Honoring code talkers and Cherokee veterans

Like most tribal governments in America, the Cherokee Nation has a longstanding history of serving the military at a higher rate than the general U.S. population. More than 12,000 American Indians served in World War I. That was about 25 percent of the male Indian population at that time. According to the U.S. Department of Defense, an estimated 44,000 Indian men and women served in World War II, when the total tribal population nationwide was less than 350,000.

This was despite unfriendly government policies toward Native Americans at that time. In fact, Indian people did not even become U.S. citizens until 1924, but yet so many of our people stood to fight for freedom.

That’s why this Memorial Day, we’re proud to unveil a new exhibit that pays homage to our Cherokee veterans who played such a crucial role in securing our freedoms during World Wars I and II. A new exhibit on display at the Cherokee Veterans Center will honor all Native American veterans from those wars, placing emphasis on how Native languages were critical to the Allies’ success.

“Code Talkers: How Natives Saved the United States” is a new exhibit showcasing the heroism of Native Americans during World War I and World War II. The exhibit was organized by Cherokee Nation Cultural Tourism and is now open, fittingly honoring veterans from Memorial Day till Veterans Day in November.

The Congressional Gold Medal our Cherokee delegation, led by Deputy Chief S. Joe Crittenden, accepted in 2013 is on permanent display at the Cherokee Veterans Center. The Congressional Gold Medal was awarded by the United States Congress to 33 tribes for the “highest expression of national appreciation for distinguished achievements and contributions” made by an individual or institution.

That honor rightfully recognized our military men and women for their dedication, valor and service over multiple generations.  

Code talkers were courageous individuals who chose to take on a unique and dangerous role. During World War I, Cherokee code talkers were the first to use traditional language to transmit a military-coded message for the U.S. Army. It was in the fall of 1918 when the American 30th Infantry Division served alongside the British at the Second Battle of the Somme in France.

The U.S. military continued to deploy Cherokees and other tribes, like the Navajo, Comanche and Choctaw, as code talkers again in World War II. These brave men again used their traditional words to relay complex military messages. Those transmissions in indigenous languages confused America’s enemies.

During World War II, Germany’s enigma code was eventually broken and helped lead to its defeat. On the other hand, codes of Native soldiers were never broken, serving as very real weapons on the battlefield. Across multiple wars and theaters of battle, American servicemen relied on code talkers, which ultimately lead to victory for our nation and the end of World War II.

Today, Cherokee Nation still has an exceptionally high percentage of men and women who volunteer and engage in life threatening situations around the world to defend our values of freedom and justice.

The Cherokee Nation Veterans Center is a revered place to honor that heritage and heroism and all those warriors we so deeply respect.

I encourage you to take the time to visit and explore the story of Cherokees serving and protecting our country.

Wado. 

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A Call to Action...for Cherokee Children & All Native Youth

All Cherokee children have their own special place in the Cherokee Nation – our Cherokee children hold the future of our people in their hands. When a child is removed from her family, her community and her tribe it doesn’t just change her life – it changes the future of her entire Nation. Do you want to help the Cherokee Nation keep our children safe and our families and communities strong? Here’s how you can help!

Do you have five minutes?

The Bureau of Indian Affairs has taken a bold step: it has proposed the first-ever set of substantive Indian Child Welfare Act regulations that will create more protection for Native children and families. With just a few keystrokes, you can email comments@bia.gov and share your own thoughts about the ICWA regulations and the overall importance of the Indian Child Welfare Act. Not sure what to say? View our sample comments below. 

Do you have ten minutes?

So you’ve submitted a written comment, and you’d like to do more? Why not take a few minutes and share this information with your family and friends? Re-post, tweet, and let people know that preserving our Nation’s culture and protecting our children is important to you. If you have a minute or two left, learn more about the new regulations at http://www.nicwa.org/government/ICWA_Regs_Resources.asp

You still want to do more?

We appreciate you! On May 14, 2015 at 1:00 p.m. the Bureau of Indian Affairs will be holding a public meeting at the Tulsa Marriott Southern Hills, 1902 East 71^st Street, Tulsa, OK 74136. We would love to see you there. It’s your chance to share a personal story, make a short general comment in favor of the regulations, or just support other commenters with your presence. Standing up for our children is a great way to spend an afternoon!

SAMPLE COMMENTS:

1.            Thank you for the opportunity to comment on the proposed ICWA regulations. The new definition for ”active efforts” makes it clear to state courts that efforts above and beyond “reasonable efforts” must be made to maintain and reunite an Indian child with his or her family and tribal community. Engaging extended family, keeping siblings together, helping a parent overcome obstacles – these are the things that our Indian children and families need and deserve.

2.            Thank you for the opportunity to comment on the proposed ICWA regulations. The new definition of “active efforts” specifically lists some things that the parties involved in a case can do to keep families together, including offering culturally appropriate family preservation strategies and taking into account the Indian child’s tribe’s cultural conditions and way of life when selecting reunification services. Since many state courts have little contact with Indian tribes and people, it’s good that the regulations highlight the importance of honoring tribal cultural practices.

3.            Thank you for the opportunity to comment on the proposed ICWA regulations. The new definition of “custody” emphasizes that a parent’s custody may be physical and/or legal and may exist under tribal law, tribal custom or state law. This regulation acknowledges that child custody may be viewed differently under tribal law, tribal custom or state law, and I think that requiring state courts to look at custody with these different laws and customs in mind will lead to better, more informed decisions by state courts.

4.            Thank you for the opportunity to comment on the proposed ICWA regulations. The new definition of “imminent physical damage or harm” is in line with other state laws and regulations which keep a child in his or her home unless the child is in need of immediate protection due to an imminent safety threat. No child should be removed from home without a good reason. We know that Indian children are overrepresented in foster care all over the Unites States, and I feel that this regulation will ensure that state courts are always asking for that “good reason” if they have an Indian child in custody.

5.            Thank you for the opportunity to comment on the proposed ICWA regulations. The new regulations make it clear that there is no exception to the application of the ICWA based on the so-called “existing Indian family doctrine.” State courts should not be in the business of deciding what an Indian family is, or whether that family is worth protecting. A person’s blood quantum, record of voting in tribal elections and his or her subscriptions to tribal newsletters say little about that person’s essential family and tribal relationships. I think it’s good that the regulations keep state courts from considering such extraneous details.

6.            Thank you for the opportunity to comment on the proposed ICWA regulations. To protect an Indian child, the state courts must be able to identify an Indian child. The new regulations require state courts to ask EVERY party, on the record, whether there is reason to believe the child is an Indian child – even guardians ad litem and agency representatives. In the Adoptive Couple v. Baby Girl case, several parties knew that Veronica was an Indian child, but did not put that information down on required forms. I don’t want to see that happen again, so I think it’s great that the new regulations will require every party to let the court know if the child is, or even could be, an Indian child.

7.            Thank you for the opportunity to comment on the proposed ICWA regulations. I know that state court proceedings can be time-consuming, but why should a child wait to be protected? Under the new regulations, if there is any reason to believe a child is an Indian child then everyone involved treats that child as if he or she is an Indian child until the state court can make a final determination. This is a much better practice than making an Indian child sit in a non-relative, non-Indian foster home for weeks or months. I’m glad the regulations will require state courts to protect Indian children from the first day of a child custody proceeding.

8.            Thank you for the opportunity to comment on the proposed ICWA regulations. The new regulations require the parties to send notice of child custody proceedings to Indian tribes whether the proceeding is voluntary or involuntary. Parents may voluntarily decide to place kids into guardianships or for adoption, but kids don’t “volunteer” to be the subject of these types of proceedings and deserve and need the oversight and protection that their tribal governments can provide. If tribes don’t have notice then they can’t intervene in child custody proceedings, so I think this regulation is necessary and very helpful.

9.            Thank you for the opportunity to comment on the proposed ICWA regulations. I never want to see another child have to face the difficulties that Veronica faced in Adoptive Couple v. Baby Girl. The Interstate Compact on the Placement of Children was supposed to prevent Indian children from being removed from the state until the tribe was notified, but that didn’t happen in her case. That’s why I’m glad that the new regulations require both the sending and receiving states to provide notice to the child’s tribe and seek to verify whether the child is an Indian child. With this new regulation, I know Indian tribes will receive notice if someone wants to send an Indian child between states.

10.          Thank you for the opportunity to comment on the proposed ICWA regulations. I think it’s great that the new regulations encourage tribes and the families of Indian children to participate via phone, videoconferencing, or by other methods. Many tribes, including the Cherokee Nation, have citizens living in nearly every state in the country. If tribal attorneys, social workers and family members are permitted to appear in the courts of other states via phone or video, it means that better protection for our Indian children.

11.          Thank you for the opportunity to comment on the proposed ICWA regulations. I think there are a lot of myths surrounding tribal courts, especially in states where there are few Indian tribes. State courts may feel that the child isn’t ”Indian enough” to qualify for tribal jurisdiction. State courts may not feel that tribal courts are trustworthy, or fear that the tribal court judge will make a different decision than the one the state court judge would make. This type of fear and ignorance shouldn’t keep children out of the tribal courts. I’m glad that the new regulations prevent state courts from refusing to transfer a child to tribal courts on these grounds.

  

12.          Thank you for the opportunity to comment on the proposed ICWA regulations. I believe that Indian children need to be placed with their families, whenever possible. When no family is available, then the child should be in a home within his or her tribe. The regulations acknowledge that placing a child in accordance with the placement preferences in the ICWA is in every Indian child’s best interest, and I’m glad that state courts will be required to place children with family and within the child’s tribe. A short stay in a foster home should not turn into a permanent placement away from the child’s family and tribal community.

13.          Thank you for the opportunity to comment on the proposed ICWA regulations. Many people in the country were shocked and saddened by the difficulties that Veronica, the child from the Adoptive Couple v. Baby Girl case, lived through in the past two years. I’m sure that no one would like to see another child have to face the same difficulties. I feel that the new ICWA regulations are a great step toward making the foster care and adoptive systems safer and more humane places for our Indian children, and I’m glad the BIA took this step.

14.          Thank you for the opportunity to comment on the proposed ICWA regulations. There’s no doubt about it: there are people who make a lot of money in the adoption industry. Adoption can be beautiful and life-affirming when everyone involved is working together to give a child a new home. But when participants are untruthful with the court, or hide information from the biological and adoptive parents, or put money before family relationships, it can be a disaster. We want responsible adoption in Indian country, and these regulations do a lot of help keep the adoption process all about children and not about money.

15.          Thank you for the opportunity to comment on the proposed ICWA regulations. As a tribal citizen, I know first-hand how foster care and adoption can affect a tribal community. Our language, our culture, and our future all depend upon the children in our tribe today. These new regulations will help protect against unlawful removal from of children from their homes, which often turns into placement away from tribal communities. Even today, the history of boarding schools and the Indian Adoption Project affect our communities. I believe the BIA is taking a positive step forward, and I urge you to adopt the proposed regulations.

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New Year means new opportunities to help our fellow Cherokees

The New Year marks a fresh slate for us all. As 2015 resolutions are formed, I hope one commitment you make and keep is a renewed sense of service to our Cherokee Nation. It is something I am passionate about and work toward every day.

More than 175 years ago the Cherokee people established a new life in northeast Oklahoma after the Trail of Tears. We did that by helping one another every day, and by knowing we are one people and we come from one fire. Today, just like we did then, we must go out of our way to help one another. It is what makes us one; it is the Cherokee way. Our strength as a sovereign tribal nation resides in the people and the strength of our families. That’s why it is so important that we continue to lift one another up to achieve success and happiness.

In 2015, I challenge you to make a difference for Cherokee people. Anyone can make a positive change and improve the world in even the smallest ways. Simple acts sometimes bring the biggest impact, and I have seen firsthand how it can create a domino effect. Good will begets good will. Donations, volunteer work or simply being of service to someone in need can go a long way. These are the things that improve lives. The simplest things in life can mean the world to our Cherokee brothers and sisters. The sense of giving of ourselves is part of who we are as Cherokee people. I am proud of that and proud knowing it lives within all of us to ensure the tribe’s greater good is always felt.

That indomitable spirit of Cherokee community and family well-being is what kept our ancestors alive more than 175 years ago, and it is what will fuel us to great heights in the coming year.

I encourage you to look around, appreciate what you have and know how blessed we are today in the Cherokee Nation. For those folks who are struggling this time of year, I hope you can find some silver lining to be grateful for.

The Cherokee Nation is successful and thriving. Our businesses are making record profits and we have invested in homes and health care and renewed hope for Cherokee people.

As I was taught by my Cherokee elders, it’s important to give back to our people. We do this because we are thankful for all that we receive, it’s the Cherokee way.   

Wado, and Happy New Year to all.

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Fighting Obesity with Community Gardens in Cherokee Communities

It’s a sad fact that Native populations have the highest rates of obesity and diabetes of any ethnicity. The

Centers for Disease Control says Native Americans are 1 1/2 times more likely to be obese than other ethnic groups. Other studies have shown low-income, preschool-aged Native children have the highest obesity rate at 20 percent, and that rate is rising.

Creating a healthier Cherokee Nation has been my top priority as chief of the Cherokee Nation. We have made record investments to expand health care facilities and buy world-class equipment. However, to truly create healthier people instead of merely treating symptoms we must start educating our youngest citizens from the start.

Serenity Terhune, of Locust Grove, waters the vegetables 

at Cherokee Heights Head Start in Pryor.

Obesity is an epidemic that plagues Native communities nationwide. Tribal nations have the ability to address this deadly issue head on. Creating environments conducive to physical activity, teaching improved family nutrition, increasing access to healthy foods and starting community gardens are some of the ways to combat this growing problem.

Cherokee Nation’s ‘Learn to Grow’ community garden program teaches children how to grow their own fruits and vegetables, leaving a lifelong impression about proper nutrition and health. The program reaches more than 3,300 children in certified Cherokee Nation child care programs.

By planting, tending and harvesting their own community gardens, Cherokee kids get active and stay fit. The project is a joint effort between the tribe’s Child Care Resource and Referral office and Healthy Nations. Now in its second year, the program keeps improving. More than 100 child care facilities in Craig, Mayes, Delaware, Nowata and Ottawa counties are now participating by having community gardens nearby.

With the help of their caretakers, children grow nutritional and traditional foods like squash, corn, beans, peppers, melons, tomatoes and lettuce. We are making changes that not only combat obesity, but also promote physical fitness and healthier eating in Cherokee communities.

Studies show that children who participate in growing their own food become more interested in good nutrition. The simple act of growing their own produce makes kids more inclined to eat healthy fruits and vegetables. These are easy changes we can make in Indian Country to prevent chronic diseases and lower the mortality rates associated with obesity. 

That vested interest of where their food source comes from is something we hope these children maintain for a lifetime. Watching children become active contributors in their gardens, and seeing the pride and ownership they take in their crops, is inspiring to say the least.

The program also teaches children an important cultural lesson, as sustainable foods have always been a part of the Cherokee Nation’s heritage and traditions.

Generations ago, growing our own food and maintaining our natural environment were the things Cherokees passed from generation to generation. With this garden program, coupled with our Heirloom Seed Bank Program, the Cherokee government and its people are getting back to that way of thinking.

I’d also like to thank our partners in the Learn to Grow project. The OSU Extension Office, the Department of Human Services Licensing and the Native American Associations of Ketchum and Adair have been integral to the success of this program.

An informed community willing to ensure access to healthier foods and physical activity where we live, work and play will result in happier and healthier kids.

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On the passing of Chester Nez, the last original Navajo code talker

"The walking on of Chester Nez is a sad day for the Navajo Nation and all of Indian Country. Our thoughts and prayers will be with our brothers and sisters form the Navajo Nation as they mourn the loss of their last original code talker. The Navajo code talkers used their traditional language to transmit messages for the U.S. military during WWII. Along with code talkers from other tribal governments, these men were the secret weapon that helped secure victory and ensure our freedoms as American citizens. We must always honor these warriors, including Chester Nez, for their courage and humility in defending the United States. They are truly great American heroes.”

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Cherokee Nation Chief Bill John Baker on Diane Humetewa's confirmation

I applaud the appointment and confirmation of Hopi citizen Diane Humetewa as federal judge in the U.S. District Court of Arizona. Our federal judicial system should have a fair representation of American Indian citizens serving as judges. This is something we must keep pushing for as tribal governments, as so many of the cases that affect our tribal sovereignty and self-determination are heard in federal courts. I respect and admire President Obama for fulfilling a commitment to increase the visibility of Indian people across his administration and the federal judicial system. 

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Cherokee Nation Principal Chief Bill John Baker on Earth Day

Commemorating Earth Day is important for the Cherokee Nation and tribal governments across the country. Indian people are the Nation’s first conservationists and our tribal history is based on a balanced and harmonious relationship with our land, our resources and our environment. As such, we honor and celebrate Earth Day every day.  It is our responsibility to leave the world a better place for today, tomorrow and the next seven generations. We do that by being accountable and making decisions that benefit our people and preserve our natural world. At the Cherokee Nation, we embrace our role to lead by example in caring for the Earth.

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