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Artistic Ability
School Clothes
Cherokee Nation citizen Robert
Nofire continues to win awards for
his drawing ability. PEOPLE, 17
The tribe has about 7,000
school clothing vouchers to
disburse in July. SERVICES, 15
June 2016 • cherokeephoenix.org
Cherokee Heritage Day
Grand View School officials invite CHC
employees to demonstrate cultural games
and clothing. EDUCATION, 13
PR SRT STD
US POSTAGE
PAID
PERMIT NO 49
STIGLER, OK 74462
STIGLER PRINTING
188 Years of Cherokee Journalism
PHOENIX
CHEROKEE
Tribal Council amends election code
Legislators exclude the
definition of “term,” which
was worded as a full four
years in an elected office.
BY JAMI MURPHY
Senior Reporter
TAHLEQUAH, Okla. – The Tribal Council
unanimously amended the Cherokee Nation’s
election law during its May 16 meeting after
removing the definition of “term” as a full four
years when pertaining to an elected office.
Previously, the Rules Committee added the
definition to Legislative Act 04-14 to further
define “term” within the CN Constitution.
However, during the May 16 meeting, Tribal
Councilor Victoria Vazquez, who sponsored
the act, introduced it with an amendment.
“I have one small change. We will be
striking the definition of ‘term’ in its entirety,”
she said.
Tribal Councilor Jack Baker seconded the
motion before the body voted by acclamation.
After the meeting, Tribal Councilor Janees
Taylor told the Cherokee Phoenix that the
legislation’s intent was to make tribal elections
run more smoothly.
“Changes needed to be made to avoid issues
that have come up in past elections such as a
candidate raising funds and campaigning
then not filing for office. There were some very
good changes made with this act, and it was
important for this council to work through
the details until we reached a solution we
could all live with. In the end, the only issue
we could not agree on was the definition of
‘term.’ It speaks to the integrity of this council
that we were able to work together to find a
solution that we all could agree on and I am
pleased that it passed unanimously,” she said.
Tribal Councilor Dick Lay, who opposed
defining term as “a full four years,” said he was
happy the definition was removed from the
legislation. “Council can now move forward
to important issues on behalf of Cherokee
citizens.”
Vazquez deferred comments to Attorney
General Todd Hembree, who said he believes
several necessary changes were made to the
election law with the amendment.
“I’m proud of the collaboration between
the council, the Election Commission and
the AG’s office making these amendments
happen,” he said.
COMING NEXT SPRING
Regarding the “term” definition being
pulled from the amendment, Hembree
said the Tribal Council did not define what
constitutes a complete term, but left that
interpretation up to the plain reading of the
Constitution.
In March, the Rules Committee discussed
the word “term” in the Constitution, and
Hembree said that “term” was not defined
within the election law. “Nowhere during the
election law have we ever defined what a term
of office is.”
The committee then voted to define “term”
as “consecutive full four (4) years in which the
elective or appointed officer may perform the
functions of office and enjoy its privileges, a
term shall not include the remainder of any
See CODE, 3
Officials take
steps to manage
contract health
Health Services Director Connie
Davis says many referrals could be
done in-house rather than going
outside the tribe’s health system.
BY JAMI MURPHY
Senior Reporter
An artist’s rendering shows the west end of the W.W. Keeler Complex after a second story is added. COURTESY
Complex addition on schedule for 2017
Along with the second story, plans include placing a cover on the
roof of the rest of the W.W. Keeler Complex for uniformity.
BY WILL CHAVEZ
Senior Reporter
TAHLEQUAH, Okla. – A 34,000-square-foot
expansion that will provide 150 offices and space for
two courtrooms at the Tribal Complex is on pace to be
completed next spring.
The expansion is being built on the complex’s west
end as a second story. The W.W. Keeler Complex
opened in 1979 and was last renovated in 1992. In
1994, an addition was made to the west side that was
meant to have a second story, but funding was not
available to add it.
Along with the second story, plans include placing
a cover on the roof of the rest of the complex for
uniformity. The cover would also protect the complex’s
roof and heating and cooling system.
A more efficient boiler-chiller system will be
installed to replace an inefficient air system. A boilerchiller system uses water instead of air to heat and cool
a structure. Compared with air, water is a more spaceefficient method of transferring heat and cold around
a building, and hot and cold air will be more evenly
distributed throughout the building.
“Mankiller (the 1994 addition) was designed for a
second story. Keeler (the original building) was not,
so we’ll go up several feet for more dead airspace, and
then we’ll have a pitched roof over the rest of it, which
will modernize it and it’s going to take care of all of
our roofing problems (leaks),” Principal Chief Bill
John Baker said. “This building is over 40 years old.
It’s never had a new roof. It’s been patched ever since
I can remember. One of the first things I wanted to do
was get a new roof on this thing so we could protect
our asset.”
He said along with protecting assets, the pitched
roof would lower utility bills and raise the building’s
elevation so it looks more appealing.
Baker said he’s been told the second story’s interior
would be complete in December and the entire
addition should be done in March.
“They knew it was going to take a better part of
a year to do this project, but when you’re working
around programs, serving people each and every day
and trying to keep access to all of the programs it just
takes a little longer,” he said.
A canopy will be built over the complex’s main
entry to shelter people. Also, a courtyard will house
two elevators to provide second-floor access. Three
elevators will be installed to service the second story.
Baker said including the tribe’s courts in the addition
would save $30 million because a new building for the
courts would not have to be constructed. Baker said
the two courtrooms and supporting offices take up
about half of the second-story expansion.
“It gives them the square footage they (court
officials) want. It gives them the design they want. It
gives them the opportunity to be here on trust land at
the complex. It will give better access to our courts by
some of our programs. It will bring all three branches
of government much closer together physically but still
with separation,” he said.
The design for the District and Supreme courts
allows parties on opposing sides to enter the area from
opposite elevators.
“The architects and engineers that are experts in
courthouses apparently have been able to do everything
that they (court officials) were wanting done. So
they’ve got two courtrooms. They’ve got waiting rooms
for witnesses. They’ve got basically everything they
dreamed they needed.”
The larger courtroom will have 110 to 120 seats and
See COMPLEX, 4
TAHLEQUAH, Okla. – At the May 16 Health Committee
meeting, Tribal Councilors questioned Health Services
Director Connie Davis and Brett Hayes, who oversees the
tribe’s contract health department, about contract health
referral reductions for the rest of the fiscal year and the
department’s shortfalls.
According to an emailed letter from Health Services
Executive Medical Director Dr. Roger Montgomery to Davis,
who then forwarded it to Tribal Councilors, each year the tribe
overspends its contract health budget and he recommends
“people cut back on the referrals they write.”
“People don’t really cut back all that much and administration
makes up the difference with collections from the clinics, etc., so
we don’t end up having to push the issue,” Montgomery states.
“This year, with the implementation of a new electronic health
record leading to reduced clinic schedules, and the addition
of approximately 10,000 patient visits this year, there are no
additional collections to pad Contract Health’s overruns.”
Montgomery states that in the first seven months of FY 2016
the tribe spent $25 million of its $35 million contract health
budget.
“That leaves $10 million available for the last five months of
the fiscal year and no expected increased collections to cover
the remainder. If payments for transfers out continue at the
same pace of about $200,000 per month, it actually leaves $9
million for everything else,” he writes.
See CONTRACT, 3
The state’s largest rural fire district, the Northwest Rogers
Fire Protection District, will be putting most of its $3,500
donation from Cherokee Nation to pay for repairs to one
of its diesel trucks. COURTESY
Tribe gives rural fire
departments economic lifts
The Cherokee Nation hands out 130
checks for $3,500 each.
BY LENZY KREHBIEL-BURTON
Special Correspondent
Gage Burns, superintendent for the Tribal Complex’s
second story expansion, explains to Principal Chief Bill
John Baker, left, Deputy Chief S. Joe Crittenden and
Secretary of State Chuck Hoskin Jr. what crews are doing
to complete the project. WILL CHAVEZ/CHEROKEE PHOENIX
Workers cut metal siding to be used in the second story
addition on the west end of the W.W. Keeler Complex in
Tahlequah, Oklahoma. WILL CHAVEZ/CHEROKEE PHOENIX
CATOOSA, Okla. – Northeastern Oklahoma’s rural fire
departments received a financial boost on May 3 at the Hard
Rock Hotel & Casino as Cherokee Nation officials handed out
checks totaling $455,000 to 130 departments across the tribe’s
14-county jurisdiction.
“Recognizing these brave men and women is one of my
favorite duties as principal chief. Every unit is highly trained
and skilled. These firefighters are on call 24/7, 365 days a
year, and the most impressive thing is that they do all this
for the love of their community and to ensure our families
remain safe,” Principal Chief Bill John Baker said. “I’m proud
our tribal government sees the importance in making this
annual financial commitment. Because of this money, 130
rural volunteer fire departments in northeast Oklahoma will
be better equipped and better prepared when an emergency
strikes.”
See LIFTS, 4
2
CHEROKEE PHOENIX • June 2016
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2016 Ewf #>hAmh • [UMI
June 2016 • CHEROKEE PHOENIX
3
Tribe enacts newly created judgment fund
BY JAMI MURPHY
Senior Reporter
TAHLEQUAH, Okla. – In April, the Tribal Council passed
a law creating a judgment fund that would be used to pay for
any judgment against the Cherokee Nation.
“The judgment fund is modeled after the U.S. government
judgment fund. What the premise of the idea is that Congress,
which would be the council in our scenario, would appropriate
money to a judgment fund. And they would do that based
on what the risk may be out there any given year,” Attorney
General Todd Hembree said.
Hembree said it falls to the legislators because they
appropriate monies for the tribe’s annual budget.
“When there is a judgment against the Cherokee Nation…
well that money would have to come from somewhere. So that
means it would have to come from a budget that otherwise
wasn’t intended for,” he said. “What a judgment fund does
CODE
from front page
unexpired term or partial year.”
However, after debate during the April 12
Tribal Council meeting, legislators sent back
the act to the Rules Committee for review.
The committee again approved the “term”
definition with a 9-6-1 vote until May 16
when it was pulled from the amendment.
Also with the election law change, Tribal
Councilors moved the general election from
the fourth Saturday in June of the election
year to the first Saturday to allow the Election
Commission more time to for election matters.
They also defined the term “candidate” as a
person who has raised funds and/or accepted
CONTRACT
from front page
At the meeting, Davis said many referrals
could be done in-house rather than going
outside the tribe’s health system. She said
the lack of in-house procedures because of
referrals has caused contract health spending
to get out of control.
“So we’ve asked our docs to do a better job
managing patients within our own health
centers and not sending them out for things
like knee injections, shoulder injections or
casting,” she said.
She added that the health system had grown
by about 10 percent annually since she’s
led Health Services and that has impacted
spending.
“We’ve budgeted a flat budget with contract
health all these years, and so it’s obvious that
there’s at some point that we’re going to have
to slow some of the (referrals),” she said.
Many referrals are approved now that
historically hadn’t always been approved,
including pain management and orthopedic
procedures, Hayes said.
Montgomery states that to solve
overspending for the rest of FY 2016 requires
referral reductions.
“Because of our three chance appeals
process, the only real way to ensure not
spending money on a referral is to not write the
referral at all. In our case, this means reducing
the number of referrals written by as much
as 50 percent. Contract Health money is and
was traditionally earmarked only for urgent
and emergent care. It was never intended for
elective care,” he states. “It was never intended
for routine follow-ups in patients not having
further issues. It was never intended for things
we could do ourselves, even if it meant waiting
a bit for the care. We added money in the past
in programs such as Back to Work to help pay
for some of the elective procedures. However,
when that money was no longer available, we
never dropped those new service lines.”
Referrals that could be reduced included in
Montgomery’s statement were:
•
Dizziness workups that were
instigated by a vendor apart from the original
reason for the referral,
•
Prophylactic mastectomy that could
be performed at Hastings,
•
Circumcision revisions for cosmetic
is an exercise in good government. The council knows and
departments know that if there is a judgment, it comes out of
this fund. It doesn’t affect any other budgets. They can plan…
knowing that nothing is going to disrupt that.”
Hembree said many governments have judgments funds
and that it was time for the tribe to follow suit.
As of publication, no monies were in the judgment fund but
creating the fund was the first step, he said.
“The legislation is passed. It’s been signed. So sometime in
the next two to three months the council will need to make
a determination of how much money to put in there and to
appropriate that money,” he said.
Departmental budgets are being submitted to the council,
he said, so this is an opportune time to decide what should be
placed within that fund.
The attorney general’s office would certify any judgment, he
said, whether it’s from the CN court system or another court
against the CN. Once certified, he added, the tribal treasurer
would pay the judgment out of the fund.
“It’s not a first-come, first-served. No one party claimant can
take more than half (of what is in the fund) any given fiscal
year. You take up to half of it and then next year you take more
or the other half of your judgment,” he said. “Or, at any time,
just like any budget modification, the council can add more
money into the judgment fund as the year goes on.”
Any judgments following the date the fund was signed into
law would be tied to receiving their payments through it.
Having this fund, Hembree said, brings budgetary stability
to the tribe.
“We have departments that make an estimate of their
expenditures for the next year. It just helps solidify that
nothing’s going to come an disrupt, no judgment will come
in and disrupt that next year’s budget…If there’s a judgment,
it doesn’t have to come out of education’s budget or health. It
comes out of the judgment fund,” he said. “They won’t have to
worry…we’re taking that out of the equation.”
in-kind contributions in excess of $1,000 or
has filed for office.
With this change, one can be considered a
candidate before actually filing for an elected
position.
Other changes included a new section for
record retention and assessing a civil penalty
for a person who has become a candidate and
fails to file as one.
Also at the May 16 meeting, the Tribal
Council approved Pamela Sellers as the EC’s
fifth member. Sellers took her oath during
the meeting with Supreme Court Justice John
Garrett presiding.
The body also approved Valerie Rogers
to the Home Health Services board and the
Comprehensive Care Agency or PACE board.
Councilors also approved nine donations
of surplus equipment to various organizations
within the CN.
purposes,
•
Dermatology: simple excisions,
punch biopsies, actinic and seborrheic
keratosis treatments and skin tag removals,
•
Simple wound care,
•
Elective
gallbladders,
hernias,
hysterectomies, etc., that could be performed
at Hastings,
•
Cardiac clearance by cardiologists
that can be done in-house,
•
Varicose veins,
•
Long-term follow-ups for benign or
distant conditions,
•
Elective
orthopedics-joint
replacements,
•
Elective repairs,
•
Injections at outside vendors,
•
Non-elective
orthopedics-simple
casting,
•
PET scans that don’t change
treatment,
•
Cataracts before Medicare kicks in,
and
•
Allergy testing and reduction
mammoplasty.
Not all non-urgent, non-emergency
procedures are included in the list. The list was
in reference to one day’s referrals, according to
Montgomery’s statement.
Montgomery also states that providers
would have to “police themselves” when
writing referrals.
“If your case manager is writing all your
referrals for you without any real discussion,
you will need to halt this practice…Another
option is to advocate to your patients the
importance of signing up for available
resources, such as insurance from the
Affordable Care Act, Medicaid, and Medicare
Part B,” Montgomery states. “We can pay for
5 insured referrals for every one uninsured
referral. This also brings money into your
individual clinics, which allows you to pay for
raises, new providers, and creates the cushion
that Contract Health used to use when there
are overruns. Explain to your patients that
signing up for these things are a huge help to
Cherokee Nation Health. Ask them if they can
afford to and are willing to help.”
Montgomery states that if these options
were unsuccessful each clinic would be given
a budget to work from and be required to
review their referrals daily and work within
that budget.
“If we still aren’t getting under budget, more
drastic action would need to be taken,” he
states.
Cherokee Nation property bookends tribal lands at the Chilocco Indian Industrial
School property in Kay County, Oklahoma. The Bureau of Indian Affairs’ Eastern
Oklahoma Regional Office has placed nearly 1,334 acres of CN land at Chilocco into
trust. COURTESY
BIA places tribe’s
Chilocco property in trust
The Cherokee Nation’s
2,667 acres at the former
boarding school are now
in trust.
BY TRAVIS SNELL
Assistant Editor
NEWKIRK, Okla. – The Bureau of
Indian Affairs’ Eastern Oklahoma Regional
Office recently placed nearly 1,334 acres of
Cherokee Nation land into trust, the office’s
largest-ever single trust designation.
Principal Chief Bill John Baker and BIA
Regional Director Eddie Streater signed the
deed that moved 1,333.99 acres from fee
status into trust status on April 21.
“Having land placed into trust status
gives the Cherokee Nation the authority to
decide how we use our natural resources
for things like new economic development
or housing to benefit our Cherokee people
for generations to come,” Secretary of State
Chuck Hoskin Jr. said.
The property is about 22 miles north of
Ponca City in Kay County and was formerly
the Chilocco Indian Industrial School site.
Natural Resources Secretary Sara Hill said
the lands were located within the former
Cherokee Outlet and were once part of the
CN.
According to the Oklahoma Historical
Society, in February 1890 President
Benjamin Harrison forbade all grazing in the
Outlet after October, effectively eliminating
tribal profits from leases.
The CN agreed to sell the following year
at a price ranging from $1.40 to $2.50 per
acre. According to the OHS, the Outlet was
later deemed surplus land, and on Sept. 16,
1893, it was Oklahoma Territory’s fourth
and largest land run.
“The United States bought the property
from the Cherokee Nation in 1893, and the
government developed the Chilocco Indian
School,” Streater said. “About 75 years later,
the U.S. government determined 2,667 acres
was surplus to the needs of the school and
the Cherokee Nation was allowed to buy it
back for $3.75 an acre.”
Originally, the school was 8,640 acres.
The CN, as well as the Kaw, Pawnee, Ponca,
Otoe-Missouri and Tonkawa tribes now
own the land. The Nation’s 2,667 acres are in
two parcels and both are now in trust.
Hill said the CN leases the land for
agricultural purposes and that the trust
designation would not affect the leases.
According to a CN Freedom of
Information Act response, the tribe leases at
least nine land tracts in Kay County, titled
Chilocco 1-9, totaling nearly 4,200 acres and
accruing more than $230,000 annually.
According to the response, the leases
end on June 30, 2018, and the names of the
lessees are confidential.
Hill added that the tribe in the future
could explore other avenues for the land.
“Getting it into trust was a first step in
order for the tribe to make decisions on
how best to use our resources to benefit our
Cherokee people long term,” she said.
The land is outside the tribe’s 14-county
jurisdiction, but the property has strong
historical connections to the tribe. More
Cherokees attended Chilocco than citizens
of any other Indian tribe.
For the previous 180 years, the acreage
has had no owner other than the CN and the
United States.
Previous to that, the land was under the
ownership of Spain from 1762 to 1803, when
it was purchased by the United States in the
1803 Louisiana Purchase for $15 million.
4
News • dgZEksf
Impeachment charges brought against UKB Chief Wickliffe
TAHLEQUAH, Okla. – Two United
Keetoowah
Band
Tribal
Councilors
confirmed that charges of impeachment were
formally filed on May 10 against Principal
Chief George Wickliffe.
Council Officer Ella Mae Worley, treasurer,
and Tribal Councilor Anile Locust, said the
charges claim Wickliffe violated tribe’s law,
criminal code and the constitution.
“The charges allege misappropriation of
funds, unauthorized contracts, violation of his
oath to protect the constitution and corporate
charter and illegal payments – illegal because
the council did not approve them,” Worley
said. “There is evidence of mismanagement of
tribal monies, but not federal funds.”
Locust said the charges encompass alleged
mismanagement of roughly $1.6 million.
“We have three articles of impeachment,”
Locust said. “The first article claims violation
of the tribal constitution. (Worley) and the
previous treasurer were kept from checking
the finances for about six years. The second
charge is based on violation of the corporate
charter. As an incorporated tribe, the
corporate charter is the vehicle we use to try to
provide for the economic growth of the tribe.
It claims that (Wickliffe) failed to provide for
the general welfare of the United Keetoowah
Band people. The third claims the misuse and
COMPLEX
from front page
seating for plaintiffs, defendants and a
SCAN
jury. The smaller courtroom will seat
CODE
24. Baker said there would be twice as
TO SEE
much space as is available now in the
VIDEO
Supreme Court.
As for programs or departments that
would occupy the rest of the space, Baker said it’s likely Child
Support Enforcement and some or all components of Indian
Child Welfare would occupy offices next to the courts because
they interact with the courts on a regular basis. He said further
discussions would be needed to make a final determination.
Also, Baker said he anticipates the additional office space
would save the CN “hundreds of thousands” of dollars
annually because it would not need to rent as much office
space in Tahlequah, and funding from office space rented in
the complex by programs and departments would stay within
the CN.
Deputy Chief S. Joe Crittenden said he began working for
the tribe as a laborer varnishing the tribe’s motel in the late
1960s and has seen much growth over the years.
“There’s been lots of improvement over the years, and right
now we’re in the midst of unparalleled growth in the Cherokee
Nation. I’m glad I’ve got to hang around and see the good
things happening,” he said.
LIFTS
from front page
Based out of Oologah, the Northwest Rogers County Fire
Protection District serves more than 13,000 people, and at 214
square miles, is the state’s largest fire district. In an average
year, the department responds to about 900 calls, ranging from
car accidents to building and grass fires.
For its fire chief, Mat Shockley, the $3,500 contribution
could not have come at a better time.
“We have a truck in the shop,” he said. “It’s got a bad turbo
in its diesel engine. With the trucks, you have to start them up
fast, run them hard and fast and then stop them fast, which
isn’t ideal for a diesel engine.
“We were wondering how we were going to pay for it,
especially with this coming at the end of the fiscal year, but
embezzlement of UKB funds.”
The impeachment charges claim that tribal
funds were used by Wickliffe personally
or given to others, including some Tribal
Councilors. Worley and Locust did not
disclose other names mentioned.
“There may be fallout from this that could
affect other people,” Locust said. “But since
January of 2015, Worley has discovered
irregularities we believe are instances of
monies being used for (Wickliffe’s) friends
and himself. There is questionable spending
of the tribe’s money.”
Locust said there was an account balance
after the UKB casino closed in 2013, and
that checks transferred to the general fund
from the account bore Worley’s automated
signature, though she never actually saw them.
“I never saw the books concerning the
casino,” Worley said. “The constitution
states that the elected treasurer shall serve as
custodian of all the council’s money. I have yet
to see the books on the casino. So this isn’t just
a recent thing. It goes back a long time.”
The impeachment hearing was set for May
24. The site was to be determined but was
expected to be on the UKB complex on West
Willis Road. Two-thirds of the council must
vote for removal, Locust said. – Reprinted with
permission from the Tahlequah Daily Press
Case highlights tribal Whistleblower Act’s repeal
TAHLEQUAH, Okla. – A Cherokee
Nation employee’s lawsuit has raised
the question of whether tribal tipsters
could be subject to retribution.
Citing the tribe’s Public Integrity
and Whistleblower Protection Act
of 2004, former Wildland Firefighter
Coordinator David Comingdeer filed
litigation with the tribe’s District
Court against the CN, Career Services
Executive Director Diane Kelley and
three unnamed supervisors in April
claiming he was the victim of retaliation
after telling employees the tribe was
about to lose a U.S. Forest Service grant
because of non-compliance.
Comingdeer’s job was funded via the
federal grant, the lawsuit states.
According to the suit, Comingdeer
was suspended without pay twice and
barred from the Tribal Complex after
notifying officials associated with the
grant about the situation, including
the Attorney General’s Office, Human
Resources and Career Services. He was
also subject to disciplinary action after
posting about the situation on social
media, the suit states.
After the grant was terminated,
Comingdeer was transferred to special
projects officer, with a job description
that makes no mention of firefighting,
and placed on administrative leave, the
lawsuit states.
According to CN Communications,
Comingdeer is still employed but could
not provide any other details because of
personnel policy and CN law.
Speaking in general terms, CN
spokeswoman Amanda Clinton said
an employee isn’t allowed in his or her
workspace while on administrative
leave. However, as CN citizens entitled
to services, they are not barred from the
complex or other CN properties unless
they have exhibited criminal behavior.
In the Nation’s response to the
lawsuit, Senior Assistant Attorney
General Chrissi Nimmo argued that
now we know how.”
Because of an accounting error not discovered until
December, Shockley’s department was facing a budget shortfall
earlier this fiscal year that was only recently resolved. With the
truck repair bill at almost $2,100, the rest of the contribution
will go towards buying new tires.
One of the department’s own, Austin Moore, was among
five named Firefighter of the Year at the banquet. An Oologah
native, Moore has been with the Northwest Rogers County
Fire Protection District for nine years and leads its monthly
volunteer training sessions.
“That was a great honor for us,” Shockley said. “There were
130 fire departments there, so for him to get recognized is
something we don’t take lightly.”
Other Firefighter of the Year recipients were Jeff Mueller
with the Centralia Fire Department in Craig County, Jordan
Shofler with the Carselowey Fire Department in Craig County,
Brian Gibson with the Afton Fire Department and Gary Dill
the Whistleblower Protection Act, was
repealed almost four years ago when the
Tribal Council approved a new ethics
law in October 2012, thus eliminating
the waiver of sovereign immunity that
came with it.
The CN Ethics Act of 2012, which
replaced Title 28 in the CN Code
Annotated, largely focuses on conflicts
of interest and contracting with relatives
of elected officials.
Citing the litigation, Tribal Councilor
Joe Byrd declined to comment on
whether the omission was deliberate.
Byrd also declined to say whether
the council has any plans to consider
reinstating any of the act’s terms to the
CN Code Annotated.
As of May 16, a hearing on the case
had not been scheduled.
A motion was also pending to have
Nimmo disqualified from trying the
case, as she was one of the people
Comingdeer initially emailed in
October 2015 about the impending
grant loss.
with the Illinois River Fire and Rescue.
In part, because of their efforts during the December floods
across northeastern Oklahoma, Afton Fire Department and
Illinois River Fire and Rescue were also jointly recognized as
the Volunteer Fire Departments of the Year.
On call for 40 consecutive hours, the Illinois River Fire
and Rescue’s swift water rescue trained team saved 26 people
during the post-Christmas floods. The department was also
commended for helping victims with cleanup efforts.
In 2015, the Afton Fire Department responded to 325 calls,
including two high-water rescues within hours of each other.
The tribe honored the firefighters for their efforts, including
pulling one family from an SUV that had been swept away.
“It’s a real big honor to have the Cherokee Nation recognize
our department as one of the volunteer fire departments of the
year, but the biggest honor is having the good Lord on scene
with us helping in difficult situations,” Terry Miller, Afton
chief, said.
OPINION • Zlsz
5
Talking Circles
Hotels cost too much during holiday
June 2016
Volume 40, No. 6
The Cherokee Phoenix is published
monthly by the Cherokee Nation, PO Box
948, Tahlequah, OK 74465.
Application to mail at Periodicals postage rates is pending at Tahlequah, OK
74464.
POSTMASTER: Send address changes to
Cherokee Phoenix, PO Box 948, Tahlequah, OK 74465
Brandon Scott
Executive Editor
[email protected]
918-453-5000 ext 7258
My name is Donna Vance and we attend the Cherokee Days
every year. This year I was trying to make reservations at Days Inn
(dog friendly) and I was informed prices went up to $139 per night
a minimum of three days. Econo Lodge is $129 minimum of three
days. This is due to the Cherokee Days. Tax not included. They are
taking advantage of us. We have stayed in some of the dirty motels. I
don’t want to have to drive up for one day. We enjoy and I’m learning
more about my Cherokee heritage. But what they want for a room
is unreasonable. This is extortion. My daughter, son-in-law and
granddaughter cannot stay three days due to work and school let alone
afford the extra money. I don’t know what else to do except inform
people that are going to the Cherokee festival of the outrageous prices.
Donna Vance
Earlsboro, Oklahoma
Spot on
Oklahoma Rep. David Perryman’s “Two wrongs don’t make a right”
column criticizing school vouchers and charter schools (April 2016
issue) was devastatingly spot on. Serious educators know that what is
needed to provide good public education for all kids is more adequate
and more equitably distributed funding, smaller classes, wraparound
social and medical services, serious efforts to reduce the poverty that
afflicts too many of our families and an end to the diversion of public
funds to special interest private schools.
In 28 state referendum elections from coast to coast between 1966
and 2014, millions of voters have defeated all efforts to divert public
funds to private schools by an average margin of 2-to-1. The 2015
Gallup education poll showed opposition nationally at 57 percent to
31 percent, despite years of conservative propaganda against public
education, teachers and teacher unions.
Edd Doerr
Silver Springs, Maryland
Editor’s Note: Edd Doerr is the president of the Americans for Religious
Liberty.
Wado to Will Chavez
(Senior Reporter) Will Chavez, I keep forgetting to “thank you”
for your history articles in the Cherokee Phoenix and online. They’re
very enjoyable. I didn’t realize the government sent all those tribes
to Indian Territory (Painting depicts 1843 ‘International Indian
Council’). I have some history books from my uncle. I need to get
reading. Since (Principal) Chief (Bill John) Baker has taken over I
really enjoy being a Cherokee Nation citizen out here in California. I
always felt disconnected before.
Bill Tuck Jr.
Phelan, California
The Cherokee Phoenix reserves the right to exercise editorial discretion on all
content appearing on the Web site or in the newspaper, including columns and
letters to the editor. Opinions expressed by citizens, Tribal Councilors or officials
do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the editorial staff or Editorial Board of
the Cherokee Phoenix.
The deadline for submissions is the 15th of the month prior to the month of
publication. Letters shall not exceed 350 words in length. Letters intended for
publication must be addressed to Talking Circles or identified as a letter to the
editor. Submissions from Cherokee citizens will be given preference. Submissions
from non-citizens will be published only as space permits and must be Cherokee
related. Anonymous letters will not be published.
Travis Snell
Assistant Editor
[email protected]
918-453-5358
Mark Dreadfulwater
Multimedia Editor
[email protected]
918-453-5087
Dena Tucker
Administrative Officer
[email protected]
918-453-5324
Will Chavez
Senior Reporter
[email protected]
918-207-3961
Jami Murphy
Senior Reporter
[email protected]
918-453-5560
Stacie Guthrie
Reporter
[email protected]
918-453-5000 ext. 5903
Roger Graham
Media Specialist
[email protected]
918-207-3969
Samantha Cochran
Advertising Specialist
[email protected]
918-207-3825
Danny Eastham
Advertising Representative
[email protected]
918-453-5743
CHIEF’S PERSPECTIVE
Utilizing new tools to stay connected
with at-large citizens
By Bill john baker
Principal Chief
Cherokee
Nation
citizens in at-large
communities across
Oklahoma and the
United States are
a vital part of our
tribal government and are critical to our
success. The Cherokee Nation has more
than 330,000 citizens, and almost 205,000
of our enrolled citizenry live outside the
tribe’s northeast Oklahoma jurisdiction.
It is important we keep all our citizens as
informed and up to date as we can.
We recently launched a website www.
cherokeesatlarge.org dedicated exclusively
to connecting Cherokee Nation citizens
residing beyond the tribe’s 14 counties with
information on federal and tribal programs
and services. The new site features unique
information for Cherokee Nation citizens
on home loans and IHS health care options.
There are details about higher education
scholarships available to any Cherokee no
matter where you live.
It’s a good way for Cherokees to interact,
participate and remain connected to
our government. I believe our bond as
Cherokee people can never be broken,
whether you live inside or outside the
jurisdictional boundaries. It is important
that all citizens be informed of what is
happening with the Cherokee Nation. We
all share similar values, Cherokee values:
a commitment to family and community
and a respect for preserving our heritage
and culture.
Many of our at-large citizens are
involved with the nearly two dozen atlarge Cherokee community organizations
across the country. These groups make
up the Cherokee Nation Community
Association and are coordinated through
the tribe’s Community and Cultural
Outreach department. The new website
provides vital information on Cherokee
community gatherings near you. These are
the community groups we visit regularly
to share news updates, photo ID cards and
voter registration information.
In Oklahoma alone there are more than
90,000 Cherokee Nation citizens who reside
outside our 14-county tribal boundary.
Through our negotiated state compacts, all
Cherokee Nation citizens in Oklahoma are
eligible for a Cherokee Nation Hunting and
Fishing license and Cherokee vehicle tags.
The new website has information on both
of these opportunities.
Improving communication at the
Cherokee Nation has been a longstanding
goal, and it’s the reason we have launched
an award-winning television show, “Osiyo,
Voices of the Cherokee People,” which can
be streamed online at www.osiyo.tv. We
also mail an award-winning magazine to all
citizens called “Anadisgoi.” Both the show
and magazine profile exceptional citizens,
current events and stories on Cherokee
history and cultural preservation.
The new site is something I have talked
about with folks across the country as I
travel. There was a need and desire for
more information, so we set out to fulfill it.
This administration is devoted to
improving our tribe, protecting our
families and creating more hope for the
Cherokee people. The strength of the
Cherokee Nation has always been its
people. Passionate Cherokees are driving
us forward and deserve every opportunity
to better know and understand the tribe.
[email protected]
918-453-5618
Joy Rollice
Secretary
[email protected]
918-453-5269
Justin Smith
Distribution Specialist
[email protected]
918-207-4975
Editorial Board
Luke Barteaux
Lauren Jones
Kendra McGeady
Maxie Thompson
Cherokee Phoenix
P.O. Box 948
Tahlequah, OK 74465
(918) 453-5269
FAX: (918) 207-0049
1-800-256-0671
www.cherokeephoenix.org
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Copyright 2016: The entire contents of the Cherokee Phoenix are fully protected by copyright unless
otherwise noted and may be reproduced if the copyright is noted and credit is given to the Cherokee
Phoenix, the writer and the photographer. Requests
to reprint should be directed to the editor at the
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CHEROKEEPHOENIX.ORG
6
Community • nv 0nck
Community building
named after Cherokee elder
Rocky Mountain Cherokee
Community Organization
named its community
building after Annabelle
Hummingbird, who
previously owned the
property used to build the
facility.
Children enjoy a train ride provided by the Marble City Volunteer Fire Department
during the annual “Marble City Spring Fling” on May 7 in Marble City, Oklahoma.
WILL CHAVEZ/CHEROKEE PHOENIX
Marble City hosts
its ‘Spring Fling’
The event allows residents
to interact and outsiders
to visit the Sequoyah
County town.
the fastest car won a trophy.
“We had Lamborghinis, (Dodge) Vipers,
Audis, Porsches, a GTR. The one that won
was (19)68 Chevy Camaro. He did 96 miles
an hour,” she said.
Hibbard said on the first Saturday in
October the town hosts a fall festival, which is
“pretty much like the town’s “Spring Fling” but
BY WILL CHAVEZ
includes a street dance. In December, the town
Senior Reporter
hosts a Christmas parade and invites bands
MARBLE CITY, Okla. – Marble City and floats from surrounding communities to
residents filled a two-block area in the small take part.
A Marble City Festival Committee, which
town on May 7 to enjoy the town’s annual
includes all of the nonprofit organizations in
“Spring Fling.”
“The Marble City ‘Spring Fling’ is the town of 230 people, works to plan all of
always the first Saturday in May. It’s just the events.
“There’s usually a member from each
a big event that we have here in town...a
gathering for the townspeople. It’s a chance organization that comes together, and we get
for everybody to get together,” Marble City ideas to help promote the town and try to get
tourism and economic
Mayor Tamara Hibbard
development,” Hibbard
said.
said.
The event consisted of
It’s just a big
Marble City is located
yard and garage sales, arts
about 10 miles north of
and crafts, food vendors,
event that we have the Sequoyah County
a vintage car show, live
seat of Sallisaw. Hibbard
here in town...a
bands, a 2-mile fun run,
said the last United States
children’s train rides, a
gathering for the
census shows 89 percent
dunk tank and a Vintage
of the town’s population
Speed Challenge, where
townspeople.
Native American with
car owners race halfway
– Tamara Hibbard, isa majority
of those people
up the large hill above
Marble City mayor being Cherokee.
Marble City to see who can
The area around what
cover an eighth of a mile
the fastest. Vehicles had to be from 1960 or is now Marble City was considered part of
Lovely County, Arkansas Territory, until
before.
The “Spring Fling” is one event the town 1829. In that year, the federal government
hosts to allow residents to interact and outsiders began moving Western Cherokees from
other parts of Arkansas Territory into what is
to visit the town located in Sequoyah County.
The Vintage Speed Challenge is a precursor now eastern Oklahoma. Non-Indian settlers
to the town’s June 25 speed challenge, which were ordered to vacate, and the Arkansas
includes cars from various decades. Called Territorial Legislature ended its claim to the
“Marble City Mayhem,” the June event land as it became part of Indian Territory.
In 1895, commercial-scale quarrying of
includes a car show, speed challenge up the
hill, live bands, a veteran’s presentation to marble began in the area and the Kansas
honor military veterans and a fireworks show City, Pittsburg and Gulf Railroad laid tracks
through the area. The nearby Kedron post
to cap off the day.
Hibbard said during the 2015 “Marble City office moved closer
SCAN
Mayhem,” 65 cars took part in the challenge to the railroad and
CODE
and made 88 runs an eighth of a mile up the a marble quarry
TO SEE
hill. The town’s police department used its and was renamed as
VIDEO
radar gun to clock the speed of the cars and Marble.
BY JAMI MURPHY
Senior Reporter
ROCKY MOUNTAIN, Okla. – Residents
on April 30 held an open house to rename
the Rocky Mountain Community Center
after Annabelle Hummingbird, who also
celebrated her 99th birthday.
“Our open house was a celebration of being
officially open and also a birthday party in
honor of Annabelle Hummingbird, the donor
of the property for the community building,”
Rocky Mountain Cherokee Community
Organization President Vicki McLemore
said. “The property is
where she grew up and is
a part of her father, Frank
Johnson’s
allotment.
We have named the
building the Annabelle
Hummingbird House in
her honor and had a sign
made with the building
Annabelle
name
in
Cherokee
Hummingbird
syllabary to mount on
the building.”
Rocky Mountain is a predominantly
Cherokee community in Adair County.
Lorraine Hummingbird Bates, one
of
Hummingbird’s
daughters,
said
Hummingbird donated her father’s allotment
land because she wanted the community to
use the land.
“She was trying to find a way to make it
available to the people so this is what she
decided she wanted to do, to make it available
for the kids,” Bates said.
Hummingbird said she was honored that
community organization members named
the building after her.
Hummingbird, a Cherokee speaker, said
she enjoys visiting with others who speak
Cherokee and was glad to have been able to
donate the property.
“Today is my birthday and we’re celebrating
it today,” Hummingbird said laughingly of
Annabelle Hummingbird at age 16, circa
1933. COURTESY
her 99th birthday. “Boy, that’s old isn’t it?”
Bates said the center was a “long time
coming” and that her mom was pleased that
it was finally done.
McLemore said the organization looks forward
to serving the Rocky Mountain community and
welcome ideas for future programs.
“In the past we’ve had classes in Cherokee
heritage such as language, stories, arts and
crafts. On summer evenings we’ve held
movie nights that are free to the community,
and we have a Halloween carnival, which
activities are free or very low cost to families,”
McLemore said. “We’ve also had educational
presentations on awareness of drug and
alcohol abuse. We plan on providing,
along with our partners, education to the
community to give parents and families the
tools and resources needed to help young
people with the challenges they face such
as teen pregnancy, drug and alcohol abuse,
bullying and domestic violence.”
McLemore said they were “proud of all
the hard work” that volunteers put into the
organization and building and welcomed all
to the building.
“The building is available for rent and any
board member can be contacted,” she said.
She added that events are also published
in the Stilwell Democrat Journal and on the
Organization Facebook page. For more
information, call 918-506-0487.
We have named the building the Annabelle
Hummingbird House in her honor and had a sign made
with the building name in Cherokee syllabary to mount
on the building.
– Vicki McLemore,
Rocky Mountain Cherokee Community Organization president
Sequoyah Schools Summer
Feeding Program begins
BY STAFF REPORTS
TAHLEQUAH, Okla. – The Sequoyah
Schools Summer Feeding Program will kick
off on May 23. The program provides free
breakfast and lunch to children 18 years old
and younger.
The program is set to run until July 8
and will provide meals Monday through
Thursday. Breakfast is served at 7 a.m. to
8 a.m. while lunch is served from 11 a.m.
to noon.
Adults may also enjoy the food and
purchase breakfast for $2 and lunch for $4.
Sequoyah’s cafeteria is located at 17091 S.
Muskogee Ave. For more information, call
918-453-5190.
Musicians play at a birthday celebration for Annabelle Hummingbird and open house
for the community center that was named after her in Rocky Mountain, Oklahoma.
JAMI MURPHY/CHEROKEE PHOENIX
Community • nv 0nck
In Memoriam
John Jackson Crittenden of Blackwell,
Oklahoma was called to heaven on
Tuesday April 19th 2016, at the Deaconess
Hospital in Oklahoma City at the age
of 97. John was the 6th of 10 children
born to the late Jackson Crittenden and
Mary (Brantley) Crittenden on June 9th,
1918 West of Proctor, Oklahoma in rural
Cherokee County. His siblings were Tom,
Sid, Willie, Arthur, Freddie, Vada, Polly,
Sally and Altirean. He attended Proctor
School and completed the 8th Grade
and due to the death of his father he
was unable to complete and further his
education. John began to work odd jobs
throughout the rural areas between
Proctor and Tahlequah. Some of the jobs
he worked that helped provide for his
Mother and younger siblings were picking
and selling tomatoes, cutting sugar cane
and hauling them to a local Molasses
Mill and following his older siblings to
wherever they could find work. At the
age of 20 John signed up to work in the
Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC), which
was part of Franklin Roosevelt’s “New
Deal” program that provided jobs for
young men who had difficulty finding jobs
during the Great Depression. The “CCC”
took him to various places like Colorado
where he helped build Forest Ranger
Stations and into New Mexico where he
and others built miles of fencing. To John
this was a blessing because he was now
making $30 a month, which allowed him
to keep $5 and send the rest back to his
Mother and siblings in Oklahoma. John
was a dedicated family man and provider,
this was just one example of the kind
of man that John was. At the age of 23
John enlisted in the Army when WWII
started, along with brothers Sid, Tom
and younger brother Arthur who later
died in the War serving in the Navy. John
served with the 43rd Army Engineering
Company in the South Pacific where he
helped build airstrips and bases in and
around the many islands of New Guinea,
Papua and Luzon. Like the rest of the
many young soldiers that was there
with him, they had many things to deal
with when they were not taking enemy
fire and taking cover from the Japanese
air raids. One of the biggest issues was
the heat and mosquitos, which brought
Malaria. John overcame the malaria in
time and after proudly serving over 3 ½
years in the South Pacific he returned to
San Francisco where he knew he was
very fortunate and blessed to return to
the States when so many did not. He
later went to Military Police Training and
ended his Military career guarding the
German Military POWs at the Tonkawa,
Oklahoma POW Camp, where soon after
the War he was honorably discharged at
the rank of Corporal. He was the beloved
husband of Edna (Whitmire) Crittenden
for over 60 years. They were married
on Valentine’s Day in 1947 and settled
in Tahlequah. While in Tahlequah they
welcomed a daughter Trudy and after a
couple of years John had an opportunity
to better support his new young family by
Community Calendar
Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays
Marble City Nutrition Center
711 N. Main, Marble City, Okla. 918-7752158, The Marble City Nutrition Center
serves hot meals at the Marble City
Community Center at 11:30 a.m. Meals are
free to anyone over 50, but a small donation
is suggested to help with the expense of
the program. Gather for fellowship and
friendship. Volunteers welcome.
First Friday of every month
Concho Community Building
Concho, Okla. 405-422-7622
The Indian Art Market invites all Indian artist
to come and sell/share their work.
moving to Blackwell, Oklahoma in 1950
and begin working at the ACME Foundry.
A short time later John and Edna were
blessed with another daughter Sherry and
soon after her birth he began working for
the Blackwell Zinc Plant until it’s closing
in 1976. After the plant closed he worked
as a Carpenter and helped build several
homes and businesses throughout Kay
County until his retirement. John was
a member of the VFW and American
Legion and active in both. John was
a member of the Cherokee Tribe and
was honored by the Cherokee Nation
and Chief for his military service during
WWII. His hobbies included: working and
maintaining his garden and tending to
Edna’s roses, attending and sometimes
helping with Auctions, playing Bingo with
friends at the local VFW and taking his
wife Edna to Square Dances where he
would occasionally “call the dances”. His
biggest joy in life was being surrounded
by his loving family and attending Family
Reunions in Proctor, Oklahoma. John
always taught his family to be proud of
their Native American Cherokee Heritage
and to be proud to be an American.
John is survived by daughters Trudy
Farmer and Sherry Landers of Blackwell,
Oklahoma; Grandson Justin Landers and
Wife Julie of Blackwell; Granddaughter
LeAnn Landers of Blackwell; Great
Grandchildren Dylan and Darcy Landers
of Blackwell; Destiny Allen of Claremore,
Oklahoma; many Nieces and Nephews
and along with countless other friends
whom he called family that were blessed
to know him. He was preceded in death
by his parents, siblings, a Nephew Freddie
Hallford and his loving Wife Edna.
Casket bearers were Dylan Landers,
John Crittenden, Mike Allen, Rick
Campbell, Tony Vaughn, Bret Hammack,
and JJ Hallford. Serving as Honorary
Casket bearers were; Jean and Johnnie
Mathis, Art Crittenden, Bill and Pete
Reedy, Lawrence and Jay Hallford, Tom
DeGeer Jr., Joyce Hammack, Linda Mathis,
Geneva Reeves, Mary Ann Stephens, Sue
Gunter, Bobbye Turner and Floyd Wood.
Burial services were conducted with full
military honor rites being performed by
the United States Army.
7
Year Round
Will Rogers Memorial Museum
Claremore, Okla. 918-341-0719
The museum honors the Cherokee cowboy,
movie start, writer and humorist every day
from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. with nine galleries,
three theaters and a special children’s
museum.
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. Everyone
is welcomed to come and visit or join the
CBWA.
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.
Community Meetings
June 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
June 6
Lost City Community Organization, 6 p.m.
Native American Association of Ketchum
280 East Gregory, Ketchum, 6:30 p.m.
Belfonte, 6:30 p.m.
Call Sallie Sevenstar at 918-427-4237
Marble City Community Organization
MCCO Building , 7 p.m.
Eucha Indian Fellowship
Eucha Community Building, 8 p.m.
June 7
Vian Peace Center, 604 W. Schley, 5:30 p.m.
Muldrow Cherokee Community Organization
MCCO Building, 6 p.m.
Call Pat Swaim at 918-427-5440
Tulsa Cherokee Community Organization
6:30 p.m., Call 805-551-6445
[email protected]
June 9
Stilwell Public Library Friends Society
5 N. 6th St., Stilwell, 5 p.m.
Native American Fellowship Inc.
215 Oklahoma St., South Coffeyville, 6 p.m.
Call Bill Davis 913-563-9329
Adair County Resource Center
110 S. 2nd St., Stilwell, 6:30 p.m.
Okay Senior Citizens, Inc., Okay Senior
Building, 3701 E. 75th Street, 7 p.m.
Lyons Switch, 7 p.m.
Call Karen Fourkiller at 918-696-2354
June 11
Mt. Hood Cherokee Satellite Community
Wilshire United Methodist Church
3917 NE Shaver St., Portland, Oregon
10 a.m. to 1 p.m.
June 12
Rogers County Cherokee Association, 2 p.m.
Beverly Cowan [email protected]
June 13
Organization, 6 p.m.
Call Vicki McLemore 918-696-4965
Brent Community Association
461914 Hwy. 141, Gans, 6 p.m.
Call 918-774-0655
[email protected]
Fairfield Community Organization, Inc., 6:30
p.m., Call Jeff Simpson 918-605-0839
Marble City Pantry, 7 p.m.
Call Clifton Pettit at 918-775-5975
Oak Hill/Piney, 7 p.m.
Call Dude Feather at 918-235-2811
June 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]
June 20
Neighborhood Association of Chewey
Chewy Community Building, 7 p.m.
June 21
Central Oklahoma Cherokee Alliance
Oklahoma City, BancFirst Community Room
4500 W. Memorial Road, 6 p.m.
Call Franklin Muskrat Jr. 405-842-6417
Fairfield, 7 p.m.
Call Jeff Simpson at 918-696-7959
June 23
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.
June 27
Christie, 7 p.m. Shelia Rector 918-778-3423
June 28
Dry Creek, 7 p.m.
Call Shawna Ballou 918-457-5023
8
Money • a[w
Crawford finds passion in auto collision repair industry
Cherokee Nation citizen
John Crawford has been in
the industry for about 30
years.
BY STACIE GUTHRIE
Reporter
COMMERCE, Okla. – Cherokee Nation
citizen John Crawford found his passion for
working on cars as a teenager. From there, he
decided to become Auto Service Excellence
certified in auto collision repair and opened
Crawford’s Collision Center approximately 30
years ago.
Crawford said he’s been at his Commerce
location for nearly 15 years.
“This business began here about 15 years
ago. I was at another location for about 15
years prior to that and
SCAN
we’ve been here since
CODE
2002,” he said.
TO SEE
Crawford
said
VIDEO
his business does
anything from free
estimates to auto collision repair.
“We do auto collision repair. Anything from
small dings and dents to major repair. Paint
jobs, frame straightening, hail damage repair,”
he said.
He said when a customer’s car comes in it
is taken through steps to ensure the customer
is satisfied.
“Some of the things we do is when people
first get here, we go out and look at their car
John Crawford, a Cherokee Nation citizen
and owner of Crawford’s Collision Center,
paints a part of a car that was brought into
his shop in Commerce, Oklahoma.
Chester Bauer sands portions of a vehicle while working at Cherokee Nation citizen John
Crawford’s Collision Center. PHOTOS BY STACIE GUTHRIE/CHEROKEE PHOENIX
and write them an estimate. After we get
approval from them, we bring it in to the
shop and do a further inspection. If there’s
any parts that need to come off to look for
hidden damage we do that before we start
on the repair,” he said. “Then we start as far
as replacing the panels that need replaced.
Doing the bodywork that needs to be done
and it goes on in to our paint booth for any
paintwork. Then the reassemble goes back
together. Then final detail and then delivered
out to the customer.”
Crawford said after a customer is in an
accident it is important to “help them feel
relaxed” while they take care of the vehicle.
“When people have accidents they’re
usually shook up after their accident, and
we like to come in and try to help them feel
relaxed and help them with their insurance to
get the whole process done,” he said. “Once
they come in here we can usually help them
with their insurance all the way into the finish
of their car.”
Crawford said because he is a CN citizen he
likes to give back to not only Cherokees but all
Native Americans.
“We’ve decided here a while back we
wanted to do something to give back to the
Native Americans. We decided we want to
give 25 percent off their deductible up to a
$500 maximum,” he said. “That’d just be my
way of giving back through my business to the
Native Americans.”
Crawford’s Collision Center is located at
412 N. Mickey Mantle Blvd. He said he and
his three employees give estimates as well as
do body and paint work.
His business is open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Monday through Friday and on Saturday by
appointment.
Hartley urges Americans, Cherokees to start savings accounts
BY TRAVIS SNELL
Assistant Editor
& STACIE GUTHRIE
Reporter
VINITA, Okla. – Whether to
control spending or set funds aside
for future expenses, more Americans,
including Cherokee Nation citizens,
should save more money, said
Brian Hartley, Oklahoma State
Bank’s Native American business
development officer.
Hartley, a CN citizen, said there
are many reasons for having savings
accounts, but they basically boil
down to preparing for the future.
“Problems come up, car repairs.
Different insurance may come,
doctor bills. Maybe I need home
repairs as well. We just had a big
tornado, so there’s going to be a few
people that are going to have to call
their insurance, pay a deductible
and possibly repair a roof or two…
They may even be missing the side of
their house and there’s a deductible
to pay for your insurance for the
insurance to come in,” Hartley said.
“People need to definitely prepare
for the future. And as a nation, all
our reports show that Americans do
not save enough. I do not have stats
as to what Cherokee Nation is, but I
would assume we’re probably in the
same category.”
He said he likes people to establish
multiple accounts so if they empty
one they have a backup.
“It’s not going to be that much
trouble to start with a single savings
account, start putting things aside.
After you get into a habit, start
another one for another purpose,”
he said. “It’s good to set that money
aside and then be able to use it down
the road for something else. If you
separate it into multiple accounts it
helps protect you from not raiding
one and just emptying.”
He said many banks open savings
accounts for $100 or less, but it varies
by institution. He said someone
can open an Oklahoma State Bank
savings account for $100. He also
said someone can open a savings
account at the bank for $30 through
the tribe’s iSave Program, which
helps working Native Americans
save money to achieve financial
goals. For more information about
iSave accounts, call 918-453-5544 or
email [email protected].
Hartley said someone should
start an account when the required
starting amount at his or her
institution is met.
“As soon as you have the money in
hand to put into a savings account…
is the time to start,” he said. “Force
yourself to start one because if you
don’t force yourself to start a good
habit then you’re never going to
have a good habit in the future of
saving money.”
He said to start an account a stateor federal-government issued photo
identification is needed, as well as
verification of address. He added
that occasionally a second form of
ID such as a Social Security card is
needed.
more than that even better,” he said.
“Whatever you feel comfortable
with I just suggest you start.”
He also said if people are new to
savings they should open savings
accounts instead of money market
accounts or certificates of deposit.
“A savings account has its own
interest rate. Usually it’s a little more
than a money market account but
less than a CD. But it gives you the
freedom to withdrawing all that
money at any time you want. I would
recommend it first to get your feet
wet,” Hartley said. “If you are more
advanced and you have funds, and
you need to spend some funds out
of it I would look at a money market
account. If you have funds available
that you know you aren’t going
to touch for a year or maybe six
months or longer then I would look
at a CD because you’re going to have
a better return on your money.”
For more information about
ᏫᏚᏄᏓᎸ
ᏫᏚᏂᏃᏎᏗ
ᎨᏎᏍᏗ,
ᎪᏣᎴᏛ ᎤᎾᏈᏗ ᎨᏎᏍᏗ ᎠᎴ
ᏗᎦᏌᎾᎵ ᎣᏍᏓ ᏂᏗᎨᎬᏁᏗ ᏱᎩ…
ᏌᏩᎦᏘᏃ
ᎤᏁᏅᏒ
ᏂᎬᏅᏛᎾ
ᏱᎩ ᎠᏎᏃ ᎪᏣᎴᏛ ᎠᎬᏱ ᎤᎾᏈᏗ
ᏱᎩ ᎬᎿ ᎬᏩᏂᎷᎯᏍᏗ ᏭᏄᏓᎸᎢ”,
ᎠᏗ Hartley. ᎠᏎᎮᏃ ᎠᏂᏴᏫ
ᎤᎾᏛᏅᏍᏙᏗ ᎤᏩᎦᏗᏗᏒᎢ.ᎠᎴ
ᎠᏰᎵ ᎢᎦᏙᏢᏒ, ᏂᎦᏓ ᎬᏂᎨᏒ ᎢᎬᏁᎸ
ᎨᏒᎢ ᎠᎹᏰᎵ ᎠᏁᎳ ᎥᏝ ᏰᎵᎢᎦ
ᏯᎾᎵᏍᏂᏗᏍᎪᎢ. ᎥᏝ ᏯᏆᏅᏔ
ᏄᏍᏗᏓᏅ ᏣᎳᎩ ᎠᏰᎵ ᎠᏎᏍᎩᏂᏃ
ᎤᏠᏯᏊ ᏂᎦᏛᎿ”.
ᎢᎦᎸᏉᏗᎰᏃ
ᎢᎸᏍᎩ
ᎠᏕᎳ
ᏚᏂᏍᏆᏂᎪᏛ ᏧᏂᎯ ᎢᏳᎾᎵᏍᏙᏗᎢ
ᎢᏳᏃ ᏌᏊ ᏱᏚᎾᏨᏁᎳ ᏗᏐᎢᏃ
ᏱᏚᏂᎯ ᏫᏚᏂᎩᏍᏗᎢ.
“ᎥᏝ ᎥᏍᎩ ᎢᎦ ᏳᏦᏎᏗ ᏌᏊ ᎠᏕᎳ
ᏗᎵᏏᏂᏙᏗ
ᎠᎴᏅᏗᎢ,
ᎠᎴᏅᏗ
ᎢᏗᏟ ᏂᎬᏁᎲ ᎠᏚᎸᏗ ᎨᏒᎢ. ᎾᏊᏃ
ᏲᎩᏌᎿ, ᏅᏩᏓᎴ ᎠᎴᏅᏛ ᏅᏩᏓᎴ
ᎪᎱᏍᏗ ᎬᏙᏗ ᎤᎬᏩᎵ,” ᎤᏛᏅᎢ.
“ᎣᏏᏳ ᎢᏗᎵ ᏗᏗ ᎠᏕᎳ ᏅᏩᏓᎴ
ᎪᎱᏍᏗ
ᏗᎦᏙᏗ
ᏱᏄᎵᏍᏓᎾ
ᎤᏩᎦᏗᏗᏒᎢ. ᎢᎸᏍᎩᏃ ᏱᏙᎭ
ᎠᏕᎳ ᏗᎵᏍᏂᏓᏅᎯ ᎥᏝ ᏌᏊᎢᏊ
ᏱᏛᎦᏴᎦᏓᏃᏅ.
Ꭲ Ꮈ Ꮝ Ꭹ Ꮓ
ᎠᏕᎳ
ᏗᏗᎢ
ᎤᎾᎵᏍᏉᎸᏙ
Ꮝ Ꭺ Ꭿ Ꮵ Ꮘ
ᏂᎨᏒᎾ
ᎴᏱᎩ
Ꮧ Ꮅ Ꮟ Ꮒ Ꮧ ᏙᏗ Ꭲ ,
ᎠᏎᏍᎩᏂ ᎥᏝ ᏂᎦᏛ
State Bank Ᏻ Ꮎ Ꮅ Ꮝ Ꮙ Ꮈ Ꮩ Ꭲ
ᎥᏍᎩ ᎢᏯᏛᏁᏗᎢ
ᎠᏗᎭ.
ᎩᎶᏃ
ᎡᎵᏊ
ᎠᏕᎳ
ᏧᎵᏏᏂᏙᏗ
ᏯᏍᏚᎠ
ᎣᎦᎳᎰᎹ
ᏍᎦᏚᎩ ᎠᏕᎳ ᏗᏗᎢ ᏍᎪᎯᏥᏈ
ᎠᏕᎳ ᎠᎴᏅᏗᏍᎬᎢ ᎠᏗᎭ. ᎩᎶᏃ
ᎡᎵᏊ ᏯᏍᏚ ᎠᏕᎳ ᏧᎵᏍᏂᏙᏗ
ᏦᏍᎪᎯᏊ
ᎠᏕᎳ
ᏯᎴᏅᏛ
ᎾᎿ ᎢᎩᎸᏍᏓᏢ iSave Program
ᏳᏛᎾ, ᎠᏁᎯᏯ ᏧᏂᎸᏫᏍᏓᏁᎯ
ᏓᏂᏍᏕᎵᏍᎪ
ᏚᏄᎪᏛᏅ
ᎢᎦ
ᎠᏕᎳ ᏧᎾᎵᏏᏂᏙᏗ ᎥᏍᎩ ᎢᎦ
ᏧᎾᎵᏏᏂᏙᏗᎢ. ᎤᎪᏛ ᏣᏕᎳᎰᎯᏍᏗ
ᏱᏣᏚᎵ iSave Accounts ᎤᎬᏩᎵ,
ᎠᎭᏂ ᏳᏩᏝᏃᎲᎵ (918) 453-5544
ᎠᎦᏙᎲᏍᏗ ᎠᏍᏆᏂᎪᏗᏍᎩ ᏱᏣᎭ
[email protected]
ᏳᏫᏲᏪᎳᏏ.
Hartley ᎯᎠ ᏄᏪᏎᎢ ᎩᎶᏃ
ᎠᏕᎳ ᏧᎵᏏᏂᏙᏗ ᏳᏚᎵᎭ ᎾᎯᏳ
ᏳᏕᎶᎰᏏ ᎢᎦ ᎤᏂᏁᏨ ᎤᎴᏅᏙᏗ
ᎾᎿ ᏚᎸᏫᏍᏓᏁᎲ
ᎩᎶᏃ
ᏧᎸᏫᏍᏗᏁᎯ
ᎠᏕᎳ
ᏧᎵᏏᏂᏙᏗ ᎽᏚᎵᎭ ᏣᏕᎶᎰᏍᎪ ᎢᎦ
ᎦᏳᎴᏅᏙᏗ ᎨᏒ ᎾᎯᏳᎢ ᎤᎴᏅᏗ
ᎠᏗᎭ Hartley.
“ᎠᏕᎳᎮᏃ ᏱᏙᎭ ᎾᎯᏳ ᎠᏕᎳ
ᏗᎵᏏᏂᏙᏗᎢ ᏫᏓᏗ,” ᎠᏗᎭ. ᎠᏎᏏ
ᎥᏍᎩ ᎢᏣᏛᏁᏗ ᏣᎵᎩᏐᏗ ᎢᏰᏃ
Force yourself to start one because if you don’t force
yourself to start a good habit then you’re never going
to have a good habit in the future of saving money.
– Brian Hartley, Oklahoma
Hartley advises people to use
direct deposit through their jobs to
make deposits into their accounts.
“It’s the common denominator of
‘if I don’t see it and it goes into an
account, I’m not tempted to spend
it.’ If we can make sure that money
is automatically, even if it’s only $10
a paycheck, that’s $10 extra every
paycheck to help build those funds
that’s earning interest that you didn’t
see,” he said. “After a while when
you realize you don’t miss it, bump
it another 10 and continue that path
to set yourself in good financial
health down the road.”
He said people should start with
what they can afford but advises
“the more the better.”
“I would like to see people start
with at least 10 and do it every
paycheck. Granted it doesn’t seem
like a whole bunch right now, but
over time it adds up. If you can do
Oklahoma State Bank savings
accounts, call Hartley at 918713-0229 or email bhartley@
okstatebank.com.
ᏙᏧᏓᏜᎥ,
ᎣᎦᎳᎰᎹ
ᎾᎿ
ᎠᎦᏎᏔᏅ ᏛᎦᏗᏍᎬ ᎠᏕᎳ ᎾᎴᏱᎩ
ᎠᏎᏢ ᏗᎵᏏᏂᏛᏅᎯ ᏱᎩ ᎤᏩᎦᏗᏗᏒ
ᏗᎦᏙᏗ ᏓᎸᎬᏩᏢᏍᎬᎢ, ᎤᏂᎪᏓ
ᎠᎹᏰᏟ ᎠᏁᎳ, ᏣᎳᎩ ᎠᏰᎵ ᎠᏁᎳ
ᏗᏠᏯᏍᏛᏅᎢ,
ᏳᎪᏛ
ᎠᏕᎳ
ᏯᎾᎵᏏᏂᏗ ᎡᎵᏍᏓ, ᎠᏗᎭ Brian
Hartley, ᎣᎦᎳᎰᎹ ᏍᎦᏚᎩ ᎠᏕᎳ
ᏗᏗᏱ ᎠᏁᎯᏯ ᏧᏂᎸᏫᏍᏓᏁᏗ
ᏚᎾᏙᏢᏒᎢ ᏄᎬᏩᏳᏌᏕᎩ.
Hartley, ᏣᎳᎩ ᎠᏰᎵ ᎨᎳ,
ᎢᎸᏍᎩ ᏄᏓᎴ ᏄᏰᎸᏛ ᎠᏕᎳ
ᏗᎵᏏᏂᏙᏗ ᏥᎨᏐᎢ ᎠᏗᎭ, ᎠᏎᏃ
ᎤᏙᎯᏳᎯ
ᎨᏒ
ᎤᏩᎦᏗᏗᏒ
ᎥᏛᏅᏍᏗᎲᎢ.
“ᎤᏦᏎᏗ ᎢᎩᎷᏤᎰᎢ, ᏗᎦᏚᎴᏂ
ᎣᏍᏓ
ᏂᏗᎦᏁᏗᎢ.
ᏧᏓᎴᏅᏓ
ᏗᎫᏓᎸᏗᎢ ᏙᎦᎷᎪᎢ, ᎠᏂᎦᎾᎦᏘ
ᏚᎾᏓᏚᎬᎢ.
ᎾᎴᏍᏊ
ᎠᏇᏅᏒ
ᎣᏍᏓ ᎢᏴᏋᏁᏗ ᏱᎩ. ᎡᏆ ᎤᏃᎴ
ᎦᎶᎭ, ᎢᎸᏍᎩ ᎢᏳᏂᏨ ᎠᏂᏴᏫ
ᎥᏍᎩ ᎿᏛᏁᎲᎢ ᎥᏍᎩ ᏂᏣᏛᏁᎸᏂ
ᎢᎨᏎᏍᏗ
ᎥᏝ
ᏔᎵᏏᏂᏅᏗᏍᎩ
ᏱᎨᏎᏍᏗ ᎠᏕᎳ ᎤᏩᎦᏗᏗᏒᎢ.”
ᎠᎴᏅᏗ ᏛᎵᏏᏂᏗᏍᎬ ᎠᏕᎳ
ᎠᏎᎢᏍ
ᏍᎦᏚᎩ
ᎾᎴᏱᎩ
ᏩᏥᏂᏃ
ᎡᏣᏅᏁᎸ
ᏆᎾᏲᏍᏗ
ᏕᏣᏟᎶᏍᏔᏅ
ᎤᏓᏴᎳᏛ
ᏣᏂ
ᎢᏳᎵᏍᏙᏗ ᎨᏎᏍᏗ, ᎾᏃ ᎪᏪᎵ
ᎧᏃᎮᏍᎩ ᎯᏁᎸᎢ. ᏳᏓᎵᎭᏃ ᏐᎢ
ᏆᎾᏯᏍᏗ
ᎠᏂᏔᏲᎯᎰᎢ
ᏴᏛᏅ
Social Security card.
Hartley
ᎢᎩᏃᎯᏎᎭ
ᏗᎩᎸᏫᏍᏓᏁᎯ ᎡᎦᏈᏴᎮᎬ ᎠᏕᎳ
ᏗᏗᎢ ᏥᏳᎪᏗ ᏫᏗᎦᎷᎩ ᎢᏗᎬᏁᏗᎢ
ᎠᏕᎳ ᏗᏎᎯᏍᏗ.
“ᏂᎦᏗᏳ ᎯᎠ ᏂᏕᎵᏍᎪ’ ᎢᏳᏃ
ᎾᎩᎪᎲᎾ ᏱᎩ ᏫᎦᎷᎬ ᎠᏕᎳ
ᏗᏂᏏᏂᏙᏗᎢ
,
ᎥᏝ
ᏱᎬᏆᏚᎳ
ᏗᎬᏙᏗᎢ.’ ᎢᏳᏃ ᏱᎦᏅᏛ ᏥᏳᎪᏗ
ᏫᏗᎦᎷᎩ ᏱᎩ ᎤᏁᎳᎩ ᏍᎪᎯᏊ
ᎠᏕᎳ
ᏱᎩ ᎡᎦᏈᏴᎮᎬ ᏍᎪᎯ ᎠᏕᎳ
ᎧᏁᏉᎩ ᏂᏗᎪᏩᏘᎲᎾ” ᎠᏗᎭ.
“ᏂᎪᎯᎸᏂᏃ ᏂᎦᏢᎬᎾ ᏱᎩ, ᎠᏏᏊ
ᏍᎪᎯ ᎠᏕᎳ ᏳᏙᎩᏅ ᎠᎴ ᎥᏍᎩ
ᎢᏗᏟ ᏱᏫᏗᎦᏘ ᏱᏓᏤᎳᏍᏗ ᎠᏕᎳ
ᏕᎩᎲ ᎤᏩᎦᏗᏗᏒ ᏗᎦᏙᏗ.”
ᎠᎾᎴᏂᏍᎬ
ᏄᏂᏤᎲᎢᏊ
ᎢᎦ
ᎤᎾᎵᏏᏂᏙᏗ “ᎠᏎᏍᎩᏂ ᏳᎪᏗ
ᏱᏓᏤᏟ ᎠᏗᎭ”
“ᏯᏆᏚᎵᏃ
ᏍᎪᎯ
ᎠᏕᎳ
ᎤᎾᎴᏂᏙᏗ
ᎡᎦᏈᏴᎡᎬᎢ.
ᏝᏰᏃ
ᎥᏍᎩ ᎢᎦ ᏱᎦᏕᎸ ᏃᏊ ᎨᏒᎢ, ᎠᏎᏃ
ᎠᏟᎢᎴᎬ ᏓᎦᏅᏉᏥ. ᎢᏳᏃ ᎤᎪᏛ
ᎢᎦᏣᏛᏅᏗ ᏱᎩ ᏱᏓᏤᏟ,” ᎠᏗᎭ.
“ᏂᏣᏤᎲᎢᏊ
ᎢᏣᏛᏁᏗ
ᎭᎴᏂᏍᎬᎢ”
ᎯᎠᏃᏍᏊ ᏂᎦᏪ ᎩᎶ ᎩᎳ ᏯᎴᏂ
ᏓᏤᏝ ᎠᏕᎳ ᏗᏗᎢ ᏳᎴᏅᏔᏂ ᎠᎬᏱ
ᎠᏏᏃ ᎠᏕᎳ ᏧᎶᏏᏓᏍᏗᎢ ᎾᏃ ᎬᏂᎨᏒ
ᎢᎬᏁᎸ ᎠᏕᎳ ᏫᏓᏅᎯ ᎨᏒᎢ.
“ᎠᏕᎳ
ᏗᏗᎢᏰᏃ
ᎠᏎᏢ
ᎠᎾᏓᎾᏟᏍᎪᎢ. ᎠᏎᏍᎩᏂ ᎤᏍᏗ
ᎤᎪᏓ ᎠᏏ ᎠᏕᎳ ᏧᎶᏏᏓᏍᏗᎢ ᎠᏎᏃ
ᎠᎦᏲᏟ ᏏᏃ CD ᎨᏒᎢ. ᎠᏎᏍᎩᏂ
ᎡᎵᏊ ᏂᎦᏓ ᎠᏕᎳ ᏫᏓᎩᏍᏗ ᎨᏐᎢ.
ᎥᏍᎩᏃ ᎠᎬᏱ ᏱᎾᏛᏁᎳ ᏦᎳᏏᏕᎾ
ᏱᏗᎦᏚᎳᏍᏔᎾ
ᎠᏗ
Hartley.
“ᏳᎪᏛᏃ ᎠᏕᎳ ᏱᏗᏣᎭ, ᎢᎦᏛᏃ
ᏗᏣᏍᏙᏗ ᏱᏣᏚᎵᎭ ᎾᎿ ᎠᏕᎳ
ᏧᎶᏏᏓᏍᏗ
ᏯᎩᎦᏛᏂᏛ.
ᎢᏳᏃ
ᎠᏕᎳ ᏱᏗᏣᎵᏏᏂᏗ ᏂᏙᏛᏓᏂᏒᎾ
ᏱᎩ ᏑᏕᏘᏴᏛ ᎾᎴᏱᎩ ᏑᏓᎵ
ᎢᏯᏅᏗ ᎤᎶᏑᏍᏗ ᎴᏱᎩ ᎢᎪᎯᏛ
CD ᏯᎩᎦᏛᏂᏗ ᏅᏗᎦᎵᏍᏙᏗᎭ
ᎤᎪᏗ ᎠᏕᎳ ᏴᏣᎷᏥᏏ.”
ᎤᎪᏛ
ᏣᏕᎳᎰᎯᏍᏗ
ᎯᎠ
ᎣᎦᎳᎰᎹ ᏍᎦᏚᎩ ᎠᏕᎳ ᏗᏗᎢ
ᎤᎬᏩᏂ
ᏱᏣᏚᎵ,
Hartley
ᏳᏫᎵᏃᎮᏛ
(918)
713-0229
ᎠᎦᏙᎲᏍᏗ ᎠᏍᏆᏂᎪᏗᏍᎩ ᏱᏣᎭ
[email protected]
ᏳᏫᏲᏪᎳᏏ.
Money • a[w
Century 21 Wright Real Estate, located at 103 Mimosa Lane in Tahlequah, Oklahoma, is
the top-producing Century 21 in the state, says co-owner and Cherokee Nation citizen
Steven Wright. STACIE GUTHRIE/CHEROKEE PHOENIX
Wright Realty helping
people since 1970s
Wright Real Estate is a 100
percent Cherokee-owned
and Tribal Employment
Rights Office-certified
business.
BY STACIE GUTHRIE
Reporter
TAHLEQUAH, Okla. – When it comes
to buying and selling houses the agents at
Century 21 Wright Real Estate know a thing
or two about it.
Steven Wright, Century 21 Wright Real
Estate co-owner, said his grandfather started
the business in the mid-1970s.
“My grandpa started the company back
around 1975. My dad took over from him.
Him, and my parents have been running it,
and now me and my three brothers actually
own and run the company,” he said.
Wright said the company is 100 percent
Cherokee-owned and a Tribal Employment
Rights Office-certified business.
“Being TERO-certified is very important
to us. We feel that we have a duty to serve
the community and really give buyers and
sellers in the area knowledge of what it takes
to complete a transaction,” he said. “The
Cherokee Nation has some great programs,
including the MAP (Mortgage Assistance
Program) program, and there is HUD
(Housing and Urban Development) 184
financing, which helps Cherokee citizens get
that dream of homeownership within their
reach. We want to educate and let those buyers
know that we can get you there.”
He said his Century 21 office is the top
producer in Oklahoma with more than 450
closings a year.
“Believe it or not we are the top Century
21 office in the entire state of Oklahoma.
That’s huge to us and we’ve worked very
hard to get there and
SCAN
we’re proud of being
CODE
number one,” he said.
TO SEE
“It takes constant
VIDEO
dedication. We are
absolutely proud of
what my grandfather, what my parents have
accomplished to get us here, and me and my
brothers plan on taking it to the next level and
continuing being the area’s top producer of
real estate.”
Wright said he credits the success to
growing up learning about the business.
“Growing up at the dinner table we only
talk(ed) about real estate from when I was,
you know, a tiny kid to now,” he said. “It’s
in our blood. It is what we do is real estate.
It is our lives and it’s just what we know. It’s
definitely a family affair. It’s in our DNA to
buy and sell houses.”
He said the business employs approximately
50 agents, with a majority being CN citizens.
“It’s important for us, as a Cherokee business,
to employee Cherokee agents because…it
goes back to the ties to the community and the
programs that are available to the Cherokees,
which is a large part of our population,” he said.
“We have to be able to service our community
and our community is the Cherokee people.”
Wright said they also employ CN citizen
Jacob Hendricks, who is the only TEROcertified agent in the office. Hendricks said
it is important for him to work for a business
that is dedicated to helping not only those
looking to purchase in or around Tahlequah
but that also helps Cherokee people with jobs
and homeownership.
“I believe it is important for me to work with
a business that’s associated with the Cherokee
Nation because I am a Cherokee citizen, and
our goal is to provide a service and make that
connection with the Cherokees and help them
along the way,” he said.
For more information, visit www.
century21wright.com.
Kawi Café earns national accreditation award
BY STAFF REPORTS
TAHLEQUAH, Okla. – The Cherokee
Nation’s Kawi Café was recently named
Education Program of the Year during the
34th annual Native American Finance Officers
Association conference.
The Kawi Café was started two years ago
as a hands-on, business-training program for
aspiring Native American entrepreneurs.
Nearly 50 Natives have completed
the program, learning to write business
plans, manage payrolls and run day-today operations of a company. The tribe’s
Commerce Department, in partnership with
Career Services, developed it. It’s funded
through an Administration for Native
Americans SEDS grant.
“It’s crucial to provide our citizens with
learning opportunities that will not only
increase their level of education, but also
provide them with a way to develop higher
earning potential for themselves and their
families,” Tribal Councilor Joe Byrd, who
accepted the award in April, said. “Giving
people the opportunity to actually run a
business day to day and coordinate all the
fine details instead of just focusing solely on
classroom instruction is enabling them to
accelerate the possibility of operating their
own business venture. As Cherokee Nation
citizens grow and succeed individually, it only
makes our tribal nation stronger as a whole.”
Kawi Café serves everything from breakfast
panini, Cherokee-blend brewed coffee to
squash casserole made from the tribe’s
heirloom seed garden.
“The unique concept is focused on giving
Cherokee entrepreneurs real-world, hands-on
skills and the acumen needed to make sound
financial decisions necessary for the successful
operation of their own business,” Treasurer
Lacey Horn said. “Through the tribe’s
Commerce Department, we have created an
innovative way to teach entrepreneurship.
It’s a model tribes across Indian Country can
replicate.”
The café rotates about nine trainees to work
up to 40 hours per week for four months.
Students work with CN business coaches to
learn inventory tracking, staff management,
cash handling, customer service, marketing a
business, financial planning and business plan
development.
“Kawi Café has been a fantastic, real-world
experience for our participants who have come
to the program looking for hands-on training
before attempting a startup on their own,”
Commerce Department Executive Director
Anna Knight said. “Business knowledge and
experience are essentials for a new business to
be successful, and any successful Cherokeeowned venture is a success for our local
economies within the Cherokee Nation.”
Former participant Chris Coursey, of
Tahlequah, said the program launched him
for success when starting up his 3 Sun’s Tea
and Beverage business.
He sells loose-leaf tea packets and prebrewed bottled tea at the city’s famers market.
Coursey said he hopes to expand and open a
tea lounge. He’s also now working on a business
degree at Northeastern State University since
completing the Kawi Café program.
“Kawi Café entrepreneurship program was
an eye-opening experience that I’m very glad
to have had,” he said. “Creating and operating
a startup is definitely not something that’s
easy, but having gone through the program
and getting an insight in how to run a business
has made the experience easier. It was just a
really good experience overall for me.”
The game of Marbles, or di ga da yo s di, dates back to approximately 800 A.D. It is a
complex game of skill and strategy played by adults on a five-hole outdoor course. Until
the early part of the 20th century, players used marbles chipped from stone, smoothed
into round marbles about the size of billiard balls. Today, there are still some traditional
marble makers, but many players now use billiard balls for play. The contemporary rules for
Marbles state that “players may use any ball legal for use in billiards as their marble. This
means numbered balls 1-15, red snooker balls, specialty billiard balls, cue balls, oversized
cue balls and 8-balls.”
The game is played on a field approximately 100 feet long and containing five holes
about two inches in diameter, 10 to 12 yards apart forming an L-shape. Any number may
participate as long as each team has an equal number of players. While the game is
historically played by adult men, children may play on their own teams against another
children’s team. SOURCE: www.cherokee.org
9
10
Health • aBk 0sr
CN health officials train for Zika virus
TAHLEQUAH, Okla. – With international
health officials sounding the alarm, Cherokee
Nation Public Health officials are preparing
for the Zika virus.
Earlier this year, the CN was one of three
tribes to participate in the Centers for Disease
Control’s Zika summit in Atlanta. Lisa Pivec, Public Health senior director,
said while the CN’s jurisdiction is considered
to be a low risk for an outbreak, plans and
partnerships with the Oklahoma Department
of Health and the CDC are in place as a
proactive measure.
“The most important thing for us right now
is getting a process in place,” she said. “The
CDC has been great about helping us with
that. We’ve seen what they’ve done with other
infectious diseases, and they’re great about
helping us get that done at the local level.”
For now that process involves keeping
current information available to the public
through
www.cherokeepublichealth.
org and maintaining regular contact
among epidemiologists, communications
professionals and environmental health
specialists with all three entities.
As part of that partnership, any testing for
the virus conducted at the tribe’s facilities is at
no cost to the CN. Samples taken for testing
are sent to the state health department’s offices
in Oklahoma City and to the CDC in Atlanta
where the actual test will be conducted.
So far, no tests have been submitted from a
CN health facility, but Dr. David Gahn, Public
Health medical director, said the tribe would
be immediately notified if that changes.
According to the Oklahoma Department
of Health, as of May 5, four cases of Zika had
been reported statewide. All four were caused
by travel to one of the more than 40 countries
with a reported case of the virus.
PROTECT YOUR FAMILY AND COMMUNITY:
HOW ZIKA SPREADS
During pregnancy
A pregnant woman
can pass Zika virus
to her fetus during
pregnancy. Zika causes
microcephaly, a severe
birth defect that is a
sign of incomplete brain
development
Most people get Zika
from a mosquito bite
A mosquito bites
a person infected
with Zika virus
The mosquito becomes infected
Through sex
Zika virus can be
sexually transmitted by a
man to his partners
More members in the
community become infected
A mosquito will often live in a single
house during its lifetime
Through blood
transfusion
There is a strong
possibility that
Zika virus can be
spread through
blood transfusions
More mosquitoes get
infected and spread
the virus
The infected mosquito bites
a family member or neighbor
and infects them
The Centers for Disease Control in Atlanta has released this graphic showing the different
ways the Zika virus spreads. CENTERS FOR DISEASE CONTROL
The most common symptoms are fever,
rash, joint pain, muscle pain, headaches and
conjunctivitis. However, with the incubation
period estimated at up to seven days, only 20
percent to 25 percent of those infected with
the virus show any symptoms. No vaccine is
available.
The people highest at risk of contracting the
virus are men and women who have traveled
to one of the countries or U.S. territories on
the CDC’s advisory list. Pregnant women
are considered particularly vulnerable due
to the virus’ link to birth defects, including
microcephaly, stunted fetal growth, vision
problems and hearing problems.
Tribe’s Kenwood lands contain useful plants
BY STACIE GUTHRIE
Reporter
KENWOOD, Okla. – The Cherokee Nation’s
Trust Land Kenwood Units have plants such as
Trillium, which contain medicinal properties,
and Buckbrush, which can be used for making
baskets. Pat Gwin, administrative liaison, said
the approximately 160-acre Delaware County
tract, which is not accessible to the general
public, is home to culturally significant and
medicinal plants.
“We might have hit five acres of it and we saw
this list of what is twentyish really important
plants, so that’s a neat tract,” he said.
While on the tract, Gwin spotted Trillium, a
short-lived medicinal plant.
“A lot of Cherokee medicinal, cultural food
plants only grow in like a two-to-four-week
window here in the spring, and Trillium is one
of those. It’s a medicinal plant and there are
years when it is very prevalent and there are
years when you can’t find it very often,” he said.
Gwin declined to comment on the plant’s
medicinal purposes for safety reasons. He
suggested people wanting to use medicinal
plants seek a Cherokee medicine person. He did
the same for May Apple, which he also found.
“May Apple was another one of those
medicinal plants, cultural-use plants. The
strange thing about the May Apple is that
it was used for a lot of cures that western
medicine hasn’t really done a lot of research
on or is just now starting to do some research
on. If you go to other parts of the world it’s
been used for a lot of the same medicinal uses
that the tribe has for centuries,” he said.
He said another plant he saw was Sassafras,
which was used as a blood thinner.
“Sassafras, its medicinal qualities have
been made known for a longtime. It’s used
as a blood thinner,” he said. “Today, it’s got
some controversy surrounding it because
one of the main ingredients, the Safrole Oil,
is a carcinogen, so there’s a lot of warning out
there for people that do partake of it do so in
moderation. It has three distinct leaves. It has
the sock that’s the round leaf and then it has
the mitten and then it has the glove. No other
tree has that so I think that’s pretty cool.”
Other notable plants found were Wild
Ginger, which Gwin said is used as a food
additive and for medical purposes; Solomon
Seal, which he said “highly skilled Cherokee
healers” would have used; and Green Dragon,
which Gwin said is kin to Jack-in-the-Pulpit
and used for medicinal purposes.
Gwin also found Sochan, a plant offered
through the tribe’s Seed Bank Program.
“(It’s) one of the traditional Cherokee
greens that’s eaten in the spring,” he said. “You
might say it’s somewhat a kin to Watercress,
but most people don’t know that Watercress
probably isn’t even from North America.”
A Trillium plant is found in the Cherokee
Nation’s Trust Land Kenwood Units that
consists of nearly 160 acres. Pat Gwin,
administrative liaison, said the plant is
short-lived and used for medicinal reasons.
PHOTOS BY STACIE GUTHRIE/CHEROKEE PHOENIX
Other, less common ways, people get Zika:
He said another plant in the area that is
culturally important is Buckbrush.
“Buckbrush would have been the one they
(Cherokee baskets weavers) used,” he said. “A
lot more difficult than Honeysuckle because it
just doesn’t grow as long.”
Gwin said most of these plants would be
found in “low-lying wetland areas.”
“One of the things that when you look for
areas that are going have a lot of Cherokee
plants you have to think at a couple of things.
Cherokees always needed water,” he said. “A
significant number of those plants would be
found in those low-lying wetland areas, which
environmentally, those are sensitive areas.”
Gwin said it’s important for Cherokees
to know about plants that are important to
their people.
“There were a couple of things that our
ancestors told us that we had to retain in
order to be Cherokee. Obviously one of them
was language. Obviously one of them was
the ability to grow our own food. The ability
to utilize and respect plants was another
one of those things,” he said. “The Cherokee
homeland is a very diverse plant environment
as is northeastern Oklahoma. I always found it
interesting. The relocation could have been far
worse than what it was, but they stopped here
in northeastern Oklahoma where we may
not have all the same plants as we did back
there but, for example Jack-in-the-Pulpit, very
cultural Cherokee plant, very prevalent back
East, not so much here but we have the Green
Dragon, which…it’s so close in relation.”
He said the plants are some of the things that
helped Cherokees thrive in the modern CN.
“Even now we might not have the exact
same plants. We have very, very close cousins,
kins to them. That’s one of the things that I
always thought allowed us to, once we got
here, build up the tribe as quickly as we did,”
he said. “I’m not sure any other population
on the planet would have been able to survive
that but that was one of the things that we
were able to do, and I truly think the plants
was one of the reasons for that.”
For information about Cherokee-important
plants or to tour the tribe’s Garden and Native
Plant Site, email [email protected].
“Most people who get Zika don’t really get
ill,” Gahn said. “Among those who do, it’s very
rare for even children to need hospitalization.”
The virus is also linked to an increased risk
for Guillian-Barre syndrome, a disorder in
which the body’s immune system attacks part
of the peripheral nervous system. However,
the CDC and other epidemiologists have not
determined what causes the connection or
which populations are more likely to be at risk
of developing Guillian-Barre as a side effect of
the Zika virus.
“We don’t know what’s the risk yet, as in
how many people who are infected with Zika
will get and which ones,” Gahn said. “We just
don’t know the risk factors yet. Does it go after
older people? Men? Women? Teenagers?”
Although the virus can also be spread
through unprotected sexual contact with
an infected man, many of the preventative
measures being touted to the public are
aimed at its other means of transmission:
mosquitoes.
As a mosquito-borne virus, many measures
used to curb the spread of the West Nile
virus are equally effective against Zika. Along
with the use of an EPA-registered insect
repellant, wear long-sleeved shirts and long
pants whenever possible and citizens are
encouraged to not leave doors and windows
propped open unless covered with a properly
maintained screen.
Additionally, mosquitoes can be kept
at bay by not leaving standing water
around the home. Birdbaths, rainwater
collectors, kiddie pools, trash cans and
other containers that could potentially
hold water should be emptied out at least
weekly, as mosquitoes lay eggs in standing
water. Cracks or gaps in septic tanks
should be patched and any exposed vents
or plumbing pipes should be covered.
More preventative measures are available
at
http://www.cdc.gov/zika/prevention/
controlling-mosquitoes-at-home.html
The two main species of mosquito that carry
Zika, Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus, are
generally not found in Oklahoma. However,
that has not deterred officials with tribe’s
health department from encouraging CN
citizens from taking a proactive approach to
prevent Oklahoma’s first mosquito-borne case
from arising in the jurisdiction.
“For us, it’s about putting together the best
plans we can based on risk levels and being
as responsive as possible without creating
worry or concerns that are not warranted,”
Pivec said. “We know that we’re prepared if
the situation changes.”
DIETITIAN’S CORNER
The truth about detox diets
BY JORDAN DOUTHIT
Dietetic Intern
Detox
diets
have been a fad for
substituting liquid for
food in the American
diet for decades as
a way of cleansing the body and losing
weight fast. The questions remain: Do these
diets really help us lose weight and do we
really need to detox/cleanse our bodies?
In the 1940s, a detox diet called the Master
Cleanse was popular. It was made up of
lemonade, maple syrup and cayenne pepper.
Today there are multiple products such as
detox teas, various juicing recipes, pills and
other supplements that all claim to rid our
bodies of wastes and provide a deep cleanse
by pulling toxins out of the bloodstream.
The truth is that our bodies are able
to naturally cleanse themselves, and we
are able to assist in that process with
consumption of a balanced healthy diet
and exercise. These detox diets may show
weight loss in the beginning, but that
weight loss isn’t sustainable. This is because
these diets are more than likely cutting out
a macronutrient group such as protein,
carbohydrates, or even fat and we need
each of these food groups in order to have a
balanced diet and create lifestyle habits for
long-term weight loss.
Detox diets can also be potentially
harmful. The weight loss in the beginning
would more than likely just be water weight
and when continued for longer periods of
time be loss of lean body mass versus fat.
The weight on the scale may be decreasing,
but we may not actually be improving
the percentage of fat versus muscle that
makes up our bodies. Detox diets can cause
fatigue, difficulty sleeping, concentration
issues and even unhealthy bowel changes.
The human body is quite amazing. It
already has its process for getting rid of
toxins, wastes and products in excess
throughout the body. Our lungs serve as
an exit for carbon dioxide. Our bladder
and bowels excrete wastes. Waste products
and toxins carried in the blood stream
are converted and filtered by the liver and
kidneys. Our gastrointestinal tracts even
renew themselves roughly every few days.
The best option is to consume a diet rich in
fruits and vegetables, drink more water, and
eat more fiber in order to just let our bodies
perform its naturally routine of excretion
and eliminating excess and waste products.
Fruits and vegetables are a great source of
vitamins, minerals and antioxidants. High
fiber foods including whole grain cereals,
breads and pastas help to maintain a healthy
digestive tract and support bowel regularity.
Good tips to consider include choosing
less processed foods such as packaged
foods and trying to eat more foods in their
natural state by shopping the perimeter of
the grocery store. The ingredients list on the
food label is also a great resource. The more
ingredients a packaged food has the more it
has been processed.
So, the truth about detox diets is that they
aren’t necessary and they don’t have positive
long-term affects. Our bodies are doing
their part to remove the old and rebuild
healthy tissue and we can do our part as well
through healthy diet and exercise.
ABOVE: May Apple plants found in the
Cherokee Nation’s Trust Land Kenwood
Units were used by tribal citizens for
medicinal reasons for centuries, Pat Gwin,
administrative liaison, said. BELOW:
The Sassafras plant was used as a blood
thinner, Pat Gwin, administrative liaison,
said.
CHEROKEEPHOENIX.ORG
Health • aBk 0sr
11
Women’s group releases rape handbook for Native females
BY JAMI MURPHY
Senior Reporter
LAKE ANDES, S.D. – The
Native American Women’s Health
Education
Resource
Center
recently released its workbook for
Native American females titled
“What To Do When You Are
Raped, An ABC Handbook For
Native Girls.”
The book, Cherokee Nation
citizen Pam Kingfisher said, is
a resource aimed at answering
questions women face following a
sexual assault.
“From thinking through buying
emergency
contraception,
to
getting tested for STDS, to who to
turn to for support,” she said.
Comanche
Nation
citizen
Charon Asetoyer, who is also the
Native American Women’s Health
Education Resource Center’s CEO,
said the book is a woman-towoman, woman-to-girl, girl-to-girl
community response in regards to
sexual assault.
“Sharing with them, providing
support, letting them know they
are not alone. That this is not their
fault and they shouldn’t blame
themselves. The book instructs
them on how to report if they
choose to,” Asetoyer said. “It talks
to them about going in for STD
exam and also access to emergency
contraceptive Plan B.”
Kingfisher and Asetoyer joined
Elizabeth Black Bull and Donna
Haukaas to co-write the book.
Asetoyer said she was asked by
a young mother on the Yankton
Sioux Reservation in Lake Andes
what she should do if her daughter
was raped. Asetoyer said that when
a mother puts it as when, not if,
her daughter is raped, there is a
realization that the problem is
worse than originally thought.
Asetoyer said the book sends a
message to women and helps them
realize it is not their fault.
“There are other women out
there. You’re not alone, and turn to
them for help,” she said.
Kingfisher said the project was
personal and that she’s worked
with Asetoyer on the book for
about four years.
“I think it’s so important that
we advocate for our health and
for our women. As a young girl
who was assaulted and didn’t
know anything…and later became
pregnant and was forced to give up
a child for adoption, I didn’t know
any of these things. Nobody talked.
These conversations didn’t happen
at the kitchen table or even around
girlfriends,” Kingfisher said.
She added that she and Asetoyer,
as well as other advocates fighting
against sexual assault, want to
make this issue real.
“For me it’s important that we
serve that matriarchal role of
being good aunties, being good
grandmas, being big sisters and
helping,” she said.
According to the Rape, Abuse
and Incest National Network, one
of the nation’s largest anti-sexual
assault organizations, during
an American Indian or Alaskan
woman’s lifetime she is at a 34.1
percent chance of suffering from
rape or attempted rape, the most
of any other race. And about 3
percent of American men have
experienced an attempted or
completed rape in their lifetimes.
The book is available for
download at http://forwomen.org/
resources/an-abc-handbook-fornative-girls/
Kingfisher said hardcopy bulk
orders would be available in the future.
Women
• 1 out of every 6 American women has been the victim of an
attempted or completed rape in her lifetime (14.8 percent completed
rape; 2.8 percent attempted rape).
• 17.7 million American women have been victims of attempted or
completed rape.
• 9 of every 10 rape victims were female in 2003.
Lifetime rate of rape/attempted rape for women by race:
All: 17.6 percent
White: 17.7 percent
Black: 18.8 percent
Asian Pacific Islander: 6.8 percent
American Indian/Alaskan: 34.1 percent
Mixed race: 24.4 percent
Men
• About 3 percent of American men have experienced an attempted or
completed rape in their lifetime.
• From 1995-2010, 9 percent of rape and sexual assault victims were
male.
• 2.78 million men in the U.S. have been victims of sexual assault or
rape.
Children
“What To Do When You Are Raped: An ABC Handbook For Native Girls”
is the Native American Women’s Health Education Resource Center’s
woman-to-woman, woman-to-girl, girl-to-girl response to sexual
assault. COURTESY
The book instructs
them on how to
report if they choose
to. It talks to them
about going in for
STD exam and also
access to emergency
contraceptive Plan B.
– Charon Asetoyer, Native
American Women’s Health
Education Resource
Center CEO
Lake Andes, S. D. – ᎾᎿ
ᎠᏁᎯᏯ ᎠᎹᎵᎧ ᎠᏁᎯ ᎠᏂᎨᏯ
ᎠᏂᏱᎸ ᏄᏍᏗᏓᏅ ᏧᎾᏕᏲᏙᏗ ᎠᏰᏟ
ᎤᏙᏢᏒ ᎾᏞᎬ ᏚᏂᏲᏏ ᎾᏍᎩ ᎪᏪᎵ
ᎪᏪᎳᏅ ᎾᎿ ᎠᏁᎯᏯ ᎠᎹᎵᎧ
ᎠᏂᎨᏯ ᏚᏙᎥ “ᎢᏳᏍᏗ ᎢᏳᎾᏛᏗ
ᎢᏳᏃ ᏯᏥᏐᏢᎾ ᎠᎨᏯ, ᎾᏍᎩ ABC
ᎪᏪᎳᎾᎢ ᎪᏪᎵ ᎾᎿ ᎠᏁᎯᏯ
ᎠᏂᎨᏳᏣ ᏧᏂᎪᎵᏱᏓ.”
ᎾᏍᎩ ᎪᏪᎵ, ᏣᎳᎩ ᎠᏰᎵ ᎨᎳ
Pam Kingfisher ᎠᏗᏍᎬᎢ, ᎾᎿ
ᎬᏩᏅᏙᏗ ᎪᏪᎵ ᎤᏂᎾᎢ ᎤᎬᏩᏢ
ᎾᎿ ᏗᏬᎯᎵᏴᎡᏗ ᎾᏍᎩ ᎠᏂᎨᏯ
ᎠᎾᏛᏛᎮᏢᏍᎬ ᎾᏍᎩ ᎨᎦᏕᏯᏙᏔᎢ
ᏱᎩ ᎠᎴ ᎬᏥᏐᏢᏅᎢ.
“ᏂᏛᏓᎴᏂᏍᎩ ᎠᏓᏅᏖᏗ ᎾᎿ
ᏗᏩᎯᏍᏗ
ᎬᏔᏂᏓᏍᏗ,
ᎠᎴ
ᎤᎾᏓᎪᎵᏱᏗ ᎾᏍᎩ ᎯᎠ STDS,
ᎾᏍᎩ ᎢᏗᏞ ᏩᎦᏙᏗ ᎬᏩᎾᏓᏍᏕᎸᏗ
ᎨᏒᎢ,” ᎠᏗᏍᎬᎢ.
ᎠᏂᎧᎺᏥ ᎠᏰᎵ ᎨᎳ Charon
Asetoyer,
ᎾᏍᎩᏍᏊ
ᎡᎯᏯ
ᎠᎹᎵᎧ ᎠᏂᎨᏯ ᎠᏂᏱᎸ ᏄᏍᏗᏓᏅ
ᏧᎾᏕᏲᏙᏗ ᎠᏰᏟ CEO, ᎠᏗᏍᎬ
ᎯᏯ ᎪᏪᎵ ᎠᏂᎨᏯ ᏧᏅᏙᏗ,
ᎠᎨᏯ ᎾᎿ ᎠᏂᎨᏳᏣ, ᎬᏩᏂᏃᎮᏗ,
ᎾᎿ ᏍᎦᏚᎩ ᎬᏩᏂᏁᏤᏗ ᎾᏍᎩ
ᎨᎦᏕᏯᏙᏔᏅ ᏱᎩ ᎠᏂᎨᏯ.
“ᎥᏯᏙᎢᎲ ᎾᎿᎢ, ᏛᎦᎫᏍᏛᏁᎲ,
ᎾᏍᎩ ᏛᎧᏃᎯᏎᎲ ᎤᏅᏌ ᏂᎨᏒᎾ
ᎨᏒᎢ. ᎾᎿ ᎤᏅᏌ ᎢᏳᏅᏂᏌᏓ ᏂᎨᏒᎾ
ᎨᏒ ᎠᎴ Ꮭ ᎤᏅᏌ ᎤᎾᏓᏚᎯᏍᏙᏗ
ᏱᎩ.
ᎯᎠ
ᏗᎪᏪᎵ
ᎠᏎᎯᎭ
ᏯᏛᏗ ᎬᏂᎨᏒ ᎢᏳᏅᏗ
ᎾᏍᎩ
ᏱᏚᏄᎩᏔᎾ,” ᎠᏗᏍᎬ Asetoyer.
“ᎤᏂᏃᎯᏎ ᎢᏳᎾᏛᏗ ᎤᏂᎩᏍᏗ
ᎾᎿ STD ᎨᏥᎪᎵᏱᏗᎢ ᎠᎴ ᎾᏍᏊ
ᎦᎨᏥᏁᏗ ᎤᏟᏍᏗ ᎤᏅᏔᏂᏓᏍᏗ
ᎾᏍᎩ Plan B ᎠᏃᏎᎰᎢ.”
Kingfisher
ᎠᎴ
Asetoyer
ᎤᎾᏖᎳᏛ
Elizabeth
Black
Bull ᎠᎴ Donna Haukaas ᏂᎦᏓ
ᎤᏃᏪᎶᏗ ᎪᏪᎵ. Asetoyer ᎠᏗᏍᎬ
ᎠᎨᏳᏣᏊ ᎤᏛᏛᏅᎢ ᎾᏍᎩ ᎡᎯ
Yankton Sioux Reservation ᎾᎿ
Lake Andes ᎢᏳᏛᏗ ᎢᏳᏃ ᎤᏪᏥ
ᎠᎨᏳᏣ
ᏯᏥᏐᏢᎾ.
Asetoyer
ᎠᏗᏍᎬ ᎾᏍᎩ ᎤᏓᏥ ᏱᏄᏪᏏ
ᎾᎿᎢ, Ꮭ ᎢᏳᏃ, ᎤᏪᏥ ᎠᎨᏯ
ᏯᏥᏐᏢᎾ, ᎾᏍᎩᏃ ᎠᏕᎶᎰᎯᏍᏗ
ᎾᏍᎩ ᏃᏒᎾ ᏂᎦᎵᏍᏔᏅᏍᎬ ᎤᎪᏓ
ᎨᏒ ᎾᏃ ᎣᎵᏍᎬᎢ.
Asetoyer ᎠᏗᏍᎬ ᎾᎿ ᎪᏪᎵ
ᎧᏃᎮᎭ ᎾᎿ ᎠᎨᏯ ᎬᏩᎵᏍᏕᎸᏙᏗ
ᎠᎴ ᎬᏩᏓᏅᏖᏗ ᎤᏩᏌ ᎢᏳᏩᏂᏌᏓ
ᏂᎨᏒᎾ ᎨᏒᎢ.
“ᎠᏂᏐᎢ ᎠᏂᎨᏯ ᎾᎿ ᎠᏁᎲ.
ᏝᏃ ᏨᏌ ᏱᎩ, ᎠᎴ ᏫᏣᎦᏙᏗ
ᎬᏩᎾᏓᏍᏕᎸᏗ ᎨᏒᎢ,” ᎠᏗᏍᎬᎢ.
Kingfisher
ᎠᏗᏍᎬ
ᎯᎠ
ᏥᎾᎾᏛᏁ ᎤᏅᏌᏊ ᎤᎾᏅᏛ ᎠᎴ
ᎢᏧᎳ ᏚᏂᎸᏫᏍᏓᏁᎸ
Asetoyer
ᎾᎿ ᎯᎠ ᎪᏪᎵᎢ ᏅᎩ ᏧᏕᏘᏴᏓ.
“ᎨᎵᏍᎬ ᎢᎦᎢ ᎤᎵᏍᎨᏓ ᎾᏍᎩ
ᎢᎩᏂᎳᏗᏍᏗ ᎾᎿ ᏗᏗᏰᎸ ᎠᎴ
ᏗᎦᏤᎵ ᎠᏂᎨᏯ. ᎾᏍᎩ ᎨᎳ ᎠᏛᏍᎩ
ᎠᎨᏳᏣ ᎾᎿ ᎠᏥᏐᏢᏅᎢ ᎠᎴ Ꮭ
ᎪᎱᏍᏗ ᏳᎾᏅᏖᎢ…… ᎠᎴ ᎣᏂᏴ
ᎤᏩᏌ ᏂᎨᏒᎾ ᏄᎵᏍᏔᏅᎢ ᎠᎴ
ᎤᏓᎧᏅᏗ ᏄᎵᏍᏔᏅ ᎠᏲᏟ, Ꮭ
ᏯᏆᏅᏖ ᎯᎠ ᏂᎦᎵᏍᏗᏍᎬᎢ. Ꮭ ᎩᎶ
ᏱᎧᏁᏉᎢ ᎯᎠ ᏦᏥᏬᏂ Ꮭ ᎾᏍᎩ
ᎠᎵᏍᏓᏴᏗ ᎦᏍᎩᎸ ᏲᏥᎾ ᎠᎴ ᏦᎦᎵ
ᎨᏒ ᏱᎨᏎᎢ,” ᎠᏗᏍᎬᎢ Kingfisher.
ᎤᏁᏉᎥᎢ ᎾᏍᎩ ᎤᏩᏌ ᎠᎴ
Asetoyer, ᎠᎴ ᎠᏂᏐᎢ ᏗᏗᏂᎳᏕᏗ
ᎢᏗᏍᎦᎬ
ᎾᏍᎩ
ᎠᏂᏍᎦᏯ
ᏓᎾᏕᏯᏙᏗᏍᎬ,
ᎾᎿ
ᎬᏂᎨᏒ
ᎢᏳᎵᏍᏙᏗ ᏙᎯᏳᎢ.
“ᎠᏯᏃ ᎨᏒ ᎤᎵᏍᎨᏓ ᎢᎬᏗ ᎾᎿ
ᎢᎩᎲ ᏗᎩᎸᏫᏍᏓᏁᏗ ᎢᏗᎨᏯ ᎨᏒ
ᎾᎿ ᎢᏙᏍᏓ ᎢᎦᎵᏍᏙᏗ ᏕᎦᏓᏠᎩᏴᎢ,
ᎣᏍᏓ ᏗᎩᎵᏌ, ᏗᎦᏔᏂᏓ ᏕᏓᏓᎸᎢᏴ
ᎠᎴ ᏗᏗᏍᏕᎸᏗᏱ,” ᎠᏗᏍᎬᎢ.
ᏚᎾᏙᎵᏤᎸ ᎾᎿ ᏕᎨᏥᏐᏢᏅᎢ,
ᎤᏲ ᏂᎨᎬᏁᎲ ᎠᎴ ᏏᏓᏁᎸᏊ
ᎠᏂᎨᏯ ᏓᎾᏕᏯᏙᏗᏍᎬ ᎬᎾᏕᎾ
ᏧᎾᏚᏓᎵ, ᏌᏊ ᎾᎿ ᎠᏰᎵ ᏭᏔᏅ
ᎠᏂᏍᎦᎩ ᎠᏂᎨᏯ ᎨᎦᏕᏯᏙᏗᏍᎬ
ᎤᎾᏙᏢᎯ ᏗᏂᏍᏕᎸᎯᏙ, ᎾᎯᏳ
ᎾᎿ ᎠᎹᎵᎧ ᎠᏂᏴᏫᏯ ᎠᎴ Alaska
ᎠᏂᎨᏯ ᎠᎾᎴᏂᏙᎲ ᎢᎪᎯᏓ ᏃᏊ ᎨᏒ
ᎾᎿ ᏦᏍᎪᎯᏅᎩ. ᏌᏊ percent
ᎤᏝᏅᏓ
ᎤᏂᎩᏟᏲᎢᏍᏗ
ᎾᎿ
ᎨᏥᏐᏢᏗ ᎠᎴ ᎤᎾᏁᎶᏛᏗᎢ, ᏭᎪᏛ
ᎾᏃ ᏄᎾᏓᎴ ᎠᏂᏴᏫᏯᎢ. ᎠᎴ ᎾᎿ
ᏦᎢ percent ᎠᎹᎵᎧ ᎠᏂᏍᎦᏯ
ᎾᎿ
ᎤᏂᎦᏙᎲᏒ
ᎤᎾᏁᎶᏔᏅ
ᎠᎴ ᏳᎾᏛᏁᎸ ᏚᏂᏐᏈᏅ ᎾᏍᎩ
ᎠᎾᎴᏂᏙᎲᎢ ᎢᎪᎯᏓ.
ᎯᎠ ᎪᏪᎵ ᏕᎦᏁᏍᏗ
ᎾᏍᎩ
ᎡᎳᏓᎪᏗ ᎦᏢᏍᎬᎢ ᎾᎿ http://
forwomen.org/resources/an-abchandbook-for-native-girls/
Kingfisher ᎠᏗᏍᎬ hardcopy
ᎤᎪᏓ ᏗᎬᏓᏅᏍᏗ ᎨᏎᏍᏗ ᎾᏞᎬ
ᎠᏟᎢᎵᏒᎢ.
• 15 percent of sexual assault and rape victims are under age 12.
• 29 percent are ages 12-17.
• 44 percent are under age 18.
• 80 percent are under age 30.
• Ages 12-34 are the highest-risk years.
• Girls ages 16-19 are 4 times more likely than the general population
to be victims of rape, attempted rape, or sexual assault.
• 7 percent of girls in grades 5-8 and 12 percent of girls in grades 9-12
said they had been sexually abused.
• 3 percent of boys grades 5-8 and 5 percent of boys in grades 9-12 said
they had been sexually abused.
• 82 percent of all juvenile victims are female.
• The year in a male’s life when he is most likely to be the victim of a
sexual assault is age 4. A female’s year of greatest risk is age 14.
• 1 in 9 girls and 1 in 53 boys under the age of 18 experience sexual
abuse or assault at the hands of an adult.
• In 1995, local child protection service agencies identified 126,000 children
who were victims of either substantiated or indicated sexual abuse.
• Of these, 75 percent were girls.
• Nearly 30 percent of child victims were between ages 4-7.
Every 8 minutes, Child Protective Service responds to a report of
sexual abuse.
• 93 percent of juvenile sexual assault victims know their attacker.
• 34.2 percent of attackers were family members.
• 58.7 percent were acquaintances.
• Only 7 percent of the perpetrators were strangers to the victim.
• For 80 percent of juvenile victims, the perpetrator was a parent. 6
percent were other relatives. 4 percent were unmarried partners of a
parent. 5 percent were “other” (from siblings to strangers).
American Indians
• On average during 1992-2001, American Indians age 12 or older
experienced annually an estimated 5,900 rapes or sexual assaults.
• American Indians were twice as likely to experience a rape/sexual
assault compared to all races.
• Sexual violence makes up 5 percent of all violent crime committed
against Indians (about the same as for other races).
• Offender/victim relationship: 41 percent stranger; 34 percent
acquaintance; 25 percent intimate or family member.
Campus Sexual Violence
• Women 18-24 who are enrolled in college are 3 times more likely than
women in general to suffer from sexual violence. Females of the same
age who are not enrolled in college are 4 times more likely.
• Male college-aged students are 78 percent more likely than
nonstudents to be a victim of rape or sexual assault.
• Female college-aged students are 20 percent less likely than
nonstudents to be a victim of rape or sexual assault.
• Only 20 percent of female student survivors age 18-24 report to
law enforcement. In comparison, 33 percent of female nonstudent
survivors aged 18-24 report to law enforcement.
• 72 percent of campus law enforcement agencies have a staff member
responsible for survivor response and assistance.
• 8 percent of all sexual assaults occur while victim is attending school.
Victims of sexual assault are:
3 times more likely to suffer from depression.
6 times more likely to suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder.
13 times more likely to abuse alcohol.
26 times more likely to abuse drugs.
4 times more likely to contemplate suicide.
The preceding statistics were taken from the Rape, Abuse and Incest
National Network. To see these and other information regarding
sexual assault, visit https://www.rainn.org/get-information/statistics/
sexual-assault-victims.
12
Education • #n[]Qsd
Reed to attend Columbia University in fall
BY JAMI MURPHY
Senior Reporter
TAHLEQUAH, Okla. – Columbia
University in New York recently accepted
Tahlequah High School senior Miriam Reed
for the fall semester. To pay for that Ivy League
education, the school is giving the Cherokee
Nation citizen an annual scholarship
of $73,000 for four years. She is a Gates
Millennium scholar to boot.
With hopes of majoring in environmental
engineering, Reed committed to the school
in April.
Several universities, including California
Berkley, Notre Dame, Pennsylvania and
Arkansas, accepted her college applications.
She narrowed her options to Berkley and
Columbia before choosing Columbia. That
decision was affirmed after attending a paid
trip to the school’s Engineering Days in April.
“Everyone there was so welcoming, and
they made it feel like a place that I wanted
to spend the next four years,” she said. “Your
admission counselors knew everything about
you. It just really felt like home.”
Reed said the Columbia scholarship would
cover all aspects of her life there, including
personal expenses and travel. Her Gates
Millennium Scholarship, she said, would
allow her to focus on school and not work.
“That gives me the opportunity to study
abroad. I don’t have to do a work study
program, so I can focus purely on my school,”
she said. “It covers 10 years of a college
education, if I wanted to go get my master’s
(degree) elsewhere. I don’t have to be pressured
into staying at a school for four years…it also
gives me the opportunity to lessen my grant
that I got from Columbia to help someone else
provide for their school as well.”
Her long-term goals include earning a
degree in environmental engineering and
partaking in alternative energy projects for
underdeveloped areas of the world.
“I’m looking forward to joining their
(Columbia’s) engineering club that they
have there. They go out and they get to help
different countries with water filtration
systems and helping build bridges and just like
really helping countries that are less privileged
than the country we live in,” she said.
In high school, Reed was involved in
the Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps,
dance team, National Honor Society, student
council, science club, academic team, Mu
Alpha Theta and Cherokee club. She also took
Advance Placement classes in literature, U.S.
history, calculus, physics and statistics.
“I’m in the top 3 percent. I’m ranked No. 4 (in
a class of about 300),” she said. “As the first of my
mother’s children to go to college it means a lot
to me that I was able to excel so greatly.”
Reed said she’s dreamed of attending college
Cherokee Nation citizen and Gates Millennium scholar Miriam Reed is expected to attend
Columbia University in New York this fall on a full-ride scholarship. Reed plans to major in
environmental engineering. JAMI MURPHY/CHEROKEE PHOENIX
outside of Oklahoma and that opportunities
are more abundant elsewhere.
“Once you get out you can see all the different
diversity and the other options that are in this
country for us, and I believe that once you
gain different ideas and different opportunities
from other places, when you come home it
makes you appreciate home much more, and it
gives you something different to bring back to
your town.” Reed said.
Along with her home, family and friends,
she said she would miss the “small town life.”
“I’m going to miss getting to walk down the
street and see downtown. There’s not going
to be the tight-knit sense of community that
Tahlequah is. There’s going to be so much more
people. It’s going to feel like that small town vibe
is what I’m going to miss the most,” she said.
She added that students like her should
strive for higher educations. She also offered
advice for when interviewing at colleges: be
yourself. “Don’t feel like you have to act like
someone else. Just be genuine and be who
you are and let them see your character.
They’re not looking to see that you know
these large vocabulary words. They want to
know that you’re a human being that has a
passion for something. They’re looking to
see that you’re involved in things and that
you care about something.”
ᏓᎵᏆ, ᎣᎦᎳᎰᎹ. – Columbia ᏩᎦᎸᎳᏗᏴᎢ
ᏧᎾᏕᎶᏆᏍᏗᎢ ᎥᎿ ᏄᏯᎩ ᎾᏞᎬᏭ ᏥᎨᏒᎢ ᎣᏏ
ᎤᏂᏰᎸᎾᏁᎴ ᎾᏍᎩ ᏗᏍᏆᏗᏍᎩ Miriam
Reed ᏓᎵᏆ ᎦᎸᎳᏗ ᏧᎾᏕᎶᏆᏍᏗᎢ ᏗᏕᎶᏆᏍᎩ
ᎤᎵᎪᎲᏍᏗ ᏥᎨᏎᏍᏗ ᏩᎾᎴᏅᎲᎢ. ᎾᏍᎩᏃ
ᎤᏈᏴᏙᏗ Ivy League education, ᎾᏍᎩᏃ
Ꮎ ᏧᎾᏕᎶᏆᏍᏗᎢ ᎠᏥᏁ ᎾᏍᎩ ᏣᎳᎩᎯ ᎠᏰᎵ
ᎨᎳ ᏑᏕᏘᏴᏓ ᏳᏓᎵ $73,000 ᏅᎩ ᎢᏧᏕᏘᏴᏓ
ᏱᎪᎯᏓ. ᎾᏍᎩᏍᎩᏂ Ꮓ Gates Millennium
scholar ᎢᎩ.
ᎾᏍᎩᏃ
ᎤᏚᎩ
ᎬᏗ
ᏧᏕᎶᏆᏍᏗ
environmental engineering, Reed Z ᎧᏬᏂ
ᎧᎸ ᏙᏛᏕᎶᏆᎢ.
ᎯᎸᏍᎩᏃ
ᏩᎦᎸᎳᏗᏴᎢ
ᏧᎾᏕᎶᏆᏍᏗ,
ᎾᏍᎩ ᎬᏩᏠᏯᏍᏗ ᎠᏕᎳ ᏧᏢᎢ Berkley,
Notre Dame, ᎤᎩᏓᎵ ᎠᎴ ᏚᏯᏓᏛᎢ,
ᏕᎬᏩᏓᏂᎸᏨᎢ ᎾᏍᎩ ᏧᏕᎶᏆᏍᏗᎢ ᎪᏪᎵ
ᏧᎧᎵᏏᏎᏅᎢ ᏫᏚᏝᎥᎢ. ᎯᎸᏍᎩᏃ ᏚᏑᏰᏒᎢ
Berkley ᎠᎴ Columbia ᎾᏊᏃ Columbia
ᎤᏑᏰᏒᎢ. ᎾᏍᎩᏃ ᏚᏚᎪᏓᏁᎸᎢ ᏭᏪᏙᎳ
ᎾᏍᎩ
Ꮓ
ᏥᏧᎾᏈᏴᎲᎢ
ᎤᏪᏅᏍᏗ
ᎥᎿ ᏧᎾᏕᎶᏆᏍᏗᎢ Engineering Days
ᏗᏍᏆᎵᎲᎢ ᎧᏬᏂ ᎧᎸᎢ ᏥᎨᏒᎢ.
“ᎾᏂᎥᏃ ᎢᎦ ᏧᎾᏓᏓᏂᎸᏣᏘ ᎨᏒᎩ, ᎠᎴ
ᎾᏍᎩᏃ ᎾᎾᏛᏁᎲᎢ ᎥᎿ ᏯᏆᏚᎳᏊ ᎥᎿᎿ
ᏩᏋᏕᏗᎢ
ᏅᎩ
ᎢᏧᏕᏘᏴᏓ,”
ᎠᏗᏍᎬᎢ.
“ᎾᏍᎩᏃ ᏣᏤᎵᎢ ᎠᏈᏴᏗᎢ ᎠᏂᎦᏘᏯ ᏂᎦᎥᏊ
ᎪᎱᏍᏗ ᎤᎾᏂᏙᎢ ᏃᏍᏛᎢ. ᏗᏇᏅᏒᎢ ᏣᏬᏢᎢ
ᎡᎵᏍᏗ ᎨᎲᎢ.”
Reed Ꮓ ᎢᎧᏃᎮᏍᎬᎢ Ꮎ Columbia
scholarship ᎾᏍᎩᏃ ᎬᏂᎨᏒᎢ ᏱᏂᎬᎦ
ᏄᏍᏛᎢ ᎡᎲᎢ ᎥᎿᎾᏂ, ᎾᏍᎩ ᎬᏩᏠᏯᏍᏗ
ᏚᎵᎬᏩᎳᏁᎲᎢ
ᎠᎴ
ᎡᏙᎲᎢ.
ᎾᏍᎩᏃ
ᎤᏤᎵᎢ Gates Millennium Scholarship,
ᎠᏗᏍᎬᎢ, ᎾᏍᎩᏃ ᏳᎵᏍᎪᏟᏗᏏ ᏓᏕᎶᏆᏍᎬᎢ
ᎤᎦᏎᏍᏙᏗᎢ ᎠᎴ ᎥᏝ ᏗᎦᎸᏫᏍᏓᏁᏗ.
“ ᎾᏍᎩᏃ ᎠᏆᎵᏍᎪᏟᏓᏁᎭ ᎤᏣᏘᎾ ᏗᏜ
ᎠᏆᏕᎶᏆᏍᏗᎢ. ᎥᏝᏃ ᎾᏍᎩ ᏗᎦᎸᏫᏍᏓᏁᏗ
ᎠᏕᎶᏆᏍᏗ
ᎢᏯᏆᏛᏁᏗ,
ᎾᏍᎩᏃ
ᏥᏂᎦᎵᏍᏗᎭ ᏕᎦᎶᏆᏍᎬᎢ ᏱᏕᎦᎦᏌᏍᏓ,”
ᎠᏗᏍᎬᎢ. “ᎾᏍᎩᏃ 10 ᎢᏧᏕᏘᏴᏓ ᏧᏕᎶᏆᏍᏗ,
ᎢᏳᏃ ᏯᏆᏚᎵᎠ ᎠᎩᏁᏍᏗ master’s (degree)
ᎤᏣᏘᎾ ᏗᎨᏒᎢ. ᎥᏝ Ꮓ ᎠᏎᎢ ᏅᎩ ᎢᏧᏕᏘᏴᏓ
ᏱᎪᎯᏓ ᎠᏇᏓᏍᏗ ᏱᎦᎦᎩ… ᎠᎴ ᎾᏍᏊ
ᎠᏆᏟᎾᏓᏁᎭ ᎠᎩᎦᏲᎶᏗᏍᏗᎢ ᎾᏍᎩ ᎠᏆᏤᎵᎢ
grant ᎾᏍᎩ Columbia ᎠᎩᏁᏓ ᎾᏍᎩ ᎩᎶᎢ
ᎦᏥᏍᏕᎸᎡᏗ ᏓᏕᎶᏆᏍᎬᎢ ᎾᏍᏊ.”
ᎾᏍᎩᏃ ᎤᏓᏅᎢᏛᎢ-ᎬᏰᏅᏗ ᏚᏭᎪᏛᎢ
ᎤᏁᏍᏗᎢ ᎾᏍᎩ degree ᎥᎿ environmental
engineering
ᎠᎴ
ᎨᎳᏕᎬ
ᎤᏓᎴᎿᎢ
ᏂᎦᎵᏍᏔᏅᏍᎬᎢ ᎥᎿ ᏄᏓᎴᎯᎢ ᏗᎦᏎᏍᏔᏅᎢ
ᏕᎨᏒᎢ ᎡᎶᎯ.
“ᏥᎦᏖᏃᎭ ᎠᏇᎳᏗᏍᏗᎢ ᎥᎿ ᎤᎾᏤᎵᎢ
(Columbia’s)
engineering
ᎤᎾᏙᏢᏒᎢ
ᎾᏍᎩ ᎠᎵᏍᎪᏟᏗᏍᎬᎢ ᎥᎿᎿᏂ. ᎠᏁᎪᎢ ᎠᎴ
ᎤᏣᏘᎾ ᏗᎨᏒᎢ ᏍᏆᏂᏱᎢ ᎨᏥᏍᏕᎸᎡᎰᎢ
ᎾᏍᎩ Ꮓ ᎠᎹ ᎠᏂᏅᎦᎵᏍᎬᎢ ᏂᏚᏍᏗᏓᏅᎢ
ᎠᎴ ᎠᎾᎵᏍᏕᎵᏍᎪᎢ ᏗᏁᏍᎨᎥᎢ ᏓᏒᏢᎢ
ᎠᎴ ᎾᏍᎩᏊ ᏙᎯᏳᎯᏯᎢ ᏓᏂᏍᏕᎵᏍᎪᎢ
ᎤᏣᏘᎾ ᏚᏙᏢᏒᎢ ᎡᏍᎦ ᎢᏳᎾᏛᎿᏕᎩ ᎠᏏᏅ
ᎠᎭᏂ ᎢᏕᎲᎢ,” ᎠᏗᏍᎬᎢ.
ᎥᎿᏃ
ᎦᎸᎳᏗ
ᏧᎾᏕᎶᏆᏍᏗᎢ,
Reed
ᎨᎳᏗᏙᎲᎢ ᎥᎿᎢ Junior Reserve Officer
Training Corps, ᎠᎾᎵᏍᎩᏍᎩ ᎤᎾᏓᏡᎩ,
National Honor Society, ᏗᎾᏕᎶᏆᏍᎩ
ᎤᎾᏓᏡᎩ, science ᎤᎾᏓᏡᎩ, academic
ᎤᎾᏓᏡᎩ, Mu Alpha Theta ᎠᎴ ᏣᎳᎩ
ᎤᎾᏓᏡᎩ. ᎠᎴ ᎾᏍᎩᏊ ᏚᏕᎶᏆᎠ Advance
Placement ᏗᏕᎶᏆᏍᏗ literature, U.S.
ᎢᎸᎯᏳᎢ ᏄᎵᏍᏔᏅᏅᎢ, calculus, physics
ᎠᎴ statistics.
“ᎾᏍᎩ ᎥᎿ ᎨᎳ 3 ᎢᏳᎾᏓᏛᎢ. ᎠᏯᏃ
ᎨᏒᎢ ᎥᏆᏎᏍᏛᎢ 4. (ᎥᎿᏃᎢ ᏦᏣᏕᎶᏆᏍᎩ
300 ᏃᎦᎢ),” ᎠᏗᏍᎬᎢ. “ᎠᏯᏃ ᎢᎬᏱᏱ
ᎡᏥ ᏚᏓᏘᎿᎥᎢ ᎾᏍᎩ ᏗᏋᏍᏆᏛᎢ ᏗᎸᎳᏗ
ᏧᎾᏕᎶᏆᏍᏗᎢ ᎤᎵᏍᎨᏓᏃ ᎠᎩᏰᎸᏐᎢ ᎾᏍᎩ
ᎥᏍᎩᏴᎢ ᏫᎬᎩᎷᎯᏍᏗᎢ.”
Reed Ꮓ ᎢᎧᏃᎮᏍᎬᎢ ᎤᏍᎩᏓᏒᎢ ᎾᏍᎩ
ᏧᏕᎶᏆᏍᏗᎢ ᎣᎦᎳᎰᎹ ᎦᏄᎪᏨᎢ ᎠᎴ ᎤᎪᏙᎢ
ᎠᏓᏟᏅᏓᏕᎰᎢ ᎤᏣᏘᎾ ᏗᏜ ᏗᎨᏒᎢ.
“ᎾᏊᏃ ᏱᎦᏄᎪᏥ ᎾᏍᎩ ᎬᎪᏩᏛᏗ ᎨᏐᎢ
ᏂᎦᏓ ᏂᏚᏓᎴᎢ ᎠᎴ ᎾᏍᎩ ᏗᏐᎢ ᏗᎬᏑᏰᏍᏗ
ᎾᏍᎩ
ᎠᎵᏍᎪᏟᏗᏍᎬᎢ
ᎠᎭᏂ
ᎠᏰᎵ
ᎩᎦᏙᏢᏒᎢ, ᎠᎴ ᎠᏉᎯᏳᏐᎢ ᎣᏁᏉᎡᎸᎢ
ᏱᎩ ᏄᏓᎴᎢ ᏱᎬᏩᎵᏍᏙᏗ ᎨᏒᎢ ᎠᎴ ᏧᏓᎴᏅᏗ
ᏱᎬᏩᎵᏍᏙᏗ ᎨᎲᎢ ᎤᏣᏘᎾ ᏙᏧᏙᏢᏒᎢ ,
ᎾᏊᏃ ᏱᎢᎬᎷᏥ ᎣᏮᏌ ᎣᏪᏅᏒᎢ ᎤᎪᏙᎢ
ᎬᎵᎮᎵᏍᏗ, ᎠᎴ ᎾᏍᎩ ᎣᏁᎰᎢ ᎪᎱᏍᏗ
ᏄᏓᎴᎢ ᎦᎬᏲᎯᏍᏗ ᎣᏮᏌ ᎣᏚᏒᎢ.” ᎠᏗᏍᎬᎢ.
ᎠᏏᏅ Ꮓ ᏧᏪᏅᏒᎢ ᎨᏒᎢ, ᎠᏂᏏᏓᏁᎸᎢ
ᎠᎴ ᏦᎵᎢ, ᎢᎧᏃᎮᏍᎬᎢ ᎾᏍᎩ ᏕᎦᏅᏗᏍᎪᎢ
“ᎾᏍᎩ ᎠᏕᏗᎢ ᎤᏍᏗᎢ ᎦᏚᎲᎢ.”
“ ᏕᏥᏅᏗᏍᎨᏍᏗ Ꮓ ᎡᎳᏗᏊ ᏫᎬᎩᎶᎯᏍᏗ
ᏗᎦᏚᎲᎢ ᎦᎳᏅᏛᎢ ᎠᎴ ᎠᎩᎪᏩᏛᏗᎢ
ᏗᎦᏚᎲᎢ. ᎥᏝᏃ ᎾᏊ ᏱᎨᏎᏍᏗ ᎾᏍᎩ
Ꮎ tight-knit ᎠᏓᏅᏖᏗᎢ ᎣᎦᏙᏢᏒᎢ ᎥᎿ
ᏍᎦᏚᎩ ᎥᎿ ᏓᎵᏆ. ᎥᎿᏃ ᎨᏒᎢ ᎤᏂᎪᏕᏍᏗ ᏴᏫ.
ᎾᏍᎩᏃ ᎠᏓᏅᏖᏗᎢ ᏂᎬᏫᏍᏕᏍᏗ ᎥᎿ ᎤᏍᏗ
ᎦᏚᎲᎢ ᏥᏄᏍᏙᎢ ᎥᏍᎩ ᏱᏄᏍᏕᏍᏗ ᎥᏍᎩ
ᎤᎬᏫᏳᏎᏍᏗ ᏥᏅᏗᏍᎨᏍᏗ,” ᎠᏗᏍᎬᎢ.
ᎾᏍᎩᏃ
ᎠᏠᏯᏍᏗᎭ
ᎾᏍᎩ
Ꮎ
ᏗᎾᏕᎶᏆᏍᎩ ᎾᏍᎩ ᏱᎬᏍᏗ ᎠᎾᏟᏂᎬᏁᎰᎢ
ᎦᎸᎳᏗ
ᏗᏕᎶᏆᏍᏗᎢ.
ᎠᎴᏃ
ᎾᏍᎩᏊ
ᎠᎵᏍᎪᏟᏗᏍᎬᎢ ᎬᏩᏛᏓᏍᏙᏗᎢ ᎧᏃᎮᏍᎬᎢ
ᎾᎯᏳ
ᏚᎦᏛᏂᏙᎲᎢ
ᏗᏕᎶᏆᏍᏗᎢ:
ᏂᎬᏣᏍᏕᏍᏗ. “ᏞᏍᏗᏃ ᏥᏣᎷᏤᎵ ᎾᏍᎩ
ᎩᎶ ᏄᏓᎴᎢ ᎾᏛᏁᎲᎢ ᎤᏠᏱ ᏱᏣᏛᏁᏗᎢ.
ᏂᎬᏣᏍᏕᏍᏗ
ᎠᎴ
ᎾᏍᎩ
ᏥᏂᏣᏍᏗ
ᏂᏣᏍᏕᏍᏗ
ᎠᎴ
ᏫᎨᏣᎪᏩᏔ
ᏙᏳᎢ
ᏂᏣᏍᏛᎢ. ᎥᏝᏃ ᏳᏂᏲᎭ ᎤᏂᎪᏩᏛᏗᎢ
ᎠᎴ
ᎤᎾᏛᎪᏗᎢ
ᏧᏔᎾ
ᏗᎧᏁᎢᏍᏗ
ᏴᎦᏬᏂᎭ. ᎾᏍᎩᏃ ᎤᎾᏚᎵᎠ ᎨᏣᎪᏩᏛᏗᎢ
ᎭᏟᏂᎬᏁᎲᎢ.
ᎾᏍᎩ
Ꮓ
ᎤᎾᏚᎵᎠ
ᎤᏂᎪᏩᏛᏗᎢ ᎾᏍᎩ ᏣᏚᎵᎲᎢ ᏣᏖᎳᏗᏍᏗᎢ
ᎪᎱᏍᏗ ᏂᎦᎵᏍᏔᏅᏍᎬᎢ ᎠᎴ ᎾᏍᎩ ᎣᏍᏓ
ᏣᏰᎸᏒᎢ ᎪᎱᏍᏗ ᎦᎵᏍᏔᏅᏍᎬᎢ.”
Education • #n[]Qsd
13
Grand View students partake in Cherokee Heritage Day
BY STACIE GUTHRIE
Reporter
TAHLEQUAH, Okla. – Grand
View School students on May 3
participated in Cherokee cultural
games such as stickball and marbles
as well as learned tribal songs and
stories as part of the school’s first
Cherokee Heritage Day.
Cherokee
Heritage
Center
employees helped teach children
about Cherokee culture.
Glenda Sellers, CN citizen and
Grand View School community
liaison, said students from first
through eighth grades partook in
various Cherokee-related activities.
“We were outside playing, learning
our Cherokee culture through
marbles, stickball, blowguns and a
presentation in Cherokee clothing
attire, and then we went inside
to listen to some Cherokee songs
and learn how to sing a couple of
Cherokee songs,” she said. “We
had beading with pony beads. We
had face painting, and we also had
Cherokee storytelling.”
Sellers said this is the first time
the school hosted such an event and
thinks it’s important for students to
participate in cultural events.
“I think it’s important to bring
these Cherokee activities to Grand
View because we have a large student
population of Cherokee citizens,
and they need to know their culture.
They need to
SCAN be aware of
CODE where
they
TO SEE came
from
VIDEO and
where
they’re going,” she said. “I hope to
have this happen each year and let
our students know their culture.”
She said CHC employees hosted
most of the activities, but a first
grade teacher taught students songs
in Cherokee.
“Gina Barnett has a team that she
brings out and they did presentations
in marbles and stickball and
blowguns. Then our (Cherokee)
National
Treasure,
Cherokee
(Nation) citizen Tonia Weavel, came
out and showed a presentation from
the evolution of clothing and also
presented a tear dress and a hunting
jacket. She also had some pucker toe
moccasins that she shared with the
students,” she said. “Then we had
our own first grade teacher Sarah
Downey, who is also a Cherokee
citizen, she sang Cherokee songs
with the children and taught them a
couple of songs in Cherokee.”
Sellers said it seemed like stickball
was the students’ “favorite” activity.
“We had boys and girls playing
hard. Most of the girls won, but that
seemed to be the favorite activity of all
the events that we had today,” she said.
Chloe Wallace, CN citizen and
fourth grader, said her favorite event
was singing Cherokee songs but that
she had “fun” participating in the
other events.
“We played stickball. We did blow
darts. We got to do some Cherokee
songs. We got to play marbles and
now we’re listening to Cherokee
stories,” she said.
Margaret Carlile, CN citizen
and Grand View federal programs
director, said the school hosted
Grand View School students learn about blowguns with a hands-on experience during the school’s Cherokee
Heritage Day on May 3 in Tahlequah, Oklahoma. STACIE GUTHRIE/CHEROKEE PHOENIX
I think it’s important to bring these Cherokee activities to Grand View
because we have a large student population of Cherokee citizens and
they need to know their culture.
– Glenda Sellers,
Grand View School community liaison
the event via a National Youth
Community Project grant the school
received from the U.S. Department
of Education. The grant came
from President Barack Obama’s
Generation Indigenous initiative.
“He (Obama) visited two tribal
areas to talk about how hard it is for
tribal youth to succeed, and so they
found money in Indian education
to fund some special grants and we
were the very fortunate recipients of
one of 12 nationwide,” she said. “We
were the only public school who
received it as a stand-alone grant.”
She said with the grant school
officials hope to expand on the
students’ educational knowledge of
colleges and trade schools as well as
Native American heritages.
“If you don’t know where you’re
from it’s kind of hard to figure
out where you’re going, and so I
wanted them to understand how
very important education is to the
Cherokees,” she said.
Carlile said out of the 635
students, nearly 400 are Native
American with a large percentage
being Cherokee. “We have 18
tribes represented here, primarily
Cherokee. So we do have a very large
population of Indian students.”
8 NSU Cherokee Promise
Scholars graduate
The graduating scholars
are Trenton Hill, Sheena
Yeager, Breanna Potter,
Nicole Murry, Karen
Jones, Christian Sizemore,
Ashley Roach and Joshua
Watie.
Cast members from Sequoyah High School’s drama department perform a dance number
from the Broadway musical “West Side Story” on April 23 at Sequoyah Schools’ The
Place Where They Play in Tahlequah, Oklahoma. ROGER GRAHAM/CHEROKEE PHOENIX
SHS drama dept. performs ‘West Side Story’
BY ROGER GRAHAM
Media Specialist
TAHLEQUAH, Okla. – Sequoyah High
School Performing Arts instructor Amanda
Ray and her cast and crew brought Broadway
to the Cherokee Nation with performances of
the acclaimed musical “West Side Story” on
April 21-23 at The Place Where They Play gym.
She said the musical, which happens to
be her favorite, was impossible to produce
until this year.
“We held auditions back in February and
we’ve worked two, three, sometimes four days
a week in rehearsals.” Ray said. “I was never
able to do ‘West Side Story’ before because it’s
such a huge cast and almost all guys. There are
two female roles and the rest is all about the
Jets and the Sharks, the two street gangs. That’s
a lot of guys on stage, and I hadn’t had that
many boys in my department
to pull it off. And then this year
I had a lot of new talent come
on to the stage, come into my
classes, and once I saw I had
that many people I thought I
SCAN
can try it this year.”
CODE
Ray added, “It’s definitely the
TO SEE
biggest show we’ve ever done,
VIDEO
and I don’t just mean cast size. I
mean the personalities on stage, the characters
on stage, the students had to come out of their
shell.”
Ray said the total number of cast and crew
was 50. “That’s the largest organization at this
school,” she said.
Junior Noah Scearce and sophomore
Katelyn Morton respectively played the lead
roles of Tony and Maria. “Mrs. Ray thought I’d
be good for the part, and I like to sing. Tony
sings a lot,” Scearce said.
Morton, who has trained under Cherokee
Nation citizen and opera star Barbara
McAllister, described the role of Maria as
multifaceted. “It’s been fun because I’ve
always liked Maria’s character but also difficult
because she’s a bit more silly than I am… hard
to believe, but yeah.”
Ray described the two leads as being
wonderful students and actors, great singers
and hard workers.
Another standout was junior Maddie
Lamb, who played Anita, a role made famous
by Oscar-, Tony- and Grammy-winner Rita
Moreno. “Anita is fun, energetic and quirky. I
was glad I got the part because I’m kind of the
same way.” Lamb said. “Mrs. Ray has worked
tirelessly on this production. We helped but
Mrs. Ray made this happen. We are all glad
we have her to put these things together.”
opportunity to pursue a higher education
and earn a college degree,” Principal Chief
Bill John Baker said. “I am so proud we were
able to assist these hardworking and talented
young people in achieving a significant
milestone not just for themselves, but for
their families as well. Making an investment
in their education is an investment in the
future of our tribe.”
As Cherokee Promise Scholars, students
live in a section of a dorm dedicated just for
Cherokee students, which allows students to
BY STAFF REPORTS
better interact and support each other.
Jones, of Tahlequah, graduated with a
TAHLEQUAH, Okla. – The largest number bachelor’s degree in biology and hopes to
of Cherokee Promise Scholars graduated pursue a career in a hospital laboratory.
from Northeastern State University on
“Being a Cherokee Promise Scholar
May 7. The eight graduating were Trenton has made it possible for me to get through
Hill, Sheena Yeager, Breanna Potter, Nicole
college.
Without
Murry,
Karen
it there is no way I
Jones, Christian
would have been able
Sizemore, Ashley
Without the Cherokee
to do it,” Jones said.
Roach and Joshua
“The scholarship has
Promise, it would have
Watie.
provided me with
Sizemore,
of
both the financial
been
hard
for
me
to
pay
for
Sallisaw, earned a
means as well as the
college.
bachelor’s degree
support system to
in media studies
– Christian Sizemore, make it through.”
with an emphasis
Cherokee
Cherokee Nation citizen The
in
broadcast
Promise
is
also
journalism and
offered at Rogers
didn’t have to take out loans.
State University and Connors State
“Without the Cherokee Promise, it would College. There are 54 scholars at NSU, 23
have been hard for me to pay for college. at RSU and four at Connors. The Connors
Cherokee Promise has also exposed me to program started in 2015.
the different parts of the Cherokee culture
As part of the program, students are
since I wasn’t raised in a traditional Cherokee required to maintain a 2.7 GPA, live in the
home and didn’t know a lot of the cultural Nation’s 14-county jurisdiction and meet
beliefs,” Sizemore said.
all Native American Housing Assistance
The Cherokee Nation established Self-Determination Act income guidelines.
the scholarship in 2011 to ensure more Scholars must also take certain Cherokee
Cherokees attain college degrees. The language classes and attend cultural activities
program provides $4,600 a semester for offered at the university such as stickball,
tuition, housing and meal plans to low- basket weaving and community service.
income CN students.
For more information, call Jennifer Pigeon
“We created the Cherokee Promise
Scholarship five years ago so that more at 918-453-5367 or email jennifer-pigeon@
of our Cherokee students would have the cherokee.org.
14
Services • nnrpH
Tribe helps raise
environmental
awareness in youths
BY STACIE GUTHRIE
Reporter
Workers brick a New Construction Home Program house available through the Housing Authority of the Cherokee
Nation. The state-chartered HACN celebrates its 50th year in 2016. ARCHIVE
HACN celebrates 50 years in 2016
BY STACIE GUTHRIE
Reporter
TAHLEQUAH, Okla. – The statechartered Housing Authority of the
Cherokee Nation has helped families
with needs ranging from rental
assistance to home construction
throughout the past 50 years.
Gary Cooper, HACN executive
director, said it was created in May 1966
to allow tribes housing authorities “that
operated within their jurisdiction.”
“Indian housing authorities existed
just like public housing authorities did,”
he said. “All applied for the same type of
grant funds.”
Cooper said the first HACN housing
units were apartments made from U.S.
Army barracks. He said the HACN
began housing people in the late 1960s
in the units in Pryor.
“They were old Army barracks that
were trucked in,” he said. “They were
single-family units, but they were used
as apartments for years.”
He said the Birdtail Addition in
Tahlequah, built in 1968, was the
HACN’s second project.
“They’re individual apartments.
Some of them are duplexes, but they’re
smaller ones,” he said.
Cooper said the first homes built
were in 1969-70 and were concrete
block-type. He said from there the
HACN went to Masonite-type siding
style, partial brick and siding homes
before building brick homes in the late
1980s.
Deputy Chief S. Joe Crittenden, who
worked for the HACN as a credit and
collection manager and later served
on the HACN board for approximately
10 years, said in the late 1960s and
early 1970s he helped build homes in
Dahlonegah and Cherry Tree.
“I use to help them frame houses. We
just did a little bit of everything. We’d
paint. We’d hang sheetrock. We’d do
cleanup,” he said. “It was fun times.”
Cooper said the U.S. Department
of Housing and Urban Development
chose the early “cookie cutter” style
homes, not the HACN.
“For the longest time HUD is the
one who determined which house was
going to be built. Even for the longest
time they actually were responsible
for doing the development. After the
house was done, then the housing
authority took over,” he said. “There
would be several house plans that is
probably the same house plan used on
that same project whether it is here in
the Cherokee Nation or down in the
Choctaw Nation or wherever it was.”
Cooper said this changed when the
Native American Housing Assistance
and Self Determination Act became law
in 1996.
“Whenever NAHASDA went into
effect it allowed tribes to really make
their own determination on what their
housing needs were,” he said. “That’s
done every year through what’s called
the Indian Housing Plan and it’s really
a way for the tribe to say, ‘here’s what
we’re going to do with the block grant
funds we get.’ It really led the way to
self-determination.”
He said when NAHASDA went
into effect people were able to chose
different house styles.
“It actually wasn’t until NAHASDA
came into effect and we had the
homeownership
program
under
NAHASDA that we actually could build
and really say, ‘this is the house plan
we’re going to build.’ It was in about
(19)98, (19)99 timeframe,” he said.
“Whenever they first started doing that
they had about four that they actually
let people chose from.”
In the early 2000s, Cooper said
the tribe shifted to the Mortgage
Assistance Program and away from
building homes. Then in 2012 the New
Home Construction Program was
implemented allowing CN citizens the
opportunity to again have a HACNbuilt home.
“We’ve built close to 400 homes total
and have almost 200 in construction
right now and a bunch in the pipeline
to get to construction,” he said. “That
has been a really great program. It’s
been a great opportunity for our folks
who need housing. It’s been a great
opportunity for Cherokees who are
looking for work.”
CN citizen Mandy Adair and her son
moved into their New Construction
Home Program-built house in
November 2012. The house, which has
three-bedrooms and one and a half
bath, sits on an acre in Tahlequah.
“It’s in the Grand View area and I
love it,” she said. “This is something that
I get to leave my son, and that’s the most
important thing for me is being able to
give him a home that he can always
come back to no matter what the world
throws at him. This is our home.”
Leona Allen, who retired from the
HACN after approximately 39 years,
said she saw the HACN’ progress while
helping people with housing needs.
“I really did enjoy my job. I did
enjoy helping people,” she said. “I loved
watching family’s get new homes. It was
a good place to work.”
She said when she began working
for the HACN in 1976 when there were
approximately 26 employees. Cooper
said the HACN employs now nearly
250 people.
He said the tribe and HACN have
helped thousands of people over the
past 50 years.
“It’s really surprising and humbling
really what the Cherokee Nation and the
housing authority has been able to do,”
he said. “We have impacted thousands
and thousands and thousands of lives.”
TAHLEQUAH, Okla. – Children, local entities, Cherokee
Nation departments as well as departments from other tribes
in Oklahoma visited the Nation’s fifth annual Environmental
Festival on April 29 to learn and help spread awareness about
environmental issues.
Tom Elkins, CN Environmental Programs administrator,
said the festival, which was held at the Talking Leaves Job
Corps, began as a way to celebrate Earth Day, Arbor Day and
other environmental events happening this time of year and
helps teach about the environment.
“We’ve bussed in kids from different parts of the Cherokee
Nation, and Cherokee Nation’s staff are going to be coming here
off and on through their time off,” he said. “It’s really a good
day for kids to learn a little bit more about the environment.”
The festival promoted environmental issues such as recycling,
water quality and land conversation.
SCAN
Nearly 40 program officials, including
CODE
the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service,
TO SEE
Natural
Resource
Conservation
VIDEO
Service and Rock and Mineral Society,
set up information booths and offered
activities to educate the public on environmental issues.
“It’s important to expose our young people and the public
to the many ways we can preserve and protect our natural
resources and raise awareness about how vital they are,” CN
Secretary of Natural Resources Sara Hill said. “The Cherokee
people have been good stewards of the environment, as hunters,
farmers and protectors of the earth, and we still practice these
same traits today.”
Along with door prizes, the CN gave away trees from 13
different species, including American Plum, Bald Cypress, Bur
Oak, Eastern Redbud, Native Pecan and Pin Oak.
Erin Arnall, of the Peoria Tribe, said she hoped to teach
youths about fire and tornado safety.
“I teach fire safety, what to do in case of a fire, how to be
prepared beforehand, what to do if something happens. I also
teach tornado safety because in Tornado Alley you never know
when danger might strike,” she said. “So between our seasons
we try to cover fire for winter and then tornado in the spring
as well. We just try to do outreach for our area children just so
they’re safe in whatever disaster might strike.”
Arnall said she also informs youths that firefighters and
police officers are there to help in such situations.
“I also try to explain, especially to the little ones because
they’ve never seen a fireman in full regalia. Most of them have
never seen a police officer with their duty belts on and vests, so
I try to explain that they’re good people. They’re nice people.
They’re only there to help. They’re somebody’s mom. They’re
somebody’s dad,” she said. “They’re good people. They’re there
to help, so never run and hide.”
She said at the end of her presentation she does a “test run”
of what to do during a fire.
“At the end I have a smoke blower and I do a test run of, ‘OK,
we’re in a fire. What do you do know?’ I have them crawl out,
hands and knees, so they can practice what to do. So in case
of the real thing they don’t panic as much. They’ve been there.
They’ve done that and they know how to respond,” she said.
Jason White, CN Environmental Programs environmental
specialist, said approximately 475 students attended this year
compared to last year’s student attendance of approximately
250. He said he believe this is because more people are taking
an interest in the environment.
“I think it’s because more people want to be involved. More
people want to learn more about the environment and things
that they can do for conservation,” he said. “I think the word is
getting out, so we’re really excited.”
CN connects with At-Large
citizens through website
BY STAFF REPORTS
Jim Ferrell of Ferrell Heat and Air installs a heat and air
conditioning system in a home built through the Housing
Authority of Cherokee Nation’s New Construction Home
Ownership Program. JAMI MUPHY/CHEROKEE PHOENIX
Cherokee Nation citizens Mandy Adair and her son, Tosley
Martin, 9, prepare dinner in their New Home Construction
Ownership home in Tahlequah, Oklahoma. The home was
built in 2012. STACIE GUTHRIE/CHEROKEE PHOENIX
Housing Authority of Cherokee Nation Services
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
College Housing Assistance: must be a citizen of a federally recognized tribe and preference will be
given to CN citizens.
Community Shield Insurance: must be a CN citizen.
Housing Rehabilitation: must be a citizen of a federally recognized tribe and priority is given to elderly,
disabled and handicapped families. Preference will be given to CN citizens.
New Home Construction Program: must be a CN citizen.
Low Income Rental Housing: must be a citizen of a federally recognized tribe. Preference will be given
to CN citizens.
Mortgage Assistance Program: must be a citizen of a federally recognized tribe. Preference will be
given to CN citizens.
Rental Assistance: must be a citizen of a federally recognized tribe. Priority is given to elderly, disabled
and handicapped families. Preference will be given to CN citizens.
Senior Housing: must be a citizen of a federally recognized tribe. Preference will be given to CN
citizens.
TAHLEQUAH, Okla. – The Cherokee Nation recently
launched a website dedicated to connecting its citizens residing
beyond the tribe’s 14-county jurisdiction with information
about federal and tribal services.
The
website,
www.cherokeesatlarge.org,
features
information regarding home loans, health care services,
education scholarships and more.
“Cherokee Nation citizens in the at-large communities are
a vital part of our tribal government and are critical to our
success. It is important that we keep all our citizens as informed
and up to date as we can,” Secretary of State Chuck Hoskin Jr.
said. “This new website offers vital information on Cherokee
community gatherings, services and programs available from
the tribe and an easy way to search for IHS (Indian Health
Service) health care options no matter where you live. It’s a
good way for Cherokees to interact, participate and remain
connected to our government.”
At-Large citizens can subscribe to an email list for updates
about community events and CN information. An interactive
map displaying all the IHS health care facilities available to
Native Americans are also featured on the website.
Nearly 205,000 of the Nation’s 330,000 citizens live outside
the tribe’s jurisdiction. Many of these citizens belong to
one of the nearly two dozen at-large Cherokee community
organizations across the country.
In Oklahoma, there are more than 90,000 CN citizens
residing outside the tribe’s boundary. Through negotiated state
compacts, all CN citizens in Oklahoma are eligible for CN
hunting and fishing licenses and Cherokee vehicle tags. The
website has information about both of these opportunities.
All official Cherokee community organizations are part of
the CN Community Association, which the Community and
Cultural Outreach operates. For more information, visit www.
cherokee.org/Services/Community/CommunityAndCulture.
Services • nnrpH
15
Nation meeting dislocated worker program goals
The Cherokee Nation aims
to help 795 people with
two federal grants totaling
more than $10 million.
BY TRAVIS SNELL
Assistant Editor
TAHLEQUAH, Okla. – With approximately
four months left, the Cherokee Nation’s Job
Driven National Dislocated Worker Grant
Program has exceeded its goal of helping
people train and find employment after losing
their jobs through no fault of their own.
Brenda Fitzgerald, Vocational Rehabilitation
Program director, said the tribe has helped
313 dislocated workers with the $3.7 million
federal grant, meeting 103 percent of its goal,
which is to help people learn needed skills so
they can secure good-paying jobs.
One of those people who benefitted was
Bruce Tyre, who lost his job about a year ago
because of the downturn in the oil and gas
industry. After learning of the program, which
Career Services runs at the tribe, Tyre began
training in a pre-apprenticeship program at
the Ironworkers Union Local 584 in Tulsa.
“I called Career Services and was able to
look at all options available to me through the
program,” he said. In the pre-apprenticeship,
he not only became a certified welder via an
eight-week class but also graduated top of his
class. “I am thankful to the Cherokee Nation
for giving me the opportunity to learn a new
skill with the welding program. One week
after graduating, I had my first job through
the Ironworkers Union with a steel company
in Tulsa.”
The Job Driven grant is one of two
Department of Labor grants the tribe has
received. The other grant is the $6.5 million
Sector Partnership National Dislocated
Jacquelyne Byrd was the first female to
graduate from the Cherokee Nation’s
National Dislocated Worker Grantsponsored welding class. She was also
named the top welding student in her
graduating class.
Jacquelyne Byrd, a graduate of the Cherokee Nation’s National Dislocated Worker
Grant-sponsored welding class, sends sparks flying with a grinder. The tribe has helped
313 workers with a $3.7 million federal Job Driven National Dislocated Worker Grant.
COURTESY PHOTOS
Worker Grant.
Career Services received the Job Driven
funds in June 2014 and began helping
dislocated workers a month later. It received
the Sector Partnership grant in June 2015 and
began using it in July.
Fitzgerald said the Job Driven grant is set
to expire on Sept. 3, but the tribe expects to
apply for an extension. She added that Sector
Partnership funds end on June 3, 2017, but
that the CN may be granted an extension for
them, too.
Along with exceeding its Job Driven goals,
Fitzgerald said the Sector Partnership funds
have helped 120 dislocated workers, which
is on target. “The combined total of the
grant goals is to serve 795 dislocated workers
through the…programs,” she said.
Fitzgerald said applicants are guided
through the process and may receive career
I am thankful to the Cherokee Nation for giving me
the opportunity to learn a new skill with the welding
program.
– Bruce Tyre,
Job Driven National Dislocated Worker Grant Program graduate
CN to distribute school
clothing vouchers in July
The Cherokee Nation’s
Clothing Assistance
Program has
approximately 7,000
vouchers to disburse this
summer.
BY TRAVIS SNELL
Assistant Editor
TAHLEQUAH, Okla. – The Cherokee
Nation’s Family Assistance will again give out
school clothing vouchers to eligible children
through its Clothing Assistance Program this
summer.
Family Assistance Director Jerry Snell
said 6,932 children received $100 clothing
vouchers in 2015, and the program has
approximately 7,000 vouchers to distribute
this year.
“We want to make sure our low-income
children have suitable clothing to start the
school year with,” Snell said. “We know $100
isn’t going to clothe them for the entire school
year, but at least they can start the school year
bright and shiny.”
Snell said the vouchers can only be spent at
Stage stores. According to its website, there are
approximately 10 Stage stores within the CN.
“In the beginning, they (CN officials) tried
to develop a voucher system for different
(companies) locations and it created a major
problem,” Snell said. “One thing Stage does
for us is they give all the kids coupons. A
coupon goes with each $100 gift card and
those coupons will vary in percentage or what
kind of a (store) discount they are going to get.
It kind of depends on which week they shop.”
He said the vouchers must be spent on
school clothing and not on accessories such
as backpacks or fragrances. He added that
vouchers have no expiration dates and can be
utilized during the state’s tax-free weekend of
shopping on Aug. 5-7.
To receive vouchers, students and families
must meet eligibility requirements and
income guidelines.
Eligibility requirements and required
documents are:
• Student must be a CN citizen,
• Student and family must live within the
CN jurisdiction,
• Student must be in grades
coaching, short-term pre-vocational services,
assessments, career planning, training and
work-based training, on-the-job training, preapprenticeship training, supportive services,
vocational skills training and work experience,
which are based on the applicant’s need with
the end goal of returning to the work force.
She said the grants target specific highdemand occupations and that the tribe
focuses on employment and training to meet
the labor market demand.
“For our Sector Partnership National
Dislocated Worker Grant, we identified the
industry sectors with the most future need
for skilled workers and the area’s largest
employers,” she said. “Three industries
emerged: health care, tourism/hospitality and
manufacturing. In addition to health care, the
Job Driven National Dislocated Worker Grant
also targets office support, education support,
kindgertarten-12 for the upcoming
school year,
• Must bring proof of school enrollment
for each child,
• Kindergarten students must be age 5
before Sept. 1,
• Must bring a utility bill, not older than
30 days, that shows physical address or
service address,
• Custodial parent or legal guardian
must complete application,
• Guardians must bring letters of
guardianship issued by a district court,
and
• Must bring verification of income for
all adults (over 18) in the household.
Households cannot make more than
$14,850 for one person, $20,025 for two
people, $25,200 for three people, $30,375 for
four people, $35,550 for five people, $40,725
for six people, $45,912 for seven people
and $51,112 for eight people. For families/
households with more than eight people, add
$4,160 for each additional person.
Applications will be taken from 10 a.m. to
7 p.m. at the following sites except for South
Coffeyville and Nowata, which will be 1 p.m.
to 6 p.m. and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. respectively:
• Sequoyah Schools’ The Place Where
They Play gym in Tahlequah on July 6,
• Porum High School Cafeteria on July
7,
• South Coffeyville Community Center
on July 8,
• Vinita Health Center on July 12,
• Nowata Clinic Conference Room on
July 13,
• Washington County Fairgrounds on
July 13,
• Salina Middle School Cafeteria on July
14,
• Stilwell High School Cafeteria on July
19,
• Claremore High School on July 20,
• Jay High School Student Union on July
21,
• Sequoyah Schools’ The Place Where
They Play gym on July 26, and
• Sallisaw Middle School on July 27.
Snell said children who receive clothing
vouchers will also receive $50 cards for coats
in November.
“We don’t take applications for coats. You
have to qualify in the summer for school
clothing and then you automatically get a $50
coat card in the fall,” he said.
Cherokee Society has seven clans: ani-gilohi (Long Hair), ani-sahoni (Blue), ani-waya
(Wolf), ani-gotegewi (Wild Potato), ani-awi (Deer), ani-tsisqua (Bird) and ani-wo di (Paint).
SOURCE: www.cherokee.org
construction and miscellaneous high-demand
occupations, such as truck drivers and security
guards, etc.”
She said employment and training could
be done on the job with a business and/or
via classroom training. Fitzgerald said the
program could also benefit participating
businesses with up to a 75 percent wage
reimbursement for up to six months for hiring
a participant.
The program is open to dislocated
workers residing in a county within the
tribe’s jurisdiction, she said. Fitzgerald said a
dislocated worker is someone who:
•
Has been terminated or laid off, or
has received a notice of termination or layoff
from employment;
•
Is eligible for or has exhausted
unemployment insurance;
•
Has demonstrated an appropriate
attachment to the workforce, but not eligible
for unemployment insurance and unlikely to
return to a previous industry or occupation;
•
Has been terminated or laid off or
received notification of termination or layoff
from employment as a result of a permanent
closure or substantial layoff;
•
Is employed at a facility where the
employer has made the general announcement
that the facility will close within a 180 days;
•
Was
self-employed
(including
employment as a farmer, rancher or fisherman)
but is unemployed as a result of general
economic conditions in the community or
because of a natural disaster; or
•
Is a displaced homemaker who is no
longer supported by another family member.
For more information, people may call
or visit Career Services offices at 918-3427450 (Claremore), 918-253-3243 (Jay), 918825-7988 (Pryor), 918-776-0416 (Sallisaw),
918-696-3124
(Stilwell),
918-453-5555
(Tahlequah), 918-574-2749 (Tulsa) or 918256-4576 (Vinita).
Clint Wolfe was laid off after a downturn
in the oil and gas industry. He was hired by
a business partnering with the Cherokee
Nation in the National Dislocated Worker
Grant Program, The Ardagh Group, based in
Sapulpa, Oklahoma.
16
People • xW
Vocal Class students show singing skills at recital
BY STACIE GUTHRIE
Reporter
TAHLEQUAH, Okla. – Students
in Barbara McAlister’s Vocal Class
on April 28 took to Sequoyah High
School’s Chapel to give their spring
recital performances. McAlister said
her students came from places such
as Muskogee, Checotah, Stigler and
Tahlequah to sing for those who
filled the chapel’s pews.
McAlister, opera star and
Cherokee Nation fine arts instructor,
said her students have worked
extensively to prepare for the recital.
“For the recital, some of them
have worked for one month. Some
have worked longer than that on
these particular songs,” she said. “To
the study time, some have studied
four years, five. One or two are
brand new so we’ll see how they do.
I admire them for getting up in front
of people and performing.”
CN citizen and SHS sophomore
Katelyn Morton, 16, sang the
operatic aria “Quando M’en Vo”
from “La Boheme” and the duet “All
I Ask of You” from “The Phantom of
the Opera.”
“I’ve always liked “La Boheme,”
and I’ve always liked that song. It
really shows off the vocal range and
everything, and “All I Ask of You,”
“(The) Phantom of the Opera” is my
favorite play,” she said.
Morton said she’s worked with
McAlister for about two years and
that McAlister has helped her evolve
as a singer and performer.
“I want to be a performer when
I grow up, and Barbara has really
gotten me out of my shell, gotten
me to sing louder, given me a
personality,” she said.
Morton said McAlister also
helped her with her role as Maria
in Sequoyah’s performance of “West
Side Story” in April.
“With ‘West Side Story’ I had
Barbara help me to reach the vocal
range, and she helped me with the
volume and how to sing into a mic
properly,” she said. “She’s just helped
me with everything singing wise
and telling a story.”
and now I’m
singing
in
Italian,”
he
said.
Stopp said
singing
for
people helps him conquer one of his
fears as well as embraces his family’s
musical background.
“I don’t like to have fear, and I’m
actually a little scared of singing
in front of crowds, so it kind of
forces me to deal with that and
get up and do it,” he said. “The
other thing is I grew up with a
musical family. My mother’s side
of the family always played some
kind of instrument and was doing
some kind of musical thing, so it’s
just always been part of the life.
Kind of took a break during my
adult time, but I’ve come back to
it again.”
McAlister said she’s “proud” of her
students and their accomplishments.
“Some are having leads in
musicals. They’re winning ones in
state competitions. It aids them in
debate. Speech is so important, and
I teach a speech-based singing,” she
said. “It’s (singing) simple. It can
take a long, long time also. From
one year to 20 years. It depends on
how the voice is developing and how
slowly or quickly that particular
voice develops.”
SCAN
CODE
TO SEE
VIDEO
ABOVE: Cherokee Nation Vocal Class students rehearse before the start of their April 28 spring recital at
Sequoyah High School’s Chapel in Tahlequah, Oklahoma. BELOW LEFT: Barbara McAlister, Cherokee Nation
citizen and CN Vocal Class instructor, performs a “welcome” song for those attending the Vocal Class’s
spring recital. BELOW RIGHT: Cherokee Nation citizen Katelyn Morton, 16, rehearses her piece before the
Cherokee Nation Vocal Class’s spring recital on April 28 at Sequoyah High School’s Chapel. Morton has been
training with class instructor Barbara McAlister for approximately two years.
PHOTOS BY STACIE GUTHRIE/CHEROKEE PHOENIX
They can go anywhere in the world and sing many beautiful songs, and
that’s what they’re being trained to do.
– Barbara McAlister,
Cherokee Nation fine arts instructor
CN citizen Michael Stopp, who’s
been in McAlister’s class since 2012,
said it’s an “honor” to work with her.
He said when he was younger he
sang at his church and school but
didn’t sing much as an adult.
“(I) came back to work on another
bachelor’s degree and thought, ‘well,
I have some extra time.’ Barbara
was available and Cherokee Nation’s
providing it so I started taking voice
lessons and it’s turned out really
well,” he said.
At the recital, Stopp sang two
Italian pieces that McAlister helped
him learn.
“We started out with musicals
where I was singing in English
She said her students are trained
for solos and have the opportunity
to learn to sing in other languages,
including Cherokee.
“They can go anywhere in the
world, and sing many beautiful
songs and that’s what they’re being
trained to do,” she said. “That’s oneon-one training, and they learn in
all languages. Cherokee, Italian,
German, French, whatever they
have to learn and they pick up the
language very quickly because of
the vowel sounds. They’re doing
great.”
McAlister said she typically trains
with a student for one hour a week
and that students must be CN citizens
and at least 13 years old. For more
information, call 1-646-241-3299.
Fields selected for UNITY’s
‘25 Under 25’ class
BY JAMI MURPHY
Reporter
FORT GIBSON, Okla. – Cherokee Nation
citizen Cierra Fields was recently named to
the United National Indian Tribal Youth Inc.’s
second class of “25 Under 25 Native Youth
Leaders” that honors Native American and
Alaska Native youth.
One aspect for being named to the 2016
class is her volunteerism. Fields, a 16-yearold from Fort Gibson, has given her time to
different causes for several years.
“First, I worked with Greg Bilby and the
Cherokee Nation Comprehensive Cancer
Control Program. I traveled with Greg telling
people about my cancer (melanoma) and
how to prevent cancers. I’ve visited hospitals,
public schools, summer school programs,
health fairs, job fairs, conferences and even a
couple universities,” Fields said. “I’ve created
several donation drives such as collecting
coloring books/crayons to pediatric patients
at Hastings and St. Francis hospitals. I also
have collected coloring books/crayons for
One Fire Victim Services to give to each child
while they do in-take with their clients. I’ve
collected prom dresses for my high school
and the Talking Leaves Job Corps.”
Also, Fields serves as a National Congress
of American Indian Youth Cabinet member
and a board member for the Urban Indian
Youth Alliance in Washington, D.C.
Other honors Fields has received
include being named a
Champion for Change,
and she’s participated
in Indian Child Welfare
Act work groups to fight
for Native children in the
adoption industry. Fields
also created the Charles
Cierra Fields
Head Memorial Native
Youth Summit, which hosts Native youths
from different tribes.
“Two years ago I was raped while I was a
keynote speaker at a Native youth summit
out of state. I’m sure my rapist had hoped that
I would just silently go away. But he didn’t
know how Cherokee women are. I didn’t go
away. I went to the hospital, reported my rape,
filed charges, testified to a grand jury, and
the day before my case was to go to trial, my
rapist pleaded guilty,” she said. “I learned a lot
during that time and One Fire Victim Services,
Cherokee marshals, Attorney General Todd
Hembree and (Principal) Chief Bill John Baker
stood with me. I wanted to be as vocal of an
activist as I possibly could. One Fire gave me
the opportunity to speak at public events to
share the services they offer so other rape
survivors could access the help they offered.
The most powerful three words that can be said
to a rape survivor – ‘I believe you.’”
Fields said she was humbled to be selected as
“25 Under 25” Native leader. “I am honored to
represent Cherokee Nation and our people. I just
want to make a difference in Indian Country.”
“Remember the Removal” ride T-shirts are available for purchase online and at the
Cherokee Nation Gift Shop in Tahlequah, Oklahoma. The front of the shirt features
actual signatures written in syllabary from CN citizens who signed the Ross Petition
against removal efforts in the 1830s. MARK DREADFULWATER/CHEROKEE PHOENIX
Support ‘Remember the Removal’
riders with 2016 shirts
BY STAFF REPORTS
TAHLEQUAH, Okla. – “Remember the
Removal” rider T-shirts are now available to
show support for this year’s riders. The shirts
cost $14 and are available at the Cherokee
Nation Gift Shop in Tahlequah and online at
CherokeeGiftShop.com.
According to a Cherokee Nation
Businesses press release, money from the
sales of the shirts will help to support the
riders as they retrace the northern route of
the Trail of Tears by bicycle.
“Remember the Removal riders will
travel an average of 60 miles a day for three
weeks, mirroring in part the hardships
of their Cherokee ancestors who made
the same trek on foot,” the release states.
The riders will visit gravesites and historic
landmarks along the trail.
For more information on the ride and
photos, visit www.remembertheremoval.
cherokee.org
and
www.facebook.com/
removal.ride.
People • xW
17
Hamilton credits health to running, being Cherokee
I’ve run one marathon,
two half-marathons,
and every year for the
last twenty-so years
I’ve run at least 10
five-kilometer races
per year.
Cherokee Nation
citizen Steve
Hamilton, 87, began
running at age 60.
BY STACIE GUTHRIE
Reporter
BLOOMINGTON,
Ind.
–
Cherokee Nation citizen Steve
Hamilton, 87, credits his good
health to staying active, as well as his
Cherokee blood. Hamilton began
running when he was approximately
60 years old and said he’s been
running ever since.
“I’ve kind of thought maybe that’s
the reason I’m able to get around and
do things because of being 87,” he
said. “I guess also I can give my mom’s
side of the family (credit). She has the
Cherokee blood and she lived to be
97. So I guess that’s what it is.”
Hamilton, who was born in
Buffalo Valley, Oklahoma, said he’s
competed in races throughout his
running career and plans to run
until he can no longer.
“I’ve run one marathon, two halfmarathons, and every year for the
last twenty-so years I’ve run at least
10 five-kilometer races per year,” he
said. “I’ll just keep running until I
can’t go anymore.”
He said out of the races he has
competed in his favorites were
when he ran across the Golden Gate
Bridge and a mud run.
“I was in the military for 10 years
and it was like running a military
course with water and mud. I did it in
42 minutes. That was two and a half
miles through some of the most mudfilled obstacles that you can think of,”
he said. “So, I just thoroughly enjoyed
it, and I’m waiting for it to happen
again this year.”
Hamilton said when he began
running he had a heart attack,
but he didn’t let that stop him
– Steve Hamilton,
Cherokee Nation citizen
can and then a little bit more. If
you don’t push yourself then you
won’t be able to keep it up,” he said.
“I exercise at a facility for six days
every week. I look forward to it.”
Hamilton said he is also “proud”
to be Cherokee.
“It gives you a lot to be proud of
that we come from a very tough line
of people,” he said. “I’m proud of the
Cherokee tribe.”
Cherokee Nation citizen Steve Hamilton, 87, competes in a 5K race on
April 9 in Bedford, Indiana. Hamilton has been running since he was 60
years old. COURTESY
from continuing.
“I did have a heart attack though,
in (19)95 I think it was. It’s been so
long ago. I had a stint put in. But I
was back running within probably
three weeks after that,” he said.
He said he makes sure to get regular
check-ups to make sure he stays healthy.
“I go to the doctor, of course, once
a year for a check-up, everything is
fine. And just mainly, I stay out of
the doctor’s office,” he said.
Hamilton encourages others who
are older to stay active, and possibly
take up running.
“I think that that would help
them. The thing they need to do is
not over indulge. Just do what you
BLOOMINGTON,
Ind.¬–
ᏣᎳᎩ ᎠᏰᎵ ᎨᎳ Steve Hamilton,
ᏁᎵᏍᎪ
ᎦᎵᏉᎩ
ᎢᏳᏕᏘᏴᏓ,
ᎡᎵᏍᎪ ᎯᎠ ᎤᏩᏌ ᏙᎯ ᏥᎩ
ᏂᎪᎯᎸ
ᎠᎵᏖᎸᎮᏍᎬᎢ,
ᎠᎴ
ᎠᏣᎳᎩ ᎩᎦ ᎤᏁᎲᎢ. Hamilton
ᎤᎴᏅᎲ ᎠᏓᎾᏫᏍᏗᏍᎬ ᎾᏍᎩ
ᏑᏓᎵᏍᏆ ᏳᏕᏘᏴᏓ ᏥᎨᏒ, ᎠᎴ
ᎾᎯᏳ ᎬᏩᎴᏅᏓ.
“ᎦᏓᏅᏖᏍᎬ
ᎾᏍᎩ
ᏂᏗᎦᎵᏍᏙᏗᏍᎪ ᎾᎿ ᎢᎬᏆᏛᏗ
ᏥᎩ ᎾᎿ ᏯᏆᏕᏘᏴᏓ ᏥᎩ ᏁᎵᏍᎪ
ᎦᎵᏉᎩ,”
ᎠᏗᏍᎬᎢ.
“ᎨᎵᏍᎬ
ᎡᏥᏏᏗᏢ
ᎾᏍᎩ
ᏄᎾᏍᏛᎢ
ᏂᏓᏳᏓᎴᏅᎢ. ᎾᏍᎩᏃ ᎤᏁᎭ ᏣᎳᎩ
ᎤᎩᎦ ᎠᎴ ᏐᏁᎵᏍᎪ ᎦᎵᏉᎩ
ᎢᏳᏕᏘᏴᏓ
ᎢᎪᎯᏓ
ᎤᎴᏂᏙᎸᎢ.
ᎾᏍᎩᏃ ᎨᎵᏍᎪ ᏂᏓᏳᏓᎴᏅᎢ.”
Hamilton, ᎾᎿ ᎤᏕᏅᎢ ᏯᎾᏐᎢ
ᎤᎨᏓᎵᏴᎢ,
ᎣᎦᎵᎰᎹ,
ᎠᏗᏍᎬ
ᏚᏍᏆᏓ ᎾᎿᏃ ᏚᏓᎾᏫᏍᏔᏂ ᎠᎴ
ᏚᏭᎪᏓ ᎤᏓᎾᏫᏍᏙᏗ ᎡᎵ ᎾᏛᏁᎲ
ᎢᎪᎯᏓ ᎬᏂ ᎬᏩᏓᎾᏫᏍᏙᏗ ᏂᎨᏒᎾ
ᎨᏎᏍᏗ ᎨᎳ ᏛᏑᎵᎪᏣ.
“ᎠᏆᏓᎾᏫᏍᏔᎾ ᏌᏊ marathon,
ᏔᎵ
ᎠᏰᏟ
marathons,
ᎠᎴ
ᏂᏓᏕᏘᏴᎲᏒᎢ ᎾᎿ ᏔᎵᏍᎪ ᏧᏕᏘᏴᏓ
ᏃᎴᏍᏊ ᏍᎪᎯ ᎯᏍᎩ---kilometer
ᏓᎾᏙᎩᏯᏍᎪ
ᏑᏕᏘᏴᏓ
ᎨᏒᎢ,”
ᎠᏗᏍᎬᎢ. ᎾᏍᎩ ᏂᎦᏛᏁᎮᏍᏗ
ᎦᏓᎾᏫᏍᏗᏍᎨᏍᏗ
ᎢᎪᎯᏓ ᎢᎬᏆᏛᏗ ᎨᏒᎢ
ᎾᎿ ᎢᎬᏆᏛᏗ ᏂᎨᏒᎾ
ᏂᎦᎵᏍᏔᏅᎢ.”
ᎠᏗᏍᎬᎢ
ᏂᎦᏓ
SCAN CODE ᏚᏙᎩᏴ
ᏚᏍᏆᏛᎢ
ᎤᎸᏉᏔᏅᎢ
ᎾᎿ
TO HEAR
ᏧᏗᏢᏍᏔᏅ
AUDIO IN ᏧᏙᎩᏴ
ᎠᏒᏢ ᎠᏕᎳ ᏓᎶᏂᎨ
CHEROKEE ᎪᏢᏔᏅ ᎠᎴ ᏜᏬᏚ
ᎤᏗᏢᏍᏔᏅᎢ.
“ᎾᎿᏃ ᎠᏂᏲᏍᎩ ᎠᎩᏴᏢ ᏍᎪᎯ
ᏧᏕᏘᏴᏓ
ᏦᏣᏓᎾᏫᏍᏗᏍᎬ
ᎾᎿ
ᎠᏲᏍᎩ ᎤᏓᎾᏫᏍᏙᏗ ᎣᎾ ᎠᎹᏯ
ᎠᎴ ᏝᏬᏚ. ᏥᏍᏆᏗᏍᎬ ᎾᏍᎩ
ᏅᎩᏍᎪ ᏔᎵ ᎢᏳᏔᏬᏍᏔᏅᎢ.
ᎾᏍᎩᏃ ᏔᎵ ᎠᏰᏟ ᎢᏳᏟᎶᏓ ᎾᏍᎩ
ᎢᏝᏬᏚ ᎨᏒ,” ᎠᏗᏍᎬᎢ. ᎾᎿᏃ ᎢᎦ
ᎦᎵᎡᎵᎪ ᎦᏓᏩᏫᏍᏗᏍᎬ ᏥᎦᏘᏲ
ᎾᎿ ᎢᏳᎵᏍᏙᏗ ᎾᎿ ᏑᏕᏘᏴᏓ ᎢᏴᎢ.”
Hamilton ᎠᏗᏍᎬᎾᎿ ᏧᎴᏅᎮ
ᎠᏓᎾᏫᏍᏗᏍᎬ ᎤᏓᏅᏛ ᎤᏩᏂᎵᏢ,
ᎠᏎᏃ Ꮭ ᎾᏍᎩ ᏳᎴᏫᏍᏙᏔᏁ
ᏂᎬᏱᎵᏐ ᎾᏍᎩ ᎾᏛᏁᎲᎢ.
“ᏝᏃ ᎠᏆᏓᏅᏛ ᏯᏋᏂᎵᏝ ᎾᎿ,
ᏐᏁᎳᏚ ᎢᏍᎪᎯᏧᏈ ᏐᏁᎳᏍᎪᎯ
ᎤᏕᏘᏴᏌᏗᏒᎢ ᎨᎵᎠ. ᎢᎦᏃ ᎪᎯᎦ.
ᎾᎯᏳᏃ
ᏅᏋᏅᏓᏁᎸ
stint.
ᎠᏎᏃ ᎠᏆᎴᏅᎲ ᎦᏓᎾᏫᏍᏗᏍᎬ
ᎾᎿ ᏦᎢᎭ ᏳᎾᏙᏓᏆᏍᏗ ᎾᏍᎩ
ᏧᏄᎵᏍᏔᏅᎢ,” ᎠᏗᏍᎬᎢ.
ᎠᏗᏍᎬ ᏂᎪᎯᎸ ᎡᏙᎰ ᎦᏅᎦᏘ
ᎠᏥᎪᎵᏰᏍᎪ ᎾᏍᎩ ᏙᎯ ᎨᏐ
ᎢᏳᎵᏍᏙᏗᎢ.
“ᎦᎾᎦᏘ
ᎨᏙᎰ,
ᎪᎱᏍᏗ
ᏯᏆᎵᏍᏓᏁᎵ,
ᎾᎿ
ᏌᏊ
ᎢᏳᏩᎪᏛ ᎾᎿᏃ ᏑᏕᏘᏴᏓ ᎢᏳᏓᎵ
ᎬᎩᎪᎵᏰᏍᎪᎢ, ᏃᏊ ᎨᏒ ᏂᎪᏓ
ᎣᏍᏓ. ᎡᎵᏱᎩ Ꮭ ᏳᎨᏙᎰ ᎦᎾᎦᏘ
ᎤᏴᏍᏗᎢ,” ᎠᏗᏍᎬᎢ.
Hamilton
ᏕᎦᏂᎵᏕᎰ
ᎠᏂᏐᎢ
ᎾᏍᎩ ᏧᎾᏔᎾᏯ ᎤᎾᏗᏊ ᏂᎨᏒᎾ
ᏄᏂᏤᎲ ᎢᎦ ᎤᎾᎵᏖᎸᏗ, ᎠᎴ
ᎡᎵᏱᎦ ᎤᎾᏓᎾᏫᏍᏙᏗᎢ.
“ᏙᎯᏳᏃ
ᎤᏂᏍᏕᎳ.
ᎾᏍᎩ
ᎤᏂᏂᎬᎬ
ᎢᏳᎾᏛᏗᎢ
ᎾᎿ
ᎤᏣᏍᏈᏗ ᎤᎾᎵᏍᏓᏴᏗ ᏂᎨᏒᎾ.
ᎢᎨᏣᏛᏗ ᎨᏒ ᎢᏣᏛᏗᎢ. ᎢᏳᏃ
ᎿᏟᏂᎬᏁᎲᎾ ᏱᎩ Ꮭ ᏱᏂᎦᎵᏍᏗ,”
ᎠᏗᏍᎬᎢ. ᎠᏯ ᏧᏙᏓᏋᏓ ᏫᎨᏙᎰ
ᏑᏓᎵ ᎢᎦ ᏒᎾᏙᏓᏆᏍᏗ ᎨᏒᎢ.
ᎠᏋᏅᎪ ᎤᏟᎶᎯᏍᏗᎢ.”
Hamilton
ᎠᏗᏍᎬ
ᎾᎿ
“ᎠᎵᎮᎵᎪ” ᎠᏣᎳᎩ ᎨᏒᎢ.
“ᎤᎪᏓ ᎠᎩᏁᎰ ᎠᏆᎵᎮᎵᏍᏗ ᎾᎿ
ᏗᏆᏓᎴᏅ ᎡᎵ ᎤᎾᏟᏂᎩᏓ ᎠᏂᏴᏫ
ᎨᏒ.” ᎠᏗᏍᎬᎢ. ᎢᎦ ᎦᎵᎡᎵᎦ
ᎾᏍᎩ ᎠᏂᏣᎳᎩ ᎠᏂᎳᏍᏓᏢᎢ.”
Nofire wins big at congressional art competition
BY STACIE GUTHRIE
Reporter
TAHLEQUAH, Okla. – Cherokee
Nation citizen Robert Nofire, 18,
continues to shine in the artistic
community with his graphite pencil
drawings. His latest achievement was
for his drawing of Sioux Chief High
Bear, for which he won the drawing
category and overall at the 2016
Congressional Art Competition.
The drawing recently circulated
Facebook, reaching thousands after
his teacher, Charlotte Wood, shared
a photo of Nofire and the portrait
on Tahlequah Central Academy’s
Facebook page.
Nofire, a TCA senior, said at first
he was nervous during the award
ceremony but was “happy” his
family and friends attended.
“I was just really happy because
there was a bunch of people around.
People that I love,” he said. “I love the
support that everybody gives me.”
During the ceremony, Nofire also
received a $1,000 scholarship to
Northeastern State University.
“I didn’t know that I was going
to get anything over there. I just
thought we were just going to go
over there and they were going to
say my place, but I didn’t expect
them to pull up a scholarship or
anything,” he said.
Nofire’s win also provides him the
opportunity to visit Washington,
D.C., for free for a week as well as
have his drawing displayed for one
year at the U.S. Capitol.
LEFT: Cherokee Nation citizen Robert Nofire focuses on drawing a woman’s back for his portrait titled “That and So Much More.” One of his
works recently won at the 2016 Congressional Art Competition. RIGHT: Cherokee Nation citizen Robert Nofire’s portrait of Beth Harrington, a
retired school teacher. Nofire used graphite pencils for the piece. PHOTOS BY STACIE GUTHRIE/CHEROKEE PHOENIX
I just thought we were just going to go over there and they were going to say my place, but I
didn’t expect them to pull up a scholarship or anything.
– Robert Nofire, Cherokee Nation citizen
CN citizen and U.S. Rep.
Markwayne Mullin, R –Okla., said
he and others are able to put on
congressional art competitions in
their districts, which give students
chances to showcase their skills.
“Every congressional district…
we get to run an art competition.
Through that art competition you get
to have your congressional district
displayed by the art winner in the
tunnel that connects the House
office buildings and the Capitol. So
it’s where members walk every day
back and forth, several times a day,
and this piece will be something of
pride every time I walk by,” he said.
“I think this one’s going to stand out
among all the 435…up there.”
Since that competition, Nofire
drew a portrait of retired teacher
Beth Harrington and presented it to
her during the school’s May 6 Arts
in the Park event.
“What inspired me to draw this
was she like toured Tahlequah with
us and she was just really nice,”
he said. “Then Mrs. Wood said
she was like really known around
Tahlequah, so I asked her if I could
draw her and she said, ‘yeah.’”
He said the drawing is based off of
a portrait of her smiling with a piano
in the background. He said he used
graphite pencils to create the piece.
Nofire said he credits his art
teacher, Anthony Amason, for his
progress.
“When I first went into Amason’s
class I didn’t really think I was good
or anything. I was just doing the
projects. Then the first project we
did, I turned it in and he thought
it was really awesome and he was
like, ‘I can help you more with that
to help you get more values between
there’. That’s what I’m strong with
is values. That’s what makes the
picture pop. He just saw that I had
potential, I guess,” Nofire said.
Amason, who has taught Nofire
for nearly two years, said he
appreciates that Nofire gives him
credit but Nofire’s skill is all him.
“I like taking the credit sometimes.
I’m not going to lie. I enjoy that, but
ultimately it’s him. It’s his talent. He
just listened to what I had to say. I
told him to do this and he did it,”
he said. “I really want to give my
students all the credit, and I’m just so
proud of all the work that he does.”
To view Nofire’s artwork, visit
facebook.com/rwntribalart.
18
Culture • i=nrplcsd
Girty aspires to teach his sculpting craft
BY MARK DREADFULWATER
Multimedia Editor
TAHLEQUAH, Okla. – Cherokee artist
Matthew Girty has sculpted life forms and
objects from stone for more than 20 years.
In that time, he’s developed into an awardwinning artist, most recently winning the
Trail of Tears Art Show and Sale’s sculpture
category in April.
“I’ve won second place in a couple of shows,
but I’ve never took first,” he said. “I felt like I got
pushed into it. I guess people thought my work
was museum quality to go against those guys.
I’ve been entering for the last five years and
finally this past month, I took first. So that was
a big accomplishment for me and my family.”
Girty said he believes all Cherokees have
some artistic ability and it’s up to them to
realize and develop it.
“The naturals (artists), they have to practice
and practice,” he said. “You’ve also got to have
people pushing you. What really helped me,
too, is people buying my stuff. I’ve got carvings
all over and I don’t know where they are.
Everything that I make, it’s made for somebody.”
Girty said he started carving from red
pipestone. However, he wanted to get away
from the Southwestern art style and revive
the Southeastern art style after speaking with
other Native artists.
“I see Indian art doing nothing but getting
better,” he said. “There for a while all you saw
in the ‘70s and ‘80s was Plains Indian art. So
now we’re Southeastern, and now we’re seeing
people come out of the woodwork and seeing
these beautiful objects that were hidden.”
He said he’s been carving full-time for five
years. His main medium is soapstone because
he wants to bring back the Cherokee way
of carving. He said, in Oklahoma, there are
carvers who use wood or deer antlers for their
materials, but he rarely sees stone carvers. A
medium, he said, that he wants to revive and
teach others.
“When we were pre-Columbus, we had
soapstone everywhere,” Girty said. “That is
what Cherokees used primarily in ceremonial
effigies, for their bowls, dinnerware and
jewelry. They made all different kinds of
sacred objects that we hold dear to us. They
were carvers that made those things. I want to
use the same style and the same technique they
used a long time ago. The ones who created
those pieces years ago are here today in the
same bloodline. I wasn’t taught this. I had to
practice at it. When we moved here we were
limited on our stonework. It seems like now,
today, like our language, it’s kind of going. We
don’t have anybody out there teaching us. So
that’s what I’m wanting to do. I’m wanting to
bring this back…and teach the kids.”
He said he plans to teach classes so he’s
able to pass on his knowledge to future
generations.
“I know there are other people out there
besides me who would enjoy doing this,”
he said. “They just need a little teaching.
That’s all it took for me. Somebody showed
me these stones.”
Cherokee artist Matthew Girty demonstrates his sculpting technique on a piece carved in
red pipestone. MARK DREADFULWATER/CHEROKEE PHOENIX
He said it’s taken years of practice and
encouragement to make a living as an artist.
Although his career isn’t where he wants it, he
said he’s “tickled to death” every time a person
sees his work and wants to buy it.
“Every time I complete a project, I’m
rewarded just by seeing it,” he said. “I wouldn’t
be doing this if people didn’t want it.”
Dart finds success with basketry
BY STACIE GUTHRIE
Reporter
TAHLEQUAH, Okla. – When it
comes to basketry, Cherokee Nation
citizen Mike Dart has had an interest
in the art since childhood. In his teen
years, he learned to create baskets,
and as an adult he’s won awards,
his most recent coming at the 45th
annual Trail of Tears Art Show.
He said that award-winning
basket is titled “The Burdens We
Carry” and was inspired by a photo.
“It was a traditional utilitarian
burden basket, which a long time
ago our ancestors wore those on their
back, and they use those to carry items
from one place to another and to
store things in sometimes. They wore
a tumpline around their shoulders,
carried it on their backs,” he said. “I
got the inspiration from a picture. I
didn’t use a pattern. I just used this
picture of a basket that was on the
back of a Cherokee lady in North
Carolina back in the early 1900s.”
He said he’s been entering art
shows ever since the Trial of Tears
Art Show in 2006. “I didn’t win
nothing that year. I didn’t win
nothing for a couple of years, but I
did sale both of my entries the first
night of that show. That was very
encouraging.”
After a few years, he began
winning, including first place in the
18th annual Cherokee Homecoming
Art Show and Sale, second place in
the 2015 Chickasaw Nation Artesian
Art Festival and two third place
awards in the 2015 Five Civilized
Tribes Museum’s Art Under the
Oaks Competitive Show.
Dart said he became interested
by watching his grandmother make
baskets.
“My grandmother on my dad’s
side wove baskets, and she built
furniture out of willow and hickory
and other native materials. The
kinds of baskets that she made were
not specifically Cherokee baskets.
They were a little bit different, but I
remember watching her whenever
I was a young kid and just being
fascinated how she would get that
stuff to bend in these shapes,” he
said. “Then, whenever I would try
Cherokee artist Mike Dart works on a hickory, stair-stepped pattern
basket at his art studio in Tahlequah, Oklahoma. He said the inspiration
for the basket came to him within a dream.
STACIE GUTHRIE/CHEROKEE PHOENIX
it, it would always break and I never
could understand until after I got
older and I realized that it was the
water that keep it from breaking. And
that’s just something that fascinated
me that something as simple as
water could keep something from
breaking and keep it beautiful.”
He said he learned to weave in
1993 while in a high school class
taught by Cherokee National
Treasure Shawna Morton Cain.
“She taught basketry, had different
people come in and teach pottery,
mask making, other traditional arts,”
he said. “Basketry, I just took to that
really well, and it was something
that I wanted to do because it was
something that my grandma had
done.”
Dart said he makes contemporary
baskets but recently delved into
traditional
Cherokee
baskets,
getting ideas from old photos. He
said basketry has survived the
years and he hopes it continues to
prosper, especially with the younger
generations.
“Basketry, some people might
argue with me, but I really feel like it
is probably the oldest continuing art
form that we have that has continued
in some form non-stop since precontact. Other things have kind of
weaned off and then people revived
them but you know, basketry has
continued somehow both in North
Carolina and here in Oklahoma. It’s
evolving, but it does continue,” he
said. “There’s not very many young
weavers weaving right now. Right
now it’s flourishing here in Oklahoma,
but here in another 20 years it could
possibly be in serious danger.”
Dart said to combat this he is
offering to teach Cherokee youths
age 13 to 24 to weave for free.
“I would like to get a group of at
least five to 10 together and we will,
depending on where their location
is, try to find a centralized location.
I’d like their parents to be there
and involved as well just to keep
everything on the up and up,” he
said. “It’s something I would really
like to see young people take an
interest in. I’m one of the youngest
and I’m almost 40.”
For more information, email
[email protected].
ᏓᎵᏆ,
ᎣᎦᎳᎰᎹ.
–
ᎾᏍᎩᏃ
ᏱᏂᎦᎵᏍᏗᎭ ᏔᎷᏣᏃ,
ᏣᎳᎩᎯ ᎠᏰᎵ ᎨᎳ
Mike Dart ᎠᏲᏟᏃ
ᎢᏴ ᏥᎨᏒᎢ ᏄᏚᎵᏍᎪᎢ
ᎤᏬᏢᏅᏗᎢ.
ᎠᏫᏂᏃ
ᎢᏴ ᏥᎨᏒᎢ, ᎤᏕᎶᏆᎡᎢ
SCAN
ᏔᎷᏣ
ᏧᏬᏢᏅᏗᎢ,
CODE
ᎠᎴ Ꮓ ᎾᏊ ᎤᏔᎾ
TO SEE
ᏂᎨᏐᎢ ᎠᏂᎸᏉᏗᏍᎬᎢ
ᏗᏓᏁᏗ
ᏚᏓᏒᏅᎢ,
VIDEO
ᎾᏍᎩᏃ
ᎠᏞᎬᏭᏃ
ᏥᎨᏒᎢ ᎾᏍᎩ 45th ᏑᏕᏘᏴᏓ ᏳᏓᎳ
Trail of Tears Art Show.
ᎾᏍᎩᏃ
ᎢᎧᏃᎮᏍᎬᎢ
ᎾᏍᎩ
ᎠᏓᏁᏗ-ᎤᏓᏠᏒᎢ
ᏔᎷᏣ
ᎾᏍᎩ
ᏚᏙᏍᏛᎢ
“ᎾᏍᎩ
ᏓᏓᎴᎬᎢ
ᏥᏗᎵᏏᏙᎰᎢ”
ᎠᎴ
ᎾᏍᎩᏃ
ᏗᏓᏟᎶᏍᏔᏅᎢ ᏂᏧᎵᏍᏙᏔᏅᎢ.
“ᎾᏍᎩᏃ
ᎢᎸᎯᏳᎢ
ᏥᎨᏒᎢ
ᎤᏓᎨᏓ ᎠᏓᏅᏓᏗᏍᏗ ᏫᎦᏟᏗ ᎨᏒᎢ
ᏔᎷᏣ, ᎾᏍᎩᏃ ᎢᎸᎯᏳᎢ ᏥᎨᏒᎢ
ᏣᏁᎲᎢ ᏗᎩᎦᏴᎵᎨ ᏓᎾᎵᏎᎲᎢ ᎾᏍᎩ
ᎢᏳᏍᏗ ᏔᎷᏣ, ᎠᎴ ᎾᏍᎩ ᏧᏅᏙᏗ
ᎨᏒᎢ ᎤᏂᏟᏔᏅᏙᏗ ᎠᏁᏙᎲᎢ ᎠᎴ
ᏓᏅᏗᏍᎬᎢ ᎠᏂᏱᏙᎸᎲᏍᎬᎢ ᎪᎱᏍᏗ
ᎠᎴ
ᎠᏂᏍᏆᏂᎪᏗᏍᎬᎢ
ᎪᎱᏍᏗ
ᏳᏓᎵᎭᎢ. ᎾᏍᎩᏃ ᏔᎷᏣ ᏓᎾᎵᏎᎲᎢ,
ᎾᏍᎩᏃ Ꮎ ᏓᎾᎵᏎᎲᎢ,” ᎠᏗᏍᎬᎢ.
“ᎾᏍᎩᏃ ᏗᏓᏟᎶᏍᏔᏅᎢ ᎠᎩᎪᎲᎢ
ᎥᎿᏃ ᏓᏭᎪᏔᏁᎢ ᎾᏍᎩ ᎠᏬᏢᏗᎢ
ᏗᏓᏟᎶᏍᏔᏅᎢ
ᎠᎩᎪᎭ.
ᎥᏝᏃ
ᎾᏍᎩ ᏄᏍᏛᎢ ᎤᏠᏱ ᏱᎾᏮᏁᎸᎢ.
1900s ᏥᎨᏒᎢ ᎠᎨᏯ ᏓᎦᏟᎶᏍᏛᎢ
ᏣᎳᎩ ᎤᏪᏘ ᎡᎯ ᏓᎦᏟᎶᏍᏛᎢ
ᎾᏍᎩ ᏔᎷᏣ ᎠᎵᏎᎲᎢ ᎾᏍᎩᏃ
ᏗᏓᏟᎶᏍᏔᏅᎢ ᎠᏋᏔᏅᎢ.”
ᎢᎧᏃᎮᏍᎬᏃ ᎾᏍᎩᏃ ᎠᏃᏢᏅᏍᎬᎢ
ᎬᏂᎨᏒᎢ ᎾᏅᏁᎲᎢ ᎥᎿᎾᏂ Trail
of Tears Art Show ᎠᏖᎳᏗᏍᎬᎢ
2006 ᏂᏗᎬᏓᎴᏂᏍᎩ. “ ᎥᏝᏃ ᎪᎱᏍᏗ
ᏯᏆᏓᏑᏅᎢ
ᎾᎯᏳᎢ
ᎢᎬᏱᏱᎢ.
ᎯᎸᏍᎩᏃ ᎾᏕᏘᏯ ᏥᎨᏒᎢ ᎥᏝ ᎪᎱᏍᏗ
ᏯᏆᏓᏑᏅᎢ, ᎠᏎᏃ ᎢᏧᎳ ᎬᏂᏒᎢ
ᏱᏗᏮᏁᎸᎢ ᎾᏍᎩ ᎢᎬᏱᏱᎢ ᎤᏒᎢ
ᏓᎩᎾᏗᏅᎢ. ᎢᎦᏃ ᎣᏍᏓ ᎠᎩᏰᎸᏅᎢ.”
ᎯᎸᏍᎩᏃ
ᎾᏕᏘᏯ
ᏚᎶᏌ,
ᎤᏓᎴᏅᎲᎢ ᎠᏓᏠᏍᎬᎢ, ᎢᎬᏱᏱᎢ
ᎠᏓᏑᎲᏍᏗ ᎥᎿᎾᏂ 18th ᏑᏕᏘᏴᏓ
ᏳᏓᎵ ᏣᎳᎩᎯ Homecoming Art
Show ᎠᎴ ᎦᎾᏗᏅᏗ ᎪᎱᏍᏗ,
ᏔᎵᏁᏃ ᎠᏓᏑᎲᏍᏗ ᎥᎿᎾᏂ 2015
ᏥᎦᏌ ᎠᏰᎵ Artesian Art Festival
ᎠᎴ ᏔᎵ ᏦᎢᏁ ᏗᏓᏑᎲᏍᏗ ᎥᎿᎾᏂ
2015 ᎯᏍᎩ ᎢᏯᏂᎢ ᎠᏂᎳᏍᏓᏢᎢ
Museum’s Art ᏗᏓᏲᎢ ᎭᏫᎾᏗᏜ
ᎠᎾᎵᎪᏂᏍᎬᎢ.
Dart Z ᎢᎧᏃᎮᏍᎬᎢ ᎾᏍᎩᏃ
ᎤᏚᎸᎮᎢ ᎾᏍᎩ ᎢᏳᏛᏁᏗᎢ ᎾᏍᎩᏃ
ᎤᎦᏙᏍᏛᎢ ᎤᎵᏏ ᏔᎷᏣ ᏕᎪᏢᏍᎬᎢ.
“ᎠᎩᏂᏏᏃ ᎡᏙᏙᏗᏜ ᏔᎷᏣ ᏗᎬᏍᎩ
ᎨᏒᎩ, ᎠᎴ ᎦᎵᏦᏕᎢ ᎠᏅᏗ ᎪᏢᏅᏍᎩ
ᎨᏒᎩ ᏗᎵᎦᎵᏍᎩᏃ ᎠᎴ ᏩᏁᎢ ᎠᎴ
ᏗᏐᎢ ᏁᎯᏯᎢ ᎬᏔᏂᏓᏍᏍᏗ ᎬᏗᎲᎢ.
ᎾᏍᎩᏃ ᏔᎷᏣ ᏥᏕᎪᏢᏍᎬᎢ ᎥᏝᏃ
ᎢᏙᏳᎢ
ᎠᏂᏣᎳᎩ
ᏥᏓᏃᏢᏍᎪᎢ
ᏱᏗᎨᏒᎢ. ᏧᏓᎴᎿᎢᏃ ᎨᏒᎩ, ᎠᏎᏃ
ᎦᏅᏓᏗᏍᎪᎢ
ᏥᎦᏙᏍᏛᎢ
ᏥᏲᏟ
ᏥᎨᏒᎢ ᎠᎴ ᎢᎦᏃ ᎠᏆᏍᏈᏂᎬᏓᏁᎲᎢ
ᎾᏛᏁᎲᎢ ᎦᏟᏏᏍᎬᎢ ᎠᎴ ᏂᏕᎬᏁᎲᎢ
ᏕᎪᏢᏍᎬᎢ,” ᎠᏗᏍᎬᎢ. “ᎾᏊᏃ ᎠᏯ
ᏯᏆᏁᏟᏔᏂ
ᎾᏍᎩ
ᎢᏯᏆᏛᏁᏗ,
ᎯᎪᎯᎸᏊ
ᎠᏲᎩᎲᎢ
ᎠᎴ
ᎥᏝᏃ
ᏱᎪᎵᎬᎢ ᎩᎳ ᎠᏆᏔᎾ ᎾᏆᎵᏍᏔᏂ
ᎠᎴ Ꮓ ᏩᏬᏟᏥᏢᎢ ᎾᏍᎩᏃ ᎠᎹ Ꮓ
ᏯᏋᏔᏂ ᎥᏝᏃ ᏯᏲᎨᎢ. ᎠᎴ ᎾᏍᎩᏃ
ᎢᎦ ᎠᏆᏍᏆᏂᎬᏓᏁᎲᎢ ᎾᏍᎩ Ꮎ
ᏩᎯᏗᏴᎢ ᎪᎱᏍᏗ ᎦᎬᏙᏗ ᎨᏒ ᎠᎹ
ᎠᎹᏃ ᏱᎬᏔᏂ ᎥᏝᏃ ᏯᏲᎨᎢ ᎠᎴ
ᏂᎬᏩᏍᏗ ᎤᏬᏚᏒᎢ.”
ᎾᏍᎩᏃ ᎢᎧᏃᎮᏍᎬᎢ 1993 ᏥᎨᏒᎢ
ᎤᏕᎶᏆᎡᎢ ᏔᎷᏣ ᏗᎬᏗᎢ ᎾᎯᏳᏃ
ᎾᏍᎩᏊ
ᎦᎸᎳᏗ
ᏧᎾᏕᎶᏆᏍᏗᎢ
ᏓᏕᏲᎲᏍᎬᎢ ᎾᏍᎩ ᏣᎳᎩᎯ ᎢᎬᎾᏕᎾ
ᎠᏃᏢᏅᏍᎩ Shawna Morton Cain.
“ᏔᎷᏣ ᏗᎪᏢᏅᏗᎢ ᏓᏕᏲᎲᏍᎬᎢ,
ᏧᎾᏓᎴᏅᏗᏃ ᏴᏫ ᎠᏂᎷᎬᎢ ᏧᎾᏕᏲᏗᎢ
ᏗᎦᏓᎫᎩ ᏧᏃᏢᏗᎢ, ᏗᎵᎬᏚᎶᎢ ᎾᏍᎩᏊ
ᏧᏃᏢᏗᎢ, ᎠᎴ ᏄᏓᎴᎢ ᎠᏢᏅᏗᎢ,”
ᎠᏗᏍᎬᎢ. “ᏔᎷᏣ ᏗᎪᏢᏗᎢ, ᎠᎯᏗᏳᎢ
ᎾᏆᎵᏍᏓᏁᎲᎢ, ᎠᎴ ᎾᏍᎩᏃ ᎢᎨᏎᎢ
ᎢᏯᏆᏛᏁᏗᎢ ᏂᏗᎦᎵᏍᏙᏗᎭ ᎡᎵᏏ
ᎢᏳᏛᏁᎸᎢ ᎨᏒᎩ.”
Dart Z ᎢᎧᏃᎮᏍᎬᎢ ᎪᎯᏴᏃ
ᏥᎩ ᏔᎷᏣ ᏗᎪᏢᏗ ᏕᎪᏢᏍᎦ ᎠᏎᏃ
ᎾᏞᎬᏭ ᏥᎨᏒᎢ ᎤᎦᏛᏂᏙᎸᎢ ᎾᏍᎩ
ᎠᏂᏣᎳᎩ
ᏅᏧᎾᏛᏁᎸᏍᏔᏅᎢ
ᏔᎷᏣ ᏥᏓᏃᏢᏍᎬᎢ,
ᏧᏪᏘᏃ
ᏗᏓᏟᎶᏍᏔᏅᎢ
ᏓᎪᎵᏰᏍᎬᎢ. ᎾᏍᎩᏃ ᎢᎧᏃᎮᏍᎬᎢ
ᎾᏍᎩ ᏔᎷᏣ ᏗᎪᏢᏗᎢ ᎯᎸᏍᎩᏃ
ᏂᏓᏕᏘᏯ ᏧᎶᏌ ᎠᎴ ᎤᏚᎩ ᎤᏩᏐᎢ
ᏂᎬᎯᎵᏎᏍᏗ ᏔᎷᏣ ᏗᎪᏢᏗᎢ, ᎯᎠ
ᏗᎾᏛᏍᎩ ᏥᏛᎾᎢ.
“ᏔᎷᏣ ᏗᎪᏢᏗᎢ, ᎢᎦᏓᏃ ᏴᏫ
ᎬᏆᏘᏲᏍᏗᎰᎢ,
ᎠᏯᏃ
ᏂᎨᎵᏍᎬᎢ
ᎾᏍᎩ ᏰᎵᏊ ᏩᎬᏴᎵᏴᎢ ᏂᎬᏂᎯᎵᏐᎢ
ᎾᏍᎩ ᎪᏢᏅᏗᎢ ᎾᏍᎩ ᏂᎬᎯᎵᏐᎢᏄᏲᎢᏍᏔᏅᏓ
ᎠᏏ
ᎾᏂᎷᎬᎾ
ᎠᏂᎦᎵᏏ. ᏄᏩᏓᎴᏃ ᎪᎱᏍᏗ ᎢᎩᏑᎵᎪᏥ
ᎠᎴ ᎠᏎᏃ ᎤᏂᏤᎲᏍᏔᏅᎢ ᎠᏎᏃ
ᎢᏣᏂᏔ, ᏔᎷᏣ ᏗᎪᏢᏗᎢ ᏂᎬᏂᎯᎵᏐᎢ
ᎥᎿᎾᏂ ᎢᏧᎳ ᎤᏴᏢᎢ ᎦᏯᎴᏂᎢ ᎠᎴ
ᎠᎭᏂ ᎣᎦᎳᎰᎹ. ᎠᏓᏁᏟᏴᏎᎦ, ᎠᏎᏃ
ᏂᎬᎯᎵᏊ,” ᎠᏗᏍᎬᎢ. “ᎥᏝᏃ ᎥᏍᎩ
ᏱᎦᎢ ᏗᎾᏛᏍᎩ ᏗᏅᏍᎩ ᏯᏁᎭ ᎾᏊ
ᎨᏒᎢ. ᎾᏊᏃ ᎨᏒᎢ ᏂᎬᏂᎯᎵ ᎠᎭᏂ
ᎣᎦᎳᎰᎹ, ᎠᏎᏃ ᎠᎭᏂ 20 ᏫᏄᏕᏘᏴᎲᎢ
ᏰᎵᏊ ᎦᏂᏰᎩᎢ ᏱᏄᏍᏗ.”
Dart Z ᎢᎧᏃᎮᏍᎬᎢ ᎾᏍᎩᏃ
ᎠᏗᏒᎯᏍᏗᎢ
ᎯᎠ
ᎾᏊᏃ
ᎠᎵᏍᎪᏟᏗᎭ ᏧᏪᏲᏗᎢ ᎠᏂᏣᎳᎩ
ᏗᎾᏛᏍᎩ 13 ᎢᏧᎾᏕᏘᏴᏗ 24 ᏩᏍᏘ
ᎢᏧᎾᏕᏘᏴᏓ ᎠᏎᏭ ᏱᎩ ᏧᏅᏍᏗᎢ.
“ᏯᏆᏚᎳ ᎯᏍᎩ ᎠᎴᏱᎩ ᏍᎪᎯ
ᎢᏳᏂᏨᎢ ᎠᎴ ᎾᏍᎩᏊ ᏱᏂᎦᎵᏍᏓ,
ᏂᎬᏂᏏᏍᎨᏍᏗ
Ꮓ
ᎥᎿ
ᏓᏁᎲᎢ,
ᎠᏁᏟᏙᏗ Ꮓ ᎠᏩᏛᏗᎢ ᎠᏰᏟᏴᎢ
ᏳᏙᏢᎭ.
ᏯᏆᏚᎳᏃ
ᏧᏂᎦᏴᎵᎨᎢ
ᎤᏁᏓᏍᏗᎢ ᎠᎴ ᎤᏁᎳᏗᏓᏍᏗᎢ
ᏂᎬᎯᎵᏐᎢ ᏳᎵᏍᏙᏗᎢ,” ᎠᏗᏍᎬᎢ. “
ᎾᏍᎩᏃ ᏙᏳᎢ ᏯᏆᏚᎳ ᎦᏥᎪᏩᏛᏗᎢ
ᏗᎾᏛᏍᎩ ᎥᏍᎩᏳᏛᏁᏗᎢ ᏔᎷᏣ
ᏧᏃᏢᏗᎢ. ᎠᏯᏃ ᎣᏂ ᎨᎢ ᎠᎴ ᎾᏍᎩᏊ
40 ᎾᎥᏂᎨᏍᏗ ᎢᏯᏆᏕᏘᏴᏓ.”
ᏲᏚᎵᏃ ᎤᎪᏗ ᎠᏕᎶᎰᎯᏍᏗ, email
[email protected].
Culture • i=nrplcsd
Cherokee Nation
Trail of Tears
Awards for Excellence
The Cherokee Nation Tribal Council, through the Education Services department, recognizes the following
students for the 2015-2016 GWY Trail of Tears Awards for Excellence. This is the 29th year the Cherokee
Nation has recognized students for their achievements and academic excellence. Each student is listed by category
awarded and may appear in several categories.
Academics Award
Daylyn Frost, Dominique Butler, Chelbie Turtle, Adriauna Harns, Lauryn McCoy, Kaylynn Mills, Kami Riggs, Taite Stites, Mika Allen, Rebecca Farris, Garret
Holt, Madelyn Massey, Braxton Stewart, Hannah Guthrie, Lila Sherman, Karson Austin, Cameryn Brown, Madison Cook, Caitlyn Cox, Patric Davis, Morgan
Harris, Addison McCutcheon, Gabriel Reed, Cassidy Spencer, Tobi Tipton, Aubree Walkingstick, Wyatt Waddell, William Watie, Elora Carder, Lani Goldner,
Heather Hamblin, Anthony Lucky, Emily Rice, Colin Rowton, Amelia Rutter, Samantha Sanchez, Cloe Dennis, Emily Garner, Gabriel King, Jordan Lyons,
Chandie McDonald, Layne Nichols, Lauren Ables, Maximus Dawson, Hailey Grass, Sydney Henson, Brynlee Holman, Ezra Hood, Anna Kromhout, Ashley
Livingston, Samantha Robinson, Rashae Seabolt, Bailey Simpson, Payton Taylor, Madelyn Barnes, Rylee Brandon, Alyssa Breshears, Emily Clark, Olivia
Cummings, Logan Davis, Maggie Emerine, Kolby Encinas, Elizabeth Folmar, Lydia Ford, Trapper Gilstrap, Harmony Green, Samantha Keener, Emma Kelley,
Bailee Lawson, Mark Long, John Melugin, Maggie Melugin, Ethan Minton, Raylee Pell, Luke Price, Nicole Price, Blair Scroggins, Auston Trundle, Kara Walker,
Anthony Wilson, Emily Schlehuber, Shea Blakley, Lexi Cook, Haiden Kissinger, Joana Nofire, Emilia Sweet, Hannah Taylor, Garret Weir, Avery Bennett, Cooper
Boyd, Julia Childers, Jasmin Daggs, Kenedi Davenport, Nicholas Devore, Landon Garrison, Kash Gilbert, Jayden Goins, Franklin Griffin, Tallon Hopwood,
Trevor McGlasson, Garrett Nelson, Brynlea Phillips, Jacey Potts, Alexander Price, Khloe Sanders, Alyssa Scott, Zane Smith, Lyndsey Streeter, Taylor Willis,
Micah Bruce, Heather Dotson, Dakota Fieldson, Ashley Jobe, Rachael Johnson, Ana Christie, Madilyn Joice, Alexys Keys, Tyler Purkey, Caitie Gann, Nathan
Midgley, Jason Gibson, Amelia Wadley, Wesley Busch, Brady Favre, Anna Fine, Gary Lattimore, Shannon Potter, Torie Pulliam, Nakayla Wright, Destiny
Matthews, Courtney Rodgers, Joshua Hummingbird, Abby Besecker, Caleb Beshears, Salani Crittenden, Sierra Dearman, Jace Heavener, Madison Higley,
Mya Martin, Lauren McFarland, Madison Weeden, Jacob Yoder, Leigha Morris, Harron Sheffield, Allison Sitton, Peyton Thomas, Michelle Deason, McKalee
Steen, Jessi Stidham, Madison Winfrey, Ethan Autry, Ashlann Brown, Chance Buhl, Rebecca Chewey, Gunner Cleveland, Elore Fielden, William Garrison,
Delaney Keener, Loni McClure, Tanner Ratliff, Parker Taylor, Paige Walls, Riley Aiken, Lauren Burtrum, Tyson Cherry, Chase Clark, Krystin Culver, Zachary
Dunham, Case Guinn, Addyson Kirby, Kelli Martin, Klara McCoin, Richard Scrivener, Brandon Weaver, Zoey Weaver, Jasmine Cochran, Lamesa Dale, Kylee
Russell, Jacinda Gonzales, Conner Hall, Emily Hall, Trey Snell, Mikayla Moore, Treyton Reeves, Dalton Sharp, Meredith Franke, Logan Armstrong, Crace
Garrison, Cherokee Gott, Charlene Hines, Jacob Rader, Mariah Marshall, Coby Backward, Morgan Bailey, Courtney Condit, Cody Daniels, Jessi Jordan, Kelsey
Littlefield, Sydney Sanders, Ashley Baldridge, Brett Brown, Ryan Carroll, John Christie, Conner Cochran, Cammie Copeland, Daynarah Crow, Bradley Davis,
Kaycee Davis, Jarren Fourkiller, Shayley Fourkiller, Di’Ana Garay, Hayleigh Galvan, Zachery Hair, Jordan Hare, Charles Hicks, Elizabeth Hummingbird, Ethan
Hummingbird, Justin Jimenez, Ashlyn King, Maggie McKinnis, Caleb Murray, Kayce O’Field, Taylor Owl, Brayden Phillips, Marieh Pritchett, Treybeinne
Pritchett, Makayla Rock, Kyle Sanders, Jacob Sevier, Symphoni Shomo, Brandon Snell-Washington, Hunter Soap, Mikah Walters, Jackson Wells, Jakkie Wright,
Whitney Lawson, Dayton Bowlin
Art Award
Lila Sherman, Elora Carder, Colin Rowton, Payton Taylor, Leigha Morris, Michelle Deason, McKalee Steen, Treyton Reeves, Mariah Marshall, Elizabeth
Hummingbird, Maggie McKinnis, Jacob Sevier
Citizenship Award
Lila Sherman, William Watie, Anthony Lucky, Payton Taylor, Emily Schlehuber, Emilia Sweet, Nicholas Devore, Rachael Johnson, Destiny Matthews, Courtney
Rodgers, Lauren McFarland, Leigha Morris, Michelle Deason, McKalee Steen, Madison Winfrey, Lamesa Dale, Trey Snell, Treyton Reeves, Meredith Franke,
Crace Garrison, Jacob Rader, Brett Brown, Cammie Copeland, Daynarah Crow, Charles Hicks, Kayce O’Field, Taylor Owl, Marieh Pritchett, Makayla Rock,
Jackson Wells, Jakkie Wright, Whitney Lawson
Civic Organizations Award
Chelbie Turtle, Adriauna Harns, Kami Riggs, Lila Sherman, Emilia Sweet, Garret Weir, Nicholas Devore, Micah Bruce, Caitie Gann, Courtney Rodgers, Joshua
Hummingbird, Lauren McFarland, Michelle Deason, McKalee Steen, Jessi Stidham, Lauren Burtrum, Tyson Cherry, Krystin Culver, Zachary Dunham, Case
Guinn, Addyson Kirby, Klara McCoin, Richard Scrivener, Trey Snell, Charlene Hines, Brett Brown, Ethan Hummingbird, Taylor Owl, Treybeinne Pritchett,
Makayla Rock, Jacob Sevier, Jackson Wells
Cherokee Cultural Activities Award
Chelbie Turtle, Elora Carder, Anthony Lucky, Payton Taylor, Leigha Morris, Allison Sitton, Michelle Deason, McKalee Steen, Jacob Rader, Brett Brown, Jarren
Fourkiller, Elizabeth Hummingbird, Maggie McKinnis, Treybeinne Pritchett, Jackson Wells
Fine Arts (Museum, Dance, Theater/Film) Award
Chelbie Turtle, Kami Riggs, Lani Goldner, Heather Hamblin, Anthony Lucky, Emily Rice, Amelia Rutter, Emily Schlehuber, Landon Garrison, Heather Dotson,
Joshua Hummingbird, Lauren McFarland, Michelle Deason, McKalee Steen, Jessi Stidham, Kelli Martin, Lamesa Dale, Charlene Hines, Daynarah Crow, Brayden
Phillips, Jackson Wells
School Clubs & Organizations Award
Hannah Guthrie, William Watie, Elora Carder, Heather Hamblin, Anthony Lucky, Colin Rowton, Shea Blakley, Haiden Kissinger, Emilia Sweet, Garret Weir,
Nicholas Devore, Micah Bruce, Ashley Jobe, Rachael Johnson, Caitie Gann, Destiny Matthews, Courtney Rodgers, Lauren McFarland, Jacob Yoder, Harron
Sheffield, Peyton Thomas, Michelle Deason, McKalee Steen, Madison Winfrey, Lamesa Dale, Emily Hall, Crace Garrison, Ashley Baldridge, Brett Brown, Cammie
Copeland, Daynarah Crow, Jarren Fourkiller, Shayley Fourkiller, Jordan Hare, Elizabeth Hummingbird, Ethan Hummingbird, Kayce O’Field, Taylor Owl, Brayden
Phillips, Marieh Pritchett, Treybeinne Pritchett, Makayla Rock, Kyle Sanders, Hunter Soap, Jackson Wells, Whitney Lawson
Team Sports Award
Chelbie Turtle, Adriauna Harns, Kami Riggs, Hannah Guthrie, Lila Sherman, William Watie, Anthony Lucky, Colin Rowton, Samantha Sanchez, Brynlee
Holman, Anna Kromhout, Ashley Livingston, Samantha Robinson, Shea Blakley, Haiden Kissinger, Emilia Sweet, Hannah Taylor, Garret Weir, Avery Bennett,
Jasmin Daggs, Nicholas Devore, Lyndsey Streeter, Heather Dotson, Ana Christie, Alexys Keys, Tyler Purkey, Courtney Rodgers, Michelle Deason, Jessi Stidham,
Krystin Culver, Brandon Weaver, Zoey Weaver, Lamesa Dale, Kylee Russell, Trey Snell, Treyton Reeves, Dalton Sharp, Meredith Franke, Logan Armstrong, Crace
Garrison, Cherokee Gott, Jacob Rader, Cody Daniels, Ashley Baldridge, Brett Brown, Ryan Carroll, Cammie Copeland, Daynarah Crow, Shayley Fourkiller,
Justin Jimenez, Maggie McKinnis, Kayce O’Field, Brayden Phillips, Kyle Sanders, Jacob Sevier, Hunter Soap, Jackson Wells, Jakkie Wright
STEM Award
Adriauna Harns, Hannah Guthrie, Lani Goldner, Heather Hamblin, Anthony Lucky, Emily Rice, Amelia Rutter, Samantha Sanchez, Payton Taylor, Emily
Schlehuber, Shea Blakley, Haiden Kissinger, Joana Nofire, Emilia Sweet, Hannah Taylor, Garret Weir, Nicholas Devore, Ashley Jobe, Nathan Midgley, Destiny
Matthews, Joshua Hummingbird, Lauren McFarland, Michelle Deason, McKalee Steen, Jessi Stidham, Trey Snell, Treyton Reeves, Dalton Sharp, Charlene
Hines, Jacob Rader, Mariah Marshall, Maggie McKinnis, Treybeinne Pritchett, Jackson Wells
Agricultural Science Award
Adriauna Harns, Kami Riggs, Lila Sherman, Payton Taylor, Nicholas Devore, Jayden Goins, Rachael Johnson, Caitie Gann, Destiny Matthews, Case Guinn,
Jacob Rader, Mariah Marshall, Daynarah Crow, Jacob Sevier, Whitney Lawson
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