TimesNative
Volume 20 • Issue 14 April 7-13, 2014
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A FAding PoPulAtion
By JOHN HANNA
AP Political Writer
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) – A
proposal designed to bring
a state-owned casino to
southeast Kansas cleared
the state Legislature on
Wednesday and is going to
Gov. Sam Brownback.
The House approved a bill
that lowers the investment
required from a prospective
developer for a southeast
Kansas casino from $225
million to $50 million by a
vote of 84-36. The measure
also decreases an extra fee
charged by the state to a
developer to $5.5 million
from $25 million.
The Senate approved the
bill last week. Brownback
has not said whether
he’ll sign it, but the bill’s
passage capped five years of
work by southeast Kansas
legislators.
“This will be a job-maker
and bring more businesses
in,” said Rep. Michael
Houser, a Columbus
Republican whose district
includes the most likely site
for a new casino in the state’s
far southeast corner.
A 2007 law authorized
one state-owned casino
each in southeast Kansas
and the Wichita, Dodge
City and Kansas City areas.
The Kansas Lottery owns
Bill for luring casino to
southeast Kansas passes
By MATT VOLZ
Associated Press
HELENA, Mont. (AP)
– Tribal leaders from
Montana, Oklahoma,
Oregon and Washington
state told a congressional
panel Thursday that they feel
shut out of decisions being
made in a $1.9 billion land-
buyback program managed
by the U.S. Department of
Interior.
The buyback program is
the largest part of the $3.4
billion settlement in 2010 of
a class-action lawsuit filed by
Elouise Cobell of Browning,
Mt., over mismanaged
trust money held by the
government for individual
Indian landowners.
The buyback program
aims to turn over to tribes
fractionated land parcels
across the nation that
amassed multiple Indian
owners over more than a
century.
But the program, which
must be completed in 10
years from the settlement,
is progressing slowly despite
tribal leaders eager to get
started, five tribal leaders
told a U.S. House panel.
The Interior Department is
identifying parcels, entering
into cooperative agreements
to purchase the land and
turning the parcels over to
the tribes. The tribal leaders
said they know the land
and their people, so they
want to be more involved
in identifying parcels,
approaching landowners
and shaping cooperative
agreements.
But government officials
have been unresponsive,
said Mark Azure, president
of central Montana’s Fort
Belknap reservation.
“You pick up the phone,
and it’s a dead dial tone
there,” Azure said.
John Berrey, chairman
of the Quapaw tribe in
Oklahoma, said his tribe
already has done all the
preparatory work, identified
willing sellers and submitted
a proposed cooperative
agreement, but the Quapaw
has not yet been brought
into the program.
“We think we can help the
department with success if
Tribal leaders criticize land-buyback program
By SEAN MURPHY
Associated Press
OKLAHOMA CITY
(AP) – A plan to tap $40
million from the state’s
Unclaimed Property Fund
to pay for the completion of
a Native American museum
in Oklahoma City cleared
another legislative hurdle on
Monday, despite concerns
that the project won’t benefit
taxpayers across the state.
A Republican-controlled
House budget panel voted
8-2 to send the bill to the
full House Appropriations
and Budget Committee for a
vote. The plan would use the
$40 million from the state to
match another $40 million
in pledges from Oklahoma
City, each of the state’s 39
tribes, and corporate and
individual donors.
The Senate has already
passed the bill, but House
Speaker Jeff Hickman
reiterated last week that he
wants 51 of the 72 House
Republicans to support the
plan before he will schedule
it for a vote in the House.
The chamber’s 29 Democrats
already have pledged to
support the bill, but many
House conservatives remain
opposed to continued state
funding of the project.
“How is this going to
benefit all the parts of the
state’s economy?” asked
Oklahoma House panel OKs
$40M Indian museum plan
By KRISTI EATON
Associated Press
BRIGGS, Okla. (AP) – Mack Vann
sits in the living room of his single-
story home in rural Oklahoma with
the television blaring, a news reporter
giving details of the latest grisly crime
to hit the state.
But the 83-year-old Vann doesn’t
understand most of what the reporter
is saying. Vann, who speaks only
Cherokee, instead focuses on the
visitors to his home, many of whom
know only a few simple words of
Vann’s Native American language.
“Osiyo,” he says to his new visitors,
the Cherokee word for hello.
Vann is part of a fading population
of American Indians in Oklahoma
who speak only their Native American
language, no English. Though
Oklahoma was once known as
Indian Country and ranks second in
the nation in the number of Native
American residents, many of the
tribal languages are endangered or
vulnerable to falling out of use.
That’s what makes Native Americans
such as Vann, one of an estimated
50 Cherokee monolingual speakers
in eastern Oklahoma, all the more
interesting: They have somehow
preserved their cultural identity
through decades of pressure to
assimilate, and now tribal language
departments are turning to them to
help keep their languages alive for
future generations.
“They’re living treasures,” Cherokee
Nation Principal Chief Bill John Baker
says, “and it’s folks like him we bring in
to pick their brains and say, ‘OK, what
Tribes draw knowledge
from monolingual speakers
By MIKE COPPOCK
Associated Press
JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) –
The Alaska Senate Monday
unanimously passed a
resolution calling for the
construction of the American
Indian Veterans Memorial in
Washington, D.C.
The memorial will honor
American Indian, Alaska
Native, and Native Hawaiian
veterans who fought and
died in U.S. wars since the
American Revolution.
Senate Joint Resolution
19, sponsored by Sen. Bill
Wielechowski, a Democrat
from Anchorage, calls for
supporting the American
Indian Veterans Memorial
Initiative.
Wielechowkski noted that
of the 151,000 living Native
American veterans, some
5,500 are Alaska Natives.
In 2011 Florida Seminole
tribal member Stephen
Bowers, a Vietnam
combat veteran, launched
a national effort to have
the memorial constructed
near the Vietnam Wall
on the National Mall in
Washington, D.C.
Senate resolution support
building Native memorial
KRISTI EATON | ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO
Monolingual Cherokee speaker Mack Vann, 83, holds the start of a handmade bow in the backyard of his Briggs, Okla., home on March 14, 2014. Vann is part of a dwindling
population of Native Americans in Oklahoma who only speak their original traditional language. Tribal language departments are turning to fluent and monolingual
speakers to help translate tribal words into English in efforts to preserve the languages.
See BUYBACK on Page 2
See MUSEUM on Page 4
See CASINO on Page 6 See SPEAKERS on Page 4
n In December, the U.S.
Environmental Protection
Agency concluded a 1905 federal
law opening over 1 million acres
of the reservation to non-Indian
settlement didn’t extinguish its
reservation status.
CASPER, Wyo. (AP) – Wyoming’s two
U.S. senators are working on legislation to
prevent Riverton from being considered part
of the Wind River Reservation after a federal
agency ruled the city was on Indian land.
The bill would declare that the city’s
171,000 acres have never been part of the
reservation shared by the Eastern Shoshone
and Northern Arapaho and will remain
outside its borders, the Casper Star-Tribune
reported Wednesday.
The legal status of the land has been a
point of contentious disagreement for many
years between the tribes and state and local
governments over taxation issues as well as
criminal jurisdiction.
In December, the U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency concluded a 1905 federal
law opening over 1 million acres of the
reservation to non-Indian settlement didn’t
extinguish its reservation status.
The decision came in response to an
application from the tribes to treat the
reservation they share as a separate state for
purposes of implementing the federal Clean
Air Act.
The bill by Sens. Mike Enzi and John
Barrasso was drafted with the help of Gov.
Matt Mead’s office. It is being reviewed
and has not yet been introduced, said Enzi
spokesman Coy Knobel.
“Sen. Enzi doesn’t want to change the
current boundaries,” he said. “He wants to
make sure they stay as they have been for
decades.”
Mead has blasted the EPA decision, saying
it’s up to Congress to determine reservation
boundaries.
Northern Arapaho Business Council
member Al Addison said tribal members
have asked Enzi and the rest of the Wyoming
delegation to reconsider the bill.
“We are prepared to deal with this,” he said.
“But tribal members at Wind River should
not be misled. The people in leadership for
Wyoming are not our friends.”
The Eastern Shoshone seem less worried
about the bill. Tribal attorney general
Kimberley Varilek said such legislation can
avoid costly litigation.
“I think once the tribe has the chance to
review the proposed bill they will certainly
reach out to the congressional delegation
and engage with the senators and the state
of Wyoming in regards to the impacts across
the board,” Varilek said.
they would just come to the
table and meet with me,” he
said.
Lawrence Roberts, the
deputy assistant secretary
for Indian affairs in the
Interior Department, said
the agency is looking to
streamline the process
after hearing complaints of
it being burdensome and
complex.
The buyback program so
far has sent purchase offers
to about 18,000 Indian
landowners on the Pine
Ridge Reservation in South
Dakota, Roberts said. The
equivalent of about 40,000
acres has been returned
to tribes in the past four
months, he said.
Land fractionation was
caused by the 1887 Dawes
Act, which split tribal lands
into individual allotments
of 80- to 160-acre parcels, in
most cases. Those allotments
were inherited by multiple
heirs with each passing
generation, leaving tens of
thousands of parcels with
hundreds or even thousands
of owners.
Using or leasing those
tracts requires approval of
all the owners, so often they
sit without being developed.
Also testifying before the
House Natural Resources
Subcommittee on Indian
and Alaska Native Affairs
were Michael Finley of the
Confederated Tribes of the
Colville Reservation, Gary
Burke of the Umatilla Indian
Reservation and Grant
Stafne of the Fort Peck
Reservation.
2 | APRIL 7 - APRIL 13, 2014 | NAtIve AmeRIcAN tImes |
COURTESY PHOTO
The new Cherokee Nation Veterans Center
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John Berrey
BUYBACK
Continued from Page 1
TAHLEQUAH, Okla.
(AP) – The Cherokee
Nation has opened a $2
million center in Tahlequah
for military veterans.
The 8,700-square-foot
Cherokee Nation Veterans
Center has a community
room, library, kitchen and
sunroom. It was funded by
the Cherokee Nation and
is open Monday through
Friday for military veterans
to visit or seek guidance
from the tribe’s office of
Veteran Affairs.
Center manager Ricky
Robinson says a lot of
veterans just want to
talk, often about their
experiences. Robinson
says they can do that at the
center, but that it can also
help them get help from a
licensed counselor in the
tribe or through Veterans
Affairs.
The Cherokee Nation
estimates there are more
than 4,000 Cherokee
veterans.
Cherokee nation opens
new center for veterans
State senators working on bill to move reservation boundary
Sen. Mike Enzi
| NAtIve AmeRIcAN tImes | APRIL 7 - APRIL 13, 2014 | 3
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enrolled citizen of the Cherokee Nation
of Oklahoma. The Native Times is not
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By FELICIA FONSECA
Associated Press
FLAGSTAFF, Ariz.
(AP) — Navajo Nation
lawmakers voted Friday
to place their legislative
leader on indefinite paid
administrative leave rather
than oust him, months after
he was charged with bribery
and conspiracy.
Prosecutors allege that
Johnny Naize and other
tribal officials engaged in a
scheme to divert tribal funds
to their families. Naize has
denied wrongdoing.
Lawmakers met in a
special session in Window
Rock to consider legislation
sponsored by Alton Joe
Shepherd to remove Naize
from the post he’s held since
2011. The amendments to
Shepherd’s measure came
as a compromise, some
lawmakers said, because
Naize’s criminal case hasn’t
wrapped up in tribal court.
Under the revisions
brought forth after the
executive session, Naize
will continue to draw the
speaker’s $55,000 annual
salary and retain his position
as a lawmaker on the Navajo
Nation Council, but he will
not oversee council sessions
or legislative staff.
“We, again, want to see a
different direction and this is
one way to start,” Shepherd
said following the vote.
Naize questioned the
legality of the council’s action
and said he would challenge
it in tribal court.
Nothing in Navajo law
speaks specifically to placing
the speaker of the council
on administrative leave,
nor does it specify a vote
requirement, attorneys for
the legislative branch and
the tribe’s Department of
Justice said. But Navajo
law gives broad discretion
to lawmakers to discipline
council members, the
attorneys said.
Removing a speaker
from office requires a
two-thirds vote of the
24-member council, or 16
votes. Lawmakers sought
the advice of attorneys
on what was required for
administrative leave and
passed the legislation by a
simple majority vote, 12-0.
Staunch supporters of Naize
left the council chambers
without voting.
Naize said the action, if
allowed to stand, “would
make a mockery of our laws
and legal process.
“I am confident the
courts will protect our
nation’s institutions and
laws from what amounts to
an illegal overthrow of our
government,” he said.
An attempt earlier this
year to unseat Naize as
speaker failed to get enough
votes to pass. Shepherd said
his intent was to preserve the
integrity of the speaker’s post
and the image of the Tribal
Council.
He said he didn’t exactly
foresee a challenge, but “with
anything, we have to take it
as it is.”
Naize’s second, two-year
term as speaker was set to
expire in January. He has said
he will not seek re-election
to the Tribal Council after
serving four terms.
The lawmakers chose
LoRenzo Bates, head of the
council’s Budget and Finance
Committee, as speaker pro-
tem.
Prosecutors allege that
Naize and several other
current and former council
delegates conspired to divert
roughly $74,000 from a
now-defunct discretionary
fund to their families. The
money was intended to
assist elderly Navajos, people
facing extreme hardship and
students seeking financial
aid. Criminal complaints
allege that Naize’s family
received about $37,000 in
exchange for his providing
a nearly identical amount to
members of other families
in the years before he was
elected speaker.
Some of the roughly 30
people who faced criminal
charges or ethics violations
in the investigation have
settled their cases while
others await trial. Some have
pleaded guilty and agreed to
aid prosecutors.
Shepherd renewed his
legislative effort to remove
Naize from the speaker’s
post after former lawmaker
Raymond Joe pleaded guilty
to conspiracy to commit
bribery and named Naize as
a co-conspirator.
Naize suggested that
prosecutors took advantage
of Joe, who was not
represented by an attorney
in the case.
The council has not
taken action against any of
its members since the late
1980s when it ousted former
Chairman Peter MacDonald
because of a corruption
scandal. The tribe later
established a three-branch
government.
Lawmakers place council speaker on leave
Johnny Naize
BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) – One of two suspects
in the killing of a single mother on the Northern
Cheyenne Indian Reservation pleaded not guilty
Wednesday to charges of murder and aggravated
sexual abuse.
Clad in white prison garb and shackles, Garrett
Sidney Wadda entered his plea at a hearing attended
by dozens of relatives of victim Hanna Harris, 21,
who disappeared on July 4. Her body was found
four days later southwest of Lame Deer.
Several relatives of Harris broke into sobs as
Wadda entered the courtroom flanked by U.S.
marshals.
“I just hate him, knowing that he’s guilty,” Theda
Foote, the victim’s grandmother, said outside
court. “It isn’t closure yet, but at least we’re one
step closer to closure.”
Authorities have been tight-lipped about the
circumstances surrounding the death of Harris,
and an indictment filed in the case offered few
details.
The charge of aggravated sexual abuse indicates
that authorities believe Wadda forced the victim to
engage in a sexual act.
Co-defendant Eugenia Ann Rowland was
arrested and detained last week in South Dakota.
She faces a count of second-degree murder.
Both defendants face potential life sentences if
convicted.
Family members of Harris said Wadda and
Rowland were the last two people seen with her
before she disappeared. The suspects were seen
packing a pickup truck with their belongings and
leaving town while the search for the Harris was
underway, said Kateri Foote, an aunt of Harris.
It was unclear how Harris came into contact
with the suspects. Theda Foote and other family
members said they did not know each other.
At the hearing, U.S. District Court Magistrate
Judge Carolyn Ostby appointed public defender
Steve Babcock to represent Wadda.
About a month after Harris’ body was found,
frustration with the pace of the investigation
prompted a rally and march in Lame Deer attended
by about 200 people.
The victim’s mother, Melinda Harris Limberhand,
demanded justice for victims of unsolved murders
on reservations across the U.S.
Even in the wake of last week’s arrests, relatives
of Harris expressed lingering disappointment with
how the case was handled.
“For this it took months,” said Merlin Sioux, a
member of the Northern Cheyenne Tribal Council
and a distant uncle of the victim.
Suspect denies guilt in reservation murder case
4 | APRIL 7 - APRIL 13, 2014 | NAtIve AmeRIcAN tImes |
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MUSEUM
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Rep. Charles Ortega, R-Altus, whose rural district is more
than 130 miles from the museum site along the banks of the
Oklahoma River at the intersection of interstates 35 and 40.
Ortega and Rep. Dale Dewitt, R-Braman, opposed the
bill.
Preparations on the 210-acre museum site began nearly
two decades ago, and more than $95 million already has
been spent on the project, which has been plagued with cost
overruns and mismanagement.
Rep. David Dank, R-Oklahoma City, who sponsors the bill
in the House, said the project is more than just a museum
and will tell a critical part of Oklahoma’s story to the rest of
the world.
“This is about us,” said Dank, who recalled the forced
relocation of Indians from several tribes to modern-day
Oklahoma during the Trail of Tears in the 1830s. “This is
about our heritage. This is about what we are as a state.”
–––
Online:
Senate Bill 1651: http://bit.ly/1nLlOZc
ANADARKO, Okla. – A federal
judge denied a claimant tribal leader’s
request for an emergency restraining
order against a BIA court Tuesday.
Citing the statutory limitations of
the lower court, Brenda Edwards,
one of two claimant chairmen of the
Caddo Nation, filed for a emergency
temporary restraining order last
month with the Western District
of Oklahoma against the Court of
Indian Offenses at the Bureau of
Indian Affairs’ Anadarko agency.
Re-elected as chairwoman last
summer, Edwards was subject to a
recall petition within weeks of taking
office. Since then, the tribe has had two
factions claiming to be its legitimate
authority. One administration,
currently led by Anthony Cotter, is
working out of the Caddo Nation
complex. The other, led by Edwards,
is off-site.
As per federal statute, the Court
of Indian Offenses cannot adjudicate
election disputes, take jurisdiction
over lawsuits involving the tribe
or referee internal government
disputes unless the tribe grants the
court the authority to do so. The two
governments have passed conflicting
resolutions concerning the Court of
Indian Affairs’ relationship with the
Caddo Nation’s affairs. The Cotter
administration has granted the
court jurisdiction while the Edwards
administration has filed paperwork
to have the tribe removed from the
court’s oversight.
Meanwhile, the Court of Indian
Offenses is considering evidence
to potentially issue a permanent
injunction that would bar Edwards
from conducting business on the tribe’s
behalf. Judge Phil Lujan handed down
a temporary injunction last month
that, among other things, prohibits the
claimant chairwoman from spending
any tribal funds or grants.
Noting the restrictions on the BIA
court in his April 1 order, District Judge
Timothy DeGuisti pointed out that
the Edwards administration is actively
participating in the Court of Indian
Offenses’ proceedings. “Plaintiffs
continue to raise the jurisdictional
challenge in the CFR (Code of Federal
Regulations) proceedings and have
the opportunity to obtain relief in that
forum,” he wrote. “Plaintiffs also have
the ability to seek to stay enforcement
on injunctive relief ordered in the CFR
proceedings. Thus, Plaintiffs are not
without relief.
“At this early stage in these
proceedings, Plaintiffs have failed to
meet their burden of demonstrating
that the requirements for issuance of
a temporary restraining order…are
met.”
With Edwards lacking access to the
tribal complex for about six months,
DeGuisti also noted that the court’s
temporary injunction could not be the
cause of immediate and irreparable
harm to her authority and ability to act
as the tribe’s chairwoman.
After an evidentiary hearing Monday
on the injunction application, the
Court of Indian Offenses amended the
temporary order to allow Edwards to
sign paychecks for the approximately
55 employees on her administration’s
payroll. The hearing is scheduled to
continue on April 30.
The initial injunction request before
the lower court stems from a March
10 Caddo Tribal Council meeting
affiliated with the Cotter government.
Twenty-one tribal citizens – one more
than the constitutionally-required
minimum for quorum -- signed off on
bringing a case forward to the Court
of Indian Affairs.
Headquartered in Binger, the Caddo
Nation has about 5,500 enrolled
citizens.
Federal judge denies restraining order in Caddo
dispute, hearing scheduled to continue April 30
LENZY KREHBIEL-
BURTON
Native Times
PAWHUSKA, Okla. –
With more than 20 people
coming forward, the filing
period for potential members
of the fourth Osage Nation
Congress closed March 31.
Pending certification by
the Osage Nation Election
Board, 21 candidates have
submitted paperwork to run
for the six seats on the June 2
general election ballot.
Listed in chronological
order by when they filed for
office, the candidates include:
Alice Buffalohead, Dr.
Ron Shaw, Otto Hamilton,
Michael Kidder, Tony
Whitehorn, Clair Wood,
Doug Cowan, Troy Big Eagle
II, Daniel Boone, Angela
Pratt, William “Kugee”
Supernaw, James Norris,
Beverly Brownfield, Teresa
Bates Rutherford, W. Jacque
Jones, Justin Mays, John Star
Bighorse, Rick Luttrell, John
Free, Joe Connor and Cecilia
Tallchief.
Buffalohead, Boone,
Supernaw and Free are
members of the third Osage
Nation Congress.
March 31 was also the
deadline for potential Osage
Minerals Council candidates
to pick up paperwork from
the council’s election office to
run for one of the eight seats
up for grabs this summer.
Candidates must submit a
petition by 4:30 p.m. Monday
with at least 25 shareholder
signatures on it in order to
be included on the ballot.
As of Friday, 14 candidates,
including six incumbents,
have submitted completed
paperwork, including signed
shareholder petitions.
As per the tribe’s election
code, there will not be a
primary to narrow the field,
with the top six finishers
taking the oath of office
on July 2. Absentee ballot
requests for the general
election are due May 5.
Absentee ballot requests
for the June 2 Osage
Minerals Council election
are due May 23. For more
information or to request
an absentee ballot, call the
Minerals Council election
office at 918-287-5288.
Absentee ballot requests for
Minerals Council elections
must be renewed in writing
each election cycle.
A debate for Minerals
Council candidates is
scheduled for April 26 at
the Wah-Zha-Zhe Cultural
Center in Pawhuska. The
Congressional candidates’
debate is the following
weekend at the same
location.
Osage filing period closes,
voters have 21 candidates
do you call the white oak tree? What
do you call the other medicine
trees? What’s the Cherokee word
for them? What’s the old word
for them?’ And the more we can
pick their brains and the more the
translation department can put it
down, the more we can put it in
not only hardback but on the web
or a platform (and) the closer we’re
coming to not even losing words.”
The Cherokee Nation has
been at the forefront of language
preservation. In the last few years,
the tribe’s language department has
worked to get the language added
to Microsoft Windows 8, Google
Gmail, and Apple’s iPhone and iPad.
Most recently, a dozen Cherokee
speakers spent last year translating
150,000 modern English terms into
Cherokee so people can use the
language on Microsoft Office web
apps including Microsoft Word,
Excel, PowerPoint and OneNote.
To make all that happen, the
tribe draws upon the knowledge of
speakers such as Vann, a descendant
of Andrew Ross, the brother of
Cherokee Chief John Ross, who
led thousands of Cherokees to
Indian Country during their forced
removal from the southeastern
United States.
Vann, who grew up in Greasy, a
predominantly Native American
community in eastern Oklahoma,
learned some English in school but
dropped out after the fourth grade
to help with the family farm and
slowly lost the ability to speak it.
Now, he says, he’s too old to learn
it. Instead, friends and family help
him translate when he needs help.
Vann, whose wife died several
years ago, worked at the Cherokee
Heritage Center for years and
continues to sell handmade bows.
Speaking through a translator in
the backyard of his Briggs home,
Vann, a member of the United
Keetoowah Band of Cherokee
Indians, says he would like more
children to learn to speak Cherokee.
He speaks with two young children
on a regular basis in hopes of
helping them learn the language.
“Everybody is just changing their
ways and not really concentrating
on our culture,” he says.
And as more tribal members like
Vann age, it becomes increasingly
important for tribes to preserve
their vast cultural knowledge.
In January, the Chickasaw Nation,
another large Oklahoma tribe,
announced the passing of their
last monolingual speaker, Emily
Johnson Dickerson, 93. Dickerson,
who died at her Ada home in late
December, was among only about
70 fluent Chickasaw speakers.
“Emily Dickerson was a
treasured elder who held the
Chickasaw language and ways of
life close to her heart,” Chickasaw
Nation Gov. Bill Anoatubby said
in a statement. “This is a sad day
for all Chickasaw people because
we have lost a cherished member
of our Chickasaw family and an
unequalled source of knowledge
about our language and culture.”
SPEAKERS
Continued from Page 1
TOM WITHERS
AP Sports Writer
CLEVELAND (AP) — As excited
baseball fans, many of them wearing
Cleveland’s smiling Chief Wahoo
logo, headed into Progressive Field
for Friday’s home opener, a smaller
group stood by unable to share their
enthusiasm.
Holding hand-painted signs that
read, “We Are Not Honored,” and
“Our Children Are Not Mascots,” a
contingent of Native Americans and
some of their supporters demonstrated
against the Indians’ use of their red-
faced Wahoo logo.
The protesters, who have been
gathering outside the ballpark’s
entrances on opening day for years
to voice their displeasure about the
team’s use of the long-standing logo,
stayed behind barricades as Indians
fans walked by for the game against
the Minnesota Twins.
Robert Roche, executive director
of the American Indian Education
Center, is adamant the team should
abolish the logo permanently.
“The issue is simple,” said the
66-year-old Roche, his hair braided
with white threads. “We are not
mascots. I’m nobody’s mascot. My
children are not mascots. It mocks
us as a race of people. It mocks our
religion.”
Roche and other organizers believe
the protest is gaining support because
of the growing national debate over
sports mascots. The Washington
Redskins have received harsh criticism
for their nickname, and several
colleges and high schools have made
changes to their logos, mascots and
nicknames.
“If you’re looking at the average
opening day fan, actually I see a little
bit of a difference,” said Sundance, a
member of the Muscogee tribe, who
has been protesting on opening day
since 2008. “I see that there are a lot
of people who have refrained from
wearing Wahoo much more than in
previous opening days, but I also see
that there are a lot more people who
have come out with the most bigoted
Wahoo that they could find.”
There wasn’t much exchange
between the groups in the hours
leading up to the first pitch. However,
a few fans yelled out derogatory
comments toward the protesters, who
either ignored them or disarmed them
with compliments.
The Indians have made Chief Wahoo
less visible in recent years, even adding
a “Block C” to their inventory of logos.
Roche, though, said the team’s efforts
to minimize Wahoo “are a facade.”
Sundance finds more than the
Indians’ logo offensive.
“We want the logo gone. We want
the team name changed,” he said. “You
can’t do one without the other. There
is this propaganda around Cleveland
that somehow they are honoring us
by having a team named the Indians
and the Wahoo logo. So the tide is
turning, the wind is changing. They
feel that perhaps the Wahoo logo is
not honoring us, but somehow the
team name is and they haven’t listened
to the message.”
Roche feels the movement to abolish
Wahoo has grown.
“I do see a change, a slow change,”
he said. “It’s progressively happening.
The young people are more in tune to
it, where a lot of these older people
grew up with it and so did their
parents. We have nothing against the
game. I know it will change in time. I
hope it changes before I die.”
Native Americans, others protest Indians’ logo
| NAtIve AmeRIcAN tImes | APRIL 7 - APRIL 13, 2014 | 5
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LENZY KREHBIEL-BURTON
Native Times
OKLAHOMA CITY – For at least the
month of April, OETA’s lineup is going
Native.
Featuring segments from the Osage,
Cherokee, Ponca and Choctaw Nations,
as well as the Kiowa and Cheyenne and
Arapaho Tribes, “Native Oklahoma” is
a 30-minute pilot program set to debut
this month on Oklahoma’s largest public
television network.
“I’m really excited,” Cheyenne and Arapaho
TV Content Producer Darren Brown said.
“Don’t think this has ever been done before.
If it has, I’m not aware of it and I’ve been in
TV for more than 30 years.”
The idea for the pilot stems in part from
a change in leadership at the Oklahoma
Educational Television Authority. When
Dan Schiedel became the executive director
of OETA in November 2012, the station’s
administrators took a long look at the
network’s programming line-up and hit the
road on a listening tour, soliciting feedback
from OETA viewers across Oklahoma.
“We got lots and lots of feedback,” Schiedel
said of the tour. “We heard lots of requests
for more Native-focused content, including
language, culture and history.”
That feedback eventually led to a summer
2013 meeting among representatives from
OETA and several tribes’ communication
departments about possibly utilizing
footage already being produced for tribal
communities on a larger scale and eventually,
the pilot was born. The show’s title was
eventually selected by an online poll and has
no connection to the Native Times’ sister
magazine of the same name.
Thanks to the Cheyenne and Arapaho
Tribes’ low-power public television station
based near El Reno, Okla., CATV Director of
Operations Randy Burleson and Brown took
the lead on the program’s production front,
including coordinating video submission
and editing the finished product. With
the participating tribes sending in stories
with a wide array of topics and lengths, the
pair’s production responsibilities included
shooting brief introductory segments to help
tie it all together.
“There’s an audience out there for this kind
of product,” Brown said. “Oklahomans say all
the time that we’ve got a rich history, but it’s
true. We’ve got so many different tribes and
we barely scratched the surface with this. The
people who watch OETA are looking for stuff
like that – if you’re watching that versus say,
‘Two and a Half Men,’ you’re definitely in the
right frame of mind.”
The show made its world premiere at
the Native Media Summit Thursday night
at Norman campus of the University of
Oklahoma. The pilot episode is scheduled
to air four times throughout the month of
April, with the show’s future beyond that
first episode still uncertain. Although there
is interest at OETA in making the program
a regular part of the network’s schedule,
there is the ever-present question of securing
sufficient funding for the production side,
as well as the challenge of engaging more of
the state’s tribes to participate and contribute
content.
“There are so many more tribes in
Oklahoma,” Brown said. “If there are another
six or seven interested, that’s another 30
minute show right there. I know they don’t all
have production departments, but if you can
just get a fraction of those tribes involved, it
could easily be a quarterly show. The fact that
OETA is willing to give it air time and their
general manager (Schiedel) is willing to get
on board is huge.”
“We are really interested in getting more
of our tribes involved with OETA and try to
bring about more of what they’re producing
to the people of Oklahoma,” Schiedel said.
“Look at our schedule – we don’t have that
many American Indian stories or voices on
our air. They represent such a great, strong
people in the state of Oklahoma that we
should be hearing more about them.”
– As of press time, the pilot for “Native
Oklahoma” is scheduled to air four times in
April. Those times are:
April 10 at 7 p.m.•
April 15 at 9:30 p.m.•
April 24 at 7 p.m.•
April 27 at 11:30 p.m.•
OETA launching Native themed programming in April
Commentary t t t t t
Cherokee Chat
By CARA COWAN WATTS
Cherokee Nation citizens
throughout the 14-counties and
outside of the Tribe often have a
local community group who meets
monthly offering Cherokee culture,
community, language and govern-
ment.
In Rogers and Tulsa Counties,
we have the Tulsa Cherokee Com-
munity Organization (TCCO),
Victory Cherokee Organization
(VCO) and Rogers County Chero-
kee Association (RCCA) who meet
monthly.
TCCO meets, monthly, on the
first Tuesday of each month at
6:30pm at the Tulsa Indian United
Methodist Church, 1901 North
College. Enjoy brief, monthly,
historical presentations by noted
Tribal Elder and Historian, Mary-
belle Chase. Social time begins at
6pm. At Large Councilmembers
Jack Baker and Julia Coates are
members and may attend meetings.
Chairperson, George Hoos, may be
reached at P.O. Box 582363, Tulsa,
OK 74158-2353, tulsacherokees@
gmail.com or on Facebook.
VCO of Collinsville meets,
monthly, on the second Tuesday of
each month at 6:30pm. For BINGO
fundraising nights on Thursdays
following their monthly meeting,
contact VCO. VCO meets in their
own community building with sur-
rounding land for stickball, picnics,
Hog Fry events and a historical
Cherokee cemetery maintained by
VCO volunteers. VCO is located at
1025 North 12th in Collinsville on
the Northwest side of town past the
new Collinsville Food Distribution
site. Chairperson, Keith Holland,
may be reached at P.O. Box 298,
Collinsville, OK 74021, victory-
cherokee@att.net, http://victory-
cherokee.org or on Facebook.
RCCA in Tiawah, typically,
meets the second Sunday of each
month at 2pm. RCCA meets in
their own community building
with surrounding land for stick-
ball, picnics, Hog Fry events and
Cherokee marbles. Map the build-
ing online at the RCCA website or
map address 15488 East 523 Road,
Claremore, OK to the historical
Cherokee community of Tiawah,
USA between Claremore and Inola.
To contact President, Bob McCuis-
tian, write P.O. Box 142, Claremore,
OK 74018, call Vice-President,
Beverly Cowan, at (918) 760-1735
or email beverlycowan@sbcglobal.
net. For more about RCCA, go to
http://rogerscountycherokees.org/
or visit Facebook.
RCCA will meet on Sunday,
April 13, 2014, for a Clean-Up Day
at Building where college students
may earn community service hours
for their Tribal scholarships. On
May 4, 2014 which is early due to
Mother’s Day, RCCA is hosting a
hands-on Cherokee double-walled
basket class for members. Satur-
day, June 7, 2014, will be the Annu-
al Hog Fry to honor graduating Se-
niors from local High Schools and
RSU plus the RCCA RSU Scholar-
ship Recipient. On Sunday, July 13,
2014, RCCA will host a Watermel-
on Bust and Family Potluck Picnic,
Stickball, Marbles and Cornhusk
Dolls. On Sunday, August 10,
2014, Gourd Painting with David
Scott which requires an RSVP. On
Sunday, October 12, 2014, nomi-
nation of officers and contempo-
rary Cherokee History with former
Chief Ross Swimmer. On Sunday,
November 9, 2014, election of of-
ficers and Holiday Family Potluck,
honor Veterans and annual Volun-
teer Awards. No September or De-
cember meeting.
At each of the three monthly
meetings, Councilman Lee Keener
and I provide a verbal legislative
update and answer constituent
questions or listen to concerns.
Cara Cowan Watts is an elected
Tribal legislator within the Chero-
kee Nation for portions of Rogers
and Tulsa Counties.
Cherokee culture and community meetings near you
Enter for a chance to win a pair of
GeorGe Strait ticketS
at Muscogee Creek Nation Travel Plazas
Okmulgee Travel
Plaza Give-Away
Friday April 11th
10a.m.-12p.m.
with KOKL doing a live
broadcast!
Muskogee Travel
Plaza Give-Away
Saturday April 12th
3p.m.-5p.m.
Come see if you’re a winner and have some fun with our participating vendors
Pepsi, Coke, Love Bottling, Frito-Lay, Monster, Budweiser, and One Fire Casino.
They will be onsite doing some free taste testing and give-aways!
Enter for your chance to win a pair of George Strait tickets at either one of our Creek
Nation Travel Plazas. No requirement is necessary to register.
LISA SNELL
Native Times Publisher
I’ve been putting this week
off for awhile now. Business
was bad for me last Fall and
Winter. I’ve been forced to
watch the bottom line with
a sharper eye this year and
each week I’ve found myself
asking the Creator, “Is this
the week it goes down?”
From week to week the
difference between yes and
no has been a single adver-
tising order or the promise
of a few orders in the weeks
to come.
People often ask me, “How
can you put this paper out
for free week after week?”
The answer is “advertising”
and not many businesses ad-
vertised last Fall and Winter.
I had to skip two weeks in
December because the ads
I did have simply weren’t
enough to cover the cost of
printing, much less the cost
of distributing the paper.
It helps that I don’t rent of-
fice space or have a support
staff to pay. But the trade off
has been too many week-
ends holed up in my office
instead of enjoying the time
with my family. Something
had to change.
You may have noticed the
price of 50¢ on the front of
your newspaper. I thought
that if enough papers sold
each week, it would cover
the cost of printing and dis-
tribution. Brilliant idea in
theory. It didn’t work out so
brilliantly.
As Kenny Rogers sings,
“You gotta know when to
fold ‘em.” It’s time to fold and
change tables.
I’m sad to see it go. I prefer
a newspaper to a computer
screen. But I’ll keep the news
coming - online at www.na-
tivetimes.com. And I’ll still
be around publishing Native
Oklahoma Magazine each
month and posting online at
www.nativeoklahoma.us.
If you’re a subscriber, I hope
you’ll enjoy Native Oklahoma
Magazine in place of the Na-
tive Times. If not, please call
me at 918-708-5838 so I can
refund the balance of your
subscription. I’m sorry for the
inconvenience.
Native Times going online only,
final print edition this week
6 | APRIL 7 - APRIL 13, 2014 | NAtIve AmeRIcAN tImes |
NATIONAL INDIAN
GRANT DIRECTORY
Two volumes, over 820 pages. Descriptions of 550 foundations,
corporations, religious organizations, and others who make grants to
Indians. This is the fourth and final edition of this book, first published
in 1983.
CATCHING THE DREAM
8200 Mountain Road, NE, Suite 203
Albuquerque NM 87110
Phone (505) 262-2351, e-mail
CTD4DeanChavers@aol.com or Joy Noll at
NSCholarsh@aol.com.
Cost $99.95 each, plus $3.50 shipping and handling.
FOR SALE
Follow
Us!
www.twitter.com/nativetimes
Classifieds t t t t t t
EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES
The Iowa Tribe of Oklahoma,
located South of Stillwater,
is accepting applications for
the following positions in the
Perkins, oK area:
Court Administrator
Gaming Commission
Compliance Officer
Internal Control Auditor
Maintenance Director
Community Health Nurse
Contract Health Specialist
View job descriptions
under government/Human
Resources/Job Postings at
www.iowanation.org
Great Benefits! Health, dental,
Vision, group life, Flex, 401(k)
with employer match, sick,
vacation, holidays, Std, ltd,
Voluntary life, Accident &
Cancer plans.
Apply online at www.
iowanation.org/jobs
* click on the position to apply *
equal employment Opportunity employer
native American preference
Native American
Scholarship
Assistance
Native students should apply for all the funds they are
eligible for. We will help you with your scholarship
search, NO CHARGE. We will also help you develop
your essay, NO CHARGE. Log on to our website and
read the instructions, then print out the application.
Seniors in high school should start the process as soon
as they are in school. The scholarship season is October
to April, so get busy. Contact Dr. Dean Chavers or Ms.
Joy Noll any time. We want to hear from you as early
as the sixth grade.
CATCHING THE DREAM
8200 Mountain Road, NE, Suite 203
Albuquerque NM 87110
Phone (505) 262-2351, fax (505) 262-0534
www.catchingthedream.org
SERVICES
We are pleased to announce that a waiting list is being
created for Linden Knolls Apartments, a five story building
with 99 affordable apartments.
These units are located at 261 South Franklin Street, Hemp-
stead, NY 11550.
Rents will range from $1100 -$1600 per month for one bed-
room, two bedroom and three bedroom apartments. Unit rents
are determined by annual income.
The maximum annual income for a single person household will be $44,160, a
two member household is $50,460, a three member household is $56,760, a four
member household is $63,060, a five member household is $68,160, and a six
member household is $73,200.
LINDEN KNOLLS APARTMENTS
To be eligible for occupancy, all prospective tenant incomes must be verified
and certified by onsite housing staff.
For an application, please call (800) 240-6388 or visit www.lindenknolls.us.
Submit your name, address, and telephone number.
An application will be mailed to you.
Only one application per household may be submitted. No Brokers.
APPLICATIONS MUST BE POSTMARKED
NO LATER THAN APRIL 25, 2014
Darryl C. Towns, Commissioner/CEO,
New York State Homes and Community Renewal
The Fair Housing Act prohibits discrimination in the sale, rental, or financing of housing on
the basis of race,color, religion, sex, handicap, familial status, or national origin. Federal
law also prohibits discriminationon the basis of age. This apartment
community does not discriminate on the basis of handicap/disability
status. The management coordinates compliance with the nondis-
crimination requirements contained in HUD’s Regulations imple-
menting Section 504 (24 CFR part 8 dated June 2, 1988
FOR RENT
SECRETARY/RECEPTIONIST
The U.S. Attorney’s Office is
seeking to fill one Secretary
vacancy to assist administrative
functions and provide receptionist
support. Beginning salary is
$35,256 annually. See vacancy
announcement 14-OKW-1079624-
DE at www.usajobs.gov for
specific information. Applications
must be submitted on-line or by
fax. See “How to Apply” section
of announcement for specific
information. Questions may
be directed to Lisa Engelke,
Administrative Officer, (405) 553-
8777. Open application period is
April 1, 2014 through April 7, 2014.
MUSEUM AID
The U.S. Department of the
Interior/Indian Arts and Crafts
Board is announcing an exciting
opportunity to serve as a Museum
Aid at the Southern Plains Indian
Museum in Anadarko, Oklahoma.
Are you interested in the historical
preservation of Native American
artifacts in a museum setting? If
so, this could be the job for you!
If you are interested in applying
for this position it will be open
from March 31, 2014 through April
14, 2014. To apply, please visit
https://www.usajobs.gov/GetJob/
ViewDetails/365194200
EXECUTIVE ASSISTANT
The Kiowa Tribe of Oklahoma Business Office will begin accepting applications
for Executive Assistant. The incumbent will be under the direct supervision of
the Executive Director. The incumbent will serve as an assistant to the Kiowa
Business Committee and KBC Chairman. The incumbent is responsible for a wide
variety of special assignments, most of which involve confidential, sensitive
an/or complex issues which can have an significant impact on the Kiowa Tribe
of Oklahoma. QUALIFICATIONS: Must possess an Associates Degree (A.A.) or
equivalent from a two-year college or technical school; or six months to one
year related experience and/or training; or equivalent combination of education
and experience. REQUIREMENTS: Must possess a Valid Oklahoma drivers license.
Must submit to and pass a OSBI background check and drug testing. APPLY AT:
The Kiowa Tribe of Oklahoma Personnel Department, P.O. Box 369,Carnegie, OK
73015 or call for an application at (580)654-2300 extension 356/360. CLOSING
DATE: April 18, 2014 C.O.B. EOE UP PL-93-638 INDIAN PREFERENCE APPLIES
TRANSPORTATION DIRECTOR
The Kiowa Tribe of Oklahoma Transportation Department will begin accepting
applications for a Transportation Director. The incumbent will be under the
direct supervision of the Executive Director. The incumbent will be responsible
for the overall administration of the Tribal Transportation Program grant and
all applicable laws. QUALIFICATIONS: Preferred- Bachelor’s degree in Civil
Engineering or closely related engineering field or Masters Degree in Civil
Engineering or Registered Professional Engineer. Minimum- Bachelor’s Degree,
three (3) years experience managing the design, construction, or maintenance
of a transportation system. Two (2) years supervisory experience of at least
five (5) full time employees. REQUIREEMENTS: Must possess a valid Oklahoma
Drivers License. Must submit to and pass an OSBI background check and Drug
Testing. Salary range $25.00 ph to $38.00 ph. APPLY AT: The Kiowa Tribe of
Oklahoma Personnel Department, P.O. Box 369, Carnegie, OK 73015 or call for
an application at 580-654-2300 extension 356/360. CLOSING DATE: May 5, 2014
C.O.B. EOE UP PL-93-638 INDIAN PREFERENCE APPLIES
ADA – Ofi’ Tohbi’, the legendary
white dog who protected the
Chickasaw people while they
searched for a homeland centuries
ago, is back on the job with new
orders to follow.
This time, he’s breaking trail
for children on an educational
excursion through Chickasaw
Country, and posing
as the symbol for the
Chickasaw Nation’s new
creative literary venture.
Chickasaw Journeys,
an activities book aimed
at youngsters, is hot off
White Dog Press, a new
imprint under Chickasaw
Press.
Children and even
parents will learn a thing
or two from the book, said
Chickasaw Press Director
Wiley Barnes.
With winter showing
signs of exhaustion,
Chickasaw Journeys offers
a guide for spring and
summer exploration at
four cultural destinations
special to Chickasaw
people, and takes
children of all ages on an
educational adventure
through Chickasaw
Country.
The book includes
questions, mazes, word
games and more activities,
all based on Chickasaw
history, language and
culture, for kids to complete during
trips to Chickasaw the Chickasaw
Council House, the Chickasaw
Historic Capitol, the Chickasaw
White House and the Chickasaw
Cultural Center, Barnes said. Ofi’
Tohbi’ can also be found at the
destinations.
Each reader who completes the
puzzles and tasks during visits to
the four destinations will receive a
commemorative oksop (bead) and
a stamp to fill in blanks in the book.
Each participant who completes his
or her book will become an official
member of the Ofi’ Tohbi’ Club,
earning a commemorative patch
and a collector’s coin.
Chickasaw Journeys is available
for purchase at:
Chickasaw Council House, 209
N. Fisher, Tishomingo, Okla.;
Chickasaw Historic Capitol, 411
W. Ninth St., Tishomingo, Okla;
Chickasaw White House, 6379 E.
Mansion Road, Milburn, Okla.;
Chickasaw Press, 1500 Hoppe
Blvd, Suite 1, Ada Okla.;
Chickasaw Arts and Humanities,
201 N. Broadway, Ada, Okla; and
Chickasaw Cultural Center, 867
Charles Cooper Memorial Drive,
Sulphur, Okla.
Chickasaw Journeys is the second
publication by White Dog Press,
which debuted in 2013 as an outlet
for Chickasaw fiction, poetry and
other creative works.
Barnes said the Chickasaw Press
was started in 2006 to produce
scholarly and academic works
based on Chickasaw history and
culture, written from a Chickasaw
perspective. It has published many
such books and continues to do so.
Those books also won recognition
and awards. Among them are the
three-volume Chikasha Stories
series, written by highly respected
elder and traditional oral storyteller
Glenda Galvan and illustrated
by Jeannie Barbour; Ilimpa’chi’
(We’re Gonna Eat): A Chickasaw
Cookbook, by JoAnn Ellis and
Vicki Penner; a poetry book
titled Picked Apart The Bones, by
Rebecca Hatcher Travis; and two
art books by renowned Chickasaw
artist Mike Larsen and his wife,
Martha: Proud to be Chickasaw
and They Know Who They Are,
featuring the stories of elders and
early sketches and paintings of
them by Larsen.
Still, Barnes and the staff of
Chickasaw Press felt aware of
the need for a distinct outlet for
creative Chickasaw and Native
literature. To address that, he and
the staff proposed the creation of
White Dog Press.
“That way, we didn’t have to
change the Chickasaw Press’s
vision. We could start a new
imprint for fiction, poetry and
other genres,” he said.
White Dog Press, Barnes said,
“opens doors of opportunity for
writers. We get a lot of
submissions and proposals
that we didn’t have an outlet
for in the past because they
weren’t a fit for Chickasaw
Press.”
The first book to appear
under the White Dog Press
imprint was Footsteps Still
Whispering in the Wind, a
collection of poems written
by Chickasaw elder Margie
Testerman and illustrated
by 18 young Chickasaw
artists. The book debuted
last year.
This year, besides
Chickasaw Journeys, Barnes
said, Chickasaw Press senior
staff writer Phillip Carroll
Morgan has produced a
can’t-put-it-down, page-
turner of a historical fiction
novel set 140 years before the
first documented encounter
between Chickasaws and
Europeans. Morgan’s novel
is scheduled for release in
the fall.
Other adventures await
Chickasaw Press, such as a
new website complete with
an online store.
In the past, book buyers either
wrote the Press and requested
books, or picked up copies where
available. One also could go to the
Press’s website, but when it came
time to buy a book, patrons were
redirected to the University of
Oklahoma Press’s e-commerce
site.
The Press also looks forward to
April and May, the awards season
for books. Chickasaw Press has
earned 16 awards for the 25 books
it has published, and has entered
titles in several competitions this
year.
Chickasaw Press opens alternative outlet
the rights to the gambling but
hires private developers to build
and operate each casino, with
the state claiming a share of the
revenues.
Only one company initially
showed an interest in a southeast
Kansas casino: Penn National
Gaming Inc., of Wyomissing,
Pa. However, it walked away
from its 2008 contract with the
lottery, citing competition from
a casino opened by the Quapaw
Tribe of northeast Oklahoma.
The casino sits so close to the
state line that its parking lot is
in Kansas.
The Great Recession also
dampened interest in a casino,
and local officials and legislators
have said the investment and fee
required by law are too high.
Meanwhile, state-owned
casinos opened south of Wichita
and in Dodge City and Kansas
City, heightening the frustrations
of southeast Kansas officials who
for years were among the most
vocal supporters of expanded
legalized gambling.
But during Wednesday’s brief
House debate on the bill, one
southeast Kansas lawmaker, Rep.
Virgil Peck, a conservative Tyro
Republican, was skeptical that
developers would be interested
in competing against multiple
tribal casinos in Oklahoma,
even with the lower investment
requirement. He also said a
new casino would hurt local
businesses and increase the
number of people with gambling
addictions.
“If we want to increase social
costs in southeast Kansas, you
should vote for this,” Peck said.
––––
Information on pro-casino bill:
http://bit.ly/1mtVLcT
Kansas Legislature: http://www.
kslegislature.org
CASINO
Continued from Page 1
Currently
Providing
Recycling
Services to:
TAHLEQUAH
and
MUSKOGEE
| NAtIve AmeRIcAN tImes | APRIL 7 - APRIL 13, 2014 | 7
FILE PHOTO
Edmond Harjo holds his Congressional Gold Medal during a ceremony on Capitol Hill in Washington on November 20, 2013.
Dance of the Two
Moons fundraiser
helps children
become tomorrow’s
leaders
By EMILY BOLUSKY
TULSA, Okla. – The 2014 Dance of the
Two Moons will take you back to the glitz
and glamor of Vintage Hollywood. This
year’s gala will be held Saturday, April 26,
at the spectacular Hard Rock Hotel and
Casino Tulsa, located at 777 W. Cherokee
St., Catoosa, OK.
The 2014 Dance of the Two Moons will
feature an extraordinary dinner, silent
auction and a live auction. We are also
pleased to bring the musical talents of The
Rebecca Ungerman Combo.
The live auction will feature a stunning
original painting by the late Bill Rabbit,
a case of Switzer Family Wine signed by
Barry Switzer, a suite at Drillers Stadium,
a seaplane tour for 2 of Grand Lake, dinner
for 10 at Juniper, a private wine tasting for
12 at Parkhill South, jewelry and much
more!
The Honorary Chairs of the 2014 Dance
of the Two Moons are Jim and Sharon
Ruley. Jim and Sharon Ruley are owners
of their independent insurance firm. Their
philosophy is giving back to the community
and have been avid supporters of Indian
Health Care Resource Center of Tulsa,
Inc. and numerous other local agencies.
Jim currently presides on the Tulsa Boys
Home Board of Directors and both Jim
and Sharon are actively involved with
Emergency Infant Services, Life Senior
Services, Meals on Wheels, Saint Francis
Hospital, St. John’s Medical Center.
The monies raised by Dance of the
Two Moons will fund a multi-faceted
summer wellness camps that provides
extraordinary experiences for more than
300 elementary and middle school youth
each year. Youth learn healthy lifestyles as
well as life, leadership, and team building
skills through fun and exciting activities
designed with them in mind. Field trips
to Tribal Nations offer urban youth the
opportunity to experience firsthand the
traditions of their rich Native American
culture. These leaders of the future depend
on Indian Health Care Resource Center
to provide opportunities that would
otherwise not be available to them.
This year, Indian Health Care Resource
Center is honored to recognize Blue
Cross and Blue Shield of Oklahoma as
its inaugural “Circle of Life Community
Partner.” This new recognition is awarded to
individuals, foundations, and corporations
who have continually and consistently
been a part of the Center’s “Caring is
Strong Medicine Team.” Members of the
Circle of Life have given at the highest
level and have been an integral partner in
ensuring quality care for the almost 20,000
Indian people served each year by Indian
Health Care Resource Center. Blue Cross
and Blue Shield of Oklahoma is the first
corporation to be a member of the Circle
of Life. The company’s generous spirit and
genuine concern for the Native community
of Oklahoma are evident in its partnership
with Indian Health Care Resource Center.
Tickets to the Dance of the Two Moons are
$125 each or $225 per couple. Sponsorship
levels are available ranging from $2,000 to
$20,000. For more information about the
Dance of the Two Moons or to purchase
a sponsorship or tickets, please contact
Emily Bolusky at 918-382-1206 or email at
twomoons@ihcrc.org.
DANA ATTOCKNIE
Native Times
SEMINOLE, Okla. – Everyone rises as the
first note of a Seminole hymn fills the chapel.
Soon after, an American flag is gently rolled
back to the middle of the casket, so the top
can be opened and a hero revealed.
Friends and family have gathered to
pay respect and say their final goodbye to
Edmond Andrew Harjo, 96, who died on
March 31, at Mercy Hospital of Ada. Harjo
was the last surviving Code Talker for the
Seminole Nation of Oklahoma. His funeral
was held on April 4, at Swearingen Funeral
Home Chapel in Seminole, and he was laid
to rest at the Seminole Nation Veterans
Memorial Cemetery, in Seminole.
Yellow, red, pink and purple sprays of
flowers flanked each side of Harjo, and a
video screen in the middle of the chapel
allowed everyone in the filled pews to watch
a portion of the Congressional Gold Medal
ceremony that took place on Nov. 20, 2013
in Washington, D.C. The ceremony honored
Code Talkers from 33 tribes. Harjo attended
the ceremony and was recognized for his
dedication and valor as a World War II Code
Talker. He was the only living Code Talker
to attend.
During the video, Speaker of the House
John Boehner (R-Ohio) said Harjo and his
brothers were at Normandy and Iwo Jima,
and they mobilized the simplest weapon,
which was language.
The video shown during his funeral
also showcased Harjo sitting in front of a
memorial water fountain in his wheelchair
and telling of the time he served in the Army
as a private first class. He recalled some of
his time in Germany and described what he
saw and the villages he traveled through. The
unit he served with was Battery “A” 195th
Field Artillery Battalion. He received a Good
Conduct Medal, and a European-African-
Middle Eastern (EAME) Campaign service
Ribbon with one Silver Service Star for
his service as a Code Talker. The Seminole
Nation is the recipient of the gold medal for
his service.
“Edmond Andrew and his brother were
conversing in their first language with each
other and they were overheard by their
commander,” the Rev. Dr. Eugene Wilson,
said during Harjo’s service. “The language
was used as military code, not just to enable
war but … sustain peace.”
Rick Harjo said another solider caught
Harjo’s attention when he overheard the
soldier singing in their Native language. That
encounter eventually led to their service as
Code Talkers.
A picture of Harjo in front of the U.S.
Capitol remained on the video screen
throughout the service, while shared
memories of him ignited smiles, shared
laughter eased the heartache, and shared
song provided comfort.
“He’d sit there and tickle that ivory ... It
was beautiful, very beautiful,” Rick Harjo
recalled. “I enjoyed listening to him play the
piano and how he played Beethoven’s 5th
Symphony.”
Harjo also played the piano in some gospel
quartets and at the nutrition center in Maud.
He studied composers Johann Sebastian
Bach and Pyotr Iiyich Tchaikovsky.
“Andrew said often that his first love was
music and the piano,” Rick Harjo said.
Harjo was born on Nov. 24, 1917, on the
original allotted land in Maud that belonged
to his mother, the late Yanna (Grant) Harjo.
His father is the late Tony Harjo.
Harjo graduated from Seminole High
School and earned a bachelor’s and master’s
degree from Oklahoma City University. He
became a school teacher and taught at Maud
Schools, at Justice Schools and at Pickett
Center. He was also well versed on the
Seminole Trail of Tears, and has been heard
saying, “Speak your language, you may lose
it.”
Not long before his uncle died, Rick Harjo
said a language lesson was shared between
them. They were exchanging what came to
be some of their last words together when
Harjo hushed his nephew from speaking by
saying “Shhh.” Harjo and his nephew were
speaking in their Native tongue when Rick
began to translate their conversation to his
family. Harjo said he didn’t want to hear the
translation and reminded his nephew that
when they speak their Native language to
each other, its true intent is delivered. But,
once words are translated the truth isn’t told;
it’s contaminated and the strength in the
words is lost.
Rick Harjo then shared the last moments
he had with his uncle, and choked up when
he recalled one of his uncle’s favorite songs,
“The Little Church in the Wildwood.” That
song was sung to Harjo for the last time
during his service.
Last living Seminole Code Talker walks
on, loved ones pay respects, honor hero
8 | APRIL 7 - APRIL 13, 2014 | NAtIve AmeRIcAN tImes |
*Email your powwow
or other event info to:
powwow@nativetimes.com.
Name, date, time, place and
contact information is free.
EVERY WEDNESDAY
Kiowa Class - through April
23, 2014, 6:30 p.m. - 8:30
p.m., Room 302, Oliphant
Hall, Tulsa University (1
block north of stadium).
Instructor: Leon Hawzipta,
Jr. (918) 440-0337; e-mail:
leonhawzipta@yahoo.com
THIRd THURsdAy
American Indian Chamber
of Commerce Tulsa Chapter
luncheon, 11:30 a.m. at
the Tulsa Country Club, 707
N Union. For reservation
or more info email Traci
Phillips, tphillips@
naturalevolution.com
EVERy 1st FRIdAy: Indian
Taco sales – from 4:00 –
8:00 pm at Angie smith
Memorial UMC, 400 s. W.
31st street, Oklahoma City
EVERY 2nd sATURdAy
Indian Taco sales - from
11-2:30pm at OK Choctaw
Tribal Alliance, 5320 s.
youngs Blvd, Oklahoma City
www.okchoctaws.org
EVERy 3rd sATURdAy: All
you can Eat Breakfast sALE
– from 8- to 11:00 am at
Angie smith Memorial UMC,
400 s.W. 31st street, OKC
yOUTH COUNCIL
The Native Nations youth
Council (NNyC) bimonthly
meetings from 6:30pm
- 8:30pm @ the youth
services of Tulsa Activity
Center (311 s. Madison
- on 3rd just west of
Peoria). Call to confirm
location. Info Call: Trenton
Rabbit/918.382.2219
THROUGH AUGUsT 31,
2014
Comanche National
Museum and Cultural
Center presents Comanche
Code of Honor, a new
exhibit honoring the heroic
Comanche Code Talkers
of World War II. For more
information call 580-
353-0404 or go to www.
comanchemuseum.com.
*The American Indian
Exposition Osage director
is announcing the 2014
Osage Princess Applications
are available for girls
ages 16-24 interested in
applying. The voting will
be held at the Osage Tribal
Princess sorority dance,
the date & location has not
been confirmed. In order
to vote, your Osage CdIB
card or Membership card is
required. For applications,
it is on the Osage Nation
News website or contact
Angela satepauhoodle
Toineeta #918.885.2976.
APRIL 12
Benefit Powwow for
United Indian Methodist
Church, Apache, Okla., at
the Comanche Community
Center. Gourd dancing
at 2pm, social and War
dancing starts at 7pm.
Memorial service and
Family Gathering for Paul
Travis Rhodes at 12 pm,
Glenpool Creek Indian
Community Center
13839 south Casper
North of intersection
Highway 75 and 141st
Meal will be served
following service. Gourd
dance 2 - 4 pm
stomp dance 4 – 5:30 pm
supper served 5:30 – 6:30
pm
Gourd dance 6:30 – 7:30 pm
War dance 8 – ? pm
Contests for Men and
Women 18 and older
Crowning of White
Buffalocalf Princess.
Contacts: 918-606-1447 and
918-760-3039
APRIL 13
UCO Contest Powwow
Hamilton Fieldhouse
Edmond, Okla.
Gourd dancing at 2 p.m.,
Grand Entry at 7 p.m.
APRIL 19
sapulpa Public schools
NAsA contest powwow at
sapulpa High school gym, 3
s. Mission street, sapulpa.
Gourd dancing at 3, grand
entry at 6:30
APRIL 19
80th Birthday Honor dance
for dr. Henrietta Mann,
sWOsU Wellness Center,
Weatherford, Okla. Gourd
dancing begins at 2:30pm.
Contest Powwow! More info
call 580-774-3742.
APRIL 25-27
United Cherokee 16th
Annual Festival and Native
American Powwow, 9:00AM
‘til 5:00PM
at 3550 Creek Path Road,
Guntersville, Alabama
35976
Contact: (256) 582-2333 or
ucanonline@bellsouth.net
MAY 3
Restoring Harmony
Powwow at Westside
yMCA, 5400 s. Olympia,
Tulsa. dance contests,
stickball games, awareness
hike, Gourd dancing. Grand
Entry at 7pm. More info call
918-382-2217. Vendor info
call 918-382-2219.
MAy 17
Old Fashioned Cherokee
Picnic and Traditional
Games at the Will Rogers
Birthplace Ranch in Oolagah
– gate opens at 10 am.
Hogfry, games, children’s
activities and more.
Information call Ollie starr
at 918-760-7499.
JUNE 6-8, 2014
Chilocco Indian school Class
of 1964 50th year Reunion
- The Chilocco Indian
school class of 1964 will
be celebrating their 50th
year reunion at the annual
June 2014 Chilocco reunion.
For contact and planning
purposes, the 1964 Chilocco
graduates are requested to
contact Charley Johnson,
Jr., P.O. Box 531, Bixby, OK
74008 - Telephone No. (918)
366-6158, e-mail address is
johnson6158@olp.net or
Lucian (Jake) Larney, 524 s.
2nd st., Okemah, OK 74859,
telephone No. (405) 401-
8881, e-mail jake74868@
hotmail.com.
JULy 3-6
68th Annual Pawnee
Homecoming. Parade at
Noon July 5, 2014. Hawk
Chief Run 8am July 5, 2014.
For more events, download
a FREE copy of the 2014
Powwow Guide from www.
nativeoklahoma.us or
look for the link on www.
nativetimes.com
Events t t t t t t t