Sister community program connects Cherokees across the country

Relationships make the world go round. And that’s exactly why Cherokee Nation’s Community and Cultural Outreach Department helped foster connections between at-large Cherokee communities and local nonprofit groups within the tribe’s boundaries. This “sister community” effort was started to provide community organizations, both local and at-large, an opportunity to exchange ideas, knowledge and resources.

At our annual CCO conference, we hosted a networking session that offered local and national organization leaders the chance to get to know each other and share their missions and objectives. At the end of this session, they paired up to form sister communities, and those connections are still alive and thriving. CCO facilitated the partnerships, but the communities themselves have done all the hard work of outreach and maintaining contact. Additionally through CCO, we are able to offer grants for the local community groups to send out one or two representatives from their organization to visit their sister community and do a presentation for them.

Having a sister community keeps Cherokee organizations connected, as they send each other their newsletters and flyers and simply keep in touch with their mutual needs. If one of the groups is doing a fundraiser, then the other might help out in some way with a donation. If an organization is doing a coat drive or an Angel project, we’ve seen the sister community also do a coat drive and send the collected coats to the sister community or adopt several Angels. It’s Cherokees helping Cherokees.

The Mt. Hood Cherokees in Portland, Oregon, and the Stilwell Friends of the Library here in Adair County have established a strong bond of friendship and communication. These sister communities have come to understand the importance of connecting through Cherokee partnerships, as they continue to visit in person and exchange cultural, historical and social information.

When we had extreme flooding here in 2016, the Neighborhood Association of Chewey opened their community building to shelter flood victims. Their sister community in Houston sent gift cards to NAC for them to distribute to Cherokees in need. It wasn’t long before NAC was able to return the favor. When Houston sustained damage from Hurricane Harvey in 2017, NAC and others here in northeast Oklahoma quickly collected supplies. Our CCO team hauled two large cargo trailers of donated supplies to Houston, and the Cherokee Nation at-large group in Houston organized the distribution on site.

Today, we have 25 organized at-large Cherokee communities through CCO. Not every group has found a sister just yet, but our goal this year at the upcoming CCO conference is to make sure that all of our at-large groups have a sister community.

The current CCO sister communities include:

• Central OK Cherokee Alliance (Oklahoma City, OK) and Webbers Falls Museum
• Central Texas Cherokee Township (Austin, TX) and Adair Co Historical Society
• Cherokee Citizens League of Southeast Texas (Houston, TX) and Cherokee Elders
• Cherokee Community of Central California (Bakersfield, CA) and Muldrow Cherokee Community
• Cherokee Community of North Texas (Dallas, TX) and ORCO
• Cherokee Community of Puget Sound (Seattle, WA) and Jeremiah 29
• Cherokee Society of the Greater Bay Area (San Francisco, CA) and Cherokees for Black Indian History Preservation
• Cherokee Township of San Antonio (San Antonio, TX) and Tailholt
• Colorado Cherokee Circle and Brushy Cherokee Community
• Cherokee of the Greater Central Valley (Fresno) and Mid County Community Org
• Greater Wichita Area Cherokee Community (Wichita, KS) and Tahlequah Men’s Shelter
• Kansas City Cherokees (Kansas City, MO) and Vian Peace Center
• Mt. Hood Cherokees (Portland, OR) and Stilwell Public Library Friends Society
• Tsa-La-Gi LA (Los Angeles, CA) and Cherokees for Black Indian History Preservation
• Valley of the Sun Cherokees (Phoenix, AZ) and Indian Women’s Pocahontas Club
• Capital City Cherokees (Washington, DC) and Stilwell Public Library Friends Society

For more information about Cherokee Nation’s CCO department, visit their Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/CNCCO/.

 

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180th anniversary is time to reflect and look forward

On March 24 we commemorate the 180th anniversary of the end of the infamous Trail of Tears with a National Day of Remembrance. On this day in 1839, the last detachment of our ancestors’ forced removal from their homelands in the southeast region of the United States occurred as they marched to Indian Territory, now Oklahoma. We remember and honor the sacrifices and untold hardships of our ancestors. Those who completed the trek and those who perished on that brutal journey will always remain in our hearts and in our minds.

Their indomitable spirit to live despite the odds stacked against them enabled them to survive the treacherous journey. It is that same spirit that allowed them to rise above and to create a new home for themselves and their children. It is that the same spirit that enabled them to rebuild our nation. It is that same spirit that lives on in each of us. It is that same spirit that allows us to ensure the great Cherokee Nation we have today is an even better tomorrow for our children and for generations to come.

During the Trail of Tears, an estimated 4,000 Cherokees perished along the way, which represented about one quarter of our tribe. The grit and determination of our ancestors allowed them to not only survive adversity, despair and grief, but it empowered them to thrive. That sense of where we come from and who we are is deeply rooted in who we are as Cherokee people.

It is especially poignant to be commemorating the anniversary because this year during the annual Cherokee Days gathering at the Smithsonian National Museum of American Indian in Washington, D.C., the Treaty of New Echota, the legal document that paved the way for the forced removal of our ancestors, will be on public display. For the first time in recent history, selected pages from the actual signed treaty will be available for viewing.

It is the sacrifices of our ancestors that have made Cherokee Nation the strong nation it is today. As a country, we do a poor job of educating our youth on the bright moments of our past and the dark periods of injustice against Native people as the birth of America evolved. I know we can improve on that in Oklahoma – telling our story, teaching our children the history and traditions of tribes.

After removal, the Cherokee people re-established our government in modern-day Oklahoma. We recreated our school systems and re-established our courts. Our newspaper began to print again and informed citizens of events and the day’s news. We rebuilt one of history’s most sophisticated societies in a new and unfamiliar land. But we will always remember who we are. We will never forget. We, as a nation, will always honor our ancestors and the sacrifices they made. As Cherokee people, we are stronger today than ever before.

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Sovereign rights at stake in ICWA case

Native children are removed from their homes at a higher rate than most of their peers. Nonetheless, in the recent Texas v. Bernhardt case, U.S. District Judge Reed O’Connor ruled that the Indian Child Welfare Act is unconstitutional because it is race based. The ruling stated that ICWA was unenforceable.
 
Sadly, this is a blatant attempt to once again strike tribes in our most vulnerable but most vital area by misleading the public about the purpose of this important Federal Act. In reality, ICWA has nothing to do with race but rather was enacted to preserve Native families, protect the unique citizenship rights of Native children and defend the sovereignty of tribal governments. I pray we prevail in the appeal of this legal obstacle course because there is so much at stake.


Aside from the statistics in relation to the removal of Native children, there is a fundamental disconnect when it comes to the rights of Native children to maintain their connection to their family, their tribe and all that their tribe has to offer.
  
The violation of ICWA for any reason not only harms the children’s connection with their tribal government but is also detrimental to future generations of Cherokee children. Time and time again, the deep-pocketed entities opposing ICWA cry out discrimination, but in all cases involving the removal of Native children, the bottom line is about human rights. Native children have the inherent right to remain with their family, and all that his or her tribe has to offer.
 
As we have seen through centuries of broken treaties, our sovereignty as a tribal nation is all too often ignored, the rights of our citizens trampled, compromising our very existence as a tribe. The breach of ICWA in the Texas v. Bernhardt decision is no different. It targets the very lifeline of tribes: our children.
 
Somehow, it’s very ironic that those afforded “white privilege” are the first ones to cry discrimination in this case and others involving ICWA. It’s become an all-too-familiar ploy when a dominant force attempts to control a population.


Even if you cannot take on the responsibility of raising a child, there are always other ways to help. One of the most impactful roles you can take is to be a vocal advocate. Cherokee voices must be heard loud and clear: our children are our hope, our strength and our future. They are not for the taking.
 
We need all tribal people to stand strong and stand up for our Native children and do it now before the entire ICWA is dismantled. We must be the children’s voices where they have none. Those Cherokees who have gone on before us are counting on you and me to deliver our sacred promise to the next seven generations. Do not let this generation or the next slip through the cracks.

I vow, as the Principal Chief of Cherokee Nation, that we will continue to devote the necessary resources to defending this most important law, and we will continue to be a leader in Indian Country, fighting for our children to remain with their families and their tribe.

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Celebrating strong Cherokee women

During March we celebrate Women’s History Month, honoring the enormous contributions Cherokee women have made throughout our history. From Isabel Cobb, the first female physician in Indian Territory, to Mary Golda Ross, a NASA aerospace engineer who helped America win the space race, Cherokee women have been at the forefront of defining our success. In 1851, we opened the first institute of higher education for women west of the Mississippi River. The Cherokee National Female Seminary's curriculum was academically challenging, reflecting our tribe’s vision of strong, educated women.

Cherokee Nation is a matrilineal tribe, and reverence for women is deeply rooted in our culture.

That is why during my tenure as Principal Chief, I’ve made every effort to place talented women in leadership roles within Cherokee Nation’s government and business entities. Women lead many of our tribal programs and departments as executive directors. In fact, with women comprising about 70 percent of our nearly 4,000 employees, it’s safe to say women dominate our government workforce.


In recognition of our changing work demographic, we created a more female-friendly work environment at Cherokee Nation. We established a fully paid, eight-week maternity leave policy for expectant mothers who work for the tribe. We raised the minimum wage for all employees. These initiatives enable our staff to continue working for the Cherokee people while meeting their family obligations.


Cherokee Nation’s legislative body, the Tribal Council, is shaped in large part by Deputy Speaker Victoria Vazquez, Secretary Janees Taylor and at-large Councilors Wanda Hatfield and Mary Baker Shaw. Their leadership and vision are driving the Cherokee people into a brighter future and carrying on critical work set in motion by those who preceded them.


Indeed, no discussion of Cherokee Nation’s leaders is complete without mentioning the late Wilma Mankiller, who last year was in the inaugural class of the Native American Hall of Fame. In her decade-long tenure as our Principal Chief, Mankiller was a strong, confident leader. She is now a national icon across Indian Country and America for her commitment to advance equality for all and for her empowerment of women.


March also marks the anniversary of the Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act of 2013. At Cherokee Nation, we remain resolute in our commitment to protect women from the epidemic of domestic violence. Our ONE FIRE Victim Services office stands as a beacon of hope and safety for women and families within our tribal jurisdiction.


Cherokee women are proud and powerful people, and they propel our tribe forward. This is as true today as ever. Be sure to follow our social media accounts and join us as we share inspiring profiles of historic and modern Cherokee women throughout the month of March. I encourage you to celebrate all of the women in your life – wives, mothers, grandmothers, aunts, sisters and daughters.

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More than just a car tag

Every time a tribal citizen registers a vehicle with the Cherokee Nation, they make an investment in public education and our young people. You see, our vehicle tags are more than just a pretty tag. By Cherokee Nation law, 38 percent of the revenues from our tag sales are earmarked specifically for public education. This year, thanks to our flourishing Motor Vehicle Tax program, Cherokee Nation is awarding a record-breaking $5.7 million to more than a hundred school districts in northeast Oklahoma.

Since 2002, Cherokee Nation has contributed more than $56 million to public education. Today, that investment in public education is more important than ever for the Cherokee Nation and the state of Oklahoma.

More tribal car tag revenue means we are able to serve more students. When we expanded the sale of Cherokee Nation tags statewide to all 77 Oklahoma counties in 2013, we knew the school systems in northeastern Oklahoma would reap the benefits. Indeed, it has proven to be an essential component of their annual budgets for many schools here.

Supporting local school districts is important to the Cherokee Nation’s long-term success. These partnerships with schools represent our investment for the future of our great state and our tribal government. Our tribal funding comes with no strings attached and is not earmarked for specific budget items, so every pupil benefits. This means we are helping area students in our local schools, regardless of whether they are Cherokee.

For Cherokee people, embracing education has always been a community value. It creates hope for a better future for our children and the generations to come. I come from a long line of teachers and administrators devoted to learning. My family’s background helped build a foundation and reinforced an ideal that I have embraced as a public servant: Supporting access to educational programs is the best investment we can ever make as a sovereign tribal government. Over the last several years, public education in Oklahoma has taken numerous financial hits and the proceeds from Cherokee car tags allow us to help fill in the gaps in school budgets.

I am extremely proud of the many ways our region benefits from these revenues. The Cherokee Nation Motor Vehicle Tax program not only saves our people money on their car tags and instills Cherokee pride, it also has a positive and lasting impact in our communities and schools. With every vehicle registered, we are investing in our children, in our families, and in our future as Cherokees and Oklahomans.

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New Cherokee Nation Film Office will promote region

Telling the Cherokee story – our history, our heritage – is a skill that our people have passed down from one generation to the next. Storytelling is a cornerstone of our culture. That’s why I am so proud we have launched the Cherokee Nation Film Office. It will promote northeastern Oklahoma while cultivating Native filmmaking. The office will provide much-needed cultural and historical consultation on film projects, ensuring our stories are told with cultural sensitivity and accuracy. And it will serve as a way to develop a database of Cherokee Nation locations for film shoots, resources and talent. It’s a bold new endeavor to enhance an ancient tradition.

Our home state, especially in our northeast quadrant, has unlimited potential when it comes to American Indian filmmaking, including the authors, actors and technicians to build successful filmmakers, as well as its natural beauty, history and character. Cherokee Nation and other tribes in Oklahoma have already begun producing high-quality videos, television shows and movies. There is great potential to promote Oklahoma as a destination for aspiring and experienced filmmakers.

This is where the Cherokee Nation Film Office, a division of the Cherokee Nation Businesses Communications Department, will come into play, growing the burgeoning state film industry by promoting northeast Oklahoma and a new generation of talented artisans. The Emmy Award-winning TV program “Osiyo, Voices of the Cherokee People” has proven highly successful, laying the groundwork for this new venture’s launch. To kick things off, we will be creating our first feature-length documentary.
 
Additionally, we have a goal to help other filmmakers.

That means Native people telling Native stories. Cherokees telling Cherokee stories. At Cherokee Nation, we routinely work with individuals who fundamentally misunderstand Native Americans – who we are, our culture, our history and our modern identity. We know from these interactions that Native stories are best told by Native voices. As a result, five years ago we launched the production of “Osiyo, Voices of the Cherokee People,” and we discovered in the process that there are many Cherokees with a natural aptitude for filmmaking and storytelling, either behind the camera or in front it.

This brought home to us that there are many talented filmmakers, producers, directors and actors right here in the Cherokee Nation that are being under-utilized or not utilized at all. Our vision is to create an environment that nurtures these creative Cherokees.

The Cherokee Nation Film Office will collaborate with the Oklahoma Film + Music Office, the Tulsa Office of Film, Music, Arts and Culture and other local film offices to leverage resources and talent. Areas of cooperation include providing local recommendations for crew and talent, coordinating site visits, and hosting filmmaking workshops and film festivals. We share the same goals and ambitions to enhance the attractiveness of Oklahoma’s budding film industry.

Cherokee Nation is one of the most beautiful areas of our state. It’s a natural fit as a filmmaking destination. Although California is still the entertainment capital of the world, other states have established themselves as film destinations. In recent years, major motion pictures and television series have been filmed in regional states like Texas, Georgia and Louisiana. We firmly believe it is now our time.

According to the Motion Picture Association of America, in 2016, Oklahoma’s film and television industry was responsible for 13,273 direct and indirect jobs and more than $220 million in wages. By contrast, Texas’ film and television industry was responsible 105,525 jobs and $1.81 billion in wages. Georgia’s impacts were 92,494 jobs and $2.15 billion in wages, while Louisiana’s numbers were 22,707 jobs and nearly $400 million in wages.

Numbers like these tell us there are genuine business and economic development opportunities to be pursued, and we are more than ready to meet the challenge. We have a passionate team committed to making this new industry successful for the Cherokee Nation, while furthering our mission of preserving Cherokee culture. We are excited about the new opportunities the Cherokee Nation Film Office will bring.

For more information about the Cherokee Nation Film Office, visit www.cherokee.film.

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Cherokee language board will play vital role in revitalization efforts

Part of my sworn oath as Principal Chief of the Cherokee Nation is to preserve, promote and advance the language and culture of the Cherokee Nation. We’ve seen some wonderful examples of that recently, including concentrated revitalization efforts for the Cherokee language. This week, we took another important step by creating a new Cherokee Language Advisory Board.


Cherokee language experts and speakers Durbin Feeling, Rosa Carter and Wyman Kirk will make up the inaugural board, and as this effort’s first members, they are charged with ensuring all of Cherokee Nation’s language programs and all the efforts to educate our citizens in our communities have a united vision, implementation method and mission. This coordination will enable all our language programs to synchronize, giving us better management, tracking and verification abilities.


Today, Cherokee Nation operates several language programs, including the Cherokee Translation Department, Cherokee Language Master Apprentice Program, Cherokee Language Technology Program and the Cherokee Immersion School. The widespread success and recognition of these respected programs are a testament to the efforts and investments we have made into language programs.


The formation of the Cherokee Language Advisory Board is part of the tribe’s Native Language Community Coordination ANA Grant, received in 2016.


In addition to the creation of the advisory board, we will also develop a coordinated, standardized Cherokee language curriculum that will be available for each level of language learning. We also plan to establish a Cherokee Nation Cherokee Language Teacher Certification to solidify the standards of proficiency for those teaching Cherokee.


Through the execution of these new initiatives, prompted by the national grant, we can keep striving for our cultural preservation goal: Within 20 years, Cherokee communities are living, speaking and thinking in Cherokee and the Cherokee language is the first language of the Cherokee Nation.


Our Cherokee language is the most fundamental aspect of our culture as Cherokee people. That’s why we are developing more avenues and partnerships that will ensure the Cherokee language endures.  

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Investing in education, investing in the future

In the Cherokee Nation, education is the foundation of our success. That has been true for generations. Even prior to our removal to Indian Territory, education was critical. Renowned statesman Sequoyah invented a written syllabary, which enabled better communication and expanded knowledge opportunities. Increased literacy happened very quickly, making us stronger and more sophisticated as a tribal nation. After removal, education was the first thing our ancestors invested in to build our tribe back up. Decades before Oklahoma statehood, our ancestors established the Cherokee National Female Seminary, the oldest educational institution west of the Mississippi River for women of any race. Upon graduation, many of those young women became public school teachers in our Cherokee communities.


During my tenure as Principal Chief, the tribe has nearly doubled its scholarship funding, from $8.5 million to almost $16 million. Since 2010, more than 27,000 scholarships have been awarded through the Cherokee Nation higher education program. We have increased the number of scholarships awarded by nearly 45 percent.


More Cherokees are benefitting from tribal college scholarships than ever before. Right now, almost 5,000 tribal citizens are fulfilling their dream of earning an undergraduate degree. Every qualified Cherokee student who applied in the last funding cycle was issued a Cherokee Nation scholarship. These recipients embody some of the most important values we hold as a tribe, including personal accountability, community and responsibility.


Additionally, the Cherokee Nation Foundation offers multiple scholarship opportunities, including the growing “Leave a Legacy” endowment effort. It is another way that the Cherokee Nation invests in our future. Cherokee Nation’s economic future, along with Oklahoma’s, depends on a well-educated workforce and college graduates. The education staff at Cherokee Nation works diligently to expand opportunities for young people.


Cherokee Nation recently announced a new partnership with Oklahoma State University College of Osteopathic Medicine for a Tahlequah branch campus. As part of that effort, $350,000 was donated to scholarships for students to attend the new school. Cherokee Nation Businesses contributed $100,000 of the amount raised. Many Cherokee Nation citizens will be the recipients of these scholarships at the future OSU Medical School.


Sometimes an opportunity is all a young person needs to reach their potential. As we continue to strengthen and grow the Cherokee Nation, education and opportunities for our people remain a strategic priority. Education is a vital part of our history, and it is equally important to our bright future. When we invest in education, we invest in our people and their collective ability to lift us all to greater heights.

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Reforming Johnson-O’Malley can change lives

The Johnson-O’Malley Supplemental Indian Education Program Modernization Act, recently signed into law, requires the U.S. Department of the Interior to update the count of Native American students eligible for the JOM program annually. The bill will establish a new baseline count of JOM-eligible students, which includes thousands of Cherokee youth. The new modern, accurate allocation funding formula will better meet the needs of Native students across the country.

This issue is one Cherokee Nation has been advocating to change for years, since I was a member of the Tribal Council. When federal funding was frozen at the 1995 level and capped at 278,000 students nationally, it negatively impacted our families, schools and communities. By law, the U.S. has a trust responsibility to tribal nations. But the population and funding formulas to fund that trust never grew, even though Indian Country has grown rapidly since 1995.

The U.S. Census confirms American Indians are among the fastest-growing populations in America. According to the National Indian Education Association, the FY18 federal budget allocated only $15 million of the estimated $42 million required for fully funding JOM in the United States. That’s why we have spent more than two decades advocating for JOM reform. It is an incredibly important program for regional students. In northeast Oklahoma, JOM’s mission is to ensure every Indian child in the Cherokee Nation’s service area receives educational opportunities – books, fees, equipment – that their schools would not otherwise provide. Additionally, successful JOM programs incorporate tribal culture and heritage as part of a base curriculum.

There are more than 130,000 American Indian school-aged children in our state’s public schools – the highest number in the country. Oklahoma continues to be one of the worst states for K–12 school funding cuts. Since 2008, Oklahoma has slashed education funding by almost 25 percent. In the Cherokee Nation alone, we have more than 26,000 Native students. That’s why this new act is so very important.  The JOM program awards contracts based on the number of Native students served, making it imperative that updated, accurate numbers be reflected in those contracts.

The JOM Modernization Act is a major step in the right direction, and I look forward to seeing the positive ripple effect it will have throughout Indian Country. With the passage of this bill, I believe we are poised to build a stronger future for the Cherokee Nation, for Oklahoma and for all of Indian Country. It is our responsibility to keep pushing for greater successes and raising the bar for our JOM programs. Every child deserves an education that meets his or her needs, and we want our youth to become everything God intended them to be.

To learn more about Cherokee Nation JOM or other education services, visit www.cherokee.org/services/education.

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Years in the making: radioactive waste removed from Cherokee Nation

It was a historic day in December when we celebrated the final removal of more than 10,000 tons of nuclear waste that have plagued Sequoyah County and its citizens for decades. More than 500 semi-tractor loads removed the dangerous substances from the former Sequoyah Fuels Corporation site near Gore. Our Cherokee Nation Attorney General’s office and Secretary of Natural Resources office collaborated with the Oklahoma Attorney General’s office to undertake this immense task.

The original uranium processing plant was opened by Kerr-McGee in 1970 and converted yellowcake uranium into fuel for nuclear reactors. However, over the years, the plant changed several times before General Atomics began operations as Sequoyah Fuels Corporation. Many of the residents who live in Gore and who worked at the site over the years are Cherokee.

Our tribal government has been involved in litigation over the Sequoyah Fuels site since 2004. I’m proud that Cherokee Nation took the lead in removing a risk that would have threatened our communities forever. This would not have been possible if the tribe and state had not worked cooperatively, presenting a united front in court to ensure removal of this material.

The removal process took 18 months and leaves the riverbed area where the Arkansas River and Illinois River meet free of nuclear waste for the first time in almost 50 years. Tons of radioactive waste remained at the facility when it closed in 1993 after multiple lethal accidents. In 2004, Cherokee Nation and the state of Oklahoma entered into a settlement agreement that required the highest-risk waste be removed from the site. The owners of Sequoyah Fuels Corporation announced in 2016 their intention to bury the waste on site. Thankfully, a judge forced the company to comply with the original agreement, clearing the way for complete removal instead.

This material is no longer a ticking time bomb on the banks of two of our most precious natural resources – waterways along the Arkansas and Illinois rivers. Our tribe’s natural resources remain protected, and the 41,000 residents of Sequoyah County will no longer be in harm’s way. The radioactive waste has been transported to a disposal site in Utah, where the uranium will be recycled and reused.

Sara Hill, Cherokee Nation’s secretary of Natural Resources, said it best: “Decommissioning this plant was never enough to satisfy our goals for a clean and safe environment…removal of this highly contaminated waste was our goal all along.”

Mission accomplished. Cherokee Nation will continue to step up, lead and forge the partnerships that will protect our citizens, families and communities for generations.

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New VA center in Sequoyah County expands health care capabilities in northeast Oklahoma

America’s veterans, including many Cherokee men and women, committed a portion of their lives to preserving our collective freedoms. They deserve the best possible health care we, as a country, can provide. I am proud the Oklahoma Veterans Commission recently selected the city of Sallisaw, a community in the heart of the Cherokee Nation, for a new state veterans center in Oklahoma. The planned veterans center in Sequoyah County will be located on a 90-acre plot on Sallisaw’s south side for easy accessibility. It will be a great complement to our Redbird Smith Health Center, located nearby.


In fact, the commission’s selection of Sallisaw for the new center will be an excellent addition to the wide range of health advances and investments Cherokee Nation has already made throughout northeastern Oklahoma. We’ve expanded and built new clinics across our 14 counties. Next year we will dedicate a new, 469,000-square-foot health care facility at the W.W. Hastings campus in Tahlequah, and we’ve secured an agreement with the OSU School of Medicine to launch the first-ever medical school on tribal land.


The center is a relocation from Talihina to Sallisaw. The commission could have selected many terrific locations from across our great state, but they chose to be right here in Cherokee Nation. That’s not by accident. Our corporate arm, Cherokee Nation Businesses, stepped up to make investments that made relocation to Sequoyah County viable and attractive for such a move. The leadership of Cherokee Nation Tribal Council members E.O. Smith and Bryan Warner was essential to help form the alliances that made this possible. This outcome is a model for how public-private-tribal partnerships should work. Successful partnerships like this one will only make our entire region stronger and healthier.


The brand-new facility will be constructed and opened within three to five years, and will employ about 275 people, adding a large number of quality jobs that will support economic growth and add to the area’s tax base. Cherokee Nation’s Career Services Department will lend its support to recruit and fulfill the new center’s workforce needs. We know the people of Sallisaw will embrace this new opportunity and be warm and welcoming not just to the veterans and veterans’ families, but to the center’s employees and their families as well.


It is my honor to say that Cherokee Nation supports veterans through many means. Our Cherokee Nation Veterans Center provides a place for veterans of all eras to gather for fellowship. Employees there assist veterans in accessing necessary Veterans Administration benefits. The Cherokee Nation and VA hospitals have an agreement to provide better care for Native veterans by providing primary care and sharing chart information. We provide veterans across our region access to healthy food via a unique partnership with the Eastern Oklahoma Food Bank. Cherokee veterans are honored monthly during Tribal Council meetings, and our annual Cherokee Warrior Flight takes Cherokee veterans to Washington, D.C., to see the memorials built in their honor.


It’s exciting to see our vision at Cherokee Nation for healthier citizens and communities, especially for veterans, is shared by others. We welcome the new VA center at Sallisaw with open hearts and open arms.

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Saving our Cherokee language by identifying fluent speakers

Cherokee Nation is embarking on a huge undertaking: surveying our citizens for an accurate number of fluent Cherokee speakers. Knowing our baseline number of speakers is essential as we continue our aggressive work in Cherokee language revitalization. As of today, our Community & Cultural Outreach department has identified nearly 2,000 fluent speakers. Just a few years back, we estimated that number at about 4,000. We are losing our speakers at an incredibly rapid rate.

Our Cherokee language is sacred, and we have an obligation to save it. It’s a battle we must win. Toward that end, we are investing more than $50,000 to conduct this community survey. Once it is finalized and complete, we can use the data to apply for additional national funding for language preservation programs.

This survey and the information collected are critical steps in growing the Cherokee language.  The vast majority of our fluent speakers are over the age of 60. As those elders pass away, we lose speakers far more quickly than new speakers emerge. Thus, this effort becomes even more urgent, as we know we must identify as many first-language speakers as possible so that they can share their knowledge with a new generation. As part of the survey, Cherokee Nation will award special medallions to the identified fluent Cherokee speakers.

Recently, we hosted our first Cherokee Language Speaking Employee Appreciation Day. It was exciting to see more than 150 fluent Cherokee-speaking employees gather to discuss ways to continue growing the language. All of the tribal government’s various language programs, including the Cherokee Immersion School, the Cherokee Language Master Apprentice program and the Cherokee Translation Department came together to share ideas and look at ways to coordinate efforts.


Our investments in language are having a visible impact. I now see young Cherokee children and even teens who are becoming fluent, something we once thought was gone forever. We are experiencing a true language revival. I believe through our hard work the Cherokee language is regularly heard, seen, appreciated and being used more by all generations.

The Cherokee language is a defining aspect of our culture; it is an integral part of our identity as Cherokee people. If our language disappears, we will be without the core of the vibrant and thriving culture we share from generation to generation.

I commend the commitment and determination of our CCO department and look forward to what this survey will yield in our language efforts. For more information on the identification survey of Cherokee speakers, contact the Cherokee Nation’s CCO department at 918-207-4995.

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Cherokee Nation Angel Project: A brighter holiday for children in need

All children deserve the joy of a bountiful Christmas morning and the experience of tearing open a gift especially selected and wrapped for them. As a father, grandfather and now great-grandfather, it is a tradition I never grow tired of watching. At the Cherokee Nation, we are blessed to have a wonderful program in place for low-income children that ensures they don’t miss out on that magical feeling on Christmas morning.

 

Cherokee Nation’s Angel Project is gearing up to serve thousands of children in need, allowing them the special feeling of knowing there is a present waiting under the Christmas tree for them this holiday season. Last Christmas, almost 2,000 Cherokee children were provided for—kids who might not otherwise have had anything to celebrate on Christmas morning.

 

Our Angel Project started in the early 1990s and has continued to expand each year. It serves Cherokees 16 and younger who reside within our 14-county tribal jurisdiction.

 

The angel tree stands in the lobby of the main tribal complex in Tahlequah, and the paper angels hanging on it represent children in our communities. Each ornament contains a child’s information and his or her Christmas wish list. The children’s needs range from simple necessities like socks, shoes and coats, to the fun toys and games little ones enjoy so much. No matter the gift, we know with your help, we will create a happy holiday memory that will last these children a lifetime.

 

I also want to take this opportunity to thank our generous employees for their participation in the annual program. Every year, I am amazed at how they pull together and ensure all the angels are provided for. And for the team of Cherokee Nation employees who run the Angel Project, it is a massive undertaking. They coordinate this program during one of the busiest times for families, while still keeping up with their regular job duties. Wado, Angel Project staff!

 

The Angel Project runs completely on donations with the assistance of the local community, but it also draws interest far and wide. People throughout the country often send donations, if they aren’t able to travel here to pick up an angel in person.

 

As Christmas draws closer, please help us make sure that every wish of every angel is fulfilled. To adopt an angel, visit the W.W. Keeler Tribal Complex, 17675 S. Muskogee Ave., Tahlequah, Oklahoma, and select an angel ornament off the tree. Presents should be returned unwrapped to our Cherokee FIRST desk in the lobby by Dec. 7. Our staff will wrap and deliver them anonymously to the angel’s family. Additionally, if you want to make a financial donation to the Cherokee Nation Angel Project, please visit www.cherokee.org, scroll to the bottom and click on “Giving to the Cherokee Nation.” You can designate “Angel Project” as your intended recipient.

 

I encourage each of you to find it in your heart to adopt a Cherokee angel, even two or three, if you have the means.

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Remember the Removal Ride builds personal bonds and raises cultural awareness

There is no better education than first-hand experience and Cherokee Nation’s Remember the Removal Ride program is one of the most successful educational programs we have.
 
Each summer a group of young people from Cherokee Nation and the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians in Cherokee, North Carolina, team up and retrace on bicycle the Trail of Tears, our ancestors’ removal route from our homelands in the east to modern-day Oklahoma. This is a significant year, as we commemorate the 180th anniversary of the Trail of Tears.
 
This a special group of young people who will retrace our tribe’s route to Oklahoma. The Remember the Removal effort enables some of Cherokee Nation’s strongest emerging leaders to participate in a unique event that is focused on individual growth, teamwork development and, most importantly, sharing Cherokee history and heritage.
 
This is the best classroom I could ever imagine. Riders make stops at museums, gravesites, national parks, churches and other historic sites along the way. The experience reshapes how these young people view life and their heritage. The riders travel about 60 miles per day over a three-week period and pass through seven states: Georgia, Tennessee, Kentucky, Illinois, Missouri, Arkansas and Oklahoma.
 
It is a grueling journey on a bike, but the struggles on the ride offer greater understanding of what our ancestors experienced along the Trail 180 years ago. An estimated 16,000 Cherokees were forced to make the journey on the Trail of Tears to Indian Territory and more than 4,000 died from exposure, starvation and disease.
 
Remember the Removal ensures our future leaders don’t forget the past and always honor the sacrifices our ancestors made. Our riders serve as ambassadors along the road in the towns they ride through. Since this program was started in the mid-1980s, every participant has dug deep to find untapped reservoirs of strength and perseverance.
 
They ride every day and with every mile, they learn more about the Cherokee experience in America and the true history of our people. We are here today, as the largest tribal government in the country, because of that fortitude.
 
We try to make the ride as public as possible so that followers back home can follow along on social media. Photos and blog posts are updated daily to the Remember the Removal Facebook page at www.facebook.com/removal.ride and on Cherokee Nation’s website at http://remembertheremoval.cherokee.org.
Also, follow along on Twitter and Instagram by searching for the hashtags #RTR2018 and #WeRemember.
 
The 2018 Remember the Removal cyclists are:
 
• Emilee Chavez, 18, Tahlequah, Sequoyah High School
• Daulton Cochran, 21, Bell, Tulsa Community College
• Courtney Cowan, 24, Kansas, Northeastern State University graduate
• Lily Drywater, 21, Tahlequah, Northeastern State University
• Dale Eagle, 23, Tahlequah, Tahlequah High School graduate
• Jennifer Johnson, 48, Oklahoma City, mentor Rider
• Autumn Lawless, 22, Porum, Northeastern State University
• Amari McCoy, 21, Sallisaw, Carl Albert State College
• Parker Weavel, 21, Tahlequah, Northeastern State University
• Sky Wildcat, 22, Tahlequah, Northeastern State University

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The need for Cherokee foster families continues

The month of May is annually Foster Care Awareness Month across the globe, and at Cherokee Nation, we continue to recognize and celebrate the essential role strong families play in creating a secure foundation in our communities.  A safe family home provides the love, identity, self-esteem and support our Cherokee children need to grow into healthy and happy adults.

At Cherokee Nation, we continue to address the issues that have the biggest impacts on our people, including educational opportunities, health care coverage, homeownership and career development. These can affect generations of Cherokees and improve lives. One area we still are in dire need is foster and adoptive families for our Indian Child Welfare program. Our children ensure the continued existence of Cherokee values and heritage. They are our future.

Sadly, across the country, more than 1,550 Cherokee youth are in need of a safe, secure and stable home environment with qualified foster families. Sometimes these beautiful and innocent children simply need a temporary place until family reunification can occur. Other times we need higher degrees of permanency, including the lifetime commitment of adoption.

Right now, we have 108 families certified as Cherokee Nation foster families that are providing care to Cherokee children. Every foster opportunity is a success story for Cherokee Nation. Last year we created a specific family leave policy at Cherokee Nation for employees who foster. I am proud that about 15 staffers have utilized this program in the past 12 months.

Cherokee Nation is lucky to have such dedicated individuals within our ICW department. They look for creative ways to collaborate with state- and faith-based partners to the benefit our tribe. I know they work diligently every day to ensure the protection of our children within our tribal communities.

As Cherokee people, we believe we share in child-rearing practices in accordance with our Cherokee cultural values that children are our most precious resource and they ensure our continued existence as a tribe.

I urge Cherokee Nation citizens, agencies and organizations to keep collaborating to raise awareness for the need of foster families for Cherokee children. And I encourage all those who can to consider becoming a foster parent. Visit www.cherokeekids.org for more information.

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New law incentivizes more home construction within Cherokee Nation’s 14 counties

Legislative success is an essential tool in maximizing the prosperity of Cherokee Nation.  Partnerships with federal, state and local entities enhance our ability to provide essential services to our citizens.


At the state level, we were vocal advocates of House Bill 1334, a recently passed law authored by Cherokee Nation citizen and State Rep. Chuck Hoskin. HB1334 gives school districts with surplus, undeveloped land the ability to transfer that land to a tribal housing authority.


This new law will enable tribal housing authorities, including Cherokee Nation’s New Home Construction Program, to build affordable single- or multi-family homes for tribal citizens, while benefitting the local school district.


Previously, state law required schools to sell land for fair-market value; however, some public schools, particularly rural schools, have surplus land that is difficult to sell on the market. While this property often offers no value to school districts, it will enable tribal housing authorities to build quality homes at a low cost for tribal citizens. Cherokee Nation can develop the property for real growth that benefits local communities, Cherokee families and the school district itself.


The Cherokee Nation Housing Authority builds quality three- and four-bedroom, single-family brick homes, each with a monthly payment of about $350, which includes taxes and insurance. Since 2012, we have built more than 660 of these homes. This program has also put Cherokees and our neighbors to work by creating 35,156 job opportunities for local contractors throughout northeast Oklahoma. HB1334 further increases our ability to build more homes.


The real advantage for local school districts will be in the form of additional revenue, as $2,800 per student will annually go to the school via Federal Impact Aid. School districts will be able to take advantage of this new law by collecting this aid for each student living in the homes constructed by the Housing Authority of the Cherokee Nation.


Additional impact aid revenue could lead to reduced class sizes, more teachers, newer textbooks and improved facilities. This desperately needed funding, through federal education dollars into Cherokee Nation’s 14 counties, will drastically enhance the educational experience our children receive.


Our partnership with public education in northeast Oklahoma continues to advance in creative and mutually beneficial ways. HB1334 presents yet another opportunity for tribes and schools to collaborate.


Cherokee Nation is a proud partner with the state of Oklahoma. We will continue to champion legislation like HB1334 that creates solutions our state needs to leverage tribal investments and improve the quality of life for all Oklahomans.

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Addressing food insecurity for veterans in northeast Oklahoma

Cherokee Nation is steadfastly committed to our military veterans, those men and women who have sacrificed so much for our tribe, our country and our collective freedoms. Recently, we established a formal partnership with the Community Food Bank of Eastern Oklahoma to help ensure these real-life heroes do not suffer from hunger and food instability. Nobody in Oklahoma, especially a military veteran, should go hungry.


This collaboration, which is the first time a tribal government has been involved with this local food bank program, means regular access to healthy and nutritious foods, and that will translate to better and fuller lives. It is a blessing that we are able to help, and it is the least we can do for those who have done so much for us.


This endeavor will launch a mobile food pantry to the Cherokee Nation Veterans Center quarterly. The first distribution of 10 pallets — about 10,000 pounds of food — will be May 29. The tribe will help identify and distribute tickets to veterans in need, as well as provide volunteers to help run the mobile pantry. Fresh produce, bakery items and nonperishable food items will be made available for about 125 veterans or widows of veterans.


Today, the Cherokee Veterans Center offers a wide array of activities for veterans. It serves as a place to sign up for benefits, play bingo or attend other activities, and now we are adding a food pantry. It is just one more way we can meet the needs of our people.


The Cherokee Nation continues to look for ways to honor and serve our veteran warriors, and this partnership with the Community Food Bank of Eastern Oklahoma is another avenue to reach those in need. Food insecurity is a very real issue for families in northeast Oklahoma, and almost 20 percent of the households the Food Bank serves has a military veteran who resides there and utilizes the program. Additionally, national studies show veterans are affected more by hunger and food insecurity than the general population. Many struggle to put food on the table because of a myriad of issues, from employability after service to mental health and related trauma or an unwillingness to seek help.


Collaborating with the Community Food Bank of Eastern Oklahoma means we are increasing and expanding its coverage and furthering its mission. Just like Cherokee Nation, the food bank wants to provide for our veterans so that they have what they need to prosper.


The Cherokee Nation also offers a food distribution program, which some veterans may also qualify for. For more information on the Cherokee Nation Veterans Center and food pantry, call 918-772-4166.

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Mental Health First Aid training helps with holistic care of our people

We all have someone close to us who battles illness or disease in one form or another. It is a challenge to be sure, but one area continues to be neglected by not receiving the attention it truly deserves: mental health. Mental health-related issues are frequently stigmatized, which prevents people from seeking and receiving the professional help they need. Undiagnosed and untreated mental illness can be devastating to those who suffer from it.
   
At Cherokee Nation, we know mental health is equally important as physical health and that treating both is required for good health. We also work to understand and address the impact of historical and generational trauma on our Cherokee citizens.


For years, Cherokee Nation Behavioral Health has used, and is continuing to use, federal grants to train community law enforcement, youth workers and health officials to effectively and compassionately collaborate with individuals with mental illness to address their needs and get them help.


Each of the five courses the Cherokee Nation teaches, funded through a Substance Abuse and Mental Health Service Administration grant and the Indian Health Service, teaches specific risk factors for and observable signs of potential mental illness. The classes also address the role of mental health in emergency scenarios, how we can best assist and how those situations can result in more positive outcomes for everyone involved.
 
Nationally, there are only about 5,000 instructors who are certified to teach Mental Health First Aid, and the Cherokee Nation employs six of them.

During a typical eight-hour course, participants memorize a five-step action plan, learn how to identify mental health risk factors and offer support to be effective communicators.


Having these certified instructors is more than just simply hosting a classroom training; it is helping make a life-or-death difference during a mental health or substance abuse crisis. Detailed preparation for these kinds of scenarios means we can better attend to all parties. We are investing in education and training. Because of those efforts, communities and Cherokee families in northeast Oklahoma are benefiting, and we are able to have more comprehensive and up-to-date crisis services going forward.


Cherokee Nation’s Adult Behavioral Health Department has led more than 15 trainings and trained almost 350 people to identify and be better prepared when mental illness, including depression, anxiety or personality disorders, is involved.
 
Cherokee Nation’s Helping Everyone Reach Out, or HERO project, provides children’s mental health services. It has also completed seven Mental Health First Aid trainings with 131 participants from schools, family service agencies and students at Northeastern State University. This summer, the HERO project plans to do even more outreach to area schools so that we can offer this vital training to administrators and classroom teachers.


According to the American Psychiatric Association, Native Americans experience serious psychological distress at 1.5 times greater than the general population and suffer from PTSD more than twice the rate as other Americans. Sadly, those afflicted with mental health issues often self-medicate, which in many cases can lead to substance abuse. This complicates emergencies, which is why we are actively working to be prepared and competent at addressing the complexity created by the presence of mental health-related issues.


Another positive result of Cherokee Nation’s efforts in this arena is assisting our first responders. Law enforcement engagement with persons with mental illness will be more amicable and result in increased frequency of positive outcomes in Oklahoma because of these trainings conducted by the tribe.

Our behavioral health programs, just like our other health endeavors, rely on federal funding. Cherokee Nation is doing more every day, even as federal policymakers continue to underfund Indian Health Service and other programs that affect our Native population in America.


Striving for a healthy mind, body and soul is how we can move forward, and Cherokee Nation will keep leading the way. May is National Mental Health Awareness Month, and we are taking steps to make our employees and citizens more mindful of these issues and the programs we offer tribal citizens, like individual and group therapy for mental health and substance abuse, relapse prevention, children and family treatment, parenting classes and psychological testing for children and adults.


Our hope is to light the way for each other.  By addressing mental health on a policy, community and individual level, we plant the seeds of change within our tribe.

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