizen Angel Goodrich looks to pass against the Atlanta Dream’s Shoni
Schimmel, a citizen of the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Reservation in Washington,
during this July 31, 2014, game in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Goodrich is now a member of the
Seattle Storm. CHELSIE RICH/MVSKOKE MEDIA
Goodrich signs with Seattle Storm
Within the span of a week,
the Cherokee Nation
citizen was affiliated with
three WNBA clubs.
clothes on the bench that night as her old
team trounced her new team, 68-45.
The switch in clubs also gives Goodrich a
chance to share a backcourt with a guard she
grew up watching.
Seattle’s starting point guard, Sue Bird, has
been with team since the 2002 draft and is an
eight-time WNBA All-Star and three-time
Olympic gold medalist.
TULSA, Okla. – Angel Goodrich’s WNBA
career is not over yet.
Within the span of a week, the Cherokee
Nation citizen and Sequoyah High School
alumna was affiliated with three different
clubs. After two years with Tulsa, she was
waived by the Shock on May 30, picked up
by the Los Angeles Sparks on June 1 and then
waived again at the end of training camp on
June 4.
Just hours before its season opener on June
6, the Seattle Storm came calling, offering
Goodrich a roster spot and another shot at a
third WNBA season.
“When I got the call, I was all smiles,”
Goodrich said.
Rather than travel to Seattle for the Storm’s
June 6 win over the Phoenix Mercury then
back to Oklahoma, Goodrich met the team in
Tulsa on June 8 when they came for an early
season Western Conference match-up with
the Shock at the BOK Center.
Having not gotten in a full practice yet with
the Storm, Goodrich spent the game in street
“It’s a great opportunity. I’m so happy to be
part of this team,” Goodrich said. “Even in this
little amount of time so far, I’ve learned a lot. I
can’t wait to get things really going and get to
actually play while getting a feel for Seattle’s
system.”
With the Storm on a three-game road trip
through the Midwest, Goodrich is slated to
make her Key Arena debut on June 16 versus
her other former team, the Los Angeles
Sparks.
Seattle is scheduled to make one more
regular season trip to Oklahoma on June 28.
Despite her new team’s home games being
played two time zones away, Goodrich said
her family was already discussing potential
road trips.
“Obviously, it’s on the other side of the
country, but they’re really excited for me,”
she said. “We’re all just really happy for this
opportunity.”
Goodrich averaged 4.4 points and 2.9 assists
for the Shock as a rookie in 2013 and 1 point
and 0.8 assists last season.
see her work through those things. It wasn’t
just a walk in the park to get out there and do
it. She struggled all year to keep her weight
and her injuries down.”
John said it’s important as a parent of an
athlete to not be too hard on them when
trying to motivate them.
“It’s pretty tough because you can’t be too
hard on them,” he said. “I know with her if
I’m real hard on her she’ll shut down and
not do much at all for me. You have to find
that fine line on how to talk to them and
definitely find them a good program. That’s
what’s made a difference with her, is just the
atmosphere at wrestling practice.”
John said it has been an inspiration to see
his daughter work hard and not give up.
“It makes me proud to watch her. Just to
see how much heart she has and then talking
with her coach, he knows that she has a lot
of heart. All my kids do, but she really shows
it,” he said.
Hill said he’s glad Aliana tried out for the
sport and he enjoys coaching her.
“She’s got something that you can’t teach,
which is heart,” he said.
Hill said Aliana had the perfect start,
which helped her climb the ranks.
“She didn’t come in just dominating from
the beginning, but she learned and she
progressed. At the end of it all she won it all,”
he said. “For a first year wrestler, it’s unheard
of. It’s nice.”
STILWELL, Okla. – Running comes
naturally for Stilwell High School senior
Sydney Lawrence, and it has paid off for her in
the form of a college scholarship to Oklahoma
Baptist University in Shawnee.
The 17-year-old will run cross-country
and indoor and outdoor track for the Bison.
She was also recruited by Stephen F. Austin
University, University of Central Oklahoma
and John Brown University but chose OBU
because of the people she met and the
Christian environment.
“I loved all of the people I met there.
They were all very nice, and I also loved the
Christian environment. I loved how organized
the cross-country and track program is and
how the team and coaches are serious about
getting the job done,” she said.
In Class 4A, Lawrence won state in the
3200-meter and 1600-meter runs as a
freshman and is a three-time all-state crosscountry runner. She won state in crosscountry as a sophomore and as a senior and
won a national championship as a junior.
She excelled in cross-country after picking
up the sport as a freshman. Up to that point she
had concentrated on track. She said back then
she liked it because it was more relaxed and
not as intense because she was not sprinting.
She said she also liked running 2-mile crosscountry races because it was more interesting
than running in circles on a track.
Lawrence said she believes OBU decided to
recruit her after she won state this past fall in
cross-country.
At OBU she plans to major in exercise
and sports science in physical training and
strength conditioning. She said she feels
like she has finally reached her goal, like her
dreams are coming true.
“It was also a relief because my family has
had trouble with college expenses from three
girls going to college. I quit my job, so I could
completely focus on getting my college paid
for through running,” she said.
People • xW
11
Anson picked for USA Elite Select Softball Team
Sage Anson has been
selected to play for the
USA Elite Select Softball
Team from July 13-16 in
Kissimmee, Florida.
BY BRITTNEY BENNETT
Multimedia Intern
WISTER, Okla. – Cherokee Nation citizen
Sage Anson is one of 15 players selected for the
11-and-Under USA Elite Select All American
Midwest Regional Softball Team.
The left-handed pitcher and outfielder will
compete with fast-pitch players from around
the country when the inaugural USA Elite
Softball Tournament takes place July 13-16 in
Kissimmee, Florida.
“I’m most excited about going to Florida
and getting to play against other regions and
meeting my coaches, because they will be the
Pride players that play professional softball,”
Anson said.
She and other Elite Select players were
notified during a May 26 selection show on
usaeliteselect.com.
USA Elite Select began traveling the country
in 2014 to scout for softball talent with 23
tryouts across eight regions. The competition
consists of age divisions from 10-14, with 15
spots per age group, per region.
“I felt very excited and very happy that I
was one out of a lot of girls that got picked,”
Anson said. “It was unbelievable to me, out of
all those girls at all those tryouts, that I was
one that made it.”
As part of the Midwest region, she will
be on a team of players from Oklahoma,
Colorado, Kansas, New Mexico and parts of
Missouri and Texas. She will also be provided
two Midwest USA Elite Select jerseys for the
tournament.
Anson tried out March 14 at Savage Park in
Tulsa, where a USA Elite Select Committee,
the National Scouting Report and USSSA
Pride players evaluated her performance as a
pitcher and outfielder. The National Scouting
Report then evaluates players on a scale from
one to five.
“You would go to batting, to pitching, then
you would go to infield and outfield,” Anson
said. “It was a simple process. It’s really nerve
wracking, but it’s fun at the same time.”
Her decision to tryout for the team was
originally not with the sole intention to be
selected, her father, Kevin Anson, said.
“I had a friend of mine post on my Facebook
page about the tryout, sort of a last minute
thing,” he said. “We went more for experience
than anything. We wanted to see what it was
like going to a tryout like that, with the next
level of players. We didn’t know where we
were at and went to the tryout just hoping to
do the best we could, and it ended up that she
made it.”
The tryout was not only informative for
Sage, but her parents too, who attended a
seminar meant to help parents understand
their roles in the sports careers of their players.
“It was mostly just how to be a good softball
parent,” Kevin said. “Don’t push too hard.
Encourage your kids to play hard and always
keep in mind that about one in 5,000 get
picked to go play college ball.”
Quay Matheny, who coaches Sage’s
independent team, the Tulsa Elite, said left
handers are particularly skilled if they can
throw four different pitches at speeds up to
50 mph. She said she hopes Sage returns with
more tools in her arsenal.
“I hope she goes down there and gets to
meet different people, gets to learn new ways
to play,” Matheny said. “Florida ball is a lot
different than here in Oklahoma, so I hope she
goes down there and has fun.”
Sage also thanked Stacey and Hunter
Gibson, her pitching and batting coaches. “I
wouldn’t be anywhere without them.”
Sage said she is inspired by USSSA Pride
player Keilani Ricketts and former Olympian
Monica Abbott and that she aspires to play
college softball in Florida before moving on to
playing professionally.
“I would like to meet some college scouts
and have them tell me that they would be
excited to have me when I get older,” Sage said.
“That would really be an exciting moment, to
know that they’re watching me.”
Cherokee
hoopsters earn
all-state honors
Cherokee Nation marshal Preston Oosahwee, left, prepares to throw a left jab at his opponent, CN wild land firefighter
David Comingdeer, during the Smoke & Guns MMA/Boxing event at the Cox Convention Center in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
JAMI MURPHY/CHEROKEE PHOENIX
2 Cherokees fight for Oklahoma children
David Comingdeer
and Preston Oosahwee
box each other to
raise money for the
Oklahoma Firefigther’s
Burn Camp and Special
Olympics.
BY JAMI MURPHY
Reporter
TULSA, Okla. – Area police officers
and firefighters used their mixed martial
arts and boxing backgrounds to raise
money for the Oklahoma Firefighter’s
Burn Camp and Special Olympics of
Oklahoma recently during the Smoke &
Guns event at the Cox Business Center.
One boxing bout consisted of two
Cherokee Nation citizens – David
Comingdeer, a CN wild land firefighter,
and CN marshal Preston Oosahwee.
The two weren’t scheduled to fight
one another but had trouble drawing
opponents in their respective divisions.
So Oosahwee, who had been training for
an MMA fight, switched to boxing.
Oosahwee said he entered into the
competition because he believes in its
cause. “It’s a really good cause. They raise
a lot of money. I believe last year they
raised about $25,000 for both charities,
so it’s just a really good cause,” he said.
Comingdeer agreed that the cause
was great and said the proceeds help
Oklahoma children.
“The Smoke & Guns Boxing/MMA
competition is a charity fundraiser
for the children and all the firefighter
proceeds go to the Oklahoma Burn
Center, and all the police proceeds go
to the Special Olympics,” he said. “And
both of those causes are worthy because
they help the kids in Oklahoma.”
This year, the event raised about
$30,000 with around $18,000 coming
from the fire fighters and the $12,000
coming from the police officers.
Comingdeer said being a CN
firefighter qualified him to compete and
he competed at 205 pounds.
“People were thrilled to see two
Cherokees fight each other. We went
in trying to represent our departments
and to put on a good show and fight as
hard as we could and you know, make
everyone happy and proud of us and to
raise a lot of money for the kids,” he said.
Although Comingdeer, at age 43,
lost in the third round by a technical
knockout, he was grateful for his journey
and added that Oosahwee, age 29, was
an outstanding fighter.
“I took a real righteous blow to the
chin and was staggered and the referee
was being very cautious with us and
wouldn’t let me continue the fight.”
Oosahwee said he spent about six
months training for the competition. He
said the fight itself against Comingdeer
was competitive, but that’s what he
expected.
“Me and David, I’ve known him for
years. He knows a lot of the family –
hard worker, really good shape. The fight
started really fast and ended fortunately
in my favor,” he said.
Oosahwee said aside from the
competition, which he enjoys, the event
helped get him into better shape.
“I love to compete. The shape, you get
in really good shape. MMA/boxing, that
kind of conditioning is something that’s
far beyond anything else,” Oosahwee
said. “I believe I lost about 20 pounds
getting ready for this fight.”
Comingdeer said he wasn’t sure if he
would compete next year or not, but
Oosahwee said he is willing.
FOR MORE INFORMATION...
about the Special Olympics Oklahoma go to
www.sook.org, email [email protected] or call
918-481-1234 or toll-free at 1-800-7229004.
For more information about the Oklahoma
Firefighter’s Burn Camp go to www.
okffburncamp.org or write to the Oklahoma
Firefighter’s Burn Camp, PO Box 287,
Owasso, OK 74055.
STILWELL, Okla. – The postseason awards are rolling in
for a few Cherokee high school basketball players.
After his team’s second straight trip to the state
tournament, Stilwell senior Chase Littlejohn was named
the Class 4A state player of the year by the Oklahoma
Basketball Coaches Association and awarded a spot on the
Oklahoma Coaches Association’s Large East All-State team.
The 6-foot, 1-inch guard averaged 19.5 points per game this
season.
“This is an awesome accolade to earn,” Littlejohn said.
“Coming into high school, being named an all-stater was
one of my two big goals, along with winning a state title.
Obviously, the other one didn’t happen, but this is still
pretty sweet.”
Littlejohn got word of his all-state selection while on
his official visit to Rogers State University in Claremore.
Littlejohn has since committed to play for the Hillcats,
rejoining his former high school teammate and fellow CN
citizen, Matt Lea.
Littlejohn’s coach, Ron Dunaway, sees the recognition as a
welcome boost for the Adair County school and a testament
to the hours Littlejohn and the rest of his teammates spent
in the gym this season.
“It is so difficult at the 4A level for a kid to earn an allstate spot, as we’re bunched in with 5A and 6A schools,”
Dunaway said. “The benefit is priceless for our program.
It’s a compliment to…how hard they’ve worked. Chase has
worked really hard and puts in lots of time. He’s not 6-8 like
Matt (Lea), so he’s really had to get in there.”
The OCA All-State games are scheduled for July 27-Aug.
1 in Tulsa.
For another Cherokee student-athlete, the postseason
honors come as she wraps up her basketball career.
A starter on Sequoyah’s Class 3A state championship
team, senior center Jhonett Cookson made it through two
rounds of tryouts to earn a roster spot on the Oklahoma
Girls Basketball Coaches Association’s Middle East AllState team, open to seniors at 3A and 4A schools.
“It means a lot,” she said. “Over the past four years, I’ve
put in a lot of time playing and practicing and have had to
give up a lot of things just to put the necessary time. After all
of that hard work, it feels great to get picked for this honor.”
Joining Cookson on the OGBCA’s Middle East All-State
team are CN citizens Kylie Looney from Adair, Courtney
Risenhoover from Verdigris and Locust Grove’s Madison
Davis. The OGBCA All-State games are scheduled for May
30 at Westmoore High School.
Cookson, Looney and Risenhoover will be teammates
again come July, as all three were named to the OCA Small
East team on April 9. Davis will play on the Large East team.
With an eye on eventually going to medical school,
Cookson does not plan on playing collegiately. However,
her last competitive game will include a familiar face on
the sidelines as her coach, Larry Callison, will be on the
sidelines for the OCA all-state game after being nominated
by other coaches in the area.
“It’ll be fun to coach her again one more time,” Callison
said. “It also gives our program a little more recognition for
all the hard work and effort Jhonett and the other kids have
put in this year.”
12
Education • #n[]Qsd
Vocal class allows students
to learn about art
The Cherokee Nation
program helps people
explore different singing
techniques.
BY STACIE GUTHRIE
Reporter
TAHLEQUAH, Okla. – People interested in
learning what their voices have to offer have
the chance to do so under the direction of a
noted Cherokee opera singer through the
Cherokee Nation’s vocal class.
CN citizen and Fine Arts instructor Barbara
McAlister said she’s willing to take on students
so they can see what their voices accomplish
for them, whether it’s happiness, fame or both.
McAlister has sung professionally for
a majority of her life, having 45 years of
experience in music theater before progressing
into the development of the voice in the
operatic world.
After living in Germany for 11 years and
New York City for 20, she returned to her
hometown of Muskogee in 2009 and began
her new project – teaching voice.
McAlister, who is a mezzo soprano opera
star, said she enjoys having students come
to her class and seeing them expand their
singing skills.
“It is absolutely amazing the talent that
I have found here,” she said. “The students
are disciplined. They’re committed. They’re
poised and just wonderful young people.”
She said students must audition, and if she
accepts them they will be able to have free
lessons, but they must be CN citizens.
She said after hearing them sing she can
determine if they sing in the Broadway Belt
style or Classical style.
“I can tell if the voice is called Broadway Beltbased, which is country. If they’re classically
aligned voice for legit theater or operatic work
then we go that way first or to the belt first,
whichever the voice dictates to me,” she said.
“The classical voice is speech-based. If you’re
talking to me that’s your singing voice, just no
notes. Most people can learn to sing based on
the speech and the difference between belt
and classic is the mouth position.”
She said her students generally sing in
languages such as English, German, French,
Italian and Cherokee.
McAlister said she would love to have
students but believes the word has not gotten
out as much as she would like. She said she has
18 students, but is willing to take on more in
the summer.
“As long as the Cherokee Nation allows me
to do that, then I’m thrilled,” she said. “I would
be happy to have them.”
She said her students perform in spring
and Christmas recitals, and sometimes
private recitals.
McAlister received her bachelor’s degree
in voice from Oklahoma City University.
She won the Loren Zachary
Competition in Los Angeles,
which launched her musical
career. She has sung with
the German Repertory
Opera Houses, Opera de SCAN CODE
Monte Carlo and made WITH SMART
numerous appearances in -PHONE TO
theaters around the United SEE VIDEO
States and Europe. She has
given solo performances at
Carnegie Hall, Alice Tully Hall and the Weil
Recital Hall.
CN citizen Taylor Pearce, 12, said she’s been
singing most of her life and is glad to work
with McAlister.
“If you’re interested in singing and you want
to go somewhere with it, I’d say this is a good
idea,” she said. “She is a very good voice teacher.”
Taylor was in the production of “Nanyehi
– Beloved Woman of the Cherokee” that ran
in August at The Joint inside the Hard Rock
Hotel & Casino Tulsa. Being in it sparked her
interest in singing.
In the vocal class she sings in the Broadway
Belt style.
Taylor’s mother, Geri, said she’s thankful
her daughter can learn under McAlister.
She added that Taylor has been going to the
voice classes since August and has noticed
improvements in her daughter’s singing.
“She is able to sustain her notes for such a
longer period of time now. It’s amazing. She’s
so much louder,” she said. “Ms. McAlister has
taught her techniques to be able to breathe
correctly so that when she sings she’s just able
to perform so much better than she did before.”
CN citizen Katelyn Morton, 15, said she
wanted to learn more about singing and
McAlister has helped.
“I couldn’t find anyone really, so I came here
to Barbara and she’s really taught me a lot,” she
said. “Now I sing loud.”
Morton, who started the class in September,
is also apart of the Cherokee National Youth
Choir. She said with being in the vocal class
and apart of the CNYC she has learned to sing
in numerous languages.
“I sing in other languages,” she said. “I’m
part of the Cherokee National Youth Choir, so
I sing in Cherokee there and I sing Cherokee
here. She (McAlister) also has me sing German
or French or Italian.”
Morton, who sings in the Classic style, said
McAlister is helping her learn the Broadway
Belt style.
She said her favorite part of the class is
being able to sing and talk with McAlister.
McAlister’s lessons start at 12:30 p.m. Monday
through Wednesday at the Bethany Presbyterian
Church in Muskogee. Her Tahlequah classes
start at 12:30 p.m. Thursday through Friday at
the Sequoyah High School Chapel.
McAlister said she takes students who
are 11 years old and older. If interested in
auditioning, McAlister welcomes people to
come to one of the locations and do so or call
646-241-3299 for more information.
Cherokee Nation citizen and Sequoyah High School freshman Katelyn Morton, 15, sings
while CN citizen and Fine Arts instructor Barbara McAlister plays piano during a May 7
singing lesson in Tahlequah, Oklahoma. McAlister teaches approximately 18 students
and can take on more during the summer. STACIE GUTHRIE/CHEROKEE PHOENIX
Bacone College’s Center
for Tribal Languages
unveils language degree
The degree is a blend
of community-based
immersion Native
Language learning, online
courses and onsite courses.
BY STAFF REPORTS
MUSKOGEE, Okla. – The Center for
Tribal Languages at Bacone College has
announced a new bachelor’s degree in tribal
languages with enrollment for courses
beginning in this fall semester.
The degree is a blend of community-based
immersion Native Language learning, online
courses and onsite courses. One of only a
handful of similar college degree programs
in North America, this degree program offers
students the opportunity to earn college
credit by learning and studying their heritage
language in their home language communities
with an advanced language instructor and
tribal elder speakers.
Designed in a collaborative partnership
with the Sauk Language Department of the
Sac and Fox Nation, this degree program
offers courses that challenge students to not
only learn their language, but also gives them
the skill sets to become professional Native
language instructors, language revitalization
advocates, and future tribal leaders.
At this time, the only languages available
for this program are Sauk (Sac and Fox),
Seminole, Cherokee, Euchee, and Chickasaw.
The Center for Tribal Languages looks forward
to adding more tribal language partners to
this degree program soon, stated a school
press release.
If you are a tribal language program/
instructor who would like more information
on this program, call 918-968-0070.
Cherokee Nation citizens and Northeastern State University students draw a diagram
of a house while training to be apart of the “From Home to School” study. The
students will collect a portion of the data from the homes and schools in the study.
STACIE GUTHRIE/CHEROKEE PHOENIX
CN, TU team up for
asthma-related study
BY STACIE GUTHRIE
Reporter
TAHLEQUAH, Okla. –The Cherokee
Nation and University of Tulsa are teaming up
to conduct an indoor air quality study called
“From Home to School” that will focus on
indoor air quality and indoor environments
in schools and homes where asthma allergens
and contaminants are found.
Tribal and TU officials hope to reduce
those contaminants, as well as asthma
episodes and related illnesses.
TU Indoor Air Program research associate
David Reisdorph said asthma health is a
major concern for all ethnic groups, with
Native American’s asthma rates being some
of the highest.
“This study is important because we’re
focusing on that and looking at ways of
improving on asthma health,” he said.
He said the research is something the TU
program regularly conducts research on and
that this study is unique because it conducts
research in the home and school.
“Indoor air is usually much more polluted
than outdoor air, and people spend the
majority of their time indoors. For children,
that majority of time tends to be in their
homes and school,” Reisdorph said. “In
our research we know that lower indoor
air quality has an impact on health and in
particular on school performance. Those
with asthma and severe allergies, they’re
even more impacted by poor indoor air
quality because the contaminants that trigger
allergies and trigger asthma is higher.”
TU Indoor Air Research Program Director
Richard Shaughnessy said officials are hoping
to reduce health symptoms related to asthma,
which will ultimately reduce the number of
absent students from school.
“Along with that too, one of the reasons is
that this is one of the first studies related to
tribal populations in terms of really making
a difference in asthma-related to indoor air
quality in homes and schools,” he said.
For the study, officials recruited Briggs,
Brushy, Cave Springs, Gore, Hulbert,
Liberty, Muldrow, Rocky Mountain, Stilwell,
Tenkiller, Westville and Zion public schools.
Each school was chosen based on the
number of Cherokee students enrolled, with
the study calling for children who are in
kindergarten to eighth grade for the coming
school year.
“We’re looking for families with children
with asthma or severe allergies,” Reisdorph
said. “We can enroll up to 104 families, so
we are wanting to get as close as possible to
that number.”
Reisdorph said there would be a total of
four groups, which would be study groups,
control groups and a combination of both.
He said all families and schools participating
in the study would receive education on how
to lower indoor air contaminants, a free
HEPA vacuum cleaner, cleaning materials
and supplies and an asthma mattress
encasement for an asthmatic child’s bed. He
said families or schools in the control groups
would receive the education and the supplies
at the end of the study.
CN Health Research Director Sohail
Khan said he is glad study officials are
able to offer the education and cleaning
items to these families.
“We feel that this is good. We’re going to
provide cleaning supplies and specialized
vacuum cleaner, and these are not the kind
that you buy in store,” he said. “The good
part is that even the families who are in the
control group at the end of the 12 months
they get the same supplies, just not during
that part. All the techniques the materials,
the vacuum all that.”
All groups will be visited three times
during the year, each time receiving a $30
gift card for participating.
Reisdorph said through the study,
officials were able to hire six CN citizens
who are students at Northeastern State
University in Tahlequah. He said these
students would collect a portion of the
data in the homes and schools.
“So they’ll be working with Richard and I
and others on the research project and they’ll
be collecting a lot of the data and they’re
going to be learning about field research,”
he said. “They all have science backgrounds
and interests in environmental health. We’re
happy to have them.”
Khan said the study’s goal is to figure out
what works best when it comes to reducing
asthma-related illnesses and be able to
replicate those findings. He said officials
also want to be able to produce education
material concerning the study and share the
results with others.
“Our hope is that the potential benefit
of the research is that you have healthier
kids, fewer missed classes, less and less and
fewer trips to the…ER, which is the most
expensive way of treating anybody, fewer
medication that you have to rely on,” he said.
“When you improve the air quality inside
the house it actually benefits everybody, not
just the kid with asthma.”
Families are now being enrolled for the
study for the upcoming school year. For
more information, call Reisdorph at 918237-2189 or email david-reisdorph@utulsa.
edu or call Shaun West at 918-453-5363 or
email [email protected].
Education • #n[]Qsd
13
CN citizen expands
academic career at OSSM
BY TESINA JACKSON
Reporter
OKLAHOMA CITY – To
expand his academic career and
create more opportunities outside
of Tahlequah, Cherokee Nation
citizen Kevin Harris started
attending the Oklahoma School
of Science and Mathematics two
years ago.
“I decided to attend OSSM
because the school represented
what I had long been searching
for, a place to spread my academic
wings and take flight in any and
all directions I wished,” he said.
“OSSM was like a lucky treasure
chest in a video game. I knew what
to expect and I had hopes it would
be better than what I already had,
but what I found within that chest,
within OSSM, was opportunities,
memories and experiences that I
could not have dreamed of.”
Established and funded by the
Oklahoma Legislature in 1983, the
two-year public residential high
school was designed to educate
academically gifted high school
students in advanced mathematics
and science. OSSM opened its
doors in 1990 and is open to all
Oklahoma students entering their
junior year of high school.
“He has done a lot to get where he’s
at today,” Pam Harris, Kevin’s mother,
said. “We are very proud of him.”
Kevin said the challenges he faced
at the school were hard, complicated
and unexpected but he could not
have imagined a better decision.
“The friendships I made are
stronger than the bonds I shared
with my closest of friends back
at home,” he said. “I look back at
my time here at OSSM and know
that I would not have traded it
for the world. In the end, it is not
the academics that I feel OSSM
has taught me that is the most
important, it is how to clearly
express myself, to take constructive
criticism with an air of humility
and most important of all, to bring
myself to understand my faults and
to improve upon them, all the while
utilizing my strengths full-throttle.”
Today, the decision to attend
OSSM has helped pave the way
for his future as he was recently
named a QuestBridge and Gates
Millennium
scholar.
“To
be
honest, it did
not really hit
me when I
found
out
I
received
QuestBridge Kevin Harris
or Gates,” he
said. “I have never been responsible
for handling amounts of money
larger than 40 or 50 dollars, so the
idea of being given collectively over
a half a million dollars just could
not register in my naïve brain.”
QuestBridge is a nonprofit
program
that
links
highachieving, low-income students
with educational and scholarship
opportunities at leading U.S.
colleges and universities.
Along with becoming a
QuestBridge Scholar, Kevin was
accepted into Haverford College,
which is located outside of
Philadelphia.
“QuestBridge is a complicated
program, but in a nutshell the
program is meant to unite lowincome, academically exceptional
students with colleges willing
to help provide the means for
those students to attend college,”
Kevin said. “I applied through
QuestBridge to eight colleges, one
of them being Haverford College,
for admission to the college with
the guarantee of receiving the
QuestBridge Scholarship or a
scholarship provided by the college
that covered all tuition, living
expenses, room and board and
all other costs, both direct and
indirect, a student is expected to
face while attending the college for
four years. In the end, I was happily
matched to Haverford College.”
Kevin said he decided to attend
Haverford College based on where
the college is, how many people
attended, whether or not they
offered a degree his was interested in
and the overall college environment.
“Haverford fit all of my criteria
for a favored college,” he said.
“Haverford is located in a suburb
with a rural-like campus, yet
is within driving distance of a
larger city, has a relatively small
number of students ranging in
the low thousands, offers a major
in biomedical engineering and
Japanese and is an undergraduateonly college. By being an
undergraduate college, Haverford
is more dedicated to the education
and experience of its students and
is not divided amongst graduates
and undergraduates.”
Even though Kevin became
a QuestBridge Scholar and was
accepted to Haverford, he also applied
for the Gates Millennium Scholarship
to ensure that any surprise cost that
arose would be paid for.
The Gates Scholarship was
established in 1999 and was
initially funded by a $1 billion
grant from the Bill & Melinda
Gates Foundation. Each year the
foundation awards 1,000 minority
students, 150 of which are Native
American, up to $250,000 in
college scholarships per scholar.
The scholarship is based on a 3.5
GPA, community service hours,
leadership and eight written essays.
“Due to the nature of the
Gates Millennium Scholarship,
I can use it to cover unmet needs
associated with undergraduate
and graduate education, even if I
do not particularly need it for my
undergraduate education,” Kevin
said. “As my parents always taught
me, it is better to be safe than sorry
and when hundreds of thousands
of dollars are on the line, I went the
extra couple of miles to ensure that
nothing could lash out financially
against me or my family.”
While attending Haverford,
he plans to study biomedical
engineering as a pre-health track
with a Japanese minor.
“I have always struggled with
deciding what exactly it is I would
like to pursue in college, but my
recent experiences at OSSM have
led me to lean towards the health
field and engineering as well as
towards traveling around the world
to immerse myself in different
cultures and lifestyles,” he said.
Kevin said he plans on using
the two degrees to obtain a job
in the medical field that provides
considerable financial and emotional
fulfillment, to travel and experience
new lifestyles and to give back to
those who have helped him achieve
what he has so far by serving the U.S.
Army as a civilian contractor.
Cherokee wrestler to study
aerospace engineering
and basketball before ninth grade. My
freshman year I played volleyball and my sister
was encouraging me to try wrestling so that
year I joined the team and loved it,” she said.
MURPHY, Texas –
Schement said she appreciates wrestling
Cherokee Nation citizen
because it makes her think, and she has found
Luci Schement believes
that being a female wrestler comes in handy
wrestling is a sport of
when playing Cherokee stickball.
strategy and individual
“Wrestling is a sport where you have to think
strength in which you
and strategize a lot, all on your own. You have
have to depend on
to know when to be offensive and when to be
yourself.
defensive. Wrestling is a sport where you cannot
Using strategy and Luci Schement
rely on other people for anything, so it’s up to
individual strength, the
18-year-old high school senior from Plano you to know what to do in different situations.
East High School won the 2015 University You have to be able to read your opponent’s
Interscholastic League Texas 6A Champion in motions and know how to react based on that,”
the 119-pound weight class at a state meet in she said. “I think that’s really cool.”
Along with being a great athlete, Schement
Garland in February.
“I was very confident going into the state excels in the classroom. She has been accepted
meet. I had wrestled many of the girls at the to the Cockrell School of Engineering at
tournament before so I was familiar with the University of Texas where she will study
many of my opponents. That being said, I aerospace engineering. She has been awarded
was also extremely nervous,” she said. “I had a four-year UT Presidential Scholarship.
She said she has have always loved math
previously taken second place at the state
tournament my sophomore and junior years and cosmology.
“I took an intro-to-engineering class in
so I did not want to come up short in my
middle school where we built
senior year. In my mind,
model elevators, designed
I had to be confident.
and learned how
I had to trust that my
Wrestling is a sport furniture
everyday mechanisms like
wrestling skills were
where you cannot
streetlights or automatic
good enough and that I
operated. After that, I
had put in enough work
rely on other people doors
was hooked. I love knowing
to win. This was my last
how things work and being
chance so I just wanted
for anything.
to give it everything that
– Luci Schement, able to fix/build things on
my own,” she said. “For
I could.”
Cherokee Nation citizen me, aerospace engineering
In
March,
she
is a combination of both
competed at 117 pounds
in the 2015 Folk Style Nationals in Oklahoma cosmology and engineering. I will be able
City and placed fifth. Because of her rank, she build rockets and planes that can be used to
study the universe.”
earned the title high school All-American.
After graduating she said she wants to work
She said competing in nationals “was
for SpaceX (Space Exploration Technologies
really scary.”
“I had never competed in a folk style Corporation), NASA or Virgin Galactic, a
national tournament before so I guess I felt spaceflight company.
“To be completely honest, my hope is that
like I lacked the experience that others did.
Also, the tournament was huge. I had never companies like Google and Yahoo will begin
seen that many girl wrestlers in one place their own space programs, and I will be able to
before,” she said. “It was exciting too because help in the start up and development of these
I was able to wrestle girls from other states programs,” she said.
Wherever she goes she will take her
which I had not really done before. I pinned
the girl I wrestled in my fifth-place match so Cherokee heritage with her.
that was a really awesome way to finish the
“My grandmother and her siblings were
tournament and my season. My coach said,
‘to be able to count on one hand how you rank discriminated against in their youth, so she
always taught us to take pride in being a part
in the nation is just incredible.’”
She said she was encouraged to try wrestling of the Cherokee tribe, but to also be kind
during her freshman year by her older sister and accepting of others because of it. For me,
being a Cherokee means being proud of who
who had wrestled in high school.
“I had played sports like softball, volleyball I am,” she said.
BY WILL CHAVEZ
Senior Reporter
Cherokee Nation citizen and University of Arkansas senior Taylor
Martin, right, has been named to the Arkansas Alumni Association’s
first class of “Seniors of Significance.” COURTESY
Martin earns ‘Seniors of
Significance’ award at U of A
BY WILL CHAVEZ
Senior Reporter
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – Cherokee Nation citizen and University of
Arkansas senior Taylor Martin has been named to the Arkansas Alumni
Association’s first class of “Seniors of Significance.”
The 22-year-old from Tontitown was expected to receive a bachelor’s
degree in computer engineering in May. She was among 71 graduating
seniors, commemorating the university’s founding date of 1871, chosen
from 400 nominees to receive the “Seniors of Significance” award.
Each “Senior of Significance” received a special honor gold cord to wear
during graduation.
“I felt so honored to have even been nominated for this award, as many
of my fellow students were just as qualified for it. I am so blessed to have
received the award and it means the world to be able to represent our senior
class with such an honor,” Martin said.
The 71 students represent each Arkansas undergraduate academic college,
11 states and two countries.
“These are exceptional seniors who combine academic achievement,
leadership skills and substantial extracurricular campus and/or community
activities,” stated a university press release.
Martin said her experience at the university has been “incredible.”
“My degree program has proved to be very demanding, but the
community that I have been surrounded with through it all, faculty and
students included, has made it so enjoyable,” she said. “I would have to say
that the group of friends that I have made within my degree program has
been one of the most memorable aspects of my time here at Arkansas. They
have been there for me through thick and thin, and I wouldn’t trade that for
the world.”
Her father, David Martin, said Taylor was the recipient of a CN scholarship
for the past three years, which assisted her in covering the college expenses
“she was 100 percent responsible for.”
“The Cherokee Nation scholarship was a tremendous help for my college
career. Between it and a university-sponsored scholarship, I was able to
attend college and come out debt free, which is a blessing in itself,” she said.
After graduation, she is expected to work for Wal-Mart’s Information
Systems Division in Bentonville, where she said she would be part of an
information technology program.
Her father agreed with the words of Principal Chief Bill John Baker who
recently wrote, “Our college scholarship recipients embody some of the
most important values we hold as a tribe, including personal accountability
and community and responsibility.”
“I believe Taylor’s accomplishment demonstrates those values and
understanding the necessity of a college education in order for one to realize
a better quality of life and bright future for Cherokees,” David said.
14
Money • a[w
NATIVE GRAINS
Creating art and furniture from wood
Cherokee Nation citizen and Native Grains owner Chris Cochran uses a chainsaw to cut slats out of a cedar branch. Cochran has been making wood furniture for nearly six years, and
in the past three years he has been selling his handmade, wood products. PHOTOS BY STACIE GUTHRIE/CHEROKEE PHOENIX
BY STACIE GUTHRIE
Reporter
GIDEON, Okla. – Cherokee Nation citizen and Native
Grains owner Chris Cochran has been making wood furniture
for nearly six years and selling his handmade, wood products
for the past three years.
Cochran makes bed frames, benches, swings, cedar boxes,
picture frames and other creations all with repurposed wood.
“Right now I do a lot of cedar (creations). I’ve messed around
with some cherry and some walnut but mostly cedar because
people want that off their properties,” he said. “Most of the stuff
we cut is either dead or it’s in the way of (power) lines.”
Chris Cochran created a bench with the words “Cherokee
Phoenix” burned into it, which will be given away during
the 2015 Cherokee National Holiday.
He said swings are his favorite items to
create. “I’ve thrown so many twists on swings
that it’s not even funny,” Cochran said. “I’ve
actually got new plans to build a cedar awning
on top of some of the swings.”
For the Cherokee Phoenix, Cochran made SCAN CODE
a park bench, which will be given away at WITH SMART
the 2015 Cherokee National Holiday during -PHONE TO
Labor Day weekend. The bench is red cedar SEE VIDEO
and has recycled metal arms.
Cochran said typically a bench takes him two to three weeks
to complete, depending on what the client wants. He said the
process for making a bench starts with obtaining the wood and
cutting out the slats for the base and backboards. From there
he sands the pieces of wood.
“I cut them into inch-and-a-half thick slats. I shave the
corners down to fit in the frame,” he said.
He said if the client wants wording burned into the wood, he
does that process next.
“As far as the wording on the back of it, we get the font style
from the client and then we stencil it out on the back of it and
burn the letters into the wood,” he said.
Cochran said after those steps are complete he finetunes everything. “We’ll bolt everything down and lacquer
everything and you’ll have a finished product,” he said.
Cochran said he works on projects on his free time because
he has a full time job. He also said having seasoned wood
factors into the length of time that it takes to create pieces.
“The longest part of all of this is having seasoned wood to
work with,” he said. “We can’t just cut them green in the field
and bring them home and start working on them. We have to
wait minimum of a year and a half, max three years.”
He said he enjoys what he does because he is able to
take something that started out as a tree and make it “into
something beautiful, like a piece of furniture.”
Cochran said he is open to creating different pieces for
clients but that it would be easier for him if they had something
in mind.
“It’s best if they have an idea of what they want and then
we can go with different routes on how to build it and what it
should look like once we actually start,” he said. “I’m open to a
lot of projects. That’s how I got started is just somebody saying,
‘hey, do you think you could do it.’ I started and here we are
today. Still doing it.”
For more information, call 918-839-9601 or email
[email protected].
Chris Cochran, a Cherokee Nation citizen and owner of
Native Grains, burns letters into a bench. Cochran said his
favorite piece of furniture to create is swings.
Money • a[w
15
GAO to issue report on
Native American gaming
It could state that the
National Indian Gaming
Commission should
expand its powers over all
gaming.
BY TESINA JACKSON
Reporter
ABOVE: Cherokee Nation citizen and
York Electronic Systems Inc. President
and owner Jennifer Jezek stands
outside of the Redbird Smith Health
Center in Sallisaw, Oklahoma, where
her company has products installed.
RIGHT: A nurse-call system from York
Electronic Systems is mounted on a wall
at the Redbird Smith Health Center.
PHOTOS BY STACIE GUTHRIE/CHEROKEE
PHOENIX
York Electronic Systems
services CN health centers
The Cherokee-owned
business was created
approximately 30 years ago
by the owner’s parents.
BY STACIE GUTHRIE
Reporter
BROKEN ARROW, Okla. – Cherokeeowned and Broken Arrow-based York
Electronic Systems Inc. has been in business
for approximately 30 years and provides
numerous services to Cherokee Nation health
centers.
York President and owner Jennifer
Jezek said the business specializes in
communication solutions and has numerous
patient-care communication systems and lifesafety systems in CN clinics.
“In some of the clinics we may be doing
fire alarms. We may be doing emergency and
panic type of systems for the staff, code blue
systems as well as the patient communication
system and emergency call systems,” she said.
Jezek said York is working on putting
different communication solutions in
numerous CN clinics. She said the company
has installed patient-communication systems
and emergency call systems in the Redbird
Smith Health Center in Sallisaw.
“…If you’ve ever been in a hospital where
you may have a station where you press
a button or a cord that you pull in case of
emergency or you need staff assistance, those
are the systems we’re putting in Redbird
Smith,” she said.
Jezek said the company has products in
the tribe’s Vinita Health Center and will
have products in the Cooweescoowee Health
Center in Ochelata, Wilma P. Mankiller
Health Center in Stillwell and the Sam Hider
Health Center in Jay.
She said overall the business is “pretty
complex.”
“We have a lot of solutions and what they
all have in common is low voltage,” she said.
“We’re not an electrical contractor, but we
provide specialty systems for fire, security,
surveillance, access control, communication
systems, anywhere from paging to emergency
messaging. We also have an audio/visual
business (unit), so we do corporate audio,
visual and communications.”
Jezek said her parents, Steve and Jodi
York, started the company in 1984 out of
their home with the intention of being a
residential security company. She said the
company’s overall idea changed and began
its transformation into what it is today, a
company that does commercial work.
“…We just exclusively do commercial work
and we have a specialty practice that focuses
on health care, but we also do commercial,
industrial, educational facilities, anything
from court houses to jails,” she said.
Jezek said she was “fortunate” her parents
did a lot of the hard work in the company’s
beginning stages.
“They started the business from nothing,”
she said. “They put a mortgage on the house
and (had) 13 credit cards, but at that time
there weren’t a lot of resources. The Small
Business Administration was really the only
resource available.”
She said now she is able to receive assistance
from the CN if she is ever in need of advice or
training.
“Now, in the Cherokee Nation there are
tons of resources for small businesses, either
through the Small Business Assistance Center
or the training in education resources, of
course TERO (Tribal Rights Employment
Office) for employment resources,” she said.
“You’ve got a lot of people there that are very
interested in your success and interested in
helping you grow a business.”
Jezek said she is fairly new to being a
business owner but started working at York
when she was 14.
“I grew up in the business. I worked after
school in the business all the way through
college. When I graduated from college I
left and went to work in (the) information
technology (field),” she said. “I returned
to the business in 2002 as vice president of
operations and in 2009 I became president
and my parents actually retired in 2012. I
purchased the stock of the company from
them at that time and became the sole owner
of the company.”
Jezek said her business oftentimes works
with other Native-owned businesses.
“One thing I find about working with other
Native businesses is that there really is a sense
of unity in helping each other succeed and
finding ways to grow,” she said. “It’s been great
for me, kind of up and coming as a business
owner, learning those ropes and really kind of
mentoring me and helping me grow.”
She said being a CN citizen and having
support and friendships from other citizens
has helped build her up and be successful as
both an entrepreneur and a Cherokee.
York has received recognitions and awards,
including the Systems Contractor News
2007 Top 50 Systems Integrator recognition;
eight Associated Builders and Contractors
Excellence in Construction awards from 1999
to 2014; the Tulsa Metro Chamber 2009 and
the 2010 Family Owned Business of the Year
award.
The latest award was the 2015 Women/
Minority Owned Business of the Year
award from the Broken Arrow Chamber of
Commerce.
TAHLEQUAH, Okla. – During a recent
Rules Committee meeting, Cherokee
Nation Gaming Commission Director Jamie
Hummingbird told Tribal Councilors that
the U.S. Government Accountability Office
is expected to issue a report that could
eventually result in the National Indian
Gaming Commission expanding its powers
over all Indian gaming.
“The nature of the report is one that is
of much interest to everybody in Indian
gaming simply because, depending on
what the outcome is, what the data shows,
it is something that could be used to show
or demonstrate the need to open up IGRA
(Indian Gaming Regulatory Act) if they
feel that tribe’s are not doing enough to
regulate gaming facilities. Then one concern
is that this would be something the federal
government might use to enable that
Nation Indian Gaming Commission to
have more authority in other areas in which
they currently do not or to expand their
authorities in areas in which they currently
do,” Hummingbird said.
In October, after the Tribal Council
amended the tribe’s Gaming Commission
Act, ultimately limiting the CNGC’s
regulatory authority, the NIGC sent a letter
to Principal Chief Bill John Baker approving
the amended act but noted it likely will come
with greater federal scrutiny.
According to the letter from Acting
NIGC Chairman Jonodev Chaudhuri,
the NIGC approved amendments to the
act that differentiate between gaming and
non-gaming activities mandating that its
regulations not exceed minimum federal
standards.
Christina Thomas, NIGC acting chief of
staff, said in an Oct. 31 Cherokee Phoenix
article that the NIGC didn’t foresee the
implementation of the ordinance being an
efficient process.
“We anticipate having to be more involved
on the ground with the tribe to ensure that
the gaming integrity is still protected,”
she said. “There’s going to be a significant
amount of confusion at the tribal level
implementing that particular provision of
gaming ordinance.”
Hummingbird said at the March
26 meeting that he believed Sen. John
McCain, through the Senate Indian Affairs
Committee, requested that an assessment be
completed on the regulation in the state of
Indian gaming.
Hummingbird added that the report
could be issued at any time.
“Once that report is done we, of course,
will be taking a close read of it to see what
possible impacts it’s going to have not only
on us at the Cherokee Nation but on the
Indian gaming industry as a whole,” he said.
Hummingbird also told Tribal Councilors
that the Internal Revenue Service is seeking
comments on changing the reporting
amounts for all casinos, not just tribal, from
$1,200 to $600.
“It would also potentially institute a change
in the documentation and the process for
documenting these types of payments to
our patrons,” he said. “This proposed rule
has the most potential to negatively impact
the gaming industry, particularly the Indian
gaming industry, simply because the number
of transactions that we would be looking at
would sky rocket.”
Tribal Councilor David Thornton asked
when those payouts are currently made,
does the CNGC have a representative on
location to oversee them.
Hummingbird said not for the payouts.
“All of the payouts over $1,200, and there
are different levels of requirements based on
NIGC internal controls, there has to be at
least two employees involved, one of which
has to be a supervisor,” he said. “Based on
the threshold and the amount of money that
is involved is going to dictate who has to be
involved in the transaction, but the CNGC
does not have a role in that.”
The comment period for the proposed
IRS rule change ended in June.
“I was really surprised that we received the
recognition, but really proud and grateful of
the support that we received,” she said.
York is TERO-certified and employees 36
people with approximately 30 percent being
Native American.
CNGC approves finger guards for employees
BY TESINA JACKSON
Reporter
WEST SILOAM SPRINGS, Okla. – At
their May 29 meeting, Cherokee Nation
Gaming Commissioners approved a 60-day
trial period for finger guards to be used by
employees when accessing machines at the
Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Tulsa.
“What we were looking at was what’s
causing this injury, why is this equipment
necessary, and what we were able to see was
that a lot of the juries were being incurred at
the result of just being very hasty, very quick,
trying to get in and get the job done as fast
as they can, which there’s nothing necessarily
wrong with that, but in doing so they were
scrapping knuckles, cutting hands, things of
that nature,” Jamie Hummingbird, CNGC
director, said.
The finger guards are being evaluated for
potentially replacing the tape used at all CN
casino locations. However, the trial period
will only take place at the Hard Rock.
“So they (Cherokee Nation Entertainment)
wanted to do a trial period of 60 days for these
finger guards to see if it actually improves or if
it reduces the amount of injuries that the drop
team incur as they go through their normal
duties,” Hummingbird said.
The drop team performs the daily cash drop
and count of table games and slot machines.
“What happens is when they’re opening
those housing doors that contain the cash
can, some of those parts are rough metal, and
you’re in a tight space. You’re opening that up.
You’re pulling the can out. Your knuckles do
get scraped inside of that,” Monica Richards,
CNE operational accounting corporate senior
director, said. “So what they do right now is
they take this blue tape and tape themselves
up so we just want to test them out to see if
they will work.”
The commission also approved CNE
policies and procedures. However, after asking
for the approved policies and procedures, the
Cherokee Phoenix was denied the information
being told that the policies and procedures are
considered proprietary information.
CHEROKEEPHOENIX.ORG
16
Services • nnrpH
Career Services’ Tulsa office
finding people job opportunities
Officials say the new office
is able to help individuals
with securing not just
a job but also a career
opportunity.
Cherokee Nation citizen Ryan Doyeto, a physical therapist at Cherokee Nation W.W.
Hastings Hospital, shows Carolyn Swimmer a balancing technique on June 15 at the
tribe’s Elder’s Summit in Tahlequah, Oklahoma. JAMI MURPHY/CHEROKEE PHOENIX
CN hosts Elder’s Summit
showcasing related services
BY JAMI MURPHY
Reporter
Nation on June 15 held an Elder’s Summit that
brought more than 200 elders to Sequoyah
High School for them to learn about tribal and
non-tribal elder-related programs from which
they can benefit.
Attorney General Todd Hembree said the
idea for the event came from an experience he
had after his mother passed away.
“Several months ago, earlier this year my
mother passed away. And soon after my
father started receiving phone calls, you
know, saying ‘sorry to hear about your loss,’
you know, ‘you may not know this, your wife
had an insurance policy. All we need is your
bank account numbers we’ll wire it to you,’”
he said. “And Dad didn’t know anything about
it. Fortunately, he had sons and daughters he
could call.”
Hembree said many elders might not have
someone to call in fraudulent situations such as
his father’s or they may need basic information
on CN services available to them. He said
he and other officials want to be sure elderly
citizens have a place to call for assistance.
“If something doesn’t seem to be right or
they have a question on anything, well, here
we are. We care. We want to help, and it
grew from there. A lot of people don’t know
the services we provide. So we said ‘let’s give
everyone an opportunity to showcase what
they provide to elders.’”
June 15 was also National Elders Fraud and
Abuse Day, so officials decided it would be a
good day to host the summit.
“Most important, if all the elders walk away
from this today knowing that they can call
somebody or that they have someone in there
corner, that they’re not alone then today has
been a huge success,” Hembree said.
He said the ultimate goal with starting the
initiative, although hosting the summit was
the first step, is to make the summit into a
program similar to the state’s program for
aged citizens at the Oklahoma Department of
Human Services, the aging services division.
“And we are working on a full-blown adult
protective services code to be passed by the
Cherokee Nation,” Hembree said.
Currently, the tribe does not have a program
in place, but Hembree said citizens can call
the tribe’s Human Services, let them know the
need and they can forward the CN citizen to
the services and departments that can help.
According to CN Communications,
Deputy Chief S. Joe Crittenden, the CN
administration, Attorney General’s Office and
Marshal Service will lead the initiative.
“This group will collaborate with state
and local agencies to prevent elder abuse
and prosecute individuals who financially
exploit or otherwise abuse Cherokee elders,”
according to CN Communications.
Principal Chief Bill John Baker said this
coalition would seek ways to prevent and end
elder abuse and prosecute those responsible
for such acts.
Booths from different services were set up
at the summit that offered information for
citizens.
In 2012, Oklahoma Adult Protective
Services received nearly 19,000 reports of
abuse, neglect or exploitation of seniors. Often
elders experiencing abuse or exploitation
don’t know where to turn or how to seek help.
College Housing Assistance
Program servicing 142 students
BY TESINA JACKSON
Reporter
TAHLEQUAH, Okla. – Housing Authority
of the Cherokee Nation Executive Director
Gary Cooper said during a Tribal Council
Community Services meeting that 142
students are being assisted through the
HACN’s College Housing Assistance Program.
The Native American Housing Assistance
and Self Determination Act-funded program
assists low-income Native American
students to secure safe and affordable
housing established on need and eligibility
while seeking a first-time bachelor’s degree
and maintaining full-time student status at
an accredited institute of higher education.
The program provides students with up to
$1,000 per semester for housing costs.
Cooper said the program is important
because it provides housing assistance to eligible
college students while enrolled in college.
“Students may reside in a college dorm,
college-owned units or off-campus housing,”
he said. “The amount of assistance we provide
is paid directly to the landlord to assist with
those housing costs. These students must
meet NAHASDA guidelines, including
income limits and residency requirements.”
Cooper said the HACN began offering the
program in the mid-2000s.
“After housing was transferred under the
Nation, the program was ended around 2010
and only students who participated in the
Cherokee Promise Scholarship Program were
eligible, and that was only available at NSU
(Northeastern State University),” he said. “In
the fall of 2012, the HACN was once again
able to extend services to eligible students
regardless of where they attended school.”
To be eligible for the College Housing
Assistance Program, an applicant must
be a citizen of a federally recognized tribe
with priority given to CN citizens. An
applicant must also be a resident of the
tribe’s 14-county jurisdictional area, meet
NAHASDA income guidelines, be seeking a
first-time bachelor’s degree at an accredited
institute of higher education and participate
in the Cherokee Cultural Curriculum.
Priority will be given to students who were
assisted the previous semester. Assistance is
limited to eight semesters.
“It is truly a great program for eligible
college students,” Cooper said. “They can
go from right here in the Cherokee Nation
to attend college wherever they would like
and receive assistance. The assistance we
provide goes directly towards their housing,
so any other scholarships they receive can
be used for their direct education expenses.
Anything we can do to help and encourage
our Cherokee families to continue their
education is a good thing. Since 2013 the
HACN has been able to provide assistance to
over 550 families, which equates to more than
$550,000 towards college housing assistance.”
Cooper said the application period would
be July 27 to Aug. 7.
“We would first work with any students
that may be continuing with college in
the fall,” he said. “They would not have to
reapply, but would have to recertify their
eligibility. Once we complete that process we
would determine application dates. A press
release is issued by CN Communications,
notices posted in CN and HACN offices, and
I also notify the Tribal Council, all this as a
way to notify families.”
For more information or to get an
application, call the HACN at 918-456-5482
or visit www.hacn.org.
year Job Driven National Emergency Grant
to assist people in becoming self-sufficient
through
unsubsidized
employment.
Unsubsidized employment is work with
earnings provided by an employer who does
not receive a subsidy for the creation and
maintenance of the employment position.
Daugherty said through the Tulsa-based
Career Services office he is able to help
BY WILL CHAVEZ
individuals with securing not just a job but
Senior Reporter
also a career opportunity.
“The purpose of this grant is to assist
TULSA, Okla. – Cherokee Nation individuals in securing good-paying jobs
Career Services staff members in Tulsa are in health care, information technology,
assisting people in gaining employment in manufacturing, construction and other
the metro area.
high-growth industries,” he said. “It is a
Rhonda Haviland, 58, of South Coffeyville, chance to work with companies that are
was recently laid off by Amazon in willing to train them and help them become
Coffeyville, Kansas, and said she was hoping a part of a business that believes in their
to get a similar factory job with the Macy’s employees.”
distribution center in Owasso. She worked
Ron Brown, 65, of Nowata, visited the
with Larry Daugherty, Career Services jobs/ Career Services office in Tulsa to get help
business development coordinator, and finding a job in maintenance. He is licensed
credits him for working with Macy’s to get plumber and was able to begin working at
her a job.
the Hard Rock Hotel &
“They got the paperwork
Casino Tulsa about six
going for me that’s for sure.
weeks ago.
I sure appreciate
I’m in the HR (Human
“I was kind of surprised.
Resources) department. Cherokee Nation for I mean they really went to
I’ve never been in HR
work for me. I got a call
before. I’ve always been helping me because from Macy’s, two or three
on the floor. I worked at I don’t know which
places, job interviews, and
Amazon for 10 years,” she
I chose the Hard Rock,”
said. “With my experience direction I would
Brown said. “Those people
helping associates, that’s have went.
work for you. I just like the
what they decided I’d be
do things.”
– Rhonda Haviland, wayHethey
good for.”
said he liked the
South Coffeyville fact the Career Services
She started her Macy’s
job in late March as a
resident staff immediately began
learning specialist.
looking for a job for him.
“I’m learning a lot of
“I’m not used to stuff
things, and people are just
like that,” he said. “They
so nice and all helpful. And we’re getting a tell you how to dress, what to look for, how
lot of associates in from Amazon,” she said.
to do your resume, I mean, they did what
She said she has about an hour drive to others didn’t do for me.”
work from South Coffeyville, but she and
He
said
his
experiences
with
the other former Amazon workers see it as unemployment offices while in between jobs
a good opportunity to work at warehouse were not positive and he felt treated like “a
jobs similar to the ones they had at Amazon. number.”
She added that she and other older workers
“They (Career Services) do all the hard
worried they would have a tough time finding work for you. I just figure anybody that can
another job because of their advanced ages.
get a job through them is not looking hard,”
“That worried me because when we lost Brown said.
our jobs I thought, ‘who in the world is
The Tulsa Career Services office is at
going to hire our age?’ You know in a few 10837 East Marshall St., Suite 101. Its phone
more years we’ll be retiring. I’m going to number is 918-574-2749.
work as long as I can, and I’m in good health
Except for one component of the $3.7
and everything, knock on wood,” she said. “I million grant, participants do not have to
sure appreciate Cherokee Nation for helping be Native American to take part in the Job
me because I don’t know which direction I Driven National Emergency Grant. The grant
would have went.”
covers the tribe’s 14-county jurisdiction and
Career Services is administering a two- all of Tulsa County.
Services • nnrpH
17
HACN replacing
windows in new homes
The tribe’s housing
authority is replacing
all aluminum windows
with vinyl windows
in homes built under
the New Construction
Homeownership
Program.
homes, $1,400 for the three-bedroom homes
and $1,600 for the four-bedroom homes.
He said the funding for replacing the
windows came from the HACN New
Construction Fund.
Cooper said since February approximately
115 homes have had vinyl windows installed.
“We’ve completed a majority of them so
we only have a few left, and I don’t have an
exact end date but I expect that most of them
will be completed this summer, if not the last
ones will be completed in the fall,” he said.
Copper said the HACN has divided the
installations into four phases and is working on
BY STACIE GUTHRIE
the third phase, which consists of 77 homes. He
Reporter
said the final phase consists of 47 homes.
Cooper said the contractor removing
TAHLEQUAH, Okla. – For the past and replacing the windows is RMC Inc.,
four months, the Housing Authority of which is not Tribal Employee Rights Officethe Cherokee Nation has been replacing certified. He said HACN officials expected
all aluminum windows that were installed the contractors to remove the old windows,
in homes built under the tribe’s New install the new windows and clean up after
Construction Homeownership Program the job is complete.
and replacing them with vinyl windows.
“How they go about removing or replacing
HACN officials said they are going to install them (windows) is really totally up to them
vinyl windows in houses that are to be built.
as long as the job gets done and it’s done to
HACN Executive Director Gary Cooper our satisfaction,” he said.
said the HACN has either replaced
Hubbard said she was at work when the
or is working to replace windows in windows in her home were replaced, but her
approximately 150 homes with the majority mother was there with Hubbard’s 6-monthbeing in Adair, Cherokee, Delaware, Mayes, old daughter and young nephew.
Muskogee and Sequoyah counties.
“They just came in and said, ‘OK,
“Those were really the first group of homes it’s going to get a little loud.’ From my
that we built on the new program,” he said. understanding they kind of taped up
“We weren’t satisfied with the performance the inside area and then knocked them
of the windows so we decided it would be out with a hammer,” she said. “Having
best to go ahead and replace those. We went those little babies there, it scared my
with a different type of window for all of nephew. They were supposed to go
the homes after that first initial group. All through and clean up after they had
of those do have different
knocked them out.”
windows now.”
She said when she got
Cooper said some We weren’t
home her mother told
aluminum windows were
her the workers didn’t do
experiencing condensation satisfied with the
a thorough sweep for the
buildup and that officials performance of
glass and only picked up
learned of the problem
the larger pieces.
when they conducted the windows so we
“They really didn’t look
home inspections and decided it would be around to see if there was
from citizens informing
they had missed
best to go ahead and glass
them of the issue.
on the carpet area to see
“Whenever you have a
what they need to pick
replace those.
big difference between the
or outside to see how
– Gary Cooper, up
temperature outside and
bad it was. They picked
the temperature inside
Housing Authority of up bigger pieces,” she said.
of the home, they tend to
the Cherokee Nation “Later on my nephew
create some condensation,
ended up getting his foot
executive director cut with a piece of glass. I
so they tend to sweat a
little bit,” he said.
don’t think they handled
He said condensation could warp wood that very well.”
frames around the windows if it was not
Hubbard said her mother informed her
wiped regularly.
that replacement process took approximately
“It can cause some moisture problems, 30 minutes to an hour to complete.
some warping and things like that along the
Cooper said if any glass shards escape the
window seals and different things. So that’s general vicinity of where the contractors are
really the reasons that kind of lead us to working that it would fall on the contractors
making the decision to replace…to get rid to ensure that all the shards are cleared from
of the condensation issue, to get rid of the the property.
windows sweating,” he said.
“I think most of them would take extra
Cherokee Nation citizen Geneva Hubbard precaution to make sure everything gets done
said she had windows replaced in her house and everything gets done appropriately,” he
earlier this year and that her living room said. “Anytime that you have glass flying
aluminum windows would condensate.
around maybe a stray piece gets somewhere.
“I had a little bit of the condensation That’s ultimately on them. If there not doing
buildup on my living room windows. For proper clean up then that’s something we
the rest of them, no, I can’t say I’ve seen it,” would address and get with them.”
she said. “The windows were supposed to
Cooper said he’s heard from citizens
be energy efficient because that’s what they regarding the new windows, along with
tell you your homes is when you get it…It concerns regarding glass shards.
turned out the windows they put in there,
“The most feedback that I’ve heard or
they weren’t that way.”
that I received is that folks like the windows
Cooper said all homes would have the because they look different, they look
aluminum windows removed and replaced better,” he said. “I have received one or two
with the vinyl windows, not just the comments that there were some stray glass
problematic windows.
shards, things like that. So whenever we’re
“We went ahead and made the decision to notified of that we get the contractor back
replace all of them and the reason for that out there to clean out the mess.”
is so all of them would match and they’ll be
Hubbard said she’s grateful to have new
the same type of windows,” he said. “Even windows even though she wasn’t satisfied
though it may only be one or two windows with the removal process.
that was creating the problem it didn’t make
“They seem to be better. They seem to
sense to just replace that one window or two actually even help a little bit on blocking
windows because the windows wouldn’t the echo in your house,” she said. “Actually,
match up exactly.”
they make the house look better too. They’re
He said the price of replacing the windows more of a nicer window to make your house
made this a possibility. He said it cost look a whole lot nicer.”
approximately $800 for the two-bedroom
Cherokee Nation Environmental Programs specialist Larry Scrapper tests the flow of
Fourteen Mile Creek in Cherokee County. Environmental Programs test local bodies
of water to ensure that Cherokee people have clean creeks and lakes for fishing and
swimming. It’s one of the many services the entity provides to the tribe and its citizens.
STACIE GUTHRIE/CHEROKEE PHOENIX
Environmental Programs offers
services to help Cherokees
The Cherokee Nation
entity offers services such
as radon testing, mold
remediation and leadbased paint removal.
that. So if you have water on sheetrock you’re
almost bound to have mold,” he said. “The
way to stop it, certainly you need to clean the
mold up. If it’s a big place you need to remove
that sheetrock or whatever it’s growing on, but
you have to stop the water.”
Elkins said after the mold is spotted CN
officials check if there is any water infiltration.
If there is they will fix the issue and proceed to
BY STACIE GUTHRIE
see if the house is free of mold.
Reporter
“(If) it’s not in the house anymore they can
TAHLEQUAH, Okla. – The Cherokee go back and put whatever they tore out back
Nation’s Environmental Programs offers in,” he said.
He said Environmental Programs officials
services that benefit tribal citizens and the
Nation such as mold and lead-based paint also conduct lead-based paint inspections in
homes. These inspections are usually done in
inspections.
Administrator
Tom
Elkins
said conjunction with the Housing Authority of
Environmental Programs is not considered a the Cherokee Nation.
“We just make sure that the paint is in good
pure resource group since it serves the tribe
condition, there aren’t any peeling, cracking,
and its citizens.
“The ones (services) that we offer directly to things of that nature. Then if they do actual
our citizens are radon testing, mold assessment rehabilitation we go through and do an
evaluation and generally environmental issues inspection on the house, which means that we
that really don’t fit into other categories,” he use what’s called an X-ray fluorescent device,”
said. “We do water sampling and things of that he said. “We go around to every different
nature, but that’s generally of the streams of type of surface in the house, the walls, the
the Cherokee Nation and not water in people’s doorjambs, the doors, ceilings, the garage,
all the different
homes.”
types of areas in
Elkins said with
the house and
radon testing a We’re not just a service group,
that device checks
citizen
would but we’re also a resource group
them for leadcome
to
the
based paint.”
E nv i ron me nt a l and whenever we see a need
Elkins said after
Programs office
that’s not being done we try to
they find leadand pick up a
based paint they
packet containing see if we can fill that need.
a risk
information on
– Tom Elkins, conduct
assessment, which
radon gas and a
Environmental Programs administrator determines if the
radon assessment
paint is hazardous
device they can
use in the home to test for the colorless, and where the hazards occur.
“So, if we find out that there is lead-based
odorless and tasteless radioactive gas.
“What they do with that (the radon paint then we need to find is that’s a hazard to
assessment device) is they set it in a place that the young kids (usually 6 years old and under)
could get airflow from their home, maybe that live in that house. What that means is we
on their countertops and they let it set for so look at the condition of the paint. We do some
many days. Then they’re instructed to close it, sampling around the outside of the house.
bring it back to our office and we mail it off If there’s lead-based paint on the outside to
and get it tested and then they give the results check the soil to see if some of those chips has
deteriorated and got down into that soil. We
to them,” he said.
Elkins said winter is the best time to test for may check the water lines depending on what
they’re made out of,” he said. “Anything that
radon gas, but it can be done at anytime.
“You can do them in the summer, but has a potential to have lead in it we do a risk
people will go in and out of their houses more assessment on.”
Elkins said Environmental Program tries to
in the summer. You really need it when radon
would be the worst…when it’s going to impact help every need, whether it is with the tribe or
you the most is when you’re in the house most its citizens.
“We’re not just a service group, but we’re
and you’re not opening and closing the doors
regularly,” he said. “Generally, that tends to be also a resource group, and whenever we see a
need that’s not being done we try to see if we
in the winter.”
Elkins said mold is linked to water so can fill that need,” he said.
Environmental Program serves citizen who
it is important to have a mold inspection
if a homeowner happens to have a leak in live in the tribe’s 14-county jurisdiction.
For a list of other services offered, visit http://
the home.
“Mold can’t form without some kind of bit.ly/1d0zPE5. The Environmental Programs
moisture and then it eats some sort of organic office is located at 206 E. Allen Road. For more
material like sheetrock, paper, things like information, call 918-453-5009.
18
Culture • i=nrplcsd
CHC hosting Miss Cherokee exhibit through Aug. 23
The exhibit celebrates
six decades of Miss
Cherokees.
BY WILL CHAVEZ
Senior Reporter
PARK HILL, Okla. – Former Miss
Cherokees from six decades joined
the current Miss Cherokee, Sunday
Plumb, on May 29 to celebrate
the opening of an exhibit at the
Cherokee Heritage Center honoring
them and their service to the tribe.
For the past 60 years, young
Cherokee women have been chosen
to serve as goodwill ambassadors
for the Cherokee Nation. For an
entire year, they share Cherokee
culture and history with the public.
Many former Miss Cherokees
were present to celebrate the
opening for the special exhibit that
runs through Aug. 23, and many of
them provided items for display.
Janelle Adair, Miss Cherokee 19992000, said she was excited upon
learning the exhibit would take place.
“I think every girl has a different
experience, but it’s always something
that changes your life because
sometimes you haven’t traveled that
far, and you really get out there and
represent all the Cherokee people,”
she said. “It’s a big responsibility, but
it’s also so rewarding.”
She said being Miss Cherokee gave
her more confidence and helped
“polish” her public speaking ability.
“I had to get used to just thinking
on my feet and going fast with
whatever situation came up. I think
that was probably the best thing
professionally that I got out of it,”
Adair said.
Regina Ruth Christie, Miss
Cherokee 1982-83, served her
reign when she was a senior at
Northeastern State University in
Tahlequah and said the experience
was “enlightening” and fun. She said
she had many great chaperones who
drove her to her appearances and
“took care of her,” but the most special
one was her father Isaac Christie.
“He was the one who took me
to everything that I went to, and I
traveled all over the place,” she said.
“To me the highest honor I could
have was being Miss Cherokee.”
Christie said she shared the Miss
Cherokee scrapbook her mother
made for her and two pair of
moccasins for the exhibit.
“I’ve never seen anything of this
magnitude done and done so well,
and promoted so well,” she said.
CHC Curator Mickel Yantz said
discussions began a few years ago
to put the history of Miss Cherokee
together in one place.
“When we started researching we
realized it wasn’t in one place and
it hadn’t been put together before.
So we contacted all of the Miss
Cherokees we could find. We went
through our archives, the Cherokee
Phoenix archives, NSU...and luckily
after six months of research we were
able to find the photographs of all
the Miss Cherokees,” he said. “What
we have here on display is really
that memorabilia and the prestige
they have carried for the Cherokee
Nation all in one place.”
On display are more than 40 dresses
worn by Miss Cherokees during the
years, including the first dress made
for a Miss Cherokee dating back to
1969. Also on display are crowns and
beaded belts, feather capes, personal
items and photos and biographies of
former Miss Cherokees.
Brooke Hudson, Miss Cherokee
2010-11, said she appreciated the
opportunity to travel as an ambassador
from California to Washington, D.C.,
Wearing paper crowns, former Miss Cherokees Janelle Adair, left, and Kristen Thomas look at crowns worn
by former Miss Cherokees. The memorabilia is part of the Miss Cherokee exhibit on display through Aug.
23 at the Cherokee Heritage Center in Park Hill, Oklahoma. PHOTOS BY WILL CHAVEZ/CHEROKEE PHOENIX
I think every girl
has a different
experience, but it’s
always something
that changes your life
because sometimes
you haven’t traveled
that far, and you
really get out there
and represent all the
Cherokee people.
– Janelle Adair,
Miss Cherokee 19992000
Belts once worn by Miss Cherokees are a part of the memorabilia in
the Miss Cherokee exhibit on display through Aug. 23 at the Cherokee
Heritage Center in Park Hill, Oklahoma.
Full-length turkey feather capes and a shoulder cape are a part of
the Miss Cherokee exhibit running through Aug. 23 at the Cherokee
Heritage Center.
making appearances in her crown
and tear dress.
“When I was Miss Cherokee
I really picked up the skills of
connecting with myself as a young
Cherokee professional and being
close to my community. I really
enjoyed that. It was nice getting to
know people all across the country
that are Cherokee,” she said. “I’m
really excited about it (exhibit). I
think it’s such a wonderful thing to
put together just to remember all of
the Miss Cherokees.”
The first Miss Cherokee, Ramona
Collier, was crowned in 1962. She
was awarded a $200 scholarship, an
expense-paid weekend at Western
Hills Lodge and several other gifts.
This was the first mention of a title
winner’s role extending beyond
the holiday festivities, and she was
expected to appear at several tribal
community and state functions.
Since then, the official title has
remained Miss Cherokee. Sixty
young women have held the title
with one, Mary Kay Harshaw,
holding the title for two consecutive
terms, from 1980-1982.
“For six decades, Miss Cherokee
has been an important figure for
Cherokee Nation,” Dr. Candessa
Tehee, CHC executive director, said.
“This exhibit shares that rich history
with many unique items, and it
allows the public to see how the
position has evolved over the years.”
For more information about the
exhibit, call the CHC at 918-4566007 or 1-888-999-6007 or visitwww.
CherokeeHeritage.org. It can also
be found on Facebook by searching
“Cherokee Heritage Center.”
ᎠᏭᏂᏴᏍᏗ ᎦᏚᏏ, ᎣᎦᎵᎰᎹ –
ᎢᏳᎾᎵᏍᏔᏅ ᎠᏂᏣᎳᎩ ᎠᎾᏘ
ᏑᏓᎵᏍᎪ
ᏧᏕᏘᏴᏓ
ᏂᏓᏳᎶᏒ
ᎤᎾᎵᎪᏁᎸ ᏃᏊ ᎤᏬᏟ ᏣᎳᎩ ᎠᏔ,
Sunday Plumb, ᎾᏍᎩ ᎠᏂᏍᎬᏘ
ᏔᎵᏍᎪ
ᏐᏁᎵᏁ
ᎠᎾᎵᎮᎵᎬ
ᎠᏂᏍᏚᎢᏍᎬ
ᎤᏂᏝᎾᎥ
ᎬᏂᎨᏒ
ᏄᏅᏅ ᎾᎿ ᏣᎳᎩ ᏧᎾᏓᎴᏅ ᎠᏰᏟ
ᏓᎾᎵᎮᎵᏤᎲ ᎠᎴ ᎾᏍᎩ ᎾᎾᏛᏁᎲ
ᎾᎿ ᏣᎳᎩ ᎠᏰᎵ ᎠᏁᎳ.
ᎾᏍᎩᏃ
ᏑᏓᎵᏍᎪ
ᎾᏕᏘᏯ
ᏧᎶᏒ, ᎠᎾᏘ ᎠᏂᏣᎳᎩ ᎠᏂᎨᏯ
ᎨᎦᏑᏱᏍᎪ ᎤᎾᎴᏗ ᎢᏳᎾᏛᏁᏗ
ᏣᎳᎩ ᎠᏰᎵ. ᎾᎿ ᏑᏕᏘᏴᏓ ᎢᎪᎯᏓ,
ᏓᏂᏃᎯᏎᎰ ᎠᏂᏴᏫ ᏄᏍᏛ ᎠᏁᎲ
ᎠᏂᏣᎳᎩ ᎢᏳᎾᏛᏁᎵᏓᏍᏗ ᎠᎴ
ᏒᏍᏛ ᏧᏂᎶᎡᎢ.
ᎤᏂᎪᏓ ᎤᏂᎶᏌ ᎠᏂᏣᎳᎩ ᎠᎾᏘ
ᎠᎴ ᎾᏍᎩ ᎯᎠ ᏥᎦᏙᎦ ᎢᏍᏗ
ᎠᎾᎵᎮᎵᎦ ᎤᏓᏤᏟᏓ ᎤᏂᏝᎾ ᏄᏍᏛ
ᎠᎴ ᎾᎾᏛᏁᎲ ᎬᏂᎨᏒ ᏄᏅᎾ ᎾᎿ
ᎦᎶᏂ ᏔᎵᏍᎪ ᏦᎢᏁ ᎢᎪᎯᏓ, ᎠᎴ
ᎤᏂᎪᏓ ᎨᏒ ᎤᎾᏁᏢᎾ ᎤᏅᏔᏅᏅ
ᎬᏂᎨᏒ ᎤᏂᏠᏗ ᏴᏫ ᎤᏂᎪᏩᏛᏗ.
Janelle Adair, ᏣᎳᎩ ᎠᏔ
ᎢᏁᎵᏍᏔᏅ 1999—2000 ᏥᎨᏒᎢ,
ᎠᏗᏍᎬ ᎠᎵᎮᎵᎬ ᎾᏍᎩ ᎬᏂᎨᏒ
ᏂᏛᏅᏁᎵᏒ ᏄᎾᏛᏁᎵᏙᎸᎢ.
“ᎨᎵᏍᎪ
ᎠᏏᏴᏫᎭ
ᎯᎠ
ᎠᎾᏘ
ᏧᏓᎴᏅᏓ
ᎤᏂᎦᏙᎲᏌ,
ᎠᏎᏃ ᏂᎦᏓ ᎪᎱᏍᏗ ᎣᏍᏓ ᎨᏐ
ᎾᏍᎩ ᏛᎾᏁᏟᏴᏏᏒ ᎭᎴᏂᏙᎲᎢ
ᏅᏗᎦᎵᏍᏙᏗ ᎢᏴᏓᎭ ᎢᎾ ᏤᏅᏍᏗ
ᏂᎦᎵᏍᏗᏍᎪ
ᎾᎿ
ᏫᏤᏙᎸᎢ
ᏂᎨᏒᎾ ᎢᏅᎯ ᎨᏐ, ᎠᎴ ᎾᏍᎩ
ᏣᎭ ᎢᏣᏛᏗᎢ ᎠᎴ ᏂᏕᎭᏛᏁᎰ
ᎠᏂᏣᎳᎩ ᎠᏂᏴᏫ,” ᎠᏗᏍᎬᎢ.
“ᎤᎪᏗ ᎠᏚᏓᎸᏗ, ᎠᏎᏃ ᎢᎦ ᎣᏍᏓ
ᎠᏓᏅᏓᏗᏍᏗ ᎾᏍᎩ ᏅᏛᏁᎲᎢ.”
ᎠᏗᏍᎬ ᎾᎿ ᏣᎳᎩ ᎠᏔ ᏥᎨᏒ
ᎤᎪᏓ ᏄᎾᏛᏅ ᎠᏂᏴᏫ ᎢᎬᏯᏗᏢ
ᎤᎪᏛ ᎤᏕᎶᏆᎥ ᎤᏬᏂᎯᏍᏗᎢ.
“ᎠᏆᏕᎶᏆᏍᏗ
ᎨᏒ
ᎤᏟᏍᏗ
ᎠᏆᏓᏅᏖᏗ ᎠᎴ ᎤᏌᏄᎵ ᎠᏓᏅᏖᏗ
ᎨᏒ ᎢᏳᏍᏓᏊ ᎨᏒᎢ. ᎨᎵᏍᎬ ᎾᏍᎩ
ᎣᏍᏓ ᎨᏒ ᎠᏯ ᎨᏒ ᎠᏆᏕᎶᏆᎥᎢ,”
ᎠᏗᏍᎬ Adair.
Regina Ruth Christie, ᏣᎳᎩ
ᎠᏔ ᎨᏒ 1982—1983, ᎾᎯᏳ ᎨᏒ
ᏧᏍᏆᏗᏕᎾ ᎨᏒ ᎾᎿ ᎤᏴᏢᎢ ᎧᎸᎬ
ᎢᏗᏢ ᏍᎦᏚᎩ ᎦᎸᎳᏗ ᏧᎾᏕᎶᏆᏍᏗᎢ
ᏓᏕᎶᏆᏍᎬ ᎠᎴ ᎤᏕᎶᏆᎥ ᎾᎯᏳ
“ᎤᏕᎶᏆᎥ “ ᎠᎴ ᎤᏬᎸᏗ ᎨᏒᎢ.
ᎠᏗᏍᎬ
ᎤᏂᎪᏓ
ᎬᏩᏔᏂᏙᎯ
ᏚᏪᎧᎲ ᎢᎸᏢ ᎤᏪᏅᏍᏗ ᏱᎩ
ᎠᎴ “ᎣᏍᏓ ᏂᎬᏩᎾᏕᎬ,” ᎠᏗᏍᎬ,
ᎠᏎᏃ ᎤᎸᏉᏛ ᎯᎠ ᎨᏒ ᎤᏙᏓ
Isaac Christie.
ᎾᏍᎩᏃ
ᏂᎬ
ᎠᏆᏘᏂᏙᎯ, ᎠᎴ
ᏂᎬ
ᎨᏙᎵᏙᎲ,”
ᎠᏗᏍᎬ.
“ Ꮹ Ꭶ Ꮈ ᎳᏗ Ᏼ
SCAN CODE
ᎠᎵᎮᎵᏍᏗ
ᎨᏒ
WITH SMART
ᎾᏍᎩ
ᎠᏣᎳᎩ
-PHONE TO
ᎠᏔ ᎨᏒᎢ.”
SEE VIDEO
C h r i s t i e
ᎠᏗᏍᎬ
ᎪᏪᎵ
ᎤᎾᎥ
ᎾᏍᎩᏃ
ᎣᎩᎪᎵᏰᎥ ᎤᏥᏃ ᎤᏬᏢᏁᎢ ᎠᎴ
ᏔᎵ ᎢᏗᎳᏑᎶ ᎦᏃᏥ ᏗᎪᏢᏔᏅᎢ
ᏂᎦᏓ ᎾᏍᎩ ᎠᎪᏩᏛᏗ ᎬᏂᎨᏒ
ᏂᎬᎾ.
“Ꮭ ᎢᎸᎯᏳ ᎠᎩᎪᎲ ᏱᎨᏎ
ᎢᎬᏁᎸ ᎢᏲᏍᏗ, ᎠᎪᎵᏱᏗ ᎣᏍᏓ,”
ᎠᏗᏍᎬᎢ.
CHC Curator Mickel Yantz
ᎠᏗᏍᎬ
ᏚᏬᏏᏌᏅ
ᎤᎴᏅᎲ
ᎢᎸᏍᎩ ᎾᏕᏘᏯ ᎤᏬᏉᏅ ᎯᎠ
ᎠᏂᏣᎳᎩ ᎠᎾᏘ ᎪᏪᎳᎾᎢ ᎾᎿ
ᏌᏊ ᎤᏙᏢᏒ ᎠᏍᏆᏂᎪᏓ..
“ᎣᎦᎴᏅᎯ
ᎣᎩᏯᎸᏍᎬ
ᎣᎦᏕᎶᎰᏒ Ꮭ ᏌᏊ ᎤᏙᏢᏒ ᏯᎮ ᎠᎴ
Ꮭ ᎢᎴᎯᏳ ᎦᏟᏌᏅ ᏱᎨᏎᎢ.
ᎾᏍᎩᏃ ᎣᎦᎴᏅᎲ ᏙᏣᏟᏃᎮᏗᏍᎬ
ᏣᎳᎩ
ᎠᎾᏘ
ᎢᏳᎾᎵᏍᏔᏅᎢ
ᎾᏍᎩ ᏗᎦᏲᏥᏩᏛᏗ ᎨᏒᎢ. ᎣᎩᏯᎸ
ᎣᎩᏍᏆᏂᎪᏛ, ᏣᎳᎩ ᏧᎴᎯᏌᏅ
ᎤᏂᏍᏆᏂᎪᏛ, ᎦᎸᎳᏗ ᏧᎾᏕᎶᏆᏍᏗ
ᎤᏂᏍᏆᏂᎪᏛ…….
ᎠᎴ
ᏑᏓᎵ
ᎢᏯᏅᏓ ᎣᎩᏯᎸᏍᎬ ᏙᎩᏩᏛᎲ
ᏗᏓᏟᎶᏍᏔᏅ ᏂᎦᏓ ᎠᏂᏣᎳᎩ
ᎠᎾᏘ ᎢᏳᎾᎵᏍᏔᏅᎢ,” ᎤᏛᏅᎢ.
“ᎾᏍᎩᎾ ᎯᎠ ᏦᎩᏝᎾᎢ ᎾᏍᎩ
ᏗᎦᏟᏌᏅ
ᎧᏃᎮᏍᎩ
ᏄᎾᏛᏁᎸ
ᎠᎴ ᏄᏍᏛ ᎤᎾᎴᏅᏅ ᏄᎾᏛᏁᎸ
ᏣᎳᎩ ᎠᏰᎵ ᎾᎿ ᏌᏊ ᎤᏙᏢᏒᎢ.”
ᎠᏜᎾᎥ ᎾᏍᎩ ᏅᎩᏍᎪ ᎠᎴ
ᎤᎶᏒᏍᏗ ᏗᏌᏃ ᏓᏢᎢ ᎾᏍᎩᎾ
ᎠᏂᏣᎳᎩ
ᎠᎾᏘ
ᏧᎾᏌᏃᏢ
ᏣᏂᏯᎡᎢ, ᎠᏠᏯᏍᏗ ᎢᎬᏱ ᎠᏌᏃ
ᎪᏢᏅ ᎾᏍᎩ ᏣᎳᎩ ᎠᏔ ᎤᏌᏃᏢ
ᎾᎿ ᏐᏁᎳᏚ ᎢᏍᎪᎯᏧᏈ ᏑᏓᎵᏍᎪ
ᏐᏁᎳ ᎤᏕᏘᏴᏌᏗᏒ. ᎾᏍᎩᏍᏊ
ᎤᏂᏝᎭ ᎤᎵᏍᏇᏚᏅ ᎠᎴ ᎠᏕᎳ
ᏗᏯᏢᏗ
ᎪᏢᏔᏅ
ᎠᏓᏠᏍᏗ,
ᏧᎩᏓᏟ
ᎪᏢᏔᏅ
ᎤᎾᏐᏢᏗ,
ᏧᏓᎴᏅᏓ ᎪᎱᏍᏗ ᎤᏅᏔᏅ ᎠᎴ
ᏧᎾᏓᏟᎶᏍᏔᏅ ᎠᎴ ᎨᏥᏃᎮᏍᎩ
ᎾᎯᏳ ᎠᏂᏣᎳᎩ ᎠᎾᏘ ᏥᎨᏎᎢ.
Brooke Hudson, ᏣᎳᎩ ᎠᏘ
ᏔᎵ ᏯᎦᏴᎵ ᏍᎪᎯ ᎤᏕᏘᏴᏌᏗᏒ
ᎠᎴ
ᏌᏚ
ᎢᎪᎯᏓ,
ᎠᏗᏍᎬ
ᎠᎵᎮᎵᎨ ᎾᏍᎩ ᎢᎬᏩᏛᏗ ᎨᏒ
ᎠᎴ
ᎤᏪᏙᎵᏙᎸ
ᎠᏥᏅᏍᎬᎢ
ᎠᏕᎳ ᏧᏢ ᏂᏓᏳᏂᎩᏓ ᎠᎴ ᏩᏒᏓᏃ,
D.C., ᎦᏬᏂᏍᎨ ᎾᎿ ᏣᎳᎩ ᎠᏔ
ᎤᎵᏍᏚᎴ ᎠᎴ ᎤᏌᏃᎮᎢ.
“ᎾᏍᎩᏃ ᏣᎳᎩ ᎠᏔ ᏥᎨᏒ
ᏙᎯᏳ ᎠᏆᏕᎶᏆᎥ ᎠᏯ ᎨᏒ ᏯᏆᏛᏗ
ᎠᏋᏌ ᏥᏓᎨ ᏥᏣᎳᎩ ᎣᏍᏓ ᎠᎴ ᎾᎥ
ᎨᏙᎲ ᏍᎦᏚᎩ. ᎢᎦ ᎦᎵᎡᎵᎬᎢ. ᎢᎦ
ᎣᏍᏓ ᎨᏒ ᎠᏂᏴᏫ ᏙᏣᏙᎵᎬ ᏂᎬ
ᎠᏁᎲ ᎠᏂᏣᎳᎩ,” ᎠᏗᏍᎬᎢ. “ᎢᎦ
ᎦᎵᎡᎵᎪ ᎾᏍᎩ ᎯᎠ ᎤᏂᏝᎾᎥᎢ.
ᎨᎵᏍᎬ ᎢᎦ ᎣᏍᏓ ᎨᏒ ᏧᏓᎴᏅᏓ
ᎤᏂᏢᏅᎾ ᏗᏅᏓᏗᏍᏙᏗ ᎠᏂᏣᎳᎩ
ᎠᎾᏘ.”
ᎢᎬᏱ ᏣᎳᎩ ᎠᏔ Ramona
Collier,
ᎠᏥᏍᏚᎳᏅ
ᏐᏁᎳᏚ
ᎢᏍᎪᎯᏧᏈ
ᏑᏓᎵᏍᎪ
ᏔᎵ
ᎤᏕᏘᏴᏌᏗᏒ. ᎠᏥᏅᏁᎸ ᏔᎵᏧᏈ
ᎠᏕᎸ ᏧᏕᎶᏆᏍᏙᏗ, ᎠᎴ ᎠᏈᏴᏓ
ᏙᏓᏈᏕᎾ
ᎠᎴ
ᏙᏓᏆᏍᎬ
ᎾᎿ
Western Hills Lodge ᎤᏪᏓᏍᏙᏗ
ᎠᎴ ᎢᎸᏍᎩ ᏐᎢ ᎠᏥᏁᎸᏁᎸᎢ.
ᎯᎠ ᎢᎬᏱ ᎧᏃᎮᎯ ᎾᏍᎩ ᎯᎠ
ᎤᏓᏒᏅ ᎠᎴ ᎠᏂᏣᎳᎩ ᏣᎾᎵᎮᎵᎪ
ᎾᎯᏳ ᎤᎾᎵᎮᎵᏍᏗᎢ, ᎠᎴ ᎢᎸᏍᎩ
ᏗᏍᎦᏚᎩ ᏧᏪᏓᏍᏗ ᎨᏒ ᎠᎴ
ᏓᏍᏆᎸᎯᏙᎲᎢ.
ᎾᎯᏳ
ᏂᏓᎬᎴᏂᏍᎩ,
ᎾᏍᎩ
ᎤᏂᎩᏓ Ꮟ ᎾᏍᎩ ᎤᏂᎭ ᎠᏂᏣᎳᎩ
ᎠᎾᏘ. ᏑᏓᎵᏍᎪ ᎠᎾᏘ ᎤᏂᎩᏌ
ᎾᏍᎩ, Mary Kay Harshaw,
ᎤᎩᏒ ᏔᎵ ᎢᏳᏩᎪᏗ, ᎤᏕᏘᏴᏌᏗᏒ
ᏐᏁᎳᏚ
ᎢᏍᎪᎯᏧᏈ
ᏁᎵᏍᎪ
ᎤᏕᏘᏴᏌᏗᏒ
ᎠᎴᏂᏍᎩ
ᎠᎴ
ᏁᎳᏍᎪ ᏔᎵ ᎢᎪᎯᏓ.
“ᏑᏓᎵᏍᎪ ᎢᎸᏢ ᎾᏕᏘᏯ, ᏣᎳᎩ
ᎠᏔ ᎾᎿ ᎤᏍᏆᏂᎪᏓ ᎤᏂᎭ
ᏧᏂᎸᏫᏍᏓᏁᏗ ᏱᎨᎦᏑᏰᏱᏏ ᎾᎿ
ᏣᎳᎩ ᎠᏰᎵ,” Dr. Candessa
Tehee, CHC ᏄᎬᏫᏳᏒ, ᎠᏗᏍᎬᎢ.
“ᎯᎠ ᏣᏝᎾᎥ ᎧᏃᎮᎯ ᏗᎩᎶᏒᎢ
ᏧᏓᎴᏅᏓ ᎤᏍᏆᏂᎪᏓ ᎠᎯ, ᎠᎴ
ᎠᎵᏍᎪᎸᏗ
ᎾᏂᎥ
ᎤᏂᎪᏩᏛᏗ
ᏄᏍᏛ
ᏂᏧᎵᏍᏔᏅᏍᏔᏅ
ᎾᏕᏘᏯ.”
ᎤᎪᏓ ᎠᏕᎶᎰᎯᏍᏗ ᏲᏚᎵ ᎯᎠ
ᎠᏝᎾᎥᎢ, Call the CHC at 918456-6007 or 1-888-999-6007 or
visitwww.CherokeeHeritage.
org. ᏃᏢᏍᏊ ᎠᏩᏛᏗ ᎤᎧᏛᎪᏪᎵ
ᎠᏯᏍᏗᎢ “Cherokee Heritage
Center.
19
Choctaw woman shares grape dumpling recipe
BY TESINA JACKSON
Reporter
TAHLEQUAH, Okla. – Growing
up Choctaw Nation citizen Joanne
Davis spent a lot of time in the
kitchen learning how to cook with
her mother, grandmother and
sister. But for the past 10 years, she
has been making a Cherokee and
Choctaw favorite, grape dumplings.
“I’d have to get in there and learn
how to do stuff, so I just grew up
cooking and helping in the kitchen,
learning how to make beans and
gravy and stuff like that,” she said.
On days when her mother didn’t
feel like cooking, Davis and her
sister would take over in the kitchen.
“I’ve always liked to learn new
recipes,” Davis said. “I watch
a lot of cooking shows too, try
out new recipes and stuff. I just
enjoy cooking.”
Without following a written
recipe, Davis’ sister taught her how
to make grape dumplings.
“I don’t really measure, so I can’t
say how much flour I use, but we use
all-purpose flour and we use grape
juice,” Davis said. “We put some
grape juice on the stove to boil and
add sugar to that and then I just mix
up the dough, which is the flour and
grape juice. Then I roll it out and cut
it up for the dumplings and throw
them in there. That’s the way I was
taught to make them.”
While tribes make grape dumplings
different ways, nowadays they are
commonly made with grape juice
instead of traditional possum grapes.
According to “Culture and
Customs of the Choctaw Indians” by
Donna L. Akers, a traditional way to
make grape dumplings is to gather
the wild grapes in the fall and dry
them on the stem. To cook, boil the
grapes and then strain them through
While the grape juice and sugar come to a boil on the stove, Choctaw Nation citizen Joanne Davis mixes
all-purpose flour and grape juice for grape dumplings, a dessert for many Native Americans. After learning
how to make them from her sister, Davis has been making grape dumplings for 10 years. Davis uses grape
juice instead of the traditional possum grapes.
PHOTOS BY TESINA JACKSON/CHEROKEE PHOENIX
cheesecloth and
set
the
juice
aside. Then mix
cornmeal, baking
soda and salt
until doughy and SCAN CODE
roll into shape WITH SMART
and drop into the -PHONE TO
grape juice and SEE VIDEO
cook until done.
The
dumplings
absorb the grape juice and the
remainder of the juice is thickened.
Davis said with her way of
making the dumplings for a small
group of people usually takes about
30 minutes. However, she and her
sister usually make them for large
events, if asked, such as the Free
Feed during the Cherokee National
Holiday over Labor Day weekend.
They also make fry bread to go
along with the dumplings.
“I enjoy making them and I feel
like I’m contributing to the dinners,”
she said. “I just enjoy cooking
in general. I’m making stuff that
people like. It makes me feel proud
of myself.”
Cherokee Nation recipe
for grape dumplings
1 cup flour
1-1/2 teaspoon baking powder
2 teaspoons sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon shortening
1/2 cup grape juice
Mix flour, baking powder,
sugar, salt and shortening. Add
juice and mix into stiff dough. Roll
dough thin on floured board and
cut into strips 1/2-inch wide, or
roll dough in hands and break off
pea-sized bits. Drop into boiling
grape juice and cook for 10 to 12
minutes.
– www.cherokee.org
Davis and her sister usually make grape dumplings for large events
such as the Free Feed during the Cherokee National Holiday over
Labor Day weekend. They also make fry bread to go along with the
dumplings.
Exhibit highlights Native Code Talkers’ contributions
BY WILL CHAVEZ
Senior Reporter
TAHLEQUAH, Okla. – A panel
exhibit is on display at the Cherokee
Nation Veterans Service Center
through Nov. 30 that highlights
how Native soldiers and marines
developed unbreakable codes to
help win both world wars.
“Code Talkers: How Natives
Saved the United States” features
standing panels that provide the
history of Native Code Talkers
and how they developed their
unbreakable codes. In World War
II, Germany’s military code was
eventually broken. However, the
enemy not could break the codes of
Cherokee, Comanche, Navajo and
other Native warriors. No machine
understood their languages.
Travis Owens, manager of
Planning and Development for
Cherokee Nation Cultural Tourism,
said research was done to determine
if there were Cherokee Code Talkers
in World War I or World War II.
“We did a lot of research and
found out there was only one
proven Cherokee Code Talker
named George Adair. We presented
some options for what we could do
to memorialize the Code Talkers
knowing that we could only
document one so far,” Owens said.
“One of those options was to to do
a special exhibition on the history,
not just Cherokee, but how Code
Talkers saved America – the history
of all tribes involved.”
He said the exhibit highlights the
Code Talkers’ legacy that included
Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians,
Choctaw, Comanche and Navajo
soldiers and marines and why they
served. The exhibit also highlights Adair
who served with the 36th Division in
Europe during World War I.
In 2000, Congress passed a law
that awarded the Congressional
Gold Medal to the original 29 World
War II Navajo Code Talkers and
silver medals to each person who
qualified as a Navajo Code Talker.
In 2007, 18 Choctaw Code Talkers
were posthumously awarded the
Texas Medal of Valor for their World
War II service.
These two events are highlighted
in the exhibit along with the fact
The Code Talkers Recognition Act
was signed into law by President
George W. Bush in 2008, which
recognized every Native American
Code Talker who served in the U.S.
military during WWI or WWII
with a Congressional Gold Medal.
In 2013, 25 tribes were awarded
Congressional Gold Medals in
recognition of the dedication and
valor of Native American Code
Talkers during WWI and WWII. The
CN received one of those medals,
which is on display in the exhibit.
Owens said the exhibit also
addresses the misconception that
every tribe had Code Talkers who
served. People will also learn about
how the Native soldiers and marines
created their codes, which tribes
had a formal code-talking program,
why Natives adapted better to
military life and why Natives fought
in World War I when they weren’t
citizens of the United States.
In the early 20th century, the
Great Depression was particularly
hard on Native Americans. Jobs and
money were scarce, and families and
communities were suffering. The
military offered free room, board,
clothing, food and pay to enlisted
soldiers, which was a huge draw to
the Native American population. The
armed forces provided a job and place
to live, while allowing them to send
money home to their families. This
history is highlighted in the exhibit.
“This Code Talker exhibit honors
the brave Native soldiers who used
our Cherokee language and other
Native languages to defeat enemies
in multiple wars dating back to
World War I,” Deputy Chief S. Joe
Crittenden said. “Had it not been for
their courageous efforts, the outcome
of those wars could have been
drastically different. We are proud to
share their story with the public.”
The CN Veterans Service Center
is open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Monday through Friday.
For more information about this
and other historical attractions, visit
www.VisitCherokeeNation.com.
ᏓᎵᏆ, ᎣᎦᎳᎰᎹ. – ᎾᏍᎩᏃ
ᏅᎩ ᏧᏂᏏᏯ ᏚᎾᎴᏛᎢ ᎾᏍᎩ
ᎬᏂᎨᏒᎢ ᏂᎤᏍᏗ ᎥᎿᎾᏂ ᏣᎳᎩᎯ
ᎠᏰᎵ ᎤᏂᏲᏏᏙᎸᎢ ᎨᏥᏍᏕᎸᏗᎢ
ᎠᏰᎵ ᎤᏙᏢᏒᎢ ᎾᏍᎩ ᏂᎦᏅᎯᏒᎢ
ᏅᏓᏕᏆ. 30 ᎾᏍᎩᏃ ᎬᏂᎨᏒᎢ
ᎾᏅᏁᎭ
ᏄᎾᏛᏁᎸᎢ
ᏅᏁᎯᏴ
ᎠᏂᏲᏍᎩ ᎠᎴ ᎠᎺᏉᎯ ᎠᎴ
ᎦᏙ ᎠᏁᏙᎯ ᎠᏂᏲᏍᎩ ᎾᏍᎩ
ᏄᎾᏛᏁᎸᎢ ᎤᏂᏩᏛᎲᎢ ᎠᏂᏐᎢ
ᎬᏩᏃᏟᏍᏗ ᏂᎨᏒᎾ ᎦᏬᏂᏓ ᎾᏍᎩ
ᎤᎾᎵᏍᏕᎸᎲᎢ ᎤᎾᏓᏎᎪᎩᏒᎢ ᎢᏧᎳ
ᎡᎶᎯ ᏂᎬᎾᏛ ᏓᎿᏩ ᏥᏚᎾᏟᎸᎢ.
“ ᎠᏂᏁᏟᏴᏍᎩ ᎦᏬᏂᎯᏍᏗ:
ᏱᎬᏁᎸᎢ ᏅᏁᎯᏴ ᎤᏂᏍᏕᎸᎲᎢ
ᎠᎹᏰᏟ ᏗᏍᎦᏚᎩ” ᎠᎴ ᏱᎬᏁᎸᎢ
ᏚᏃᎷᏩᏛᎲᎢ ᏗᎬᎪᏟᏍᏗ ᎦᏁᏟᏴᏓ
ᎦᏬᏂᎯᏍᏗᎢ. ᎾᎯᏳᏃ ᏔᎵ ᎪᏪᎵ
ᏓᎿᏩ,
ᎠᏂᏛᏥᏃ
ᎤᏂᏁᏟᏴᏓ
ᎦᏬᏂᎯᏍᏗ ᎤᎾᏕᎳᎰᏒᏃ ᎢᏳᏍᏗ
ᎾᏂᏪᏍᎬᎢ,
ᎾᏍᎩᏍᎩᏂ,
ᏓᏂᏓᎿᏮᏃ
ᎥᏝ
ᎤᏂᏄᎸᏅᎢ
ᎤᎾᏁᏟᏙᏗᎢ ᎢᏳᏍᏗ ᎾᏂᏪᏍᎬᎢ
ᎠᏂᏣᎳᎩ, ᎠᏂᎧᎺᏥ, Navajo, ᎠᎴ
ᎠᏂᏐᎢ ᏅᏁᎯᏴᎢ ᏓᎿᏩ ᏗᎾᏟᎯ.
ᎥᏝᏃ ᏗᎦᏃᏣᎵᏍᎩ ᎠᏂᏬᏂᏍᎬᎢ
ᏱᎪᏟᎨᎢ ᎤᏂᏬᏂᎯᏍᏗᎢ.
Travis Owens, Ꮓ ᏄᎬᏫᏳᏌᏕᎩ
ᎠᏓᏖᏟᏙᎯ ᏓᏄᎪᏔᏅᏍᎬᎢ ᎠᎴ
ᎪᎷᏩᏘᏍᎩ ᎥᎿ ᏣᎳᎩᎯ ᎠᏰᎵ
Cultural
Tourism,
ᎾᏍᎩ
ᎢᏳᏪᏓ
ᎤᏂᎦᏛᏂᏙᎸᎢ
ᎾᏍᎩ
ᏧᏄᎪᏙᏗᎢ ᎠᏂᏣᎳᎩ ᎠᏂᏁᏟᏴᏍᎩ
ᎦᏬᏂᎯᏍᏗ ᎤᏁᎵᏛᎢ ᏱᎩ I ᎪᏪᎵ
ᏓᎿᏩ ᎠᎴᏱᎩ II ᎪᏪᎵ ᏓᎿᏩ.
“ᎤᎪᏗᏃ ᎣᎩᎦᏛᏂᏙᎸᎢ ᎠᎴ
ᎣᎦᏕᎳᎰᏒᎢ
ᏌᏊ
ᎦᎪᎯᏳᏗ
ᎠᏣᎳᎩ
ᎦᏁᏟᏴᏍᏗᏍᎩ
ᎦᏬᏂᎯᏍᏗ
ᎤᏪᎵᏛᎢ
ᎾᏍᎩ
George Adair ᏧᏙᎢᏓ. ᎬᏂᎨᏒᏃ
ᏃᎬᏁᎳ ᎢᎦᏓ ᏗᎬᏑᏰᏍᏗ ᎾᏍᎩ
ᏱᎦᏲᎦᏛᏁᏗ
ᏦᏣᏅᏓᏗᏍᏙᏗ
ᎠᏂᏁᏟᏴᏍᎩ ᎦᏬᏂᎯᏍᏗ ᎦᏲᎦᏂᏔ
ᏌᏊᏮ ᎦᏲᎪᎯᏙᏗᏊ ᎨᏒ ᎿᏊᎨᏒᎢ,”
ᎠᏗᏍᎬᎢ
Owens.
“ᏌᏊᏃ
ᎨᏒ ᎬᏲᎦᏛᏁᏗ ᎨᏒᎢ ᎤᏤᏟᏓ
ᎬᏂᎨᏒᎢ ᎦᏲᎬᏁᏗ ᎾᏍᎩ ᎪᎯᎩᏴ
ᏄᎵᏍᏔᏅᏅᎢ, ᎥᏝᏃ ᎠᏂᏣᎳᎩ
ᎤᏅᏌ, ᎠᏎᏍᎩᏂ ᏄᎵᏍᏙᏔᏅᎢ
ᎠᏂᏁᏟᏴᏍᏗᏍᎩ
ᎦᏬᏂᎯᏍᏗ
ᎤᏂᏍᏕᎸᎲᎢ ᎠᎹᏰᏟ ᏗᏍᎦᏚᎩ
- ᎾᏍᎩᏃ ᎪᎯᎩᏴ ᏄᎵᏍᏔᏂᏙᎸᎢ
ᏂᎦᏓ ᎠᏂᏍᏓᎸᎢ ᎤᎾᎵᏍᏕᎸᎲᎢ.”
ᎾᏍᎩᏃ
ᎢᎧᏃᎮᏍᎬᎢ
ᎾᏍᎩ
ᎬᏂᎨᏒᎢ
ᎾᏅᏁᎲᎢ
ᎦᏬᏂᎯᏍᏗ
ᎾᏍᎩᏃ ᏗᎧᎸᎬᎢ ᏗᏜ ᎠᏁᎯ
ᎠᏂᏣᎳᎩ ᎠᏂᏴᏫᏯᎢ, ᎠᏂᏣᏔ,
ᎠᏂᎧᎺᏥ, ᎠᎴ Navajo ᎠᏂᏲᏍᎩ.
ᎠᎴ ᎠᎺᏉᎯ ᎠᎴ ᎦᏙ ᎠᏁᏙᎯ
ᎠᏂᏲᏍᎩ
ᎠᎴ
ᎢᏳᏰᏟᏗ
ᏧᎾᎵᏍᏕᎸᎲᎢ. ᎠᎴᎾᏍᏊ ᎬᏂᎨᏒᎢ
ᎾᏅᏁᎲᎢ Adair 36th Division
ᎤᏪᎵᏛᎢ ᎥᎿ ᏍᏆᏂᏱ ᎾᎯᏳ ᎡᎶᎯ
ᏂᎬᎾᏛ ᏌᏊ ᎪᏪᎵ ᏓᎿᏩ ᏣᎾᏟᎲᎢ.
ᎾᎯᏳᏃ 2000, ᏩᏥᏂ ᏗᏂᎳᏫᎩ
ᎤᏂᎶᎯᏍᏔᏅᎢ
ᏗᎧᎿᏩᏛᏍᏗ
ᎾᏍᎩ
Congressional
Gold
Medal ᎾᏍᎩ 29 ᎢᏯᏂᎢ Navajo
A panel exhibit titled “Code Talkers: How Natives Saved the United
States” is on display through Nov. 30 at the Cherokee Nation Veterans
Service Center in Tahlequah, Oklahoma. WILL CHAVEZ/CHEROKEE PHOENIX
ᎠᏂᏁᏟᏴᏍᏗᏍᎩ ᎦᏬᏂᎯᏍᏗ II
ᎪᏪᎵ ᏓᎿᏩ ᎤᏁᎵᏛᎢ ᎠᎴ ᎠᏕᎳ
ᎤᏁᎦ Medals ᎾᏍᎩ ᎠᏂᏏᏴᏫᎭ
ᏚᏂᎩᏒᏍᏔᏅᎢ.
ᎾᎯᏳᎢ
2007,18
ᎠᏂᏣᏔ
ᎦᏬᏂᎯᏍᏗ
ᎾᏁᎲᎾ
ᏚᏂᎩᏒᎩ
ᎾᏍᎩ
ᏅᏓᎩ Medal of Valor ᎾᏍᎩ
ᎤᎾᎵᏍᏕᎸᎲᎢ II ᎪᏪᎵ ᏓᎿᏩ
ᏣᎾᏟᎯᎢ.
ᎯᎠᏃ ᏔᎵᎭ ᎬᏂᎨᏒᎢ ᏄᎵᏍᏔᎾ
ᎥᎿ ᎬᏂᎨᏒᎢ ᎾᏅᏁᎲᎢ ᎢᎠᏠᏯᏍᏓᏃ
ᎾᏍᎩ
ᎦᏬᏂᎯᏍᏗ ᎨᎪᏟᏍᏗᎢ ᎤᎵᏁᏨᎢ
ᎾᏍᎩ ᎤᏬᏪᎳᏅᎢ ᎤᎬᏫᏳᎯ
George
W.
Bush
ᎾᎯᏳᎢ
2008, ᎾᏍᎩ ᏂᎦᎥᏊ ᏁᎯᏯᎢ
ᎠᎹᏰᏟ
ᎡᎯ
ᎦᏁᏟᏴᏍᏗᏍᎩ
ᎦᏬᏂᎯᏍᏗᎢ ᎾᏍᎩ ᎤᏪᎵᏛᎢ
ᏱᎩ U.S. ᎠᏂᏲᏍᎩ ᎾᎯᏳ ᏥᎨᏒᎢ
WW I ᎠᎴᏱᎩ WW II ᎾᏍᎩ
Congressional Gold Medal.
ᎾᎯᏳᏃ 2013,25 ᎠᏂᏍᏓᏢᎢ
ᏚᏂᏁᎸᎢ
Congressional
Gold
Medal
ᎨᎪᎵᎬᎢ
ᎾᏍᎩ
ᎤᎾᎵᏍᏕᎸᎲᎢ
ᎠᎴ
ᏧᎾᎵᏨᏯᏍᏗ ᏅᏁᎯᏴᎢ ᎠᎹᏰᏟ
ᎦᏬᏂᎯᏍᏗ
ᎾᎯᏳ WW I ᎠᎴ WW II.
ᎾᏍᎩᏃ
CN
ᎤᏂᎩᏒᎩ
ᏌᏊ
Medals,ᎾᏍᎩ ᎬᏂᎨᏒᎢ ᎾᏅᏁᎲᎢ
ᎥᎿ ᏓᏂᏃᏣᎵᏍᎬᎢ.
Owens Ꮓ ᏳᏪᏓ ᎾᏍᎩ ᎥᎿ
ᏓᏂᏃᏣᎵᏍᎬᎢ ᎾᏍᏊ ᎬᏂᎨᏒᎢ
ᎤᏅᏁᎸᎢ ᎾᏍᎩᏃ ᎦᎵᏓᏍᏔᏅᎢ
ᏥᎩ
ᎾᏍᎩ
ᏂᎦᏓ
ᏚᏂᎧᎮᎢ
ᎦᏬᏂᎯᏍᏗ
ᎾᏍᎩ
ᎤᎾᎵᏍᏕᎸᏗ.
ᎠᎴᏃ
ᏯᎾᏕᎶᏆᏣ
ᎾᏍᎩ
ᏄᎾᏛᏁᎸᎢ
ᏅᏁᎯᏴᎢ ᎠᏂᏲᏍᎩ ᎠᎴ ᎠᎹᏱ
ᎠᏁᏙᎯ
ᏱᎬᏁᎸᎢ
ᏚᏂᏩᏛᎲᎢ
ᏧᎾᏤᎵᎢ ᏗᎦᏁᏟᏴᏓ ᎦᏬᏂᎯᏍᏗ,
ᎢᏳᏍᏗᏃ
ᎠᏂᏍᏓᏢᎢ
ᎤᏂᎮᎢ
ᏚᏳᎪᏛᎢ ᎦᏁᏟᏴᏓ - ᎦᏬᏂᎯᏍᏗᎢ
ᎠᏍᏓᏩᏛᏍᏗ, ᎾᏍᎩ ᎢᏳᏰᏟᏗ
ᏅᏁᎯᏴᎢ ᏓᎿᏩ ᎠᏁᏙᎲᎢ ᏓᏤᏢᎢ
ᎠᎴ ᏄᏰᏟᏛᎢ ᏅᏁᎯᏴᎢ ᏧᎾᏖᎳᏕᎢ
ᎡᎶᎯ ᏂᎬᎾᏛᎢ ᏓᎿᏩ ᏣᏍᏆᎵᎲᎢ
ᎥᏝᏃ ᎾᏍᏊ ᎠᎹᏰᏟ ᎠᏁᎳ ᏱᎨᏎᎢ.
ᎩᎳᎯᏃ
20th
ᏚᏕᏘᏴᏌᏗᏒᎢ,
ᎾᏍᎩ ᎡᏆ ᏗᎪᏄᎶᏍᎩ ᏥᎨᏒᎢ ᏙᏳᏃ
ᏍᏓᎢ ᏄᎾᎵᏍᏓᏁᎲᎢ ᏅᏁᎯᏴᎢ
ᎠᎹᏰᏓ ᎠᏁᎯ, ᏗᎦᎸᏫᏍᏓᏁᏗᎢ
ᎠᎴ ᎠᏕᎳ ᏍᏓᏱ ᎠᏩᏛᏗᎢ ᎨᏒᎢ,
ᎠᎴ ᎠᏂᏏᏓᏁᎸᎢ ᏓᏁᎲᎢ ᏗᏍᎦᏚᎩ
ᏚᏙᏢᏒᎢ ᎤᏲᎢᏳᏃ ᏄᎾᎵᏍᏓᏁᎲᎢ.
ᎾᏍᎩᏃ
ᎠᏂᏲᏍᎩᎢ
ᎤᎵᏍᎪᏟᏔᏅᎢ ᎠᏎᏭ ᎠᏕᏗᎢ,
ᏗᎿᏬ, ᎠᎵᏍᏓᏰᏗ ᎠᎴ ᎠᏈᏱᏍᎩ
ᎨᏒᎢ ᎤᏁᎳᏗᏍᏗᎢ ᎠᏂᏲᏍᎩ,
ᎾᏍᎩᏃ ᎤᏂᎪᏗ ᎤᏂᎾᏌᏁᏍᎬᎢ
ᏅᏁᎯᏴᎢ ᎠᎹᏰᏟ ᎠᏁᎯ. ᎾᏍᎩᏃ
ᎠᏂᏲᏍᎩ
ᎤᎵᏍᎪᏟᏔᏅᎢ
ᏗᎦᎸᏫᏍᏓᏁᏗᎢ
ᎠᎴ
ᎸᏂᎸᎢ
ᎠᏕᏗᎢ,
ᎠᎴ
ᎠᎵᏍᎪᏟᏗᏍᎬᎢ
ᎠᏕᎳ ᏫᏚᏂᏁᏗᎢ ᏏᏓᏁᎸᎢ, ᎯᎠᏃ
ᎪᎯᎩᏴᎢ ᏄᎵᏍᏓᏂᏙᎸᎢ ᎬᏂᎨᏒᎢ
ᎾᏅᎲᎢ ᏚᏂᏃᏣᏢᎢ.
“ᎯᎠᏃ
ᎦᏬᏂᎯᏍᏗ
ᎬᏂᎨᏒ
ᎾᏅᏁᎲᎢ
ᏓᏂᎸᏉᏗᎲᎢ
ᏧᎾᎵᏨᏯᏍᏔᏅᎢ
ᏅᏁᎯᏴᎢ
ᎠᏂᏲᏍᎩ
ᎾᏍᎩ
ᎤᎾᏔᏅᎢ
ᎢᎦᏤᎵᎢ
ᏣᎳᎩ
ᎦᏬᏂᎯᏍᏗᎢ ᎠᎴ ᏗᏐᎢ ᏅᏁᎯᏴᎢ
ᏗᎦᏬᏂᎯᏍᏗᎢ
ᏧᏂᏎᎪᎩᏍᏗᎢ
ᏓᏂᏓᎿᏮᎢ ᎥᎿᎾᏂ ᏂᏚᏓᎴᎢ ᏓᎿᏩ
ᏓᏍᏆᎵᎲᎢ ᎡᎶᎯ ᏂᎬᎾᏛ ᏓᎿᏩ ᏌᏊ
ᎪᏪᎵ ᏂᏗᎬᏓᎴᏂᏍᎩ,” ᏔᎵᏁ ᎦᏙᎩ
ᎤᎬᏫᏳᎯ S,Joe Crittenden ᎢᏳᏪᏓ.
ᎾᏍᎩᏃ CN ᎤᏂᏲᏏᏙᎸᎢ ᏧᏂᏍᏕᎸᏗᎢ
ᎠᏰᎵ ᎤᏙᏢᏒᎢ ᎠᏚᎢᏓ ᎨᏐᎢ 8 a.m 5p.m
ᎤᎾᏙᏓᏉᏅᎢ ᏧᎾᎩᎶᏍᎩ.
ᎤᎪᏗᏃ
ᎧᏃᎮᏢᏅᎢ
ᏲᏚᎢᎠ
ᎠᏕᎳᎰᎯᏍᏗᎢ
ᎯᎠ
ᏄᎵᏍᏔᏂᏙᎸᎢ, ᏩᏩᏛᏗᎢ www.
VisitCherokeeNation.com
20
Little-known Cherokee Female Seminary facts shared
BY WILL CHAVEZ
Senior Reporter
WESTVILLE, Okla. – Guest
speaker Luke Williams shared littleknown facts about the construction
and use of the second Cherokee
Female Seminary during the recent
Goingsnake
District
Heritage
Association meeting on.
In October 1846, Principal Chief
John Ross proposed the creation of
two Cherokee Nation high schools
or seminaries, one for males and one
for females. Construction began in
1847 with the male seminary located
about a mile and a half southwest of
Tahlequah and the female seminary
located in Park Hill, about a mile
and half south of town.
“Both of these structures consisted
of three-storied brick buildings with
classical-style columns on three
sides. The buildings measured 185
feet long and 109 feet wide, and each
one of these buildings cost in excess
of $60,000,” Williams said.
Some subjects taught at the schools
included geometry, Greek history,
algebra, geography and vocal music.
“These
rigorous
academics
prepared young Cherokees to
become educators,” he said.
On Easter Sunday, April 10, 1887,
the Cherokee Female Seminary caught
fire and was a complete loss. Only the
exterior brickwork and the classical
brick columns remained standing.
Three of those columns still stand in
front of the Cherokee Heritage Center.
A month later, Principal Chief
Dennis Bushyhead recommended
the reconstruction of the seminary
and signed a bill on May 21, 1887, to
order its construction on the north
edge of Tahlequah near a fresh water
source called Hendricks Spring.
Charles Edward Ilsley of St. Louis,
who owned an architectural firm,
was chosen to design the building.
He completed its design in July 1887,
and it called for a three-story brick
building that had two main wings
in an L shape. The RichardsonianRomanesque style of the building
called for two three-story towers
with conical roofs, a five-story bell
tower and numerous round-top
arches over windows and doors.
The construction project was
to cost $57,500. The CN National
Council requested a project
completion date of Aug. 1, 1888.
Construction began Nov. 3, 1887.
Because the nearest railroad
was 30 miles away in Muskogee,
the construction project relied
on materials that were acquired
locally, Williams said.
“Quarries
near
Tahlequah
provided the lime and sandstone
necessary for the large foundation
stone and the window sills. Yellow
pine timber provided the lumber
for the joists, the studding and
the flooring, and local kilns fired
the extra bricks required for this
project,” he said.
In autumn 1888, the council
approved an additional $4,000 for
completion of the project, which
included funding for a wroughtiron fence surrounding it.
On April 18, 1889, Ilsley
transferred the completed building
into the hands of the tribe’s
Students stand in front of the newly built Cherokee Female Seminary
north of Tahlequah in the Cherokee Nation before Oklahoma
statehood. The seminary or high school was dedicated on May
7, 1889, and is now used by Northeastern State University for
classrooms and offices. OKLAHOMA HISTORICAL SOCIETY
On Easter Sunday, April 10, 1887, the Cherokee Female Seminary caught fire and was a complete loss. Only
the exterior brickwork and the classical brick columns remained standing. Three of those columns still
stand in front of the Cherokee Heritage Center. OKLAHOMA HISTORICAL SOCIETY
The building contained many modern
conveniences including indoor toilets, hot and
cold water, a steam heating system, and a trunk
elevator.
– Luke Williams
building committee, and on May 7
a celebration was held “to celebrate
the revival of the Cherokee Female
Seminary.” On Aug. 26, the seminary
opened its doors with an enrollment
of 232 young women.
Williams said the building
contained modern conveniences
including indoor toilets, hot and
cold water, a steam heating system
and a trunk elevator. Also, the
building had 356 windows and
two 70-foot chimneys to provide
ventilation for the building’s boiler.
The 98-foot bell tower on the east
side of the building stood out on the
north side of Tahlequah.
“The L-shaped building consisted
of a main east-to-west wing
measuring 226-feet long and 78feet wide. A smaller north-to-south
wing measured 146-feet long and
40-feet wide,” he said.
The first floor contained a front
vestibule that included a fireplace,
a hallway that ran down the length
of the 226-foot long building, five
large classrooms, a parlor, chapel,
kitchen, kitchen storage, and a
dining room (in the north-south
wing), which was the largest room
on the first floor.
The
second
floor
contained
only
dormitory
rooms that lined
both sides of the SCAN CODE
hallways. The third WITH SMART
floor
contained -PHONE TO
large
bedrooms SEE TRANSwith closets and LATION
smaller bedrooms
with no closets. The far northeast
corner of the third floor contained the
sick ward.
About three years after the
seminary’s construction, the toilets
and the building’s sewer system
failed. The system was set up to
allow sewer to empty into a pit
about 300 yards from the building,
Williams said. Water quickly filled
the pit and water and sewage backed
up into the seminary.
“If that’s not bad enough, this
sewer pit was only 100 yards from
Hendricks Spring. Remember, this
is where they are getting their source
of fresh drinking water,” he said.
“The Cherokee Advocate referred to
the seminary’s plumbing problems
as, quote, ‘a health destroyer.’
A limestone window sill on the
east side of the former Cherokee
Female Seminary shows wear
from the time when cooks used
the window sill to sharpen
knives. That part of the building
once served as the kitchen area
for the seminary. LUKE WILLIAMS
After several students died and
the constant fear of typhoid fever,
the Cherokee National Council
ordered the indoor toilets sealed.
After this closure, the students used
a row of outdoor privies that were
constructed out on the east lawn.”
In March 1909, the “dissolving”
CN government sold the seminary
building to the new state of
Oklahoma for $45,000. In September
1909, the doors reopened as the
Northeastern State Normal School.
Today, the building is used for
classrooms for Northeastern State
University. On May 7, 2014, CN,
NSU and state officials celebrated
the 125th anniversary of the building
being opened on May 7, 1889.

to view - Cherokee Phoenix

Transcription

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