September 2014 - Cherokee Phoenix

Joint Venture
Rare Talent
Fighting Cancer
LaNice Belcher started with the clarinet The Cherokee Nation is requesting Former Miss Cherokee Julie Thornton is
but switched to the bassoon at her band IHS help to build a new hospital in battleing soft tissue sarcoma which attacks
instructor’s request. CULTURE, 19
Tahlequah, Okla. COUNCIL, 7
muscles and bones. HEALTH, 12
September 2014 • cherokeephoenix.org
186 Years of Cherokee Journalism
PHOENIX
CHEROKEE
Redbird Smith’s remodeled main facility opens
The revamp includes 12
dental chairs, which is
five more than the center
offered before.
BY JAMI MURPHY
Reporter
SALLISAW, Okla. – Cherokee Nation
officials celebrated the opening of Redbird
Smith Health Center’s main building on Aug.
13 after it underwent a remodel the past two
years because of mold found inside.
Clinical Director Jerry Caughman said the
remodel means a lot to him because he grew up
in Sallisaw and is a CN citizen.
“I’m not only an employee here, I’m from
Sallisaw. Both sides of my family, they’re from
Sallisaw and we have been 100-plus years,” he
said. “So these people that come to this clinic,
they’re not only patients of mine, but they’re
my friends and family. And so this means more
than anyone can ever know.”
The building was closed in 2012, and its
patient services were moved to different
parts of the health center after the mold was
discovered. The building was gutted, said CN
Communications officials, with the use of
Indian Health Services funds.
Redbird Smith Health Center Clinical Director Jerry Caughman, far left, and Dr. Stephen
Jones, Cherokee Nation’s director of dental services, far right, stand with dental staff and
showcase the new dental wing inside the main building of Redbird Smith Health Center in
Sallisaw, Okla. COURTESY
The building cost $4.4 million to remodel
and will house dental, administration, a fitness
area and public health nursing.
Connie Davis, CN Health Services executive
director, said the tribe’s administration, Tribal
Council and Health Services have made the
expansion of health services a priority.
but also offer programs such as mammography
and physical therapy that patients normally
would have to be referred to Tahlequah or
other health centers to get,” she said. “I’m very
proud of this expansion, and it’s just the first
of many more to come for our overall health
centers.”
“The Redbird Smith renovation and
expansion will not only serve more patients,
Tribal Councilor Janelle Fulbright said the
new services the facility will offer is something
1839 Cherokee
Constitution
born from act
she and patients have waited a long time for.
“I’ve been on the council seven years and one
of things I really, really wanted when I got on
the council was a dialysis center. It took four
years, but we accomplished that and helped so
many people,” she said. “We’ve got top notch
care for our people. When they come here they
can rest assured they’re getting some of the
finest.”
Principal Chief Bill John Baker said “citizens
deserve world-class care” and the expansions
and remodels represent that.
“This will ensure we offer treatment as
effectively and efficiently as possible when
patients come for health care services. This
is the most important long-term investment
we can make as a tribal government,” he said.
“More importantly, this expansion allows our
health center to accommodate more people day
in and day out.”
A new annex is also being constructed
behind the main building. When finished, the
center will go from 33,000 square feet to more
than 60,000 square feet.
Its cost totals about $11 million, making the
entire construction at Redbird Smith more
than $15 million.
The health center opened in 1992, according
to CN Communications. In 2013, it served
more than 100,000 patients. After renovations,
that number is expected to rise.
PASSING ON THE KNOWLEDGE
The constitution is one of four
governing documents the Cherokee
Nation has used since 1827.
BY WILL CHAVEZ
Senior Reporter
TAHLEQUAH, Okla. – The 175th anniversary of the
Cherokee Nation’s 1839 Constitution will be commemorated
during this year’s Cherokee National Holiday.
It was signed Sept. 6, 1839, after contentious meetings
between two Cherokee factions – Eastern Cherokees or the Ross
Party led by Principal Chief John Ross, and the Old Settlers who
settled Arkansas and what is now eastern Oklahoma in the early
1800s. A third faction, the so-called Treaty Party, that in 1835
signed away what remained of Cherokee land in the Southeast
for $5 million, sided with the Old Settlers.
Those led by Ross had just arrived in Indian Territory in the
spring of 1839 after being removed from their homes in the
Southeast.
Sequoyah, who had moved to Indian Territory in 1829
from Arkansas, attempted to unite the Old Settlers, who had
their own government, with the Ross Party. On July 12, 1839,
a convention was held, and after deliberation a formal Act of
Union was adopted, whereby the two branches declared to be
“one body politic, under the style and title of the Cherokee
Nation, succeeding both of the tribal organizations.
Ross; George Lowrey, president of the National Committee;
Goingsnake, speaker of the council; and 13 others signed the act
on behalf of the Ross Party. Acting Principal Chief John Looney,
Council President George Guess and 15 other Old Settlers
leaders, including Sequoyah, signed for that faction.
Another convention met at Tahlequah in September 1839,
composed mostly of Eastern Cherokees, to frame a new
constitution. The document established rules for election of
legislators and chiefs and common holding of the lands of the
Nation. Another feature was suffrage for boys over 18 years of
age. For purposes of civil administration and the apportionment
of legislators, the CN was divided into nine districts similar in
size and organization to counties. They were called Canadian,
Illinois, Sequoyah, Flint, Delaware, Goingsnake, Tahlequah,
Saline and Cooweescoowee, the last one being named in honor
John Ross’ Cherokee name.
The 1839 Constitution was preceded by the 1827 Constitution,
which was drafted on July 26, 1827, at New Echota, Ga. The
document outlined a structure of government, which included
an elected principal chief, a senate and a house of representatives.
In 1898, the CN’s 1839 Constitution ceased to govern the tribe
It is teaching Cherokee women how
to make river cane baskets, including
gathering materials in the woods.
See 1839, 3
See BASKETS, 2
Expert basket maker Charlotte Coates, left, helps apprentice Candessa Tehee finish a river cane basket on Aug. 14 at the
Cherokee Heritage Center in Park Hill, Okla. Tehee, who is the CHC executive director, is taking part in a basket-making
program with three other Cherokee women. PHOTOS BY WILL CHAVEZ/CHEROKEE PHOENIX
Mentoring program teaches basketry
BY WILL CHAVEZ
Senior Reporter
PARK HILL, Okla. – Four Cherokee women are working
with expert basket makers to learn how different baskets are
woven with various materials as part of a Cherokee Heritage
Center mentoring program.
This summer Feather Smith-Trevino, Emma Washee,
Candice Byrd and Candessa Tehee learned from basket makers
Charlotte Coates and Cherokee National Treasures Betty Frogg
and Shawna Cain.
The apprentices learned how to make double-walled reed
baskets before learning how to make double-wall river cane
baskets from start to finish. The process included gathering
cane and stripping it to create basket-making materials.
Coates, who specializes in double-wall baskets, said she
volunteered to partake in the program because she believes her
knowledge needs to be shared so it is not lost.
The Cherokee Heritage Center is conducing an mentoring
program to teach basket weaving. Four Cherokee women
are apprenticing with expert basket makers to learn
how different types of baskets are woven. Those in the
program are, from left to right, Feather Smith-Trevino,
Candessa Tehee, Emma Washee (sitting), Cherokee Nation
Treasure Shawna Cain (standing), Charlotte Coates,
Candice Byrd (sitting) and Cherokee National Treasure
Betty Frogg.
Nation’s FY 15 budget up by $73.1M
Higher Education
scholarships get
an $11.37M bump;
Gaming Commission
loses $951K.
BY WILL CHAVEZ
Senior Reporter
Principal Chief Bill John Baker delivers his State of the
Nation speech during the 2013 Cherokee National Holiday
at the Courthouse Square in Tahlequah, Okla. This year tribal
leaders will commemorate the 175th anniversary of the
1839 Constitution. WILL CHAVEZ/CHEROKEE PHOENIX
TAHLEQUAH, Okla. – On Aug.
18, the Tribal Council’s Executive and
Finance Committee passed the Cherokee
Nation’s fiscal year 2015 budget that saw
a $73.1 million increase when compared
to the start of the FY14 budget. The
budget now heads to full council on
Sept. 15 for approval.
Secretary Treasure Lacey Horn said
the FY15 budget, as of Aug. 21, was
$731.3 million, up by approximately
$73.1 million when compared to the
beginning of the FY14 budget of $658.2
million. The fiscal year begins Oct. 1.
The Executive and Finance Committee
held budget hearings on Aug. 18,
meeting with tribal department heads
to discuss funding needs and allocations
that are included in the FY15 budget.
Horn said the increase was because
of new grant awards, increases in motor
vehicle tax revenues related to the car
tag expansion, changes in the rebate
structure of the tobacco tax compact,
proceeds from contract support cost
settlement as well as increased Indian
Health Service funding for the Vinita
Health Center and contract health care.
Horn said programs and services that
received the largest increases this fiscal year
are Higher Education scholarships at $11.37
million and Charitable Contributions with
an $890,000 budget increase.
Charitable contributions are made
to communities and organizations
to improve communities and help
organizations perform.
Horn said the Day Training and
See BUDGET, 4
2
CHEROKEE PHOENIX • September 2014
News • dgZEksf
BASKETS
from front page
“There’s not that many people in Oklahoma
that could do this type of weaving, so when I
was asked to teach the double-wall, I absolutely
jumped at the opportunity because it’s
important,” she said.
Tehee, the CHC’s executive director, said she
was excited when Cain and her husband Roger
Cain approached her to form a partnership
to teach apprentices how to make single- and
double-wall baskets from river cane while
collecting materials in a sustainable fashion.
“River cane basketry is a huge part of
Cherokee tradition and Cherokee culture. It
has a long history. It goes back prior to contact
(with white settlers), and so the partnership
between the Cherokee National Treasure
Association and the Cherokee Heritage Center
was something I was very excited about. It’s a
natural partnership for the Heritage Center
and the CNTA,” Tehee said.
Tehee has learned how to finger-weave yarn
and weave with a tabletop loom, but she also
wanted to learn basket making.
“I wanted to add basketry to the skills that
I have because a traditional Cherokee woman
prior to contact would have done all of these
things. I think it’s important for Cherokee
women to carry on this tradition and know
what our traditional arts are and to be able to
teach them to others,” she said.
Cherokees have had a close relationship
with river cane for thousands of years. Records
show that river cane once covered the lands of
the Southeast and that Cherokees used it for
basketry, music, housing, weapons, food and
other items that have been lost over time.
“By teaching these young ladies about not
only basketry, but also the plant itself, they
Apprentice Candice Byrd, left, listens to expert basket maker Charlotte Coates about a river
cane basket at the Cherokee Heritage Center in Park Hill, Okla. The apprenticeship/mentor
program is meant to teach Cherokee women how to make river cane baskets from start to
finish, which includes gathering materials in the woods. WILL CHAVEZ/CHEROKEE PHOENIX
are learning holistically a more traditional
process based upon the values of our ancestors
of respecting the plant and what it gives us in
return,” Roger Cain, who is also a Cherokee
National Treasure, said.
“Now that these apprentices have learned
to weave double-wall baskets throughout the
summer, we plan to now begin the process of
gathering, processing and especially cultivating
river cane so that these traditions and art forms
that have almost been lost will continue to
flourish for future generations,” he added.
Washee and Smith-Trevino said they already
had some experience making baskets, but
through the apprenticeship they will not only
learn how to make baskets, they will understand
where the materials grow, when to gather them
and how to prepare them.
Smith-Trevino said she’s learned basket
making from various teachers, including Frogg
while working in the CHC’s Ancient Village.
She’s been weaving flat-reed and round-reed
baskets for about 10 years and wanted to learn
double-wall baskets and more techniques for
Ewf #>hAmh • jlsd
2014
river cane baskets.
“I have worked splitting cane and working
with natural dyes, but I hope to really improve
those techniques and to learn more about
how to gather, where to gather, at what times
of the year to gather,” she said. “At the end
of this program, we should be able to go out
and gather all of our own materials, prepare
our own materials and be able to completely
prepare the baskets and weave it from start to
finish.”
Byrd is new to basket making. While working
in the CHC’s Diligwa village she learned how to
make single-wall, flat-reed baskets from Frogg
and double-wall, flat-reed baskets from Coates
and Shawna Cain.
“It was something that I never pictured
myself doing. It just thought it was something
that really took some craftsmanship, and I
didn’t think I was capable of doing it. It takes
some thinking, some concentration,” she said.
“We are learning the techniques of weaving,
but what we’re also learning how to respect
our natural resources. So, it’s more than just
learning a new craft, it’s learning a new world
view and a new appreciation for the work that
goes into weaving the basket.”
Tehee said the art of river cane basketry is not
as vital as it once was for the Cherokee people.
“Currently, there are really only a handful
of people who can make a basket from start to
finish using river cane. We are very, very lucky
to partner with some individuals who have that
knowledge, so we can create new artists who
can carry on this tradition and pass it down to
future generations,” she said.
Tehee said the plan is to continue the
program as long as there is interest.
“I don’t think we can teach too many people
these skills because prior to contact this is
something every Cherokee woman knew. It’s
something every Cherokee man knew in terms
of gathering river cane in a sustainable way.”
Cherokee Nation leaders take tour of Craig County
BY WILL CHAVEZ
Senior Reporter
VINITA, Okla. – Cherokee Nation officials
toured Craig County on Aug. 7 to visit
community leaders and discuss community
needs.
Secretary of State Chuck Hoskin Jr., Deputy
Chief S. Joe Crittenden, Chief of Staff Chuck
Hoskin Sr., and Tribal Councilor Victoria
Mitchell Vazquez visited with town officials in
Welch, Bluejacket and Vinita.
In Welch, the CN’s partnership to improve
water quality was discussed. A $10,000 grant
from the Indian Health Service was secured by
the CN to assist with a $40,000 water study. A
grant will cover the remaining costs.
“It is my understanding that the funds will be
used toward a study of the current Welch water
system to determine radium levels and how to
make the water better,” Vazquez said.
A Colorado-based company will use
equipment to filter out radium from the town’s
water source. The Oklahoma Department of
Environmental Quality will monitor the threemonth study.
The tribe also donated $2,000 for park and
recreation projects in Welch.
“Regarding the use of the Welch Parks and
Recreation money, Mayor Winston McKeon
and I plan to get together soon to discuss,”
Vazquez said.
CN leaders also visited with business owners
in the Bluejacket area, including the owner
of a new independent grocery store. The tour
ended at the Vinita Health Center where CN
Registration staff members issued nearly 400
photo identification cards that contains CN
citizenship and Certificate Degree of Indian
Blood card information.
Members of the Vinita Indian Territory
Coalition met with CN leaders to discuss
the tribe’s recent donation of $1,000 to the
organization and plan upcoming events.
“The Vinita Indian Territory Coalition is a
nonprofit formed a few years ago by Cherokee
citizen Lisa Trice Turtle. It was formed to bring
Cherokee language, culture and activities ‘up
north’ since we are so far from Tahlequah,”
Vazquez said. “The $1,000 check we gave them
will be used to hold events such as basket
making, cornhusk doll making, arts and
storytelling and other similar projects.”
Vazquez said she would be working with the
VITC in November to host a second Cherokee
Heritage Day at the Vinita Health Center. She
helped host the inaugural event in November.
Cherokee National Treasures Jane Osti and
Roger and Shawna Cain and others attended to
demonstrate and share art with the community.
“This year we hope to make it bigger
and better, have Native foods and more
demonstrations,” Vazquez said.
Correction
In the story “Swearengin signs
wrestling scholarship with Bacone
College” in the August 2014 issue,
we misidentified Levi Swearengin
as an Eastern Band of Cherokee
Indians citizen. He is a Cherokee
Nation citizen. We apologize.
2014 Ewf #>hAmh • jlsd
News • dgZEksf
Hard Rock Cherokee Tower under revamp
The 10-year-old
Cherokee Tower is
getting needed updates
on the inside as crews
renovate all 148 guest
rooms.
BY WILL CHAVEZ
Senior Reporter
CATOOSA, Okla. – Nearly hidden by
the quick growth of the Hard Rock Hotel
& Casino during the past 10 years is the
original hotel tower that opened at the
casino in 2004. However, the Cherokee
Tower is getting needed updates on the
inside as crews renovate all 148 of its
guest rooms.
In 10 years, the Cherokee Tower has
held up well through high occupancy
and lots of use, said Jon Davidson,
Cherokee
Nation
Entertainment
hospitality operations senior director,
but its guest rooms needed updating.
“We are renovating them all. They
opened late in 2004, so they are almost
10 years old. We started a plan to
renovate about a year ago, and we
physically started on the first two floors
about a month ago, on Floors 2 and 3.
Our hopes are to have it completed by
the first of October,” Davidson said.
He said the guest rooms are being
stripped down “to the concrete and
sheetrock.”
“Fortunately, we’re able to repurpose
everything inside of the room to go
to other needing agencies within the
(Cherokee) Nation – furniture, artwork,
lighting. You name it. We try to save
everything that we can that someone
may have a use for. So fortunately that’s
been packaged up and transported down
to Tahlequah,” Davidson said.
Some repurposed furniture was sent
to Sequoyah High School for its dorm
rooms.
Davidson said more modern case
good furniture have added to the
remodeled rooms, as well as soft goods
such as carpet and wallpaper. Also,
accent lighting has been added behind
the bed headboards and to the desk walls.
Bathroom shower enclosures and builtin hutches are new in the bathrooms.
Also, new artworks created by
Cherokee artists are on display in the
renovated rooms.
A new 19-story hotel tower rose above
original seven-story Cherokee Tower in
2008. The smaller tower has since been
in the taller one’s shadow. Also in 2008,
The Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Tulsa’s seven-story Cherokee Tower, built in
2004, is getting needed updates on the inside as work crews renovate each of
the tower’s 148 guest rooms. WILL CHAVEZ/CHEROKEE PHOENIX
the casino’s name changed its name to
the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Tulsa.
The Cherokee Tower opened with
150 guest rooms but lost two rooms
when it was connected to the 19-story
Hard Rock Tower. The original tower is
similar in size and style to the 10-story
Suite Tower that was built in 2012 after
Casino 3 at the property collapsed under
the weight of snow in 2011.
Davidson said there are 454 guest
rooms and suites at the Hard Rock.
“We have 208 keys in the Hard Rock
Tower, 98 keys in the Suite Tower and
148 in the Cherokee Tower,” he said.
Davidson said the three Hard Rock
towers enjoy high occupancy rates,
especially Thursday through Saturday.
“Our midweek busy is very strong
from a group standpoint, and that’s what
we focus on to fill those days. Obviously
as we get into Thursday our gaming
market swells and we do most of our
business on weekends,” he said.
CNE officials said the renovation’s
cost is estimated at $4 million and that
the Cherokee Nation Businesses board
of directors appropriated the funding.
Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Tulsa is
located off I-44 at Exit 240. Visit www.
hardrockcasinotulsa.com or call 1-800760-6700.
September 2014 • CHEROKEE PHOENIX
1839
from front page
as the Curtis Act instituted
by the federal government
dissolved tribal governments
in Indian Territory to
assimilate tribes and prepare
for Oklahoma statehood,
which came in 1907.
Until 1971, the federal
government
played
a
paternalistic role for the
Cherokee people, choosing
their chiefs and dictating
tribal matters.
In 1971, after his selection
as the tribe’s first elected chief
since 1903, William Wayne
Keeler presided over the
drafting of a new Cherokee
constitution.
The
1975
Cherokee
Constitution,
signed
by
Principal Chief Ross Swimmer
in October 1975, superseded
the 1839 Constitution.
The
new
constitution
contained a Bill of Rights,
specifications
for
tribal
citizenship or citizenship,
three branches of government
(executive, legislative and
judicial), tribal elections,
qualifications for elected
office and rules for council
meetings.
A constitutional convention
was held in Tahlequah in 1999
to revise and update the tribe’s
constitution.
Delegates from throughout
the CN discussed, debated and
modified the 1975 document.
The new constitution included
a clause that removed the need
to ask the Bureau of Indian
Affairs’ permission to amend
the constitution.
Cherokee voters approved
the amendment in May
2003 that removed federal
requirements for amendments
to the 1975 Constitution.
Two months later, voters
adopted the 1999 Constitution
as the tribe’s supreme law.
The
tribe
and
BIA
negotiated changes to the new
constitution and it was ratified
in 2003.
However, the secretary
of the Interior would not
approve it.
Proponents of the new
constitution filed a lawsuit
with the tribe’s Judicial
3
Appeals
Tribunal
(now
Supreme Court) in 2005,
asking it to rule whether
the 1999 law was valid. On
June 7, 2006, the JAT ruled
the law became the tribe’s
“organic document” when the
Cherokee people approved it.
The CN officially began using
the 1999 Constitution in July
2006.
However, as late as
November 2011, the BIA
stated it has not approved the
tribe’s 1999 Constitution or
an amendment that led to its
implementation.
CN Attorney General Todd
Hembree, who in November
2011 was the Tribal Council’s
attorney, wrote a letter that
stated CN has a strong
argument that the U.S.
government has recognized
the 1999 Constitution because
the government has approved
numerous
government-togovernment actions between
itself and the CN in the past
five years.
In July, Hembree took part
in a ceremony at the Capitol
Square in Tahlequah that
celebrated the 1839 Act of
Union, which had allowed
for the creation of the 1839
Constitution.
“This Act of Union was not
born out of a desire for good
government. It was born out
of necessity,” Hembree said.
“Because if we didn’t come
together at that point in time,
under those circumstances,
all that we fought to preserve
could have been lost. It was
not just advantageous to unite;
it was essential. And that is
what happened here, 175
years ago.”
Sources:
“Sequoyah (ca. 1778-1843),”
Oklahoma Historical Society;
“A History of the Cherokee
Indians,” Vol. 8, No. 4,
December 1930, Chronicles
of Oklahoma, Hugh T.
Cunningham;
“Curtis Act,” Oklahoma
Historical Society, M. Kaye
Tatro;
“Cherokee,”
Oklahoma
Historical Society, Rennard
Strickland;
“Echo Hawk opinion may
have ‘drastic consequences,’”
Cherokee Phoenix, Nov. 22,
2011.
4
CHEROKEE PHOENIX • September 2014
News • dgZEksf
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2014
Cherokee students
learn journalism at
Native conference
BY WILL CHAVEZ
Senior Reporter
Cherokee Phoenix Executive Editor Bryan Pollard shakes hands with Northwestern University’s Medill School of
Journalism Professor of Media Ethics Loren Ghiglione after Pollard received his Native American Journalists Association
Medill Milestone Achievement Award at the Native Media Awards on July 12 in Santa Clara, Calif. Pollard is the first of
10 journalists to receive the award. WILL CHAVEZ/CHEROKEE PHOENIX
Cherokee Phoenix wins
awards at NAJA conference
The Cherokee Phoenix takes home
seven awards on July 12 in Santa
Clara, Calif.
BY STACIE GUTHRIE
Reporter
SANTA CLARA, Calif. – The Cherokee Phoenix and its staff
members won seven awards, including first place for General
Excellence in its division, on July 12 at the Native American
Journalists Association’s Native Media Awards event.
Phoenix Executive Editor Bryan Pollard said he’s proud
of the awards but hopes to see the Phoenix place in more
categories next year.
“The awards are nice to receive and in some ways they’re
a little bit of a measuring stick on how you’re doing in
comparison with other Native media,” he said. “I would like
to see us continue to improve and to possibly win awards in
some other categories that I think that we should be able to
compete in.”
Pollard said the “crown jewel” was winning the General
Excellence-Print category.
“That’s always a mark that you’re doing something right if
independent judges look at your newspaper and say that you’re
the best overall among your competition,” he said.
CHEROKEE PHOENIX 2014 NAJA AWARDS
First Place: General Excellence-Print, Division III
First Place: Best Layout-Print in the Monthly/
Semimonthly-Division III
First Place: Best News Photo-Print to Senior
Reporter Will Chavez
NAJA Medill Milestone Achievement Award to
Executive Editor Bryan Pollard
BUDGET
from front page
Summer Youth Employment Program fund
received a $275,000 increase, while the
Vocational Assistance Program that helps CN
citizens train for and gain employment received
a $150,000 budget increase.
These three programs are also fully funded
for the entire year, she said.
The Citizens Access to Transparency fund
The Phoenix also won first place for Best Layout, which
distinguishes the newspaper’s look.
“I think the other award that I’m particularly proud of, and a
lot of credit goes to our Multimedia Editor Mark Dreadfulwater
and Assistant Editor Travis Snell, was winning first place for
Best Layout,” he said. “I know they put a lot of attention into
making sure that the paper is laid out very well.”
Along with organizational awards, individuals on the staff
won awards.
“(Senior Reporter) Will Chavez got first place for Best News
Photo. Then we had three award winners for our videos, which
is a category that is fairly new for the Native Media Awards,”
Pollard said. “The fact that we had a first place winner and
two, second place winners in the best feature and best news
category was pretty impressive, too.”
Pollard also left with the NAJA Medill Milestone Achievement
Award, which recognizes people who have made important
achievements to the journalism world in the past, as well as
working to encourage the next generation of Native journalists
to strive for excellence. NAJA partnered with Northwestern
University’s Medill School of Journalism in Chicago to offer
the award. “To be honored by a separate group of people that
are watching what your doing is, it’s a tremendous honor, but
I was a little surprised by it because I don’t do what I do to
get any kind of national attention. I do it because I want the
Cherokee people to have a good newspaper,” Pollard said.
First Place: Best News Story-TV in the Daily/
Weekly/Monthly/Semimonthly-Division III to
Reporter Stacie Guthrie
Second Place: Best Feature Story-TV in the
Monthly/Semimonthly-Division III to Multimedia
Producer Roger Graham
Second Place: Best News Story-TV in the Daily/
Weekly/Monthly/Semimonthly-Division III to
Multimedia Editor Mark Dreadfulwater
was increased by $650,000 for a total budget
of $800,000. This program assists citizens who
are seeking information about their tribal
government, including how money is spent.
The additional funding will provide free oneyear subscriptions for the Cherokee Phoenix
to Cherokee households with good addresses,
both in the 14-county jurisdiction and outside
the jurisdiction.
Two major programs receiving cuts this
year were the Cherokee Nation Gaming
Commission and the political contributions
fund. Horn said while her office proposed
SANTA CLARA, Calif. – Two Cherokee students from
Oklahoma traveled to the National Native Media Conference in
July to learn the skills of good journalism.
Cherokee Nation citizen Cheyanne Hodge, 16, of Tulsa was
part of “Project Phoenix,” which exposes high school students
to journalism and how it impacts Indian Country. It honors the
first Native American newspaper – the Cherokee Phoenix.
United Keetoowah Band citizen Brittney Bennett, 21, of
Kansas took part in the “Native Voice” project, which helps
college students gain hands-on experience in print, digital and
broadcast media under the guidance of Native professionals.
Hodge will be a junior this fall at Will Rogers College High, a
college prep school. Along with learning more about journalism,
she wants to become a veterinary technician.
She said she spent her week shooting videos, gathering
stories and interviewing people, and “more and more” she’s also
looking at journalism as a career. She said what interested her
about journalism is that “you have a voice and that people can
hear you.”
“There are so many things offered to you because you get to go
and see things that other people don’t,” Hodge said.
She said the most important thing she learned was to learn
how to write news and shoot video.
“That’s a lot for me because I didn’t have any experience,” she
said. “I’ve definitely learned to be patient. We’ve been in this
(news) room from the time we wake up to the time we go to
sleep. You just have to put your all into it.”
Mentor Benny Polacca, a reporter with the Osage News in
Pawhuska, Okla., said the students are exposed to all disciplines
used by today’s reporters. They wrote news stories for the
newspaper published during the conference, wrote stories
for the “Native Voices” website and created audio and video
assignments using Apple technology.
“In the end we are giving the children an opportunity to learn
the tools of the trade, especially during this time when we’re
seeing a shift in ways of communication, a shift toward online
and computer gadgets, including smart phones,” Polacca said.
Bennett attends the University of Oklahoma where she’s
studying public relations.
“I’m here to get a better feel for journalism and kind of learn
the ins and outs that I haven’t gotten to (learn) because I am a
PR major. It’s similar in a lot of ways, but different...especially
this year since they are going more digital,” she said. “I haven’t
really worked with a lot of the equipment. Being PR you don’t
take that many broadcast classes or any editing classes, so that is
definitely new to me.”
Bennett was selected as a 2011 Gates Millennium Scholar and
has been named to the President’s and Dean’s Honor Roll at OU
multiple semesters.
She said the first few days of the “Native Voice” project was
spent learning the “nuts and bolts” of journalism. From there
the students produced short stories about local events, and then
produced short videos on local attractions.
She graduated to helping work on a web story about the
Muwekma Ohlone Tribe of the San Francisco Bay area, which
is not recognized by California or the federal government. She
said it required her to make “a lot of calls” and do research.
She also worked on a print and video story about the Native
American Journalists Association raising more than $10,000 for
a fellowship. NAJA oversees “Project Phoenix and the “Native
Voice” project.
She said during the week she got rid of the misconception
that a journalist has to have the “nicest equipment” and work “in
the nicest studio” to be successful. She learned there are phone
applications and computer programs she can use to report news.
Bennett is focusing on a career in the film industry and doing
public relations work for Native American actors and films. She
landed an internship at the Oklahoma Film and Music Office’s
PR department for the fall semester. She plans on graduating
next May.
Polacca said students participating in the student projects
have the opportunity to network, meet other Native American
journalists and possibly find a place to work in the future.
“Who knows, maybe in the future the students will work for
someone in the field whether it’s a journalist working with the
student project program or whether they are here as a conference
participant,” he said.
increasing the CNGC’s budget, the Tribal
Council decreased it by $951,000. Councilors
also decreased political contributions by
$100,000.
New programs added to the budget include
the Adult Language Program, which will
help adults gain proficiency in the Cherokee
language.
Another new program is the Human Services
Emergency Assistance, which will assists
citizens with unique or emergency needs. The
Adult Language Program received $200,000,
while Human Services Emergency Assistance
received $150,000.
During the budget hearings, it was reported
there are 440 unfilled job openings within the
CN’s budget. Horn said funding for unfilled
positions remains in the budget and, depending
on the funding source, can be reallocated for
services or other needs and/or roll into future
carryover funds.
As of Aug. 21, Horn said the tribe’s FY14
capital budget was $119.68 million while the
operating budget was $611.66 million.
The Tribal Council routinely modifies these
budgets during its regular monthly meetings.
OPINION • Zlsz
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September 2014 • CHEROKEE PHOENIX
5
Talking Circles
Thanks to TahlEqaulity
September 2014
Volume 38, No. 9
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
Bryan Pollard
Executive Editor
[email protected]
918-453-5269
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
Reporter
[email protected]
918-453-5560
I wanted to voice my appreciation to the young men and women at
TahlEquality for arranging the demonstration on June 1 in support of
our LGBTQ brothers and sisters, and to thank the Cherokee Phoenix
for featuring an article on their demonstration.
The LGBTQ community has long suffered injustice and
discrimination at the hands of the majority in the United States,
particularly in the Midwest. This has often been justified under the
guise of religious morality and “...protecting our children from ‘those
people’ and their lifestyles...”
We must not forget that the Cherokee Nation’s history of injustice
at the hands of American majority has likewise been justified by a
religious ‘mandate of heaven’ and desire to “protect their children”
from a culture they did not wish to understand.
Let us not, as we seek the respect that all men and women are
due, forget to treat others with dignity and compassion. Our future
generations look to us as examples. Let us teach them that our people
deserve respect because we are capable of demonstrating it to others.
Justïne Underwood-Jones
Tahlequah, Okla.
Talking Circles submissions can be mailed to Cherokee
Phoenix, PO Box 948, Tahlequah, OK 74465 or emailed to
[email protected].
CHIEF’S PERSPECTIVE
Enjoy Cherokee Nation’s culture, hospitality during
Cherokee National Holiday
By Bill john baker
Principal Chief
Once again, we
will welcome another
record crowd to
Tahlequah,
Okla.,
this
Labor
Day
weekend, as we
celebrate our 62nd
annual Cherokee National Holiday. More
than 100,000 visitors typically descend on
the area this weekend, and I’m sure the
2014 celebration will be bigger and better
than ever. I look forward to joining you,
your family and friends in fellowship and
fun as we celebrate the history, heritage and
hospitality of the Cherokee Nation. The
first Cherokee National Holiday was held
in 1953 to commemorate the anniversary
of the signing of the 1839 CN Constitution,
and it has been celebrated with flair and
fanfare ever since.
We gather this year and every year to
celebrate the accomplishments of our tribal
government and our bright future. We will
honor the progress we have made over the
past year and look forward to building
upon those accomplishments in the coming
year. We’ll celebrate the strides we’ve made
in building new homes for Cherokees, the
continued improvements to our health
system, and the hope we strive to instill in
Cherokee people every day. Simply put, I
call this Homes, Health and Hope.
In addition to the celebration of our tribe’s
accomplishments, Cherokee National
Holiday offers an array of entertainment,
cultural and athletic events to participate
in. There is something for everyone, from
traditional foods and music to competitive
marbles, a car show, softball and stickball
tournaments, and the highly celebrated
intertribal powwow.
I also encourage history enthusiasts
to explore our local museums during
the Holiday weekend. They all highlight
different aspects of Cherokee events
and people from our history. Our five
museums in or near Tahlequah tell the
stories ranging from our removal to Indian
Territory 175 years ago to our traditions
and culture today.
This 62nd National Holiday is especially
poignant as we commemorate the 175th
anniversary of the end of the Trail of Tears.
Although we were forcibly marched from
our homelands in the Southeast to Indian
Territory, our ancestors never relinquished
the fortitude to continue walking another
day in hopes of a better life. While nearly
a quarter of the 16,000 Cherokees who
started the Trail of Tears perished, our
Cherokee people collectively persevered.
Keeping with that spirit of Cherokee
perseverance, a resurgence occurred at
the end of that marched journey. We
rebuilt our communities, court system
and government. We not only survived,
but we thrived and prospered. Today, the
Cherokee Nation is stronger than at any
time in our history, and Cherokee National
Holiday is an opportunity to show that
national pride.
Our history will forever influence us,
and we draw upon that strength daily. That
legacy is something I hope each of you
comes to celebrate with us this Cherokee
National Holiday, Aug. 29-31 in Tahlequah.
I believe you’ll find a wealth of kind
hearts, determined minds and resilient
spirits, while making memories you and
your family will cherish for a lifetime.
God bless each and every one of you, and
God bless the CN.
[email protected]
918-453-5618
Tesina Jackson
Reporter
[email protected]
918-453-5000 ext. 6139
Stacie Guthrie
Reporter
[email protected]
918-453-5000 ext. 5903
Roger Graham
Media Specialist
[email protected]
918-207-3969
Joy Rollice
Secretary
[email protected]
918-453-5269
Kendra Sweet
Advertising Representative
[email protected]
918-207-3825
Justin Smith
Distribution Specialist
[email protected]
918-207-4975
Anna Sixkiller
Linguist
[email protected]
918-453-5145
Editorial Board
John Shurr
Jason Terrell
Robert Thompson III
Clarice Doyle
Keith Austin
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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stock by writing to Back Issues, Cherokee Phoenix, P.O.
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Copyright 2014: 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,
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Journalists Association
GUEST’S PERSPECTIVE
Sovereignty vs. Stereotype
BY JACQUELINE
KEELER
Navajo/Yankton Dakota
Sioux
Sometimes people
claim there are “more
important things” in
Indian Country than
the mascotting of
Native people. These folks can run the gamut
from hardcore Redsk*n supporters from
team owner Dan Snyder who famously told
USA Today in 2013, “We’ll never change
the name. It’s that simple. NEVER. You
can use caps,” to Native people for whom
this racism is manageable. This despite the
fact every other ethnic group in the United
States has already rid themselves of the
scourge of mascotry 40 years ago during
the Civil Rights movement. For me, this
argument really promotes an acceptable
level of racism for Native people that is
greater than that any other ethnic group
must endure. This higher bar of racism is
matched only by the higher rates of suicide,
murder and rape of Native people – higher
than the any other ethnic group in the
United States.
Wilma Mankiller, former principal chief
of the Cherokee Nation – and an inspiration
to me as a leader and as a woman – said it
best when she told an audience at a CSU
Sonoma lecture in 2008, “The lack of
accurate information about Native people
leaves a void, which is often filled with
stereotypes that sometimes romanticize
Native people and sometimes vilify Native
people, and I think a few misinformed
people apparently believe tribal people still
live and dress as they did 300 years ago.”
The reason these stereotypes matter on
the “more important issues” is because
they feed into misconceptions about Native
people that can lead to wrong conclusions
about what is best for us on the policy
level. These wrong-headed ideas are held
by politicians and encouraged by the
American electorate and creates U.S. policy
that threatens our sovereignty, reduces
funding for needed programs, schools,
housing and health care. And when held by
Supreme Court Chief Justice Roberts can
lead to the theft of our children as witnessed
in 2013 in the case of Adoptive Couple v.
Baby Girl, when he repeatedly questioned
the blood quantum of the child in question
as negligible despite repeated reminders
by Justice Sotomayor that the Cherokee
Nation does not use blood quantum to
determine citizenship. These questions
revealed his state of mind regarding who
he thought was “Indian” and who was not
based on stereotypes, not law.
This ignorance on who we are even feeds
anti-sovereignty groups. When I reported
on the Baby Veronica case I found that
many of the anti-Indian Child Welfare
Act groups also had a long-standing ties
with this political movement and with
former Sen. Slade Gorton (R-WA), who
was a leading voice in the 1990s for the
termination of tribal sovereignty “for their
own good.”
Our status as citizens of sovereign
nations that pre-existed the United
States and continue to exist is completely
obscured by the mascotry and this leaves
Americans unable to comprehend what
tribes are doing as nations. Mankiller
touched on this a bit in her lecture, “The
dozens of anti-sovereignty groups who
argue that tribal people should not have
‘special rights’ fail to understand tribal
people sacrificed billions of acres of land
and millions of lives to retain our right to
self-governance.”
And Native youth? With three times
the rate of suicide of all other youth in
this country? Studies show that after being
exposed to Native mascots their selfesteem plummets even if they say they
are OK with Native mascots. Meanwhile,
studies also find that exposure to Native
mascots actually increases non-Natives’
self-esteem. This shows that this form
of “entertainment” is shown to be not
harmless at all, but constitutes a real taking
from the most vulnerable population in the
country. As real as the theft of land, culture,
language and of our children. And that it
is done for profit, Snyder’s Washington,
D.C., NFL franchise is valued at $1.8 billion
dollars, and in our children’s schools is
completely unconscionable.
“The idea of ‘context is everything’,”
Mankiller said, “basically grew out my
belief that even after hundreds of years of
living in our former towns and villages
too few Americans know much about
our history, culture or our contemporary
lives and issues. And it’s my belief that it
is almost impossible to understand the
challenges tribal people face in the 21st
century without placing those issues within
a cultural and historical context.”
The “more important issues” argument
is a trap that misses this larger context
Mankiller eluded to. This blindness
endangers us as a people and cannot be
passed on to the next generation, some as
young as 6 years old who could live well
into the next century. We need to fully
comprehend the damage these stereotypes
do and the ways in which they make Native
people unreal and invisible today.
Jacqueline Keeler is a writer living in
Portland, Ore., and is a founder of
EONM.org (Eradicating Offensive Native
Mascotry). She has been published in
Salon.com, Indian Country Today and
the Nation. She is finishing her first novel
“Leaving the Glittering World” set in the
shadow of the Hanford Nuclear Reservation
in Washington State during the discovery of
Kennewick Man.
Advertise with the
Cherokee Phoenix
Print, Web, Radio, &
Weekly Digital Newsletter
Contact:
Kendra Sweet
918-207-3825
[email protected]
CHEROKEEPHOENIX.ORG
6
CHEROKEE PHOENIX • September 2014
News • dgZEksf
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2014
CNMS joins human trafficking task force
BY STACIE GUTHRIE
Reporter
TAHLEQUAH, Okla. – Because human trafficking is growing
in Oklahoma, the Cherokee Nation Marshal Service recently
joined the Oklahoma Human Trafficking Intelligence Working
Group to help establish cooperation between tribes and the state
to stop the crime.
CNMS Director Shannon Buhl said working with the task
force should be beneficial to CN communities.
“We thought it was fantastic for us to partner with the state
to make sure that human trafficking doesn’t come into Indian
Country. If it does then we can chase it down and prosecute this
as rapidly as possible,” he said.
Buhl said after opening his eyes to the crime, he believes the
OHTIWG is a worthwhile effort.
“In the past six months my eyes have gotten opened up to
human trafficking. Once my eyes are opened up to something I
don’t close them,” he said. “I believe that this is going to be a very
important part of law enforcement of the Cherokee Nation.”
Part of the joint effort includes CNMS investigators
undergoing training. Buhl said a lot of what they look for with
narcotic investigations they will look for when investigating
human trafficking.
“It’s going to become a easy fit for our investigators. They
already do the narcotics part of it. It will be a easy step for them
to do the human trafficking side as well,” he said.
Once investigators learn the training, officers will then learn
how to recognize, investigate and prosecute human trafficking.
Cherokee Nation Marshal Service members simulate
entering a building in this 2010 photo. The CNMS recently
joined a task force to reduce human trafficking. JAMI
MURPHY/CHEROKEE PHOENIX
“It’s the patrolling (officers) that are out on the street everyday
and every night that might come in to this, that might be able
to stop it before it gets to be a epidemic problem in Indian
Country,” Buhl said.
Once marshals are trained to handle human trafficking, they
will give informative talks to CN communities, as they do with
Rape Aggression Defense, Buhl said.
“I foresee this as being another one of those areas or topics
that we bring up to the community,” he said. “A community that
Employees from the Cherokee Nation’s Natural Resources Department bale hay in a field
located along Highway 62 in Tahlequah, Okla. They hay is available for purchase from the
tribe for $25 by application only. JAMI MURPHY/CHEROKEE PHOENIX
Tribe selling 2014 season
hay to Cherokee citizens
BY JAMI MURPHY
Reporter
TAHLEQUAH, Okla. – The Cherokee
Nation’s Natural Resources Department is
selling hay to CN citizens this summer.
Prime hay baling season runs from the
summer to October, and Natural Resources
has cut and baled its first hayfields this year.
Bales were originally set for purchase at $25.
CN citizens interested in purchasing round
hay bales must first fill out an application and
will be given first priority.
According to the application, the price
of hay will be set at a “fair market value and
sold by application only to assure quality and
compliance is met.”
Natural Resources Director G.V. Gulager
said baling is seasonal and relies heavily on the
weather.
“Right now we’re on our way. We’re baling
hay this week and next week until we get
it done around the complex here,” he said.
“We have three pastures right now that we’re
currently baling. This hay season, I bale hay
personally for myself, it’s an outstanding
(season). Everybody is getting good hay.”
He said once they are finished baling the
three locations in Cherokee County they’re
going to bale tribal properties in Adair County.
All together the properties total near 800 acres.
Last season, the tribe baled 1,988 round hay
bales across the its jurisdictional area making
$30,935 for the season. When that season
began the hay sold at $25 each and later was
lowered to $20 and finally lowered to $15 per
bale to ensure all inventory would be sold.
The money made is used for upkeep on
machines, fuel and other costs associated with
the program.
“We run two hay cutters, two rakes and two
balers,” Gulager said. “It’s a joint effort. We
keep track of our salaries and hours that we use
to do the hay with, you know, our personnel.
Then we put it back into the accounts that the
salary comes out of or the fuel comes out of.”
Gulager said the program is designed to
help the average farmer.
“My goal is to hold back 500 bales for the
little Native American person who’s only got
five or six cows that wants 20 bales or 10. So
that’s what I want to do, and that’s what the
whole intent of the program was to take care
of the Native American people who can’t go
out here and buy from a farmer because he’s
not buying 200 bales. A lot of the people won’t
sell you two or three bales. They program is
set up to help the Native American farmer
and rancher, the small, so they can get hay at a
good price. If they just want 10 bales they got
10 bales and if they want 20 we’ll sell them 20.
If they want one, we’ll sell them one.”
The program is first-come, first-served.
Those interested in purchasing must be able
to haul the bales, but Natural Resources will
meet the buyer to help load the hay using their
equipment.
“No refunds or exchanges for hay,” the
application states and “all sales are final.”
For more information, visit the tribe’s Realty
Department Monday through Friday from 8
a.m. to 5 p.m. or call 918-453-5350.
Cleveland Indians urged to change name
Democrat asks Cleveland
Indians to rename team
and choose another
mascot.
COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) – It’s time for the
Cleveland Indians to drop their name and
Chief Wahoo mascot, an Ohio state senator
says.
Eric Kearney, a Democrat from Cincinnati,
introduced a resolution on Aug. 13 that would
encourage the baseball team to adopt a new
name and mascot, citing racial insensitivity.
He also sent a letter to Indians owner Lawrence
Dolan urging a change.
With the Indians in the midst of a fourgame series with Cincinnati, Kearney said it’s
the right time to introduce the resolution. The
Legislature is on summer break.
American Indians and others have
protested the use of the logo for years at the
team’s annual home opener, complaining that
the mascot mocks them and their heritage.
It’s part of a national debate over the use of
Indian nicknames in sports that has regained
momentum in recent months, particularly
the campaign to get the NFL’s Washington
Redskins to change their name. In June, a
federal trademark board ruled the Redskins’
trademarks protections should be canceled
because the team name is disparaging to
Native Americans.
At an unrelated Aug. 14 news conference,
Indians President Mark Shapiro said the Chief
Wahoo mascot “represents the heritage of the
team and the ballpark” and will remain in
place. He added that the team will continue to
build and promote the use of the block “C.”
Kearney, who said he’s a big baseball fan,
didn’t expect major change right away but said
he’s “asking for a discussion to occur.” Retiring
the Indians’ name and mascot would show
that much has changed in the 100 years since
the name was adopted, he said.
Kearney is the former running mate of
Ohio Democratic gubernatorial candidate Ed
FitzGerald. He withdrew from the ticket in
December amid questions about tax liens.
works with the police and police that works with a community
makes the community safer.”
For now, Buhl said he’s not seen signs of human trafficking in
the tribe’s jurisdiction, but plans to work with CN locations that
receive tourists.
“We have some of the largest casinos in the state of Oklahoma.
Some have hotels. A lot of the population that come through
are tourist,” he said. “I think it’s an opportunity to get those
coalitions working together and identify any trends that we
might see in the future of human trafficking.”
Buhl said this is the first time he’s seen Oklahoma Attorney
General Scott Pruitt involve tribes with a state task force. Along
with the CN, the Muscogee (Creek) and Chickasaw nations as
well as smaller tribes are involved.
“I think it’s paramount the level of cooperation between the
state and the tribal communities on this issue,” he said. “I think
this will be a first in a very positive trend on the cooperative
relationship between the state of Oklahoma and tribal nations.”
Buhl said anyone could be a victim to this crime, not just
young children. He said those who are targeted surprised him
when learning about the crime.
“It’s everything form migrant farm workers to custodial staff
to the fabrication industry. It spans a gamut from young boys,
young girls to teenagers, to adults to older adults,” he said. “It’s
scary what is going on in the Untied States as far as human
trafficking, and I think that’s why the state has started this task
force. They see the victimization and how hard it is to prosecute
those things in the state. It’s a trend that we have got to change
as a community.”
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September 2014 • CHEROKEE PHOENIX
7
Tribe requests IHS help to build Tahlequah hospital
BY WILL CHAVEZ
Senior Reporter
TAHLEQUAH, Okla. – At its Aug. 11
meeting, the Tribal Council approved a request
to participate in the Indian Health Service’s
2014 Joint Venture Construction Program so
that it can build a hospital in Tahlequah.
If the tribe’s request is approved, the IHS
would agree to provide staffing and operations
funding. Under the agreement, the Cherokee
Nation would purchase the necessary
equipment and construct the facility.
The CN has a construction budget of $54.1
million, and the construction is managed by
Cherokee Nation Construction Resources LLC.
CN Health Services Executive Director
Connie Davis said the CN would not break
ground for the hospital until it receives word
about whether the tribe can participate in the
program. To do so would disqualify the CN
from being considered by the IHS.
The IHS is authorized to establish Joint
Venture Construction Program projects with
tribes for the construction of health care
facilities as long as tribes are able to spend tribal
funds or other non-IHS funds, including loan
guarantees, for the construction of a tribally
owned health care facility.
In exchange, for a minimum of 20 years,
the IHS agrees to lease the health care facility
and the land under a no-cost lease and agrees
to provide equipment, supplies and staffing for
the operation and maintenance of the facility,
according to IHS information.
The CN is receiving funding for the hospital
from its business arm, Cherokee Nation
Businesses. The CNB board has also allocated
additional funding to improve upon the
hospital’s plans. In April, the board approved
$7.5 million to the hospital’s construction
budget to “strengthen” the hospital’s
construction in the event of a tornado. In
February, it added $650,000 for a 1,500-squarefoot area that will house a C-section unit and
storage for the intensive care unit.
In other business, the council unanimously
approved a resolution to receive 35 to 50 head
of bison through the Intertribal Buffalo Council
in Rapid City, S.D. The ITBC is a cooperative
of 57 Native American nations with more than
15,000 head of bison.
The resolution states “the Cherokee Nation
as a working member in the Intertribal Buffalo
Council is taking necessary steps for the
development and required expertise needed for
American Bison husbandry.”
The buffalo are coming from the Badlands of
South Dakota and will be fenced in on CN land
near Kenwood in Delaware County.
“We’re getting 35 to 50 or whatever we can
haul. We’ve already got our fences built on the
Cherokee Nation ranch, and we’re ready to
receive them,” Tribal Councilor Curtis Snell
said.
The council also approved a resolution to
accept 1,000 pounds of bison meat from the
ITBC. The meat will be distributed during the
Cherokee National Holiday, Snell said.
The council also added $3,334 to the tribe’s
comprehensive capital budget for fiscal year
2014 for a total budget authority of $103.4
million. Also, $4.6 million was added to the
tribe’s comprehensive operating budget for a
total budget authority of $618.4 million.
Also, during his State of the Nation address,
Principal Chief Bill John Baker said the tribe’s
school clothing voucher program has “been a
true success,” having provided $100 vouchers
to more than 7,000 students.
Tribal Councilors
honor 3 veterans
BY WILL CHAVEZ
Senior Reporter
Cherokee Nation Tribal Councilors Lee Keener, left, Janees Taylor, Don Garvin, Dick Lay, right, and Cara Cowan Watts,
sitting with face unseen, discuss legislation during a brief recess at the Tri-Council meeting on Aug. 15 in Tahlequah,
Okla. The meeting involved the CN’s Tribal Council as well as the legislative branches of the Eastern Band of Cherokee
Indians and United Keetoowah Band. JAMI MURPHY/CHEROKEE PHOENIX
3 Cherokee councils oppose
BIA recognition attempt
BY JAMI MURPHY
Reporter
TAHLEQUAH, Okla. – The Tribal
Councils of the Cherokee Nation,
United Keetoowah Band and Eastern
Band of Cherokee Indians passed three
pieces of legislation, including affirming
equality among the three tribes, at the
annual Tri-Council meeting on Aug. 15
at Northeastern State University.
Although the resolutions passed
unanimously, the resolution affirming
equality among the three tribes caused
about an hour’s worth of debate after
CN Tribal Councilor Lee Keener
offered an amendment to change the
name Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma to
Cherokee Nation.
“Our constitution has us as Cherokee
Nation only, and also updating or
amending this would make it the same
as the second and third propositions that
are before us,” Keener said. “It would be
consistent with all three.”
However, UKB Chief Wickliffe, who
chaired the meeting, took issue with the
amendment.
“We are representing the Cherokee
Nation, the original, all three of us sitting
here,” Wickliffe said. “We’re federally
recognized. You people are too, and the
Eastern Band. I don’t think there needs
to be superiority anywhere. If we’re
going to work together, let’s do it right.”
Keener said he did not mean to have
one tribe over another, but if Cherokee
Nation of Oklahoma was to be in the
first legislation then it would need to be
in the other two as well.
“I’m not understanding. That’s just
our name. We’re not better than anyone
else that’s just our name,” Keener added.
“I don’t understand the opposition.”
After discussion among the three
tribes and a recess, a compromise was
suggested. Rather than naming all three
tribes, the councils decided to accept
EBCI Chief Michell Hicks’ suggestion
of changing the names to “the three
federally recognized Cherokee tribes.”
“Instead of postponing this issue…
what if we said the ‘three federally
recognized Cherokee tribes.’ And
we don’t get into these technicalities
because we’re fussing over technicalities
here. Make it something more generic.
But I think when it comes to the federal
government, obviously they’ll recognize
the stamps of the three federally
recognized Cherokee tribes.”
Wickliffe and Keener, as well as all
councilors, accepted the compromise.
The councils also passed a resolution
to combat the regulations the federal
government is attempting to pass with
regards to federal recognition.
Tribal officials said the standards
for becoming federally recognized are
potentially going to be reduced allowing
for smaller state recognized tribes to
seek federal recognition.
Currently, to be acknowledged, a tribe
must have history dating back nearly 200
years. But with the possible changes it
would only mean the group seeking the
recognition could have history dating
back to the early 1900s. The resolution
states the three tribes being against the
more lenient guidelines.
CN Tribal Councilor Joe Byrd said
legislation was to keep other Cherokee
groups throughout the United States
from seeking federal recognition.
“We only have three federal
recognized tribes in the United States,
only three, and we don’t need any more
the federal government is attempting to
recognize,” he said. “They’re trying to
water down policies from the Bureau of
Indian Affairs’ state recognized tribes.
We do not condone that. So we want to
keep three federal Cherokee tribes in the
United States and that’s it. That’s all we’re
trying to do here.”
The Tri-Council also passed a
resolution supporting the establishment
of a steering committee for the cultural
preservation of historically significant
Cherokee sites and heritage events.
The UKB hosted the nearly weeklong
Tri-Council gathering, which included
pre-meetings and cultural activities.
The EBCI will host the next meeting
in 2015. According to EBCI officials,
they are looking to have the meeting in
Red Clay, Tenn.
TAHLEQUAH, Okla. – Elmer C. Tadpole Jr., his brother
Thomas Tadpole and Richard Acorn were the three Cherokee
veterans honored with Cherokee Warrior awards during the
Aug. 11 Tribal Council meeting.
Elmer was born in June 1940 to Elmer Tadpole Sr. and Lillian
Napier Tadpole in Muskogee. When Elmer was 4, his family
moved to Tulsa where he grew up and went to school. On his
17th birthday, in 1957, he joined the U.S. Navy Reserves. After
graduating from high school he went active duty serving on the
USS Woodson DE and USS Hornet CV-12.
The USS Woodson DE was home ported at New Orleans
where the boat patrolled from St. Louis down the Mississippi
River into the Gulf of Mexico to Miami. He then transferred
to the USS Hornet CV-12. The USS Hornet CV-12 was home
ported at Long Beach, Calif., and was part of the Pacific Sixth
Fleet patrolling Japan, China, South Korea, Vietnam, Philippines,
Hawaii and the West Coast of the United States. After this stint
he was transferred to a naval supply and training base in Subic
Bay, Philippines. There, Elmer performed duties such as security
and training. He was honorably discharged in June 1963.
Thomas Tadpole was born in Tulsa on July 21, 1948, to Elmer
Sr. and Lillian Tadpole.
Thomas lived in Tulsa and graduated from Tulsa Central High
School in 1966. In 1968, Thomas volunteered for the U.S. Air
Force and completed basic training at Lackland Air Force Base
in San Antonio after which he attended Security Police Training
at Lackland AFB. In 1970, Thomas volunteered for duty in
Vietnam and served there from September 1970 to September
1971 at Tan Son Nhut Air Base. He was assigned to Military
Assistance Command Vietnam/7th Air Force, 12th Recon
Intelligence Technical Squadron.
Staff Sgt. Thomas Tadpole was honorably discharged in May
1972 and was awarded medals and ribbons including USAF
Commendation Medal (1971-Vietnam), Vietnam Service
Medal with three Campaign Stars, Vietnam Campaign Medal
w/device, Vietnam Cross of Gallantry and a Presidential Unit
Citation (Vietnam).
Thomas returned to Tulsa where he was employed by the U.S.
Army Corps of Engineers. He spent 34 years with the Corps of
Engineers as a construction representative and project engineer
working on military and civil works projects in several states
and retired in 2004. He and his wife Floy live in Claremore.
Acorn was born July 20, 1934, in Stilwell to Lillie Mae Acorn
and Fred Aguirre in the family home place where he still lives.
Shortly after his birth, his father and mother divorced. He was
raised and adopted by his grandfather and grandmother Rev.
John B. Acorn and Adeline Smith Acorn.
After graduating from Sequoyah Indian School in Tahlequah
in 1952, Acorn moved to Wichita, Kan., and worked in a sheet
metal shop until 1955 when he moved back to Oklahoma to do
plumbing with his uncle Bill Acorn. At this time he also met and
married Shirley Dreadfulwater.
Acorn was drafted into the Army in 1957. He was sent to Fort
Chaffee, Ark., for basic training. After training he was assigned
to overseas duty with 7th Army Headquarters, 78th Ordinance
Company Field Supply, Mannheim, Germany, and drivers
training for military vehicles in Mannheim.
After his tour in Germany, Acorn returned back to the United
States to join his family and they moved back to Wichita in
1959 where he worked at Cessna Air Craft Company and joined
the U.S. Army Reserve Unit 5048th. He spent four years in the
reserves and was honorably discharged in 1963.
In 1965, with the death of his wife, he was left with three girls
ages 5, 3 and 18 months. In 1967, he met Judith Ann, who had
two girls and two boys, and they married and had a son together.
In 1983, he began working at Cherokee Nation in Community
Development and security. He serves as a security guard.
8
CHEROKEE PHOENIX • September 2014
Community • nv 0nck
Announcements
Deborah Reed has been appointed as a Business
Law Ambassador for the Business Law Section of the
American Bar Association. The Ambassadors program
is part of the Leadership Diversity Outreach Committee
and encourages the participation of lawyers of color
in the Business Law Section. The program is one
of four programs administered by the Leadership
Diversity Outreach Committee. All programs provide
participants with subsidized Section Meeting
attendance, mentorships and special leadership
opportunities. Deborah is also an officer of the Indian
Law and the Government
and Administrative Law
Sections of the Oklahoma
Bar Association, and a
member of the Cherokee
Nation Bar Association. She
is Of Counsel to the Greuel
Law Firm in Tulsa, practicing
mainly in the areas of real
property, corporate law and
Indian law.
Dwight Mission School Reunion
October 4, 2014 at 10 a.m.
Registration: 8:30-10:00 a.m.
Coffee, juice, and donuts served along with free
lunch served at noon. Contact Levada Smith 918773-3096.
Community Meetings
Sept. 1
Belfonte
6:30 p.m., Call Glen Qualls at 918-4271700 or 427-0227
Eucha Indian Fellowship, 8 p.m.
Marble City Community Organization, 7
p.m.
Lost City Community Organization, 6
p.m.
Sept. 4
Washington County Cherokee
Association
Potluck dinner 6 p.m., 7 p.m.
Call Ann Sheldon at 918-333-5632
Muldrow Cherokee Community
Organization
7 p.m., Call Tim Laney at 918-427-4006
Rocky Ford Community Organization, 6:30
p.m.
Brushy Community Action Association
6:30 p.m.
Sept. 8
Marble City Pantry, 7 p.m.
Call Clifton Pettit at 918-775-5975
Sept. 9
CC Camp Community, 7 p.m.
No-We-Ta Cherokee Community, 6:30
p.m.
Call Carolyn Foster at 918-331-8631
Victory Cherokee Organization, 7 p.m.
Call 918-798-2402, victorycherokee@
att.net
Sept. 11
Lyons Switch, 7 p.m.
Call Karen Fourkiller at 918-696-2354
Greasy, 7 p.m.
Native American Fellowship Inc.
South Coffeyville, 6:00 p.m.
Call Bill Davis at 913-563-9329
Sept. 14
Rogers County Cherokee Association, 2
p.m.
Email Beverly Cowan at beverlycowan@
sbcglobal.net
Sept. 16
Tulsa Cherokee Community Organization
6 p.m., Call Donna Darling at 918-8084142
[email protected]
Central Oklahoma Cherokee Alliance
Oklahoma City, BancFirst Community
Room
4500 W. Memorial Road, 6 p.m.
Call Franklin Muskrat Jr. at 405-8426417
Oak Hill/Piney, 7 p.m.
Call Dude Feather at 918-235-2811
Rocky Mountain Cherokee Community
Organization, 7 p.m.
Call Vicki McLemore at 918-696-4965
Sept. 22
Christie, 7 p.m.
Call Shelia Rector at 918-778-3423
Sept. 23
Fairfield, 7 p.m.
Call Jeff Simpson at 918-696-7959
Dry Creek, 7 p.m.
Call Shawna Ballou at 918-457-5023
Ewf #>hAmh • jlsd
2014
In Memoriam
Funeral
services
for Marvin Wayne
Buzzard,
67,
Lecompton will be held
at 10:00 a.m. Saturday,
August 16, 2014 at
Wa r r e n - M c E l wa i n
Mortuary in Lawrence.
Inurnment will be held
at Oak Hill Cemetery at
a later date.
Marvin was born
March 16, 1947 in Madera, CA the son of Franklin
Fallin and Mary Rachel Grandstaff Buzzard. His
journey home was August 12, 2014.
He married JoMarie Enderlin on June 14, 1974
in Vermillion, SD. She preceded him in death
December 29, 2006. Their daughter Rachael Marie
came to them in September, 1976.
He was an enrolled member of the Cherokee
Nation of Oklahoma and an affiliate member of the
Haskell Veterans Club.
Marvin’s school career began in Seaside and
Monterey, CA, he finished his last two years of
high school in Jay, OK. He received his Bachelor
of Science degree from Northern State University
in Tahlequah, OK and continued his education at
the University of South Dakota at Vermillion, SD
receiving his Master’s Degree in Education with an
emphasis in School Administration.
Marv had a variety of jobs during his high school
and college days. After college graduation, he
worked for the Department of Labor in Park Rapids,
MN. He began working as a school administrator
at Pinepoint on the Red Lake Indian Reservation in
Northern Minnesota. He later moved to Nebraska
and was Commissioner of Indian Affairs, for several
years. He re-entered school administration and
became superintendent at schools in Santee and
also Winnebago, NE. In 1987 the family moved
to Lawrence and finished his career in school
administration at Haskell Indian Nations University.
For 35 years his goal was to help with education in
Indian Country.
Marv enjoyed being with his granddaughters,
Mia, Hannah, and Summer Sky. He enjoyed NASCAR
racing, NFL especially KC Chiefs, college football
and basketball and has a wide collection of sports
memorabilia. He enjoyed being outside and keeping
his yard in tip-top condition.
Marv is survived by his daughter, Rachael, son-inlaw, Tony and three granddaughters, Mia Hannah,
and Summer Sky; Jay and Stephanie Crawford,
Lawrence, Rose Lee, White Swan, WA (three
children were his nieces and nephew; however they
were closely mentored by Marv), his sister, Inez of
Lawrence, his brother, David of Claremore, OK, two
sisters-in-law, Mona of Eucha, OK and AnnaMae
of Stilwell, OK, a very special sister, Barbara
Cunningham of Anadarko, OK, a host of nephews
and nieces, cousins, and a host of friends.
Marv was preceded in death by his wife, JoMarie,
his parents, Frank and Mary, two brothers, Leon and
Daniel, one brother-in-law, Edward, and two sistersin-law, Betty and Jeanette.
Memorial contributions may be made in his name
to the Haskell Foundation, 155 Indian Avenue, Box
#5030, Lawrence, KS 66046 or may be sent in care
of the mortuary.
Online condolences may be sent to www.
warrenmcelwain.com.
Community Calendar
Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays
Marble City Nutrition Center
711 N. Main
Marble City, Okla. 918-775-2158
The Marble City Nutrition Center serves hot
meals at the Marble City Community Center
at 11:30 a.m.
Third Tuesday of even numbered
months
Mayflower UCC Church
Oklahoma City 405-408-0763
The Central Oklahoma Cherokee Alliance
meets at 6 p.m. on the third Tuesday
of every even numbered month at the
Mayflower Church.
First Friday of every month
Concho Community Building
Concho, Okla. 405-422-7622
Year Round
Will Rogers Memorial Museum
Claremore, Okla. 918-341-0719
Fourth Thursday of each month
American Indian Chamber of Commerce
of Oklahoma – Eastern Chapter monthly
luncheon at Bacone College
Muskogee, Okla. 918-230-3759
The lunch begins at 11:30 a.m. at Benjamin
Wacoche Hall. Please RSVP one week ahead
of time.
Second Saturday of each month
Cherokee Basket Weavers Association at the
Unitarian Universalist Congregation
Tahlequah, Okla. 918-456-7787
Monthly meetings are at 6 p.m.
Second Tuesday of each month
Cherokee Artists Association at 202 E. 5th
Street, Tahlequah, Okla. 918-458-0008
www.cherokeeartistsassociation.org
The CAA meets at 6 p.m. the second
Tuesday of each month.
Every Friday of each month
Dance at Tahlequah Senior Citizens Center
230 E. 1st St. in Tahlequah, Okla.
For seniors 50 and over, 7 p.m. to 10 p.m.
Admission is $2.50, includes pot luck dinner
Every Tuesday of each month
Dance at Hat Box Dance Hall
540 S. 4th St. in Muskogee, Okla.
For seniors 50 and over, 7 p.m. to 10 p.m.
Admission is $2.50, includes pot luck dinner
2014 Ewf #>hAmh • jlsd
Community • nv 0nck
September 2014 • CHEROKEE PHOENIX
9
Bell holds its 29th annual powwow
BY JAMI MURPHY
Reporter
BELL, Okla. – Hundreds gathered on Aug.
1-2 in Adair County, just south of Stilwell for
the 29th annual Bell Powwow.
Several contests were held for junior and
adult dancers, including the boys and mens
straight, traditional, grass and fancy dances
and the girls and women cloth, buckskin, jingle
and shawl dances.
Cherokee Nation citizen Solen Deerinwater
dances the southern straight and has since
about age 3. He said powwow is a “natural part
of life” for him.
“I dance because once I step out into the arena
I feel the most freedom,” he said. “Freedom to
dance anyway I choose.”
On Aug. 2, a rainstorm hit the powwow
grounds during the event, but that didn’t stop
Deerinwater and other attendees and dancers
from enjoying the event.
“Once I seen the rain fall at Bell Powwow,
I felt a connection with nature,” he added,
“which I also love, Mother Nature.”
Also at the event, Lilli Jordan-Lemasters
was crowned 2014-15 Junior Bell Powwow
Princess. Jordan-Lemasters, of Lyons Switch,
said it’s an honor to represent the Bell Powwow,
as well as the love and traditions shared by the
drummers, singers and dancers.
“I’m very excited,” she said. “I’m grateful to
my family and friends for their support and
help. I hope that being at events and powwows
over the next year will bring more people out to
next year’s Bell Powwow.”
Head man and head lady were Larry and
Pauline Tsosie respectively. Head singer was
Patrick Oyebi of the Cherokee Gourd Society.
Master of ceremonies was Archie Mason and
Sam Howell served as arena director.
Powwow dancers dance on Aug. 2 during the 29th annual Bell Powwow in Bell, Okla. PHOTOS BY JAMI MURPHY/CHEROKEE PHOENIX
Drummers sing a song during a contest at the 29th annual Bell Powwow.
CN spurs growth in Ochelata
In the past year, the
Cherokee Nation has
invested nearly $9.5
million to improve life in
the Washington County
town.
BY STAFF REPORTS
OCHELATA, Okla. – The Cherokee Nation
is helping breathe new life into this small
Washington County town, where main street
is now repaved, city water is clearer and a $9
million health center is bringing jobs.
In the past year, the CN has invested nearly
$9.5 million to improve life in the town of
about 500 people just south of Bartlesville.
“Ochelata is a great success story. It’s a small
community on the rise, and it’s wonderful to
see it doing so well,” Principal Chief Bill John
Baker said. “With the leadership of a visionary
mayor, who is a Cherokee citizen, along
with the tribe’s partnerships on important
infrastructure and health care investments, the
town of Ochelata is poised to thrive for a long
time. That kind of growth can only happen
when everyone in the community is working
together toward a common goal.”
CN-funded projects include the $9 million
Cooweescoowee Health Center and an
$84,500 road project on Main Street. The
CN, Delaware Tribe of Indians and Town of
Ochelata also signed an agreement earlier
this summer to develop a new $1.67 million
wastewater treatment plant that will serve 66
tribal homes and 141 non-tribal homes.
With the help of the Delaware Tribe, the
CN also secured $395,000 from Indian Health
Service to build a wastewater treatment plant.
Another $7,000 in tribal funds will be used
for the plant and Ochelata will cover the
remaining project costs.
The 28,000-square-foot Cooweescoowee
Health Center, which is projected to open
in early 2015, will replace the 5,000-squarefoot CN Bartlesville Health Center. Ochelata
Mayor Sydney Barnes, a CN citizen, said he
expects the new health center to further grow
the town’s economy.
“The Cherokee Nation health center is a huge
deal for the Town of Ochelata because it will
not only provide quality health care, but bring
major traffic and economic growth to our small
town,” he said. “Partnering with the tribe on the
wastewater plant, road project and health center
gives an economic boost to a small community
that lacks the resources of larger communities.
Our partnership with the Cherokee Nation
has opened up numerous doors for continued
economic growth here in Ochelata.”
A portion of the town’s Main Street that
leads to the newly restored Caney Valley
Elementary School has also been widened
and repaved. The highly traveled road had
been in disrepair, but through tribal funding,
quality road conditions now exist for Ochelata
citizens and Caney Valley Public School buses.
The Caney Valley schoolhouse was built as a
Work Progress Administration project in the
1930s. Citizens of the Caney Valley School
District passed a $5.4 million bond issue that
restored the historic building.
“The relationships of the Cherokee Nation
with our citizens and our communities in
the Cherokee Nation jurisdiction are strong.
The roads we fund and the community water
and wastewater improvement projects we
fund are greatly needed and appreciated by
tribal citizens and by the communities we
serve,” Tribal Councilor Dick Lay, who lives
in Ochelata, said. “The work we are doing in
the Ochelata community has been warmly
received by the community, and the city council
has done everything they can to welcome
the Cooweescoowee Health Center into the
community and to fast track our efforts.”
Principal Chief Bill John Bakers watches as construction continues on the $9 million
Cooweescoowee Health Center in Ochelata, Okla. The tribe has helped bring new life to
the small Washington County town. COURTESY
A woman dances during a fancy shawl competition at the 29th annual Bell Powwow.
10
CHEROKEE PHOENIX • September 2014
Money • a[w
Ewf #>hAmh • jlsd
2014
S. Coffeyville
casino work
underway
BY WILL CHAVEZ
Senior Reporter
Cherokee Nation citizen Lori Ensign-Scroggins talks to a rescued tiger at Safari’s Sanctuary, a nonprofit, volunteer wildlife sanctuary in
Broken Arrow, Okla. PHOTOS BY TESINA JACKSON/CHEROKEE PHOENIX
CN citizen saves exotic
animals with sanctuary
BY TESINA JACKSON
Reporter
BROKEN ARROW, Okla. –
Since 1995, Cherokee Nation
citizen Lori Ensign-Scroggins has
been rescuing exotic animals with
Safari’s Sanctuary, a nonprofit
volunteer wildlife sanctuary.
“Safari’s is a very important
operation,”
Ensign-Scroggins
said. “Every animal here would’ve
been euthanized, and they’ve all
had a full life and a happy life due
to us rescuing them. I don’t feel
that because the human made
the mistake of getting the animal
that the animal should suffer. So
we take them in and take on the
expenses and we try to really teach
people about these animals.”
Founded and created by EnsignScroggins, Safari’s Sanctuary is
home to more than 200 animals
that were given up by owners or
facing euthanasia.
“Sometimes people go to an
auction and end up with a baby
tiger,” Ensign-Scroggins said.
“A month later, they are eating
a chicken a day and they don’t
know what to do with it. They get
anywhere from 500 to 700 pounds
and you can’t just throw that in
your backyard. People get caught
up in the moment and they get
stuck and that’s where we come
in.”
Ensign-Scroggins’ love for
animals came from growing up
with a bobcat for a pet.
“I had him illegally. There
was an ad in the Tulsa World
newspaper for bobcats, so I
thought ‘if they’re running ads
for them then it must be legal,’”
she said. “Eventually I moved out,
got my own place and a neighbor
turned me in, but by that point I
already knew the error of my ways
and was starting the rescue.”
The sanctuary has black bears,
a lion and lioness, bobcats, black
leopards, turtles, tortoises, lemurs,
alligators, snakes, a skunk, an
emu, parrots, monkeys, cougars,
an African porcupine, peacocks,
donkeys,
horses,
chickens,
roosters, pigs, raccoons, rabbits,
wolves, turkeys, geese, ducks,
goats, a kangaroo and tigers.
The sanctuary, which is regulated
Safari’s Sanctuary in Broken Arrow, Okla., is home to eight wolves.
by the Oklahoma Department of
Wildlife Conservation, is home
to Shammi, a female golden tiger
formerly owned by boxing legend
Mike Tyson.
The sanctuary operates on
12.5 acres, owned by EnsignScroggins, and is solely run on
donations.
“At Safari’s, we have over
200 animals and it gets quite
expensive,” she said. “We go
through about 5,000 pounds of
raw meat a month. Our expenses
here – and we don’t pay anybody
it’s all volunteer – is over $6,000
a month just to keep everybody
fed. We have to buy the grain. We
have to buy the gas to go get all of
the produce. We do get produce
donated by Target, Walmart and
Reasor’s.”
Ensign-Scroggins said the
sanctuary hasn’t received any
grants because most grants go
towards animals in the wild, not
animals that have been rescued.
She said she would like to get
her sanctuary more involved
with the Cherokee Nation and its
citizens.
“I’ve always wanted to help and
get involved with the Cherokee
people,” she said. “I’ve never tied
in our zoo with the Cherokee
people, but I would love to and
I would love to get more people
involved.”
Although the sanctuary is not
open to the public because of a
lack of volunteers, the sanctuary
offers a Zoo To You program
where, for a fee, animals are
brought to your event. Handlers
provide information and facts
on each animal making it an
educational experience.
Kenny Bootus, 16, who has
been volunteering since he was
8, said working with the animals
is the best time he’s ever had and
knows the importance of the
sanctuary.
“If it (the sanctuary) wasn’t here
then where would these animals
be? They wouldn’t be here today.
They would be gone,” he said. “If
it wasn’t for this place and Lori,
they’d be dead. I’m glad she’s here.”
To donate or to volunteer, call
918-357-5683 or visit http://www.
safarizoo.com.
CATOOSA, Okla. – During a July 30
meeting, Cherokee Nation Entertainment
Chief Operating Officer Mark Fulton told
the Cherokee Nation Businesses board of
directors that work on a new casino in South
Coffeyville is underway.
“You can see a whole lot of physical
movement there. They have sent out bid
packages. Next week they will have prebid meetings and award contracts, and
we’ll start seeing some actual construction
activities there in August,” Fulton said.
“We’re conservatively scheduled to open in
mid-February, but we’re looking for ways to
accelerate that. Every day that we’re not open
it’s very obvious that we’re not generating
revenues.”
He said a groundbreaking ceremony would
be scheduled for the casino in August.
CNE officials have said the casino would be
similar to the original modular casino built in
Ramona and would hold 200 to 300 gaming
machines until it proves the market could
sustain a gaming facility like CNB studies
have shown. Officials said the ultimate plan is
to build a facility like the current Tahlequah,
Ramona or Fort Gibson casinos. Principal
Chief Bill John Baker at the July 14 Tribal
Council meeting said the new facility should
generate around 100 jobs.
Fulton also reported that construction of
a new casino and hotel in Roland is “going
well.” The target date to open that casino is
May 25 with the hotel opening in July.
Fulton said 10,000 square feet of space on
the first floor of the new hotel, where meeting
rooms will be located, is being looked at to
serve as a storm shelter. He said he is looking
to add storm shelters in all new construction.
Fulton also said the original seven-story,
148-room hotel tower at the Hard Rock Hotel
& Casino Tulsa is being renovated. Two floors
at a time are being renovated to keep part of
the hotel open for business, and about three
weeks construction time is being allocated for
every two floors.
Floors 2 and 3 have been completed. The
first floor of the hotel does not have guest
rooms. The entire renovation should be
completed in mid-September, Fulton said.
CNB Chief Financial Officer Doug Evans
reported that in June CNB had $66 million in
revenue, $2 million less than the company’s
$68 million target.
However, Evans said CNB, which has
nine business components, ended with a net
income of $9 million in June and is doing 6
percent better than it did in 2013 at the time.
He said for the first nine months of the fiscal
year, the company generated $616 million in
revenue against a $622 million target and that
he expects the company to reach its target by
Sept. 30.
CNB had $112 million in cash flow from
its business operations and has expended $72
million for capital projects and dividends
to the Cherokee Nation, which leaves $40
million in cash., Evans said.
2014 Ewf #>hAmh • jlsd
Education • #n[]Qsd
September 2014 • CHEROKEE PHOENIX
Bacone restructures Center
for American Indians
BY TESINA JACKSON
Reporter
MUSKOGEE, Okla. – Established about
five years ago, the Center for American
Indians recently underwent restructuring to
expand programs while uniting students at
Bacone College.
“What we are trying to do basically is
combine all of Indian students on campus
together so that we’re all more united and
we can expand our programs,” Dr. Patti Jo
King, CAI director, said.
King, who came from the University of
North Dakota in 2013, became CAI director
in January and is the interim chair of the
college’s American Indian Studies program.
Under new leadership, the CAI has
grown to encompass all aspects of Native
American students and programs, including
coordinating American Indian scholarships,
recruiting, overseeing cultural programs
and supporting American Indian academic
programs and degrees.
“We are on a multipronged program right
now to reinvigorate our relationship with
the Native American community, which has
included discussions with a number of tribes
about a more developed relationship we
might have with them in terms of providing
for their higher education and needs,”
Bacone College President Franklin Willis
said. “We would like to really get back to
our original mission, which is to provide for
Native American higher education and have
Native American tribes think of Bacone as
their private school of higher education.”
Almon C. Bacone, a missionary teacher,
founded Bacone College in Muskogee in
1880. He started the school with three
students in the Cherokee Baptist Mission at
Tahlequah, Indian Territory.
Seeing the need to expand after an
increase in the student population, an
appeal was made to the Muscogee Creek
Tribal Council for 160 acres in Muskogee.
The land was granted and in 1885 Indian
University was moved to its present site.
In 1910, it was renamed Bacone Indian
University after its founder and was later
changed to Bacone College. Today, it is a
four-year school and has a student body
including African Americans, Native
Americans,
Hispanics,
Caribbeans,
Caucasians and Asians.
In 1953, Bacone had 170 students with 152
of those students being Native American.
In 2013, there were 965 students with 247
being Native American.
11
CN Tribal
Youth Council
applications
available
BY STAFF REPORTS
Mark Ries of Bacone College facilities constructs a new fire pit that will be used for
activities and a storytelling club at the school’s Center for American Indians.
JAMI MURPHY/CHEROKEE PHOENIX
Because of those numbers, King said
there are people who ask if Bacone College
is still a Native school.
“It’s the same as it always has been, we’ve
just increased the other people around
us,” she said. “It’s a fine place for students
because of the teacher-to-student ratio and
there’s a lot of one-on-one. We get to know
them very well, we’re more like a family.”
At the CAI, which is across from the
Native American student dormitory,
students can study, play games, watch TV or
participate in tribal cultural activities such
as arts and crafts, basketry and stickball.
“We have a lot of students from just all
over the place and they feel homesick and
they need a place to touch base and we try to
bring the kids together,” King said. “It helps
because they are having an intercultural
experience by meeting these other kids and
that opens a new world to them, and also we
can be there for them and we can help them
whenever they need help.”
King said there are also culture clubs
students can join while receiving academic
credit such as tribal arts and crafts, the
drum group and storytelling. A new fire
pit was even built behind the center for the
storytelling club.
To expand CAI programs, King created
a partnership with other departments,
including the business, agricultural science
and criminal justice departments, so
students majoring in those fields could find
a way to relate to and include their culture.
“They have a business management
degree program and so what we’ve done
now is we have a partnership with them so
we have a business management degree with
an emphasis in American Indian business
leadership,” King said.
The CAI has created a Three Sisters
Garden Project within the agricultural
science department, which will help
students create a community garden where
they will learn to work together to harvest
what they grow. The students will also learn
entrepreneurship skills by taking the harvest
to farmers markets and grocers.
Stemmed from the Three Sisters Garden
Project is a healthy living campaign that
focuses on health and community awareness,
addressing alcoholism while promoting
alcohol awareness. The campaign will also
promote tobacco and diabetes awareness.
In the criminal justice department, a
program was created to help Native students
learn how to deal with tribal border and
homeland security issues.
The CAI also created a scholarship, the
Alexander Posey Scholarship, which was
named after Creek scholar Alexander Posey.
The scholarship will benefit up to 100 Native
American students. Students who live in
dormitories on-campus will be eligible for
the full $10,000 scholarship while those who
live off campus will be eligible to receive
$5,600.
For more information about the CAI, call
918-687-3299.
TAHLEQUAH, Okla. – The Cherokee Nation is
accepting applications for all 15 Tribal Youth Council
seats for 2014-15.
The Tribal Youth Council advises the CN Tribal
Council on issues that affect youth. Selected students
will attend CN Tribal Council meetings and help with
community service projects.
The new members will be comprised of eight
students from the southern half of the Nation’s
14-county jurisdiction, which includes Cherokee,
Adair, Sequoyah and portions of Muskogee,
Wagoner and McIntosh counties. Seven members
will be accepted from the northern districts of the
jurisdiction, including in Delaware, Mayes, Craig,
Nowata, Washington, Ottawa, Rogers and Tulsa
counties.
Applications must be mailed only and postmarked
by Sept. 26. Applications can be downloaded at www.
cherokee.org/youthcouncil. Students will serve a oneyear term. Interested students must submit a profile,
write an essay on the importance of tribal sovereignty,
submit three letters of recommendation and other
criteria. A committee will make the selections.
“This is the 25th anniversary of the Tribal Youth
Council’s creation and a great time to see young
Cherokee leaders more active in the tribe and their
tribal communities,” Tribal Youth Council sponsor
Lisa Trice-Turtle said. “Students who are selected will
learn more about Cherokee culture, history, language
and how to be a voice for all Cherokee youth.”
Trice-Turtle, a founding member of the Tribal
Youth Council in 1989, said this upcoming year’s
youth council will determine how the group will
operate in the future.
The 15-member body will
review bylaws and determine projects.
“This is a program that’s near and dear to my heart,
and I want to see it be successful,” she said. “It’s a
vehicle to teach leadership and provide students with
enough opportunities to enhance their leadership
skills.”
To apply for the Tribal Youth Council, students
must be 15 to 22 years old on Oct. 13, 2014; be a CN
citizen; have a permanent address inside the Nation’s
14-county jurisdiction; and have a 2.5 grade point
average on a 4.0 scale.
“The future of the Cherokee Nation begins today,
and it begins with young people like those who
serve on the Cherokee Nation Tribal Youth Council,”
Principal Chief Bill John Baker. “It’s important to
cultivate leadership from a young age, and I look
forward to the seating of this next council.”
For more information, call Trice-Turtle at 918-4535000, ext. 4991.
12
CHEROKEE PHOENIX • September 2014
Health • aBk 0sr
Ewf #>hAmh • jlsd
2014
Miss Cherokee winning fight against cancer
BY JAMI MURPHY
Reporter
TAHLEQUAH, Okla. – Former Miss
Cherokee Julie Thornton will passed her crown
to the new Miss Cherokee on Aug. 23. Thornton
has served as Miss Cherokee for nearly a year,
visiting different areas of the United States.
However, in April, she was diagnosed with soft
tissue sarcoma, a type of cancer that attacks
muscle and bones.
“It’s a type of cancer that causes tumors that
are connected to your lymph nodes and your
bones,” Thornton said. “It looks like a knot on
your skin and usually they turn black and they
raise up.”
But having cancer hasn’t slowed her. She said
despite the diagnosis she’s remained busy with
classes at Northeastern State University and is
maintaining her grades, earning all A’s.
Thornton said both sides of her family has
endured cancer, so she has always been careful
and watchful about her body.
“My grandfather just recently passed away of
stomach cancer, and a few years ago my other
grandpa died of lung cancer,” she said. “So my
family has always taught me to watch my body,
and if something is wrong, you know, go to the
doctor and make sure it’s all checked out.”
She said this spring she noticed a small
knot on her thigh and visited the doctor to
determine what it was.
“They said that ‘it’s just the keloids, just watch
it.’ If it got bigger or anything and if it did then
to come back,” Thornton said.
Keloids are a formation of a type of scar. The
Julie Thornton, Miss Cherokee 2013-14, places a copper gorget on newly crowned
Cherokee Ambassador J.J. Dodge’s neck during the 2014-15 Little Miss and Mr. Cherokee
Ambassador competition on Aug. 9 in Tahlequah, Okla. Thornton is battling soft tissue
sarcoma, a cancer that attacks muscle and bones. JAMI MURPHY/CHEROKEE PHOENIX
scar overgrows tissue at the site of a healed
skin injury. It tends to affect more people of a
darker pigmentation. She said she’s had keloids
since a young age and that she watched the area
closely. After the knot changed she returned to
the doctor.
Save money and
calories with a
packed lunch
BY JAMI MURPHY
Reporter
TAHLEQUAH, Okla. – Lunch doesn’t need to be expensive.
With kids going back to school and parents straining to make ends
meet, one healthy and money-saving tip is packing a daily lunch.
Terri Hayes, homebuyer trainer for Cherokee Nation, said
taking lunch to school and work can save a family money.
“Instead if buying the lunch at school, kids could take leftovers
or pack a cheap healthy lunch. Families could make a menu plan
for the week and cook extra for the kid’s lunch as well,” Hayes said.
She added that families should first seek out whether they
qualify for free or reduced lunches at school for their students.
“Of course checking on reduced lunches could be a better
route for children, but taking lunch from home can save a family
money,” she said. “The reduced lunches is a huge benefit if a
family is eligible. If not, buying what is needed for lunch in bulk
at wholesale stores and/or watching sale ads can help save money
as well.”
Clinical Dietitian Dietician Tonya Swim said there are health
benefits when choosing what to eat for lunch each day, but there
will always be temptations even with healthy options during lunch.
“Packing a lunch is one way to control your choices, get variety
and eat healthy,” she added. “Food gives our bodies energy and
getting the right balance is very important. Having fruit, vegetables,
lean protein and whole grains will help make a balanced meal and
provide the energy your body needs.”
Swim said over the years school lunches have improved greatly,
and schools and kitchen staff strive to cook and serve healthy
options to students.
“Sometimes we get bored with the same old, same old, and
taking a packed lunch from home can help with that,” she said.
“Packing a lunch from home can offer a little more control over
the choices and how food is prepared.”
Although one is packing a lunch from home, it’s also important
to remember food safety Swim added.
“Make sure to keep hot foods hot and cold foods cold. Warm
entrées need to be kept in a thermos container. You can ask ahead
of time, if there is a microwave that could be used to re-heat those
warm entrees,” she said. “Cold packs can be placed inside the
lunch box to help keep yogurts and other cold items cold.”
She said a good example of a healthy lunch could be one whole
grain tortilla, three ounces of lean meat like turkey or chicken, one
slice of low-fat cheese, with vegetables of one’s choice.
“Add grape tomatoes, carrot slices and an apple on the side with
animal or Graham crackers for a treat,” she added. “And don’t
forget the water bottle.”
Some quick lunch ideas for back-to-school kids include peanut
butter and jelly roll-ups using wheat or flour tortillas or tuna
or chicken salad sandwiches on wheat bread. It’s important to
include a snack option too with kids’ lunches like grapes, carrot
sticks, dried apples or bananas, yogurt or muffins.
“Well it got bigger and it got to the size of a
half dollar size and it turned black and it raised
up,” she added. “So I went to the doctor and
they performed a biopsy and they removed the
tumor and (I’ve) been going through treatment
ever since.”
Her treatment has consisted of chemotherapy
injections as well as radiation in the form of
pills. Depending on the month, she said she
takes one chemo injection every two weeks.
“So like, sometimes I’ll go like once a month
in a big dose or I’ll do once every two weeks in
small doses. Now I’m doing just once a week
(on the radiation pill),” she added. “Yeah, the
medicine is working.”
The biggest issue she’s had while going
through treatment is exhaustion.
“Everyday I would get tired. I can never get
enough sleep it feels like. I guess like depending
on the day that I get treatment, I get really
moody,” she said.
She hopes her treatments will stop this fall.
As for now, her goals are to continue with
her classes, graduate in 2017 with a major in
criminal justice and double minor in police
force and homeland security. Her goal is to
become a Cherokee Nation marshal when she
turns 21.
Her suggestion for kids and adults is to keep
a close watch on one’s body.
“But also just knowing your body, and
what’s non-normal. Because like, when I got
diagnosed with sarcoma, part of the whole
treatment process is that you have to get pat
downs every month to make sure that you
don’t have any new spots as well,” she said.
“Know their body. Know what’s not normal.
Know if something’s out of place. Notice new
spots on you or new bumps. If you don’t think
something is supposed to be there, it’s probably
not and you need to go to the doctor and get
that checked out.”
DIETITIAN’S CORNER
Stress management and how it affects your health
BY FELIPE GUZMAN-ZAMARRON
Occupational Therapist
Stress. We have all experienced
it during our lives. Even positive
events can be stressful. Stress is a
state of mental or emotional strain
or tension resulting from adverse
or
demanding
circumstances.
Stress is a fact of life. When people reach for help, they
are often dealing with circumstances, situations and
stressors in their lives that leave them feeling emotionally
and physically overwhelmed. Modern life makes stress
management a necessary skill for everyone.
Many people juggle multiple responsibilities, work,
home life, caregiving and relationships. Learning to
identify problems and implement solutions is the key to
successful stress reduction. Stress management will enable
everyone to master their stressors for their physical and
psychological well-being.
People who do not learn and use appropriate stressmanagement techniques can experience negative effects,
including physical illness, psychological illness, damaged
personal relationships and poor productivity. Studies on
health and stress have shown that stress can be a causal
or contributing factor to heart disease, increased risk for
stroke, diabetes, headaches, gastrointestinal problems,
depression and anxiety.
Although we all talk about stress, it is often not clear to
many people what stress is. Some people consider stress to
be something that happens to them, an event such as an
accident or losing a job. Others think that stress is what
happens to our body, mind and behaviors in response to
an event such as heart pounding, feeling anxious or nail
biting. While stress does involve events and our response
to them, these are not the most important factors. Our
perception and thoughts about the situations in which we
find ourselves are the critical factor.
Stress can come from any situation or thought that
makes you feel frustrated, angry or anxious. Everyone sees
situations differently and has different coping skills. For
this reason, no two people will respond exactly the same
way to a given situation. Additionally, not all situations
that are labeled stressful are negative. The birth of a child,
being promoted at work or moving to a new home may
not be perceived as threatening. However, we may feel that
situations are stressful because we don’t feel fully prepared
to deal with them.
Stress is normal part. In small quantities, stress is good.
It can motivate you and help you become more productive.
However, too much stress, or a strong response to stress
can be harmful. How we perceive a stress-provoking
event and how we react to it determines its impact on
our health. We may be motivated and invigorated by the
events in our lives, or we may see some as stressful and
respond in a manner that may have a negative effect on
our physical, mental and social well-being. If we always
respond in a negative way, our health and happiness may
suffer. By understanding ourselves and our reaction to
stress-provoking situations, we can learn to handles stress
effectively.
In the most accurate meaning, stress management is
not about learning how to avoid or escape the pressures
and turbulence of modern living. It is about learning to
appreciate how the body reacts to these pressures and
about learning how to develop skills that enhance the
body’s adjustment. To learn stress management is to learn
about the mind-body connection and to the degree to
which we can control our health in a positive sense.
The “fight-or-flight” response of the body during times
of stress is well-documented. This instinctive response
floods your body with adrenaline and cortisol, which
increases heart rate, redirects blood flow to the muscular
system, releases fats into the bloodstream for use as energy,
increases breathing rate, tenses muscles and increases
your blood’s clotting ability – all of which are intended to
help you fight off (or run from) an opponent. Over time,
constant stress wreaks havoc on your health physically,
mentally and emotionally.
Chronic stress can wear down the body’s natural
defenses, leading to physical symptoms such as dizziness
or a general feeling of “being out of it,” general aches and
pains; grinding teeth; clenched jaw; headaches; indigestion
or acid reflux symptoms; increase in or loss of appetite;
muscle tension in neck, face or shoulders; problems
sleeping; racing heart; cold and sweaty palms; tiredness or
exhaustion; trembling/shaking; and weight gain or loss.
Reversing your stress response quickly is a simple
and effective first line of defense. It can help prevent the
negative effects of chronic stress, especially if used as part
of an overall stress management plan. Stress management
isn’t something that’s done in a day. It requires adjustments
in your lifestyle and how you handle what comes your way.
You can reduce the level of stress you feel by practicing
relaxation techniques, having a good support system,
sleeping six to eight hours, eating a healthy diet, practicing
tai chi, yoga or mindfulness as well as exercising three to
five times per week. Studies show that regular exercise
can reduce stress in the short and long term. More highenergy exercises such as weight training or martial arts
can provide a good physical outlet where you can release
pent-up tension, while walking or yoga can have a more
soothing effect. Relaxation is invaluable for maintaining
your health and well-being and repairing the toll that
stress takes on your mind and body while getting enough
sleep can aid in reducing your stress, as well as helping
your body recover from daily events.
Since living without stress is impossible, try to deal with
it more effectively. Utilizing appropriate individual stress
reduction techniques will improve a person’s quality of life
and in many cases contribute in the reduction of disease
symptoms. Learning to deal with life stressors in a healthy
manner could lead to a happier and healthier life.
Health • aBk 0sr
2014 Ewf #>hAmh • jlsd
September 2014 • CHEROKEE PHOENIX
13
CN Behavioral Health performs alcohol compliance checks
BY JAMI MURPHY
Reporter
TAHLEQUAH, Okla. – On June 30,
Cherokee Nation Behavioral Health employees,
two undercover buyers and law enforcement
officers visited restaurants, stores and gas
stations to ensure alcohol was being sold and
served to properly aged buyers.
Sam Bradshaw, director of the Region 5
Prevention Center that serves Cherokee, Adair,
Sequoyah and Wagoner counties for the CN,
said an Oklahoma Department of Mental
Health and Substance Abuse Services grant
funded the alcohol compliance checks.
“It’s called the substance abuse prevention
block grant, and it goes to every state to develop
regional prevention centers. Each one of those
centers is responsible for so many counties
and providing prevention services to those
four counties,” said Bradshaw. “We have one
element of it that is called the core services, and
in the core services we do alcohol compliance
checks, tobacco checks, and then we do special
risk assessments to make sure that people aren’t
selling alcohol to minors.”
Coleman Lee Cox, a Behavioral Health
prevention specialist, said 27 retailers were
checked in Tahlequah with on-site (alcohol
consumed there) and off-site (consumed
elsewhere) visits.
“These compliance checks were completed
with the help of two minor decoys under the
age of 21, Tahlequah Police Department, NSU
(Northeastern State University) Police and
the Cherokee Nation Marshal Service. This
operation resulted in compliance rate of 78
percent,” Cox said. “Of the 27 retailers checked,
there were six sales to a minor decoy, resulting
in four citations. Two merchants were given
warnings by local law enforcement. Twentyfive of the 27 retailers asked to see an acceptable
form of identification. All the retailers who sold
Tahlequah (Okla.) Police Officer David Craig, middle, talks with fellow officer Thomas
Donnell, left, and Cherokee Nation Behavioral Health prevention specialist Coleman Cox
about a ticket to be given after an employee served alcohol to a minor on June 30 during
alcohol compliance checks. JAMI MURPHY/CHEROKEE PHOENIX
were unaware to ‘Check the Red Box,’ which
shows the date when the customer will turn 21.”
Cox said alcohol compliance checks are
evidence-based practices authorized by the
Oklahoma Department of Mental Health and
Substance Abuse Services to reduce retail
access of alcohol by minors.
“They ensure stores are following the law
when they sale or serve alcohol or beer. An
undercover officer enters retail environment for
a safety scan, then minor decoys enter, retrieve
product and attempt an alcohol purchase,” he
CN, TU to conduct
asthma prevention study
BY STAFF REPORTS
TAHLEQUAH, Okla. – The Cherokee
Nation and the University of Tulsa
are conducting a three-year study to
determine whether minor changes at
home and school can reduce asthma
among Cherokee children.
The U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency awarded TU a $920,000 research
grant in June. Researchers at TU’s Indoor
Air Program approached the tribe to
collaborate on the study. The CN will use
$318,000 for supplies and research expenses.
The From Home to School: Tribal Indoor
Air Quality Intervention Study will test
whether using certain products in the home
reduce allergens such as dust mites and pet
dander, which trigger asthma.
“We’ve identified that childhood asthma is
a significant health problem in the Cherokee
population, and by looking at research data
from a combined environmental and health
perspective with TU’s help, we will be able to
find innovative solutions to reduce asthma
in our communities,” CN Health Research
Director Sohail Khan said.
Some households will receive a
specialized vacuum and dust mite mattress
protectors to use at home. The study will
compare asthma outbreaks among children
using those tools with those who make no
changes. The study will also ask some local
elementary schools to implement specific
cleaning tasks and whether those changes
make a difference in the participating
students’ health and attendance.
In 2013, CN health centers and W.W.
Hastings Hospital cared for 820 children
with asthma attacks.
“The Cherokee Nation has a strong
presence among tribes across the country,
and we’re excited to work together for
this asthma intervention study,” Richard
Shaughnessy, TU’s Indoor Air Program
director, said. “In addition, the convergence
of the study on three tribes within three
different regions and climates of the United
States makes for a very unique opportunity
for success to explore the spectrum of
exposures that children with asthma
encounter on a daily basis.”
A handful of Cherokee students
interested in research will be selected to
help collect data. Study results should be
available in 2017.
For more information, call Ryan Callison
at 918-453-5000, ext. 5093; Shaun West at
ext. 5363 or Sohail Khan at ext. 5602.
said. “When asked, decoys provide clerks with
their actual ID, showing them to be under the
legal drinking age. All decoys undergo an age
verification process where 10 random people
tell staff how old they believe the decoy looks.
Decoys must look under 21 to qualify.”
The program also offers Responsible
Beverage Service and Sale Training, which
instructs retailers how to check IDs, identify
fake IDs and refuse service to intoxicated
patrons.
“Every merchant that serves alcohol is
encouraged to send their employees to RBSS,
a free class offered by the RPC (Regional
Prevention coordinator). Cherokee County
alcohol retailers can sign up for this training
by contacting RPC staff at 1296 Skill Center
Circle (in) Tahlequah or (call) 918-207-4977,”
Cox said.
The retailers who denied sale to a minor on
June 30 were Mazzio’s Italian Eatery, Reasor’s
Grocery, Super Mart, The Branch, The Grill,
Wal-Mart, Walgreens, Las Maracas Mexican
Restaurant, Dollar General on Downing Street,
Dollar General located next to Reasor’s, EZMart No. 554, 66 Quick Stop, Big-B Food
and Deli, Chilango’s Mexican Restaurant,
Dano’s, Dewain’s Place, El Molcajete Mexican
Restaurant, El Zarape Mexican Restaurant, EZ
Mart at 1600 E. Downing and Fuel Mart No. 1,
according to a report.
Bradshaw requested the Cherokee Phoenix
not publish the merchants who sold to a minor
decoy because he said the program’s purpose
is not to condemn merchants who sell but to
offer them the opportunity to learn methods of
refusing service to minors as well as the ways to
determine if a buyer is of age.
“So we’re trying to make sure that people are
in compliance. But we also provide responsible
beverage sales and service training. So if they
do fail, if they do end up selling, if they do get
a ticket, but also we provide them training to
educate them on how to properly ID someone,
how to turn someone away and how to develop
the skills not to sell,” he said. “So our goal is
to reduce retail alcohol and tobacco sales to
minors.”
Tickets are given by the municipality, usually
the city or the county depending on where
the group is performing compliance checks,
Bradshaw said.
Ticket costs of this kind can vary from $200
to $300, according to the Cherokee County
Clerk’s Office.
Cherokee professor gets $2.9M
grant to study substance abuse
BY STAFF REPORTS
TAHLEQUAH, Okla. – Cherokee Nation
citizen Dr. John Lowe recently received a $2.9
million grant from the National Institutes of
Health to conduct and evaluate an after-school
substance abuse prevention and intervention
program for American Indian youth.
Intertribal Talking Circle for the Prevention
of Substance Abuse in Native Youth is a five-year
research project targeting sixth grade Native
American youth in three tribal communities –
the Ojibwe/Chippewa in Minnesota, Choctaw
in Oklahoma and Lumbee in North Carolina.
The goal is to evaluate the use of the
Talking Circle to increase Native American
youth cultural identity while decreasing their
substance use. The study also will train tribal
personnel throughout the three regions on how
to implement the Talking Circle intervention as a
more permanent program in their communities.
“The Talking Circle is both a cognitive and
behavioral intervention, reviewing stress
levels, substance abuse and other risk factors
associated with the Native American Indian
populations,” Lowe said.
This research project builds on several years
of previous studies conducted by Lowe that
have evaluated the use of the Talking Circle
as an effective intervention for the prevention
of substance use and abuse among Native
American youth. Models have emerged from
Lowe’s previously funded research, promoting
the health and wellbeing of Native Americans
across the country and are being recognized
internationally by those advocating for the
health of other Indigenous populations.
Lowe’s contributions to his profession
are heavily based in his research program,
which evolved from his doctoral dissertation,
“Cherokee Self-Reliance,” which investigated
cultural values that contribute to the Cherokee
Nation’s health and well-being, particularly in
regards to the substance use and abuse.
Lowe is a professor at Florida Atlantic
University’s Christine E. Lynn College
of Nursing and one of approximately 20
doctoral-prepared Native American nurses
in the United States. He has been a longtime
advocate for culturally competent healthcare
for Native Americans and Indigenous people
globally. He has represented Native American
and Indigenous nurses in many national and
international forums and with national leaders.
Globally, Lowe has provided health
care services and research consultation to
underserved/disadvantaged groups in countries
such as Australia, New Zealand, Tanzania,
Costa Rica, Jamaica and China.
14
CHEROKEE PHOENIX • September 2014
Services • nnrpH
Ewf #>hAmh • jlsd
2014
CN, Sequoyah County fix road
BY WILL CHAVEZ
Senior Reporter
While looking at their photos, Cherokee Nation Indian Child Welfare child welfare specialist
Carolyn Swepston discusses some of the children the program has helped in recent years.
WILL CHAVEZ/CHEROKEE PHOENIX
ICW always in need of
Cherokee foster homes
BY WILL CHAVEZ
Senior Reporter
TAHLEQUAH, Okla. – The Cherokee Nation’s
Indian Child Welfare always needs foster homes
in which to place Cherokee children who, for
various reasons, cannot remain in their homes.
Sally Wilson, ICW foster and adoptive home
recruiter, said negative publicity surrounding
foster parents such as stories about the
mistreatment of foster children is a detriment to
recruiting foster parents.
“It stymies what you are trying to do because
people get scared to dive into that realm,”
Wilson said.
To qualify as ICW foster parents, one
parent must be 21 years old, Native American,
financially able to take care of their needs and
the foster child’s needs, have a willingness to be
patient and loving and provide a stable home.
The parents also must submit to a background
check and provide their child welfare history.
ICW child welfare specialist Carolyn
Swepston said the training required to be a foster
parent also deters some potential foster parents.
The training is available through ICW, but it
takes time to complete. Pre-service training is
12 hours split up into two days. Once a parent
is in the program fostering a child or children,
they must take 12 more hours of training during
the year with four hours related to Cherokee
culture. Foster parents may take a class at the
Cherokee Heritage Center in Park Hill or attend
an ICW-hosted Cherokee culture camp.
Swepston said ICW has more difficulty
finding homes for Cherokee children who are
out of state or who are in Oklahoma custody.
“The few homes that we do have go to our
kids. Meanwhile, we have tons of Cherokee kids
(in state custody) out there who are placed in
non-Indian homes because we don’t have homes
for them,” Swepston said. “The state can provide
a place for those kids even it’s not a Cherokee
home. There’s somewhere for them to go. Our
kids, we’re fully responsible for them, so we have
to get the homes that we do have.”
Swepston said the biggest need for ICW is
foster parents who are willing to take larger
groups of children and older children.
“We have sibling groups, and you might
have a sibling group of three and they will be
in three different homes because the homes
that we do have only want one kid or two kids
and you’ve got (a) sibling group of five or six,”
Swepston said. “They’re not only separated from
their parents, but they’re separated from their
siblings, also, and from their communities.”
Wilson said most of the time the sibling bond
is stronger than the bond with the parents, so it’s
vital to try to keep sibling groups together.
Indian children under the Oklahoma
Department of Human Services’ care and other
state agencies are assigned an ICW specialist to
ensure the state is following the federal Indian
Child Welfare Act and are attempting to place
them in Indian homes.
“Historically, we’ve been, not just us but other
tribes and the state, low on foster homes. It’s
always been a battle for us,” Wilson said.
ICW has created a Diligent Search Unit to
find relative for kids needing a foster home.
“We don’t have a lot of relatives that step
forward when we remove kids. I think it’s a
family issue a lot of times,” Swepston said. “So,
our good non-relative foster homes end up
adopting kids that don’t get to go home...so we
end up closing homes just as quick as we can
open them because they end up adopting kids.”
Some families take in foster children with the
hope of adopting the children, Swepston added.
Wilson said the slogan used by ICW for
recruiting foster parents is: “Their tribe, their
home, our future.”
Children are removed from homes for
physical abuse, sexual abuse and neglect. Some
of the neglect is because the parents are using
drugs and neglecting their children. ICW works
under the umbrella of CN Human Services, and
some Cherokee families who have to give up
their children can seek help through Humans
Services to find a job or get food through a
donated foods program.
“It helps reunify that family to get that
support in place when you’re trying to reunify
them because a lot of times they are involved in
illegal activity when their child is removed, so
they’ve lost their housing or they’ve lost their
job. So, you kind of have to start from square
one,” Wilson said.
Behavioral Health and child care services
are utilized to help parents who are trying to
have their children returned to their custody.
Housing services, the Marshal Service, Attorney
General’s Office and Registration assist ICW
with foster children and their families.
“It’s not just an ICW issue; it’s a tribal issue,”
Wilson said. “Whenever I talk to people when
I go out for recruitment events...I push the
fact that we belong to each other, and that’s
core of who we are. We have always believed
we’re responsible for the next person and we
hold them sacred. As tribal people we need to
continue to embrace that.”
CN Child Services hosts family event
The “Hula on in for some
family fun” event features
the Pumpkin Hollow Boys
band, games and food.
BY TESINA JACKSON
Reporter
TAHLEQUAH, Okla. – In support of Child
Awareness Month, Cherokee Nation Child
Services hosted its first family fun event on Aug.
7 at Norris Park.
The “Hula on in for some family fun” event
featured the Pumpkin Hollow Boys band,
activities, games and food. Several other CN
departments also attended with display booths
offering information on the respective services.
Since starting in 2007, Child Support Services
has offered free services such as genetic testing,
affidavits, locating a parent and trying to
establish assisted payments of child support for
Cherokee children to custodial families so that
the children gets their needs met.
“We also service Cherokee citizens that live
outside of the boundaries if they’re willing to
submit to the jurisdiction of Cherokee Nation,”
Kara Whitworth, Child Support Services
director, said.
Whitworth said when the department started,
officials wanted to be supportive of the entire
family because “we know at Child support
Services that it takes more than just money to
raise a child.”
“We feel that at our office that it’s more
important to help the entire family than just
collect money and so that’s what our philosophy
has been for the last seven years,” Whitworth
said. “We’re a relatively new agency and if you
compare us to the state agencies, which have
been in operation for approximately 30 years,
since opening our doors we have collected
approximately a little over $25 million. That
goes directly to our custodial parent, who are
the ones taking care of the children.”
Whitworth said the department still has
approximately $2.7 million that still needs to be
collected.
Child Support Services is free to CN citizens
living within the tribe’s 14-county jurisdiction. A
non-custodial parent may fill out an application
as long as the child is a CN citizen.
During the Aug. 7 event, Principal Chief
Bill John Baker also signed a proclamation
reaffirming August as Child Awareness Month.
“That proclamation just reaffirms Cherokee
Nation’s commitment to supporting all of our
children and our families,” Whitworth said. “It
is a way of memorializing the fact that Cherokee
Nation holds their children and their families
sacred and they want to make sure they’re taken
care of.”
For more information, call 918-453-5444 or
email [email protected].
VIAN, Okla. – Tribal Councilor David
Thornton joined Dist. 2 Sequoyah County
Commissioner Steve Carter to observe the
completion of a road project near Vian.
Cherokee Nation funds were used to
purchase asphalt for 1.75 miles of road about
two miles northwest of Vian. Carter said the
asphalt his crew put down cost $142,000, and
the cost of prepping the road for the asphalt
was another $40,000.
Carter said road work began on Aug. 4
after being delayed two days by rain, and his
crew planned to finish the road on Aug. 5.
“(Tribal Councilor) David Thornton
stepped up and offered money to overlay this
road, so we’re doing it for the people up live
up here,” Carter said.
Carter said asphalting the road not only
benefits the people who live on the road, it
also benefits him because it’s one less dirt
road his work crew have to grade, maintain
and put money into.
“I can eliminate that and I can move on to
other things,” he said. “For this community
up here, naturally it cuts down on the
dust...and when we do something like this
it increases their property values because
it provides better access to their property.
Basically, that’s what it’s all about. It’s a better
quality of life for people who live in this
neighborhood.”
About nine years ago, Carter said he
worked with Thornton to complete a 2.5mile road east of the 1.75-mile road. The two
roads connect.
“I’m a (CN) tribal member, so naturally
I’m going to have a relationship with David
Thornton because he’s my Tribal Council
member from my end of Sequoyah County.
We’ve known each other forever, and we just
have a good relationship,” he said.
Thornton, who helps represent Sequoyah
County and part of Muskogee County,
said the 1.75-mile road is getting done
through a partnership between the
county commissioner and the CN Roads
Department. He said Tribal Councilors are
given money through the Roads Department
to fund road projects in their respective
districts.
He said Tribal Councilors provide county
commissioners road funding to buy asphalt
while the commissioners provide the
machinery and labor to build the road. To
try to make funding go further, previously
some dirt roads received the “chip and seal”
treatment where a thin base of oil-based
bitumen is evenly distributing onto an
existing pavement before laying down finely
graded aggregate, which is composed of
sand, small gravel or crushed stone.
“The chip and seal and oil has went up so
much that we can get more for our buck if
we go ahead and do overlays (of asphalt),”
Thornton said.
Carter said he has worked with Thornton
on other paving and road projects for Vian
and Gore schools, the Cedar Creek Cemetery
and others.
He said he has served as a county
commissioner for 10 years and has worked
on a road project with Thornton each of
those years.
Deputy Chief S. Joe Crittenden visited the
construction site with Thornton and said
road projects for rural roads are good for the
entire community.
He said better roads prevents wear-andtear on vehicles and makes it easier to for
people to travel to work and school.
“I’m thrilled every time I get a chance to
go out to a project like this because I know
that it’s going to be good and people are
going to appreciate it. And without our funds
and the help and cooperation of the county
commissioners, a lot of this wouldn’t be
getting done,” Crittenden said.
Deputy Chief S. Joe Crittenden, left, and Tribal Councilor David Thornton, center, stand
on the back of a road paver on Aug. 4 with Dist. 2 Sequoyah County Commissioner
Steve Carter as workers put down asphalt to complete a road project near Vian, Okla.
WILL CHAVEZ/CHEROKEE PHOENIX
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September 2014 • CHEROKEE PHOENIX
15
Nation gives $50K for Nowata waterline
BY STAFF REPORTS
NOWATA, Okla. – On May 30, the Cherokee Nation
completed a mile stretch of waterline that is expected to be more
reliable and provide better quality of water to Cherokee families
and other non-Cherokee residents living along 415 County Road.
“The collaboration between the Cherokee Nation and Nowata
will strengthen the community’s infrastructure, and that
increased capacity in the water system will improve the lives
of its citizens, both Cherokee and non-Cherokee,” Principal
Chief Bill John Baker said. “Through our business success, we
are able to make these kinds of investments and partnerships.
The Cherokee Nation plays a key role in ensuring northeast
Oklahoma remains a great place to live and raise a family. We
have a vested interest in doing all we can to make sure our
communities flourish and continue to grow.”
The CN donated $50,000 and manpower to replace the
deteriorating steel water pipes with 4-inch thick polyethylene
pipes. The former waterline, installed in the 1950s, frequently
caused low water pressure or water outages from water leaks,
frustrating and potentially harming local residents.
“The old waterline was dilapidated and caused numerous
problems for our citizens,” Tribal Councilor Dick Lay said.
“Completing this project eases the concerns of citizens who
deserve not to worry day to day if they will have access to clean
and reliable water.”
The Nation began planning in 2013 and started the work
in May. The City of Nowata now assumes operation and
maintenance costs of the new waterline.
CN citizen John Phillips, who lives on 10-acres of his family’s
original Cherokee allotment, said he tried getting new water
pipes along the road years earlier and is thankful the CN stepped
in to help.
“Getting a new waterline has been a long, long time
coming,” Phillips said. “The line we had was real old, and the
steel pipe rusted. It would have bad leaks, and we property
owners had to patch it and patch it again. Cherokee Nation
replacing this is such a blessing, and I am so thankful.”
The Nation’s Community Services completed 10 water
and sewer projects, totaling more than $250,000, in fiscal
year 2013. For more information on its Engineering and
Sanitation Program, call 918-453-5111 or toll free at 1-800256-3387. Or visit www.cherokee.org/Services/Community/
EngineeringandSanitation.aspx
USDA reaching
Indian Country
through Food
Distribution
BY STAFF REPORTS
Rusty Gillispie, Ramsey Ward Electric Inc. job superintendent, measures the location where a backup generator will be
placed at a water district location in Gore, Okla. The water project is expected to be finished next June.
STACIE GUTHRIE/CHEROKEE PHOENIX
Water projects underway in communities
The Cherokee Nation
helps towns provide
better water for their
citizens.
BY STACIE GUTHRIE
Reporter
OCHELATA, Okla. – More water
projects are underway or near completion
within the tribe’s jurisdiction thanks to
the Cherokee Nation’s help. The towns of
Ochelata, Gore and Kenwood are either
adding to or updating their respective
water situations with the hopes of giving
CN citizens better water quality.
Ochelata Mayor Sydney Barnes said
Ochelata has been under a consent
order from the Oklahoma Department
of Environmental Quality since 2005
for not meeting required wastewater
discharge limits.
“Being a small town, it’s presented
a challenge to us to find something
affordable to solve the problem,” he said.
Barnes started working for the town
in 2008. He said that’s when he started
looking for financial options to update
the water system but not cost the town
more than it could afford.
“We’ve come up with this small water
treatment system that is economical for
a small community,” he said. “We’re still
talking $2.5 million total project costs
for a town of 500. But it’s still much
cheaper than the traditional brick and
mortar, concrete-type water treatment
facilities.”
Ochelata’s project consists of a new
wastewater treatment system with the
tribe donating $7,000.
“The plant is designed with water
quality in mind and we have designed
it for a growth of 40 percent,” he said.
“It will bring us state-of-the-art water
treatment, which will put us in line with
most any major city in the state, as far
as water quality. We will meet the water
quality guidelines set by the state of its 400,000 gallons,” he said. “That is
Oklahoma for the next 40 years.”
something that we can utilize because
Barnes said the previous infrastructure we currently only have a 150,000 gallon
has outlived its life expectancy and it’s storage (tank). That’s just not quite
time to upgrade.
enough, we can last maybe part of a day
“Being
a
small
town,
our at peak season. Normally you want at
infrastructure was put in in the 1960s, least two days of storage.”
and it’s an ongoing battle to upgrade
With the new tank the town would
water facilities,” he said. “Now we’re just have a total of 550,000 gallons of water
trying to rebuild.”
storage.
Barnes said project is in its beginning
“Let’s say that you wanted to take a
stages.
tower down for maintenance,” he said.
“We have a contractor selected,” “Well, communities with one tower,
he said. “We’re looking at starting that’s a problem. We could just isolate
(working) in October and it’s a one-year one tower, or take it off the system and it
construction period.”
wouldn’t effect us at all.”
Rather than reacting to a problem,
Lindley said the improvements to
Gore Administrator Horace E. Lindley the town would give the town the
said his town’s water
opportunity
to
project is completely
welcome
more
proactive.
businesses
and
Being a small town,
“What happens in
homes.
a lot of towns is they
The
project
it’s presented a
regulate the systems,
began in June and
challenge to us to find is expected to be
and a lot of times
towns are deficient
in June. It
something affordable complete
and they are under
is expected to cost
consent orders and
approximately $1.71
to solve the problem.
are forced to do
with CN
– Sydney Barnes, million
things. This is just
donating $65,000.
Ochelata mayor
the opposite. This is
In
Delaware
a proactive move by
County, Kenwood
the town of Gore,” he said.
Water District Project Manager Greg
Lindley said the town plans to expand Butcher said so far Kenwood has added
its water treatment facility, increasing two wells, a pump house and a water
production capacity by 30 percent.
tower to its water systems. He said
“We’re adding a new building and new the final project is the new filtration
filter. We currently have two filters. We’re plant, which is a water treatment plant.
placing in a third one and a spot for a The plant would bring the town up
fourth one,” he said. “At the same time, to Environmental Protection Agency
in the production plant, we’re re-doing standards.
all the controls and reconditioning all
“Also, it will safeguard all of the
the existing filters. That means new citizens’ water for years to come,” he said.
electronics, new computer controls.
The project began in February, but the
Also, we’re putting in a self-contained planning started approximately six years
full backup generator for the system in ago, Butcher said. As of July, he said the
case we lose power.”
plant should be completed within weeks.
Town officials also plan to increase the
The
Kenwood
project
cost
amount of water the town can store.
approximately $ 1.1 million with CN
“We’re putting in another water tower, donating $237,000.
WASHINGTON – Finding groceries can be difficult in many
inner city neighborhoods, and in many rural areas the challenge
can be even more daunting.
Americans living in remote areas might easily spend half a
day just making a grocery run. And for many Native Americans
living on Indian reservations, simply getting to a place to
purchase nutritious foods becomes a constant struggle.
One program expanding access to nutritious foods is the Food
Distribution Program on Indian Reservations. The FDPIR was
first authorized under the Food Stamp Act of 1977 to provide
access to nutritious foods to low-income Native American
households. It is administered locally by either Indian tribal
organizations or an agency of a state government. Currently,
there are about 276 tribes, including the Cherokee Nation,
receiving benefits under FDPIR, with an average of 82,600
participants each month.
“Expanding access to nutritious food will not only empower
American families to serve healthy meals to their children, but it
will also help expand the demand for agricultural products,” U.S.
Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said.
Because the FDPIR is administered directly on Indian
reservations, it can eliminate the need for recipients to travel
great distances simply to acquire nutritious foods. Eligible
participants are able to choose from over 70 food options that
can be used to create meals that align with the Dietary Guidelines
for Americans and MyPlate. In fiscal year 2009, the Healthy
Eating Index, which rates diets based on overall nutrition, rated
the FDPIR food option package at 85.3 (an HEI score above an
80 is considered a healthy diet).
To assist in the preparation of healthy meals using FDPIR
foods, FNS recently worked with tribal citizens to create a
recipe book. “A Harvest of Recipes with USDA Foods: The Food
Distribution Program on Indian Reservations” provides creative,
regional recipes using FDPIR food options. Each recipe features
sensible levels of fat, sodium and sugar without sacrificing taste.
The recipes also list nutrition facts.
The FDPIR has made great strides in providing access
to nutritious foods and reducing food insecurity on Indian
reservations. For more information on FDPIR, visit http://www.
fns.usda.gov/programs-and-services.
CN launches ‘Start by
Believing’ campaign
BY STAFF REPORTS
TAHLEQUAH, Okla. – The Cherokee Nation and ONE
FIRE Victim Services have launched a campaign throughout
the tribe’s 14-county jurisdiction that focuses on improving the
tribe’s public response to sexual assault.
It’s called “Start by Believing.”
“Victims of sexual crimes often choose to simply live with
what happened rather than tell someone or ask for help...we are
committed to doing our part and encouraging the Cherokee
Nation to make it easier for victims to come forward,” Tonya
Hunter, ONE FIRE Victim services advocate, said.
The campaign launched with Principal Chief Bill John Baker
officially signing the proclamation declaring the day “Start by
Believing” Day. Employees were also sent emails including
certificates of participation for them to sign, which stated,
“My name is…and when someone tells me they were raped or
sexually assaulted, I…Start by Believing.”
For more information, visit www.startbybelieving.org.
The ONE FIRE hotline is 1-866-458-5399 and is available
for those who have been sexually assaulted and need help and
resources.
Murrow Indian Children’s Home in need of supplies
BY STAFF REPORTS
MUSKOGEE, Okla. – For more than 100
years, the Murrow Indian Children’s Home has
provided a safe, home environment for Native
American children from Oklahoma tribes.
Through contracts with tribal and state
governments Native children are placed there
who either orphaned or are deprived of normal
family care for various reasons.
Currently the home is need of supplies
including laundry detergent, 13-gallon garbage
bags, sandwich bags, one-gallon and quart
freezer bags, serving tongs, snacks, toothpaste,
band aides, dishwashing soap, and napkins.
The home also needs Comet cleaner, Pine Sol,
Lysol, bleach, furniture polish and storage bags.
Following the end of the Civil War in 1865,
Rev. J.S. Murrow began taking orphaned and
homeless Indian children into his home.
In 1902, Murrow opened an orphan’s home
in Atoka. In 1919, Rev. Murrow realized that
considerably more support would be needed if
the home were to meet the educational, spiritual
and personal needs of the Indian children. He
arranged for the American Baptist Mission
Home Societies to take full responsibility for
the home and it was moved to the campus of
Bacone College in Muskogee.
The MICH depends on monetary and inkind donations from various sources and also
depends on volunteers and mentors for the
children.
The Cherokee Nation annually donates
$5,000 and monetary donations are received
from the Muscogee Creek and Sac & Fox
Nations. The main fundraising event held for
the home is an annual powwow held on the
campus of the nearby Bacone College. This
year’s powwow was held June 28.
There are five cottages on the campus of
Murrow Indian Children’s Home. Three of the
cottages are devoted to the children and have
the capacity to house 10 children each. One of
the additional cottages is used for staff offices
and one is used to house volunteers.
Volunteers and mentors are always needed
for the home as well as monetary and in-kind
donations.
For more information about the home
or powwow, call 918-682-2586 or e-mail
[email protected].
Those interested in assisting the home may
also visit www.murrowchildrenshome.org.
16
CHEROKEE PHOENIX • September 2014
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2014
Blalock earns OBU
track scholarship
BY WILL CHAVEZ
Senior Reporter
Cherokee Nation citizen Ashley Snow prepares to set a volleyball while warming up during an Aug. 20 practice in
Muskogee, Okla. Snow recently received an athletic scholarship to Bacone College.
TESINA JACKSON/CHEROKEE PHOENIX
Siblings receive athletic scholarships
BY TESINA JACKSON
Reporter
MUSKOGEE, Okla. – After playing sports for a majority
of their lives, Cherokee Nation citizens Ashley, Christian and
Ajay Snow received athletic scholarships, something they feel
has helped their family.
“Well at one time he had four kids in college and by us
getting athletic scholarships that makes it less money our dad
has to pay,” Ashley, 22, said of her father Connie. “So we try to
do what we can to help him out.”
Ashley, who has played volleyball for 10 years, including two
years at a college in Alabama, recently received a scholarship
to play at Bacone College in Muskogee. Ashley, who will be a
junior this fall, was notified about the scholarship in May.
“The scholarship is important because it will help take some
financial burdens off of my dad so he doesn’t have to pay my
tuition and that stuff, and then being around my family here,
too, is another important reason to me,” she said.
Ashley said she’s excited for the atmosphere and smaller
classes that Bacone has to offer. During the 2013-14 year, there
were 965 students who attended Bacone.
The 5-foot-11-inch outside hitter, from McIntosh, Ala.,
played two years at Faulkner State Community College in Bay
Minette, Ala., after playing for several years for school and
during camps.
“Coming from a small town, there’s not really much to do
but to play sports,” she said. “It was something to do after
school but then it just grew on me. I started going to camp
during the summer, I started getting a little better.”
Ashley said her favorite part about playing volleyball is the
aspect of being part of a team.
“I like playing with others, being able to know that someone
has my back,” she said. “It’s a team sport, somebody has to
bump it, the perfect set and hitting.”
Although Ashley doesn’t think she will play volleyball
professionally because she is majoring in physical education,
she sees herself coaching it and helping others play the sport
that she has enjoyed over the years.
However, her brother, Christian, 19, hopes to continue his
baseball career after college.
Christian will be a sophomore at Faulkner State this fall.
“I decided to play baseball because it’s something I like
to do and it helps my dad out so he doesn’t have to pay all
of my tuition,” he said. “I received a full athletic scholarship
that covers tuition and books. It’s important to me because by
playing it’s helping me further my education, and hopefully in
the future you will see me in the MLB.”
TAHLEQUAH, Okla. – Cherokee Nation citizen Jordan
Blalock has parlayed one season of track at Tahlequah High
School into a college scholarship to Oklahoma Baptist University.
He will be attending OBU in Shawnee on a track scholarship
where he said he wants to continue to sprint and get faster.
Blalock said for his senior year at THS he looked for a sport to
replace baseball. He chose track though he had not participated
in track since the sixth grade. He ran the 100 meters, 4 x 100
meters, 4 x 200 meters, and 4 x 400 meters.
“I think I was better at it than baseball,” he said.
At THS, he earned the “Sprint Athlete of the Year” award.
He said he works out at the gym, runs and does sprints as he
continues his quest of getting faster.
“I sprint a lot and occasionally do some hills and stairs and a
lot of block work,” he said.
Block work is when he takes off sprinting from a starting
block to simulate a race.
This summer he competed for a chance to run in USA Track
& Field events and qualified for the 2014 USATF National Junior
Olympic Track & Field Championships in Humble, Texas, which
were held July 21-27.
He ran the 100-meter dash and finished in 33rd place out of
44 entries with a time of 11.26 seconds in the preliminary race.
The winning time was 10.53 seconds.
He said he is not proud of his finish but saw it as a learning
experience.
His track accomplishments this past year were good enough
to earn him a partial scholarship to OBU.
He said it is a “small scholarship” but is glad to get it and to
have the opportunity to continue to run track in college. He is
unsure what distances he will run for the Bison.
“I’m sure I’ll stick with just sprints,” he said.
He said his main goal for running track in college is to “get
faster.”
Christian, along with his brother Ajay, played on traveling
baseball teams during their teenage years.
Ajay, 21, attends the University of West Georgia in Carrolton,
Ga., and like his brother, hopes to continue his baseball career
in Major League Baseball.
“I decided to play baseball because at an early age I noticed
it is something I love to do,” he said. “I received a scholarship
to play. It’s important to me right now because it’s helping pay
my tuition and taking that stress off of my dad. Hopefully the
hard work pays off in the future by me getting my degree and
getting drafted.”
Tahlequah High School sprinter Jordan Blalock did well
enough in track this past school year to earn a college
scholarship to Oklahoma Baptist University. COURTESY
2 Cherokee citizens win UNITY 25 Under 25 awards
BY STAFF REPORTS
MESA, Ariz. – Cherokee Nation citizens Nathalie Tomasik
and Chelsea Wilson recently received inaugural United National
Indian Tribal Youth Inc. 25 Under 25 Native Youth Leadership
Awards, which are designed to celebrate the achievements of
Native Americans and Alaskan Native youth.
Tomasik, a Gates Millennium Scholar, attends Oklahoma City
University where she majors in acting. As a Sequoyah High School
graduate and member of its drama club, Tomasik, 19, acted in
school productions. She also performed in several independent
films. She is working as the lead in the upcoming independent
film “The Heart Stays.” Tomasik has also participated in the
tribe’s Remember the Removal bike ride, Cherokee National
Youth Choir and Cherokee Tribal Youth Council.
“I am thrilled and honored to receive this award as one of the
25 Under 25 honorees. This award is only given to Native youth
who have proven themselves to be outstanding individuals and
leaders,” Tomasik said. “Each honoree has their own set of skills,
talents and ideas to help them impact their own communities.
I would like to thank UNITY for this amazing opportunity to
help me with my dreams, and my family and friends for always
supporting and believing in me.”
Wilson graduated from the University of Denver in 2012 with
a degree in political science. She worked
in the tribe’s Government Relation’s Office
on top federal policy priorities. Wilson, 24,
wrote congressional testimony, created a
voter engagement project and developed a
legislative portfolio highlighting economic
development, health care and education.
Wilson works in Washington, D.C., as a
legislative assistant for the Native American
Chelsea Wilson
Contractors Association.
“It meant the world to be nominated
for UNITY’s 25 Under 25,” Wilson said. “I’ve been incredibly
fortunate to have an amazing mentor, talented colleagues and
a supportive family. So much of the work I did at the Cherokee
Nation shaped who I am today and why I’m working on Native
issues at the national level. I’m deeply honored to be recognized
as one of UNITY’s 25 Under 25 and am looking forward to
becoming a better leader through the program.”
Wilson said that after a few years in D.C. she will be able to
take the knowledge that she’s learned back to the CN and be
better equipped to take on some of the issues the tribe faces.
“I’m really humbled and excited to meet and see the other 24
amazing young people that have also won the award,” she said.
“I think it’s going to be an amazing program and to be a part of
the inaugural class, knowing that this is a
new initiative of theirs, that makes it even
more special.”
Honorees were slated for recognition at
a ceremony during the UNITY National
Conference in Portland, Ore., with each
receiving handmade beaded 25 Under 25
medallions.
In addition to being recognized, each
Nathalie
awardee were to receive special training
Tomasik
by UNITY over a year that is designed to
build on their individual achievements.
The class will be recognized as UNITY ambassadors, serving as
examples of Native youth leadership in Indian Country.
“We are thrilled to announce and congratulate our first class
of the UNITY 25 Under 25 awards program,” Mary Kim Titla,
UNITY executive director, said. “Our regional voting panelists
had a major task, vetting each candidate and narrowing the
field to those who stood-out and exemplified what the UNITY
organization has stood for, for the past 38 years. We look forward
to seeing the honorees in Portland, and I encourage everyone to
congratulate these outstanding individuals for putting their best
foot forward in representing our tribal communities and Native
youth leadership.”
2014 Ewf #>hAmh • jlsd
People • xW
September 2014 • CHEROKEE PHOENIX
17
WNBA players Goodrich, Schimmel honored by tribes
BY STAFF REPORTS
TULSA, Okla. – Oklahoma’s Native American
community presented a special tribute at the
BOK Center to honor Tulsa Shock guard and
Cherokee Nation citizen Angel Goodrich and
the Atlanta Dream’s rookie Native sensation
and All-Star MVP Shoni Schimmel.
Schimmel is a citizen of the Confederated
Tribes of the Umatilla Reservation in
Washington.
Principal Chief Bill John Baker joined
Muscogee (Creek) Principal Chief George
Tiger and Osage Nation Principal Chief
Geoffrey Standing Bear for pregame activities.
“Angel and Shoni both had outstanding
college careers and now have taken that next
step as a pro. They are immensely talented
and successful and true role models for young
Native people,” Baker said. “Without really
asking for it, they have become ambassadors
for tribal citizens nationwide and that carries
some extra pressure. I respect them for their
class and maturity as much as I do for their
creative brand of basketball. All of Indian
Country want to see them thrive because there
is so much Native pride in seeing them win and
receive the highest accolades.”
The MCN Office of Public Relations, in
coordination with the Tulsa Shock, presented
a pregame event that featured more than 50
dancers representing most of the state’s 38
federally recognized tribes.
Native Americans dressed in their respective
traditional attire covered the arena floor in
an intertribal dance accompanied by the
drumbeats and songs of a local singing group
the “Redland Singers.”
“Through the athletic talents and
accomplishments of Native American athletes
such as Angel and Shoni, they’ve united and
inspired youth and tribal members, not only in
Oklahoma, but across the United States,” Tiger
said. “Native Americans are showing their
pride and appreciation wherever they appear,
pride in their accomplishments and pride in
their traditions and cultures. It is a unifying
phenomenon that we want to perpetuate.”
This was the first meeting between the
Shock’s second year guard and the Dream’s
rookie sensation. Both were highly recruited
following successful collegiate careers at Kansas
University and the University of Louisville,
respectively.
The Shock lost to the Dream 85-75. The two
teams were to play each other again on Aug.
15 in Atlanta with the Shock losing 76-92. The
Dream made the playoffs while Tulsa didn’t.
Tulsa Shock guard and Cherokee Nation citizen Angel Goodrich, right, and the Atlanta
Dream’s rookie Native sensation and WNBA All-Star MVP Shoni Schimmel, a citizen of the
Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Reservation in Washington, run down the court during
a July 31 game in Tulsa, Okla. This was the first meeting between the two players.
CHELSIE RICH/MVSKOKE MEDIA
Landrum taught
reservations
about narcotics
BY STACIE GUTHRIE
Reporter
Faye Morrison, right, and her sister Kaye Callaway received their commemorative 50- and 45-year service pins respectively this year for
service to the Veteran’s of Foreign War Auxiliary in Tahlequah, Okla. JAMI MURPHY/CHEROKEE PHOENIX
Sisters unite for 95 years of VFWA service
BY JAMI MURPHY
Reporter
TAHLEQUAH, Okla. – Cherokee Nation
citizens and sisters Faye Morrison and Kaye
Callaway have been members of the Tahlequah
Veteran’s of Foreign War Auxiliary since age
16. They said it’s one of the ways they give back
to their country and community.
Morrison recently received her 50-year
membership pin from the organization to
which she said she was proud to have. She got
involved with the VFWA because her parents
were and it was just what you did back then,
she said.
“We just were always a patriotic family,”
Morrison said.
And patriotism is what has kept her a
member for 50 years, she said.
“We just always had that in the back of our
minds,” she said. “It was what our parents did,
and we just felt like it was the thing to do.
What little we could do to give back to serve
our country in what way we could.”
Callaway, a retired teacher who recently
received her 45-year pin, said during the years
she hasn’t been as active as her sister because
of different things that keep her busy, but she’s
always tried to help.
“You know through the year I had the school,
OEA – Oklahoma Education Association.
Then during the summer, I worked with
the Tahlequah Girls Softball League, so you
know my year was full. But when it came to
convention time, we’d usually all go to the
state convention,” Callaway said. “And it was
just kind of like that’s how we were raised to
give back to the community. It’s not ‘give me
something.’ It’s ‘what can I do for you.’”
Morrison said she and her sister remember
their mother being involved in the VFWA.
Before they were old enough to go into the
Veterans Affairs hospital in Muskogee, she
said, her mother organized bingo games there
for veterans.
“I guess when it was not school time, of
course, she couldn’t get a baby sitter and back
then it was OK just to let your kids run around
out in the parking lot. Of course, Honor
Heights Park was right there. She did that
for I don’t know how many years,” Morrison
said, “probably at least 50 years. Once I got old
enough I started going with her and helping
her. For the last 30 years, I’ve been what they
call the representative and it’s my job to go
over and put the party on. Used to be hers,
now it’s mine.”
Callaway said she enjoyed helping at the
hospital as a young woman.
“It was really neat back then because we
were young and we got to help all of these old
men, you know. And at that time they had
those cards where you slide the little red over
when you get a number, and we would help
them do that and ‘oh you missed one’ and, you
know, their prizes were socks and bar soap, a
tooth brush, a comb…and they thought they
were getting a pot of gold,” Callaway said.
Morrison said sometimes she dreads
driving to Muskogee, but that feeling leaves
her when she gets there.
“Sometimes I think ‘Ugh, the second
Tuesday of the month and I’ve got to go
to Muskogee, drive over there, hot cold,
rain, shine,’” Morrison said. “But you make
somebody happy, even if it’s just one person.”
The VFWA has received more than 300
combined years of volunteer service from all
the female members in sisters’ family, all of
which are or were Cherokee, dating back to
the 1950s.
Not only have the women been involved,
but they have also had men serve as well,
including their father Luther Hammons and
brother Jerry E. Hammons. To be a member,
a woman 16 years or older must have a family
member that has served in a foreign war.
TAHLEQUAH, Okla. – Cherokee Nation
citizen and retired Drug Enforcement
Administration special agent Tim Landrum
spent much of his DEA career educating and
preventing drug use within Native American
tribes in the Southwest.
Landrum worked as the special agent in
charge or SAC in Arizona, where there was a
need for drug intervention. He saw a need for
more education, resources and training on
Arizona reservations.
“We
saw
a
strong
influx
of
methamphetamines, marijuana, alcohol use on
the reservations,” he said. “Obviously, with my
back ground in the Cherokee Nation...we really
partnered up with our community leaders,
our FBI (Federal Bureau of Investigation),
ATF (Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms
and Explosives), our other agencies and went
to some of the different reservations and the
chiefs. We put together a meeting and round
table discussions and tried to see how could
we come in, not just from an enforcement
perspective”
One reservation considered a successful
drug prevention programs was the Arizona Salt
River Community. Landrum said it served as a
successful example when reaching out to tribes.
“It was really a successful program, and I
just saw a huge void within the tribal entities,
and I just felt that it was something that needed
to be done,” he said. “It had not been done on
the southwest border, so it was kind of a new
approach they way we did this collectively,
together. We were very successful and it set a
model and was utilized throughout other places
in the United States. We were really proud of it.
Our approach continued to show good results.”
Landrum said it was important to speak with
tribal officials before bringing in the operation.
“Normally, we would target those that we
had intelligence or information on within the
different tribes,” he said. “We always asked. We
wanted to partner up with them so we could
do it together and then at the end show our
success, rather than us just go in covertly and
just do it and not have the partnership.”
Tribal citizens from the Bureau of Indian
Affairs were asked to join the operation because
of their knowledge and experience. Landrum
said while working with the reservations there
was a large amount of narcotics coming from
the U.S./Mexico border. “It is a serious issue,
especially Arizona being on the southwest
border.”
Landrum served 26 years with the DEA and
recently retired.
18
CHEROKEE PHOENIX • September 2014
Culture • i=nrplcsd
Cherokee artist Jeffrey L. Watt carves an eagle out of deer antler on Aug. 4 at his Tahlequah,
Okla., home. Watt has been carving since 2012 and creates pieces ranging from necklaces
to knife handles. PHOTOS BY STACIE GUTHRIE/CHEROKEE PHOENIX
Watt strives to enlighten
others with his artwork
Jeffrey L. Watt is a deaf
Cherokee artist who creates
art in different media.
BY STACIE GUTHRIE
Reporter
TAHLEQUAH, Okla. – Cherokee Nation
citizen Jeffrey L. Watt is a multitalented artist
who excels at different artistic crafts despite
being deaf. His wife, Cheryl Watt, signed
to Jeffrey during the Cherokee Phoenix’s
interview, and in turn, relayed his answers.
Jeffrey took an interest to art when he was
7 years old. He said that’s when his teacher
opened his mind about the art world and what
it had to offer.
“I started doing my art and I grew up and
I saw other people’s art and I really liked it. I
just started learning it all,” he said. “The teacher
taught me how and he showed me and he
opened up my mind to make me understand.
I know I’m really happy doing my art and it’s
hard.”
It wasn’t until 2012 that Jeffrey learned
to carve. That’s when Cherokee artist Levi
Springwater gave Jeffrey a Dremel tool and
showed him how to carve.
“It looked hard, but whenever I started doing
it, it was easy and I’m really fast at it,” he said.
“In my mind, I know things. I know how to
make things. I use my imagination when I
carve and it’s really cool.”
He said his first carved piece was a feather
from abalone shell. From there, he said he
carved animals, knife handles, necklaces and
other items from deer or elk antlers.
“He’s perfect with eagles,” Cheryl said. “His
clan is the Bird Clan. So I thought that was
pretty cool that, that’s his favorite.”
Jeffrey said the carvings that receive the most
attention are his rose necklaces carved from
deer antlers.
Aside from his carvings, Jeffrey creates
necklaces, wood burnings, paintings, gourd art,
emu egg shell art, murals and even paintings on
Cherokee artist Jeffrey L. Watt also creates
necklaces. Some seen here are rose, spider and
feather necklaces.
old windows that can be hung inside the house.
Cheryl said people appreciate Jeffrey’s art
because many times it holds sentimental value
for the buyer.
“Some people cherish it because when he
does the wood burnt portraits, a lot of times
their parents or their child has passed away and
they want to remember that person,” she said.
Cheryl said Jeffrey is a visual artist – if he
sees it he can replicate it. Jeffrey said he believes
that he has a special talent and is thankful for it.
“When I was little growing up and doing my
art and learning it, and in my mind, I knew
that God wanted to give this gift to me to open
up my mind and my heart to do all kinds of
different artwork so that I can help other
people and show other people and support
other people and to teach people and to help
kids,” he said.
As his fan base grows, he said he feels more
humble by the people who take interest in his
art.
“Thank you so much for supporting me,” he
said. “I appreciate you so much and thank you
so much for supporting me.”
Cheryl said she is proud of her husband and
how he has progressed his life.
“When I first met him, he showed me his art,
but nobody else had seen his art,” she said. “I
want the world to see how amazing this man is
with his art, and he’s so sweet and sincere. Not
only has he grown as a person, but he’s grown
as an artist. He’s just a better person.”
In the future, Jeffrey said he would like to
produce kids books that teach how to create
different types of art and illustrate an art book
that would tell different Native American
stories.
Jeffrey’s art can be found at the Cherokee
Heritage Center in Park Hill and at the
Cherokee Gift Shop, Light Eyes Beads and One
Feather Books in Tahlequah. His art can also be
found online at eBay and Pinterest by searching
Jeffrey L. Watt.
For more information, visit his Facebook
page www.facebook.com/jeffreylwatt or www.
jeffreylwatt.com.
Cherokee artist Jeffrey L. Watt shows
some of his wood burning art. Watt wood
burns portraits, landscapes and animals.
Cherokee artist Jeffrey L. Watt sits with his wife Cheryl Watt and daughter Violet Watt at
their Tahlequah, Okla., home.
Ewf #>hAmh • jlsd
2014
2014 Ewf #>hAmh • jlsd
Culture • i=nrplcsd
September 2014 • CHEROKEE PHOENIX
19
Belcher excels in field of music
LaNice Belcher started with
the clarinet but now plays
the bassoon.
they were. That was an adventure.”
Each day, for three days, Belcher said she and
the group practiced for more than 25 hours.
“We rehearsed just a huge amount. We got
through all the music. I have no idea how,” she
said. “I know it was bad because I woke up in
the morning and my lips were already bleeding
on my pillow.”
Although Belcher had to continuously
practice, she said it was all worth it.
“I learned more than just the music. I learned
how to mentor, how to teach better,” she said.
“That’s really what I was trying to accomplish
is learning how to teach because that’s what I
want to do for the rest of my life. I want to teach
music.”
For the foreseeable future, Belcher is looking
to marching band season, All-District tryouts
and Tulsa Youth Symphony chair tryouts.
She said when preparing for auditions she
starts two months in advance and practices
three to four times a week for two hours.
She said when it gets to the two-week mark
she’s constantly practicing and thinking about
her music.
BY STACIE GUTHRIE
Reporter
TAHLEQUAH, Okla. – Since an early age,
Cherokee Nation citizen LaNice Belcher has
proved that she can excel in the musical field,
reaching new heights each time she plays.
The 16-year-old sophomore at Tahlequah
High School is the only bassoonist in the
school band. However, playing the bassoon was
not her first instrument choice.
“Actually, I really never had an interest for it
(the bassoon),” she said. “My first instrument
I wanted to play was tuba or saxophone, and
that’s the only reason I got in band. I started
out on clarinet because I can’t play either of
those other instruments. I couldn’t play any
instrument besides the clarinet.”
She said her-then band director Harvey
Price inspired her to strive for the best when it
came to music.
“I was the one who stayed in there until he
(Price) left, practicing,” she said. “Within three
months, I was first chair out of 26 clarinets. I
was just doing really good.”
After Belcher’s success on the clarinet, she
said Price approached her and asked her to
play the bassoon. She said she had no idea what
the bassoon really was until she switched to it
when she was 12 years old.
“Once I started actually playing it and getting
the notes down and not being frustrated, it
really got enjoyable,” she said.
Belcher said since her time on the bassoon
she has competed in competitions, including
All-District and All-State.
“Last year, I was trying out for All-State and
Cherokee Nation citizen LaNice Belcher practices her bassoon on Aug. 15 at her home in
Tahlequah, Okla. Belcher has been playing the bassoon for four years.
STACIE GUTHRIE/CHEROKEE PHOENIX
that’s everyone across Oklahoma,” she said. “On
the list there was 50 bassoons, I was one of 50
bassoons trying out. It got pretty competitive.”
Orchestra pits are also something she
strives for, participating in orchestra pits for
Northeastern State University and various
operas. In June, Belcher took part in the 2014
OK Mozart Festival in Bartlesville.
“That was a really good experience because
the Amici Orchestra from New York City was
there and we kind of had a mentorship program
going on,” she said. “It was great. I got a lot of
one-on-one time.”
Belcher said she learned the orchestra that
would be preforming during the festival needed
a bassoonist to fill a position. Within four days
of receiving the initial phone call, she received
the music she needed to learn.
“I looked at it about an hour and a half before
I got to the rehearsal,” she said. “It was about 11
pages. It was extremely difficult. I had to learn
new notes because of how ridiculously high
“Any chance I get I’m practicing,” she said. “It
means a lot to me.”
Belcher said being in band and striving for
the best in her musical career was not always
the easiest of tasks and advises others wanting
to learn to play an instrument to not give up.
“Honestly, it’s going to be hard. It is extremely
difficult. You’re going to get so frustrated
whether is with your instrument or with your
director. You will want to quit. You will want to
give up, but the thing is if you do you won’t have
anything after that,” she said. “We’re a family
and you’re not going to have that. Whenever
you quit you won’t have that support anymore,
but if you just keep going you’re going to reap
so many benefits. It helps you academically. It
helps you emotionally, especially.”
CNHS honored for preservation work
BY STAFF REPORTS
Feather Smith Trevino explains the game of Cherokee stickball during a tour of the
Diligwa Village in Park Hill, Okla. In the background villagers demonstrate how the game
is played. WILL CHAVEZ/CHEROKEE PHOENIX
CHC offers free admission
during Labor Day weekend
BY STAFF REPORTS
PARK HILL, Okla. – The Cherokee Heritage
Center will offer free admission during Labor
Day weekend, Aug. 30-31, as the center takes
part in the annual Cherokee National Holiday.
During the weekend there will be more
than 60 Native arts and crafts booths, fair-style
vendors, Cherokee games and an opportunity
to see the permanent Trail of Tears exhibit in
the CHC’s museum.
Also, the annual Cherokee Homecoming
Art Show will be on display in the museum.
The show features authentic Cherokee art
and is considered one of Oklahoma’s most
prominent art shows. Cherokee artwork
is judged in traditional and contemporary
divisions. The traditional division is defined
as arts originating before European contact
and consists of four categories including
basketry, jewelry and beading, pottery and
traditional arts. The contemporary division
is defined as arts arising among the Cherokee
after European contact, and consists of five
categories including paintings, sculpture,
pottery, basketry and textiles.
Tours of Diligwa, a Cherokee village set
in 1710, will be offered for $2 every half
hour. Diligwa features 19 wattle and daub
structures, 14 interpretive stations. Visitors
can witness daily Cherokee life in 1710 as they
are guided through the interpretive stations
where crafts are demonstrated, stories are told
and Cherokee life ways are explained.
Diligwa is a name derivative of Tellico, a
village in the east that was once the principal
Cherokee town and is now underwater. Tellico
was the Cherokee Nation capital and center of
commerce before the emergence of Echota in
Monroe County, Tenn.
The CHC has been committed to telling
the story of the Cherokee since 1967. The
center was built on the original site of the
Cherokee National Female Seminary, the first
institution of higher learning for women west
of the Mississippi River.
Offering exhibits, cultural workshops,
living history and events throughout the year,
the CHC also includes the Adams Corner
Rural Village, Nofire Farms, Cherokee Family
Research Center and the Cherokee National
Archives.
The CHC is located at 21192 S. Keeler Dr.
For information, call 1-888-999-6007, email
[email protected] or visit http://
www.CherokeeHeritage.org.
OKLAHOMA CITY – The Cherokee
National Historical Society was recently
recognized for its work to preserve and protect
a rare tintype photograph of Ned Christie with
his half-brother Jim Christie, one of only a few
images of the legendary Cherokee senator,
recently at the Oklahoma State Capitol.
Also, the CNHS was accepted into the “Top
10 Artifacts: Saving Oklahoma’s Heritage”
Program. In addition to being accepted into
the program, the CNHS was presented with a
Cultural Heritage Stewardship Award signed
by Gov. Mary Fallin, State Sen. Wayne Shaw
and Rep. Mike Brown. The award recognizes
the society’s commitment to the preservation
of Oklahoma’s rich culture and heritage.
“Each year thousands of visitors have
the opportunity to experience and enjoy
irreplaceable treasures in institutions across
the state,” Susan Feller, co-project director of
the Oklahoma Cultural Heritage Trust, said.
“This program allows us to assist with ongoing
efforts to provide for the proper care of these
items and ensure their preservation to allow
future generations to continue to enjoy these
cherished treasures.”
The rare tintype photograph is one of 10
artifacts from institutions across Oklahoma
accepted into a program sponsored by the
trust. The program increases awareness and
support for items that illuminate, celebrate
and preserve the story of Oklahoma.
Organizations from across the state
nominated items for consideration. In
selecting the top 10, a committee considered
the uniqueness of the item and its importance
to Oklahoma. Additional consideration
was given to the level of commitment the
nominating organization has exhibited to
being good stewards of historical collections.
The other nine items accepted included
the Frank Griggs Cellulose Nitrate and
Acetate Negatives, circa 1938-1950 from the
Bartlesville Area History Museum; the Dr.
Orange Starr Collection, circa 1915 from
the Drumright Historical Society Museum;
Woodring Wall of Honor, circa 2000 from the
Woodring Wall of Honor; and the Oklahoma
Colored Agricultural & Normal University
teaching certificates book, circa early-1900s
from the Melvin B. Tolson Black Heritage
Center.
Jack Baker and Mary Ellen Meredith, delegates from the Cherokee National Historical
Society, accept the Cultural Heritage Stewardship Award alongside State Sen. Wayne
Shaw, right, recently at the Oklahoma State Capitol in Oklahoma City. COURTESY
20
CHEROKEE PHOENIX • September 2014
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2014