It is my honor and privilege to stand before you, the
Cherokee people, on this beautiful September day. Joining me today, as they do at every
important occasion, is my beloved family. My rock and the first lady of the
Cherokee Nation, Sherry Baker. My mother and my inspiration, Dr. Isabel Baker. My children and their spouses, who’ve
supported me in all that I do. My
grandchildren who are the light of my life. My brothers, who’ve been my
strongest allies, and my many nieces, nephews, uncles and cousins and a host of
family and friends who enrich my life daily.
Four years ago, our nation was divided. Passion was running
high and tensions were flaring on all sides. When the dust finally settled and
I was declared the rightful winner as your Principal Chief, I was faced with
the daunting task of unifying our nation. I knew the survival of our nation
depended on it. I also knew our success would not be based on words, but on actions.
So we rolled up our sleeves and got to work, figuring out the best way to provide
homes, health and more importantly, hope to our people.
Now,
four years later, it is with great pleasure that I announce our actions have
spoken for themselves. Not only is the State of our Nation, strong; but it is stronger
today than ever before.
The
success we have achieved over the past four years is extraordinary. I promised 4 years ago to make health care a
priority, and I delivered on that promise by investing $100 million dollars of
casino profits to better the health and lives of the Cherokee people. We have successfully completed the expansion
and construction of health clinics in Ochelata and Sallisaw. We will soon open health centers in Jay and
Stilwell and begin a major expansion at W.W. Hastings Hospital.
The
Cherokee Nation was one of only seven tribes in the United States to be awarded
a joint venture with Indian Health Service. That partnership allows us to make vast
improvements and additions at the W.W. Hastings Hospital. When completed, this addition
will be almost 470,000 square feet of new space, more than tripling the size of
the present facility. And it will contain state of the art medical equipment. We
expect IHS to provide upwards of $60 million dollars every year for decades to
help staff and operate this new world-class facility.
The
Joint Venture has set us on a path to advance health care for our citizens for
generations to come. This achievement
wasn’t by chance, and we didn’t luck into this project. These major
accomplishments in our health care system occurred because we have Cherokee people
who truly care about the future of our people playing important roles in our
administration.
This
new facility will become a bustling hub of training and research, as we partner
with OSU to establish a medical school here. This new Cherokee Nation – OSU
Medical campus will train and educate Cherokees to become health care providers
for other Cherokees.
These
advancements in the Cherokee Nation health care system happened because four
years ago this administration had a vision.
The vision became a plan and the plan became a reality. The past four years have clearly shown this
is not an administration that just makes promises; this is an administration
that delivers results.
Four years ago, I also promised more jobs to our people,
and through planning and smart decision making, we’ve achieved that goal as
well. More Cherokees than ever before are working for our Nation. But economic
prosperity doesn’t just mean the Cherokee Nation is employing more Cherokees,
it also means we are creating economic opportunities outside the Cherokee
Nation through partnerships. This past year we helped lure a massive Macy’s
fulfillment center to northeastern Oklahoma. We promised to help build roads
and infrastructure, but we also pledged our help in find thousands of hard
workers to fill those jobs. I’m extremely proud to say that our career services
department is hosting job fairs for Macy’s and hundreds of those jobs will be
filled by Cherokee citizens.
Folks, this is huge. Partnerships translate to real dollars in the
pockets of real people like you and me. We’re also turning dirt and bringing more
big plans to reality in Tahlequah. We announced last year that we were
developing Cherokee Springs Plaza, a development that will bring dining, retail
and more jobs to Cherokee County. If you’ve driven past the site, you’ve noticed
the dirt work.
I’m
proud to say that our first partners will include a new and larger Stuteville
Ford dealership and a Buffalo Wild Wings restaurant. Tahlequah has long been
ripe to attract name brand restaurants and businesses, and this is just the
start. Our economic development team is working hard to show the world what a
hidden gem Tahlequah is, with its hard working people, limitless outdoor
activities and beautiful scenery. We look forward to attracting more diverse
retail, dining and entertainment businesses to this area. I can’t wait to share
that with you as more milestones are reached.
This
past year the protection and expansion of our sovereignty has been unprecedented. One of the ways we have advanced sovereignty
is by reaffirming our hunting and fishing rights, established by tradition and
guaranteed to us by treaty. Although our treaties with the United States
reaffirm these rights, these rights have been ignored.
I’m
proud to say that our rights to hunt and fish where we please not only in the
Cherokee Nation, but in all of Oklahoma are no longer ignored, but are now recognized.
This
year we reached an agreement with the State that not only acknowledges our
hunting and fishing rights inside our jurisdiction, but expands those rights
throughout all of Oklahoma.
Now
any Cherokee citizen over the age of 16 living in Oklahoma can exercise their time-honored
right to hunt and fish in all 77 counties of the state. Cherokees can trophy fish in Broken Bow or
hunt for pheasant in western Oklahoma without fear of prosecution or harassment.
And because we are good stewards of our resources, the agreement also helps us preserve
wildlife habitat statewide.
The
Cherokee Nation is stronger because of this agreement. This agreement is the first of its kind and
is already becoming a model for all of Indian Country.
I am blessed and honored to serve a second term as your
Principal Chief. At the end of my term of office what will I say that we have
accomplished? Will we be able to say
that we dramatically improved the health care of our people? Yes.
Will we be able to say that we have put hundreds of Cherokees in homes
that would not have otherwise achieved homeownership? Yes.
Will we be able to say the Cherokee Nation is stronger than it has ever
been in its history? Yes. But what will
endure? What will be our legacy?
As
Principal Chief, I work every day to address the needs of Cherokee Nation citizens.
And to me, that also means protecting and preserving this place we call home.
Cherokees
have long considered the impact of our actions on generations to come - a
philosophy grounded in responsibility and sustainability.
Our
elders teach us about our connection to the plants and animals, and to all the
natural elements - the water, fire, air, and earth. We aren’t only stewards of
these resources today, but we have an obligation to protect them for the next
seven generations of Cherokees.
It’s
not always easy to do the right thing. We
know that many people and companies prefer profit at the expense of future
generations. But that is not the Cherokee way.
I
will not leave the problems of today to our children and their children. I will
not sit back and wait for others to come up with solutions to our environmental
challenges. I will protect our natural resources and I am prepared to tackle
these challenges head-on. Every decision made at the Cherokee Nation needs to
start by asking: How will this action affect our natural resources and our
future generations? Is what we are doing sustainable for the future? Are we
depleting resources that we cannot replace? Are there better options than the
ones we’re considering?
Like
our other accomplishments, this effort will not happen by chance, or by luck. We have a vision to better protect our
environment and natural resources and we must take action to ensure we reach
our goals.
As I
have said before, this administration does not just make empty promises; this
is an administration whose actions match its words. That is why I am announcing
today the nomination of a Secretary of Natural Resources, and respectfully urge
the Tribal Council to swiftly confirm my nominee.
This
is a cabinet position originally established by the 1999 Constitutional
Convention, yet has never been filled. Our natural and environmental resources
are much too valuable and far too culturally significant to ignore any longer
and let this role go unfilled.
The
Secretary of Natural Resources will work at the highest level of my
administration assuring that we are protecting and preserving our natural
resources and environment. I am also sending
the Tribal Council a comprehensive Environmental Code that I urge you to pass.
Working together, we will develop laws that will enhance the sustainability of
our land, water and air for generations to come.
The
Cherokee people deserve clean drinking water that is plentiful. Fresh air that is
abundant. And a healthy environment to live, work and play.
Preservation
of these assets is necessary to build a foundation for our environmental
sustainability and our long-term health. Every acre of land we gain and every
stream we successfully manage are victories for the Cherokee people.
The
Secretary of Natural Resources will not only work to preserve our natural
resources, but to maximize them for our economic benefit and longevity.
As I
said during my inauguration address, we are embarking on a new “Golden
Age”. This “Golden Age” envisions a
stronger economy where more Cherokees are healthy, live in good homes, and earn
good wages at quality jobs.
But
most importantly, this “Golden Age” will create a sound and sustainable path for
generations to come.
At
the end of my term of office, I want to report that our natural resources are better
protected and that our environment is safe and preserved for future generations.
With
God’s grace, and your help, I know we can get there. God bless each and every one of you and God
bless the Cherokee Nation.
The flight includes the following WW II veterans: Navy
veteran Bill Durall, of Green Valley, Arizona; Marine Corps veteran Dean Durall,
of Mapleton, Utah; Navy veteran Winfred “Wink” Chamberlain, of Texas City,
Texas; Army veteran Virgil Carter, of Tahlequah; Navy and Coast Guard veteran
Charles Scott, of Palo Alto, California; Army Air Force veteran Gerald Zellner,
of Big Cabin; Navy veteran Valentine “Tino” Burnett, of Eucha; and Army veteran
Monroe Hembree, of Stilwell.