Native veteran memorial discussion being held at Hard Rock

The U.S. Congress has authorized the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian in Washington, D.C., to create a National Native American Veterans Memorial.

Native American veterans and other community members are invited to a discussion on July 21 at Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Tulsa about the memorial, which will honor the military service of Native Americans. The event will take place from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the Sequoyah 2 room.

Principal Chief Bill John Baker will provide the opening remarks at the event. Kevin Gover, director of the National Museum of the American Indian, will lead the discussion, joined by members of the advisory committee for the memorial. 

Cherokee Nation Deputy Chief S. Joe Crittenden is a member of the the advisory committee, which is comprised of tribal leaders and veterans and represents geographic diversity of Indian Country. Additionally, the advisory committee represents the various branches of the Armed Forces. Deputy Chief Crittenden is a veteran of the U.S. Navy. 

Native Americans, including Cherokees, are thought to have more citizens serving in the military per capita than any other ethnic group according to the U.S. Department of Defense.

For more information, contact Rae Wacoche at rae-wacoche@cherokee.org or Gina Ward at wardgi@si.edu.

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RES Economic Summit at Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Tulsa offers tribes, business leaders unique networking opportunity

From July 11-14, the National Center for American Indian Enterprise Development will host its regional Reservation Economic Summit at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Tulsa. Cherokee Nation is honored to sponsor and host the annual RES conference in Tulsa, as we are the heart of Indian Country here in Oklahoma.

RES Oklahoma will bring together tribal leaders, elected officials, industry leaders and the American Indian business community to collaborate and network in an innovative and entrepreneurial atmosphere.

As the host tribe for this important event, we are proud to be an integral part of this tribal economic development conference.  The gathering, which is spearheaded by NCAIED Executive Director Gary Davis, a Cherokee Nation citizen, represents a unique opportunity for our most visionary economic leaders to share innovative ideas and successful practices and create new business development possibilities.

Creating business growth and quality jobs infuses our tribal communities with new revenue, and that makes all of Indian Country stronger and more formidable than ever. For our sovereign governments in Oklahoma, we know our economic contributions help the state thrive. Collectively, the state’s 38 tribes have an economic impact of more than $11 billion on the Oklahoma economy and support thousands of quality jobs.

Every day we see our growing economic diversity and expanding American Indian business ventures in Oklahoma grow to new heights. We must keep striving to create jobs for tribal citizens and within our tribal communities, which are often rural and historically fall short on providing career opportunities.

RES is one of the best gathering places for ideas and products for Indian Country to find a wider audience, where attendance also means access and education to keep abreast of the latest federal regulations and policies. It enables and encourages creative brainstorming with other tribal businesses about new opportunities for improvements, procurement, expansions and idea development. No other gathering has successively brought together tribal leaders, tribal enterprises, corporations and a host of federal agencies to the table to discuss expanded business opportunities not just for tribes and tribal businesses, but also for individual American Indian business owners.

The director of the U.S. Minority Business Development Agency, Alejandra Castillo, will be the keynote speaker and will moderate a breakout session on entrepreneurship. For the Cherokee Nation, creating new entrepreneurs is critical to our long-term future, and it’s something I have always championed as a small business owner myself.  Our Kawi Café, located in downtown Tahlequah, was recently named Best Educational Program by the Native American Finance Officers Association. Kawi Café was started two years ago as a hands-on business training program for aspiring Native American entrepreneurs.

The community of Tulsa and the Cherokee Nation remain focused on supporting and growing entrepreneurs, and RES Oklahoma reinforces this mission with a specifically designed boot camp designed for Native American high school and college-aged students interested in business and entrepreneurship. It is a rare chance to learn more about what it takes to succeed in business.

For more information or how you can attend, please visit http://res.ncaied.org/.

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Foster families needed for Cherokee children

The work of our Cherokee foster parents, child welfare workers and advocates is near and dear to my heart. It is an issue that deserves our daily attention. Cherokee people have always believed our children are sacred and their care is a shared responsibility. Each and every Cherokee child is precious and ensures our collective continued existence.

Sadly, there are more than 1,800 Cherokee children in foster care, with 1,100 of those children living right here in Oklahoma. Unfortunately, we are at a crossroad, with more children in custody than Cherokee foster homes available. The importance of placing Cherokee children in Cherokee foster homes is vital. Not only do our children deserve the right to grow up in a safe, loving environment, but they deserve the right to maintain their tribal ties to Cherokee values and culture.

Removal of our people from our homelands more than 175 years ago is one of the saddest parts of not just Cherokee history, but one of the darkest chapters in all of American history. The Trail of Tears created a long-lasting trauma for generations of Cherokee people, and we are still seeing the effects of it today. One of the most gut-wrenching ways is the trauma of a child in need of family.  

Since those dark days of removal, foster care has been a sad but necessary reality, and although it may look different than our tragic historic event, removal is still happening to our Cherokee children when they are plucked from unsafe environments. Unfortunately, there are times when our children are in unsafe situations and need an extra measure of support. Sometimes abuse and neglect can be repeated without interruption across several generations. When this happens, it is necessary to remove children for their well-being in order to facilitate a healing process, with the hope of family reunification. 

Temporary foster care is critical in the process. It literally saves kids and families, and without intervention there is little chance for family healing.

These rights are protected under the Indian Child Welfare Act of 1978, which mandate certain placement preferences occur should an Indian child become deprived and warrant removal from their home. In the placement preferences listed, citizens of a child’s tribe are listed as the second consideration, after family. For tribes nationwide, including the Cherokee Nation, protecting our children though ICWA is not simply a juvenile issue, it is also a tribal sovereignty and family rights issue.

Just last week, the Department of Interior issued strengthened ICWA regulations that will better protect  the rights of Indian children, their parents and their tribes in state child welfare proceedings. The provisions ensure identification and tribal notification when Indian children are involved in state court custody proceedings and recognize Indian children are best served when ICWA is strictly enforced. Most important, the new regulations instruct state courts on how to provide reunification services to meet the ultimate goal in all foster care cases: reunification of the family.

If you have ever considered the path of foster care, we need Cherokee families more than ever in Oklahoma and across the nation. For more information on how you can become a Cherokee foster home or other ways to help, please contact Cherokee Nation Indian Child Welfare at 918-458-6900 or visit www.cherokeekids.org

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Fighting the opioid surge in northeast Oklahoma

Prescription drug abuse is rampant in Oklahoma, with abusers being identified at younger and younger ages.  Oklahoma ranks in the top 10 nationally of overdoses and deaths related to opioid abuse. Additionally, Indian Health Service reports that opioid abuse-related deaths among tribal populations is almost double the general population. 

Opioid painkillers like oxycodone, hydrocodone and hydromorphone account for about 75 percent of prescription drug overdose deaths. We have a crisis in Oklahoma and throughout Indian Country, and we must raise awareness of the issue and create sustainable prevention plans for families, schools and community organizations. It’s important our Cherokee Nation youth know the importance of not only physical health, but mental health. That’s why we are striving to ensure Cherokee Nation citizens are healthy and safe.

Our tribe’s behavioral health department has prevention coordinators who are working to secure drop bags at area pharmacies with important information on safe use, safe storage and safe disposal of prescription drugs. The safe drop off bags and locations get no longer needed drugs out of medicine cabinets and homes. On one recent Saturday afternoon in Wagoner, our team collected more than 3,000 pills for disposal and distributed lockboxes for families to keep dangerous and addictive painkillers away from children.

This effort is a partnership with the Oklahoma Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services, as well as the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.

Our tribal marshals are also part of a new project the Bureau of Indian Affairs, the IHS and the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy have instituted. The BIA is training officers to recognize opioid overdoses and be authorized to dispense a dose of naloxone, which can reverse an opioid overdose by counterbalancing the drug’s slowing of the victim’s nervous and respiratory systems.

This is a national pilot program, and we are proud to be involved along with other tribal officers in Oklahoma. After the training, our Cherokee Nation marshals will be better equipped to identify and divert overdoses, which will save lives.

We need a comprehensive response to this problem. We’ve addressed education with pharmacies and equipped our law enforcement officers with better information and tools to deal with prescription drug abuse within our 14-county tribal jurisdictional boundaries. In addition to education, we must ensure addiction treatment is available to the thousands of people who need it. 

Addiction and the escalating rate of overdoses are a simple matter of life and death. We are taking a serious look at how we can best help our citizens to break the cycle of abuse. I hope you will join me in this effort.

Wado. 

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Cabinet for Children and Families puts emphasis on our youth and our future

At Cherokee Nation we are focused on promoting the best outcomes for our children and families, so we’ve launched a new initiative, the Cherokee Nation Cabinet for Children and Families. The goal of the cabinet is to provide the best possible services to families and bring Cherokee families to the table to help influence and impact tribal policies. 

Spearheaded by the innovative “HERO Project” which focuses on behavioral and mental health in our youth population, the new cabinet will work with families as we focus on strategies at every level. This includes the macro level that affects an entire community, the mezzo level that applies to neighborhoods and institutions, and the micro level, which deals with individuals and families. With a robust team in place, the Cherokee Nation Cabinet for Children and Families will provide better collaboration on the policies, services and programs that truly impact Cherokee families day in and day out.

Currently, the cabinet is made up of people working in all programs that serve Cherokee youth and Cherokee families.  It includes the majority of the departments our citizens engage with daily. Cherokee Nation departments participating include: Youth Services, the Attorney General’s office, Child Support, Indian Child Welfare, Child Care Programs, Early Childhood Unit, Health Administration, Behavioral Health, Human Services, Marshal Services, Pediatrics, Government Relations, Finance, Education, Commerce, Career Services, Communications and Cultural Outreach.

Our hope is to develop policies that reflect the needs of our families and to ensure sustainability of our services for generations to come. That will positively impact every Cherokee family we serve. As this administration has proven time and time again, the most important goal for the future of the Cherokee Nation is improved access to world-class health care, a safe home and a quality education for our tribal citizens. We have made those issues our priorities as we invest in services and create programs for our people. 

We have a responsibility to address and improve quality of life for our youth.  As we focus on these issues today, we will truly reap the benefits a generation from now, as these kids grow into healthy adults and start their own families. We can and will make a lasting positive effect, which means healthier children and more stable families. 

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Utilizing new tools to stay connected with at-large Cherokee Nation citizens

Cherokee Nation citizens in at-large communities across Oklahoma and the United States are a vital part of our tribal government and are critical to our success. The Cherokee Nation has more than 330,000 citizens, and almost 205,000 of our enrolled citizenry live outside the tribe’s northeast Oklahoma jurisdiction. It is important we keep all our citizens as informed and up to date as we can.

We recently launched a new website (www.cherokeesatlarge.org ) dedicated exclusively to connecting Cherokee Nation citizens residing beyond the tribe’s 14 counties with information on federal and tribal programs and services. The new site features unique information for Cherokee Nation citizens on home loans and IHS health care options. There are details about higher education scholarships available to any Cherokee no matter where you live.

It’s a good way for Cherokees to interact, participate and remain connected to our government. I believe our bond as Cherokee people can never be broken, whether you live inside or outside the jurisdictional boundaries. It is important that all citizens be informed of what is happening with the Cherokee Nation. We all share similar values, Cherokee values: a commitment to family and community and a respect for preserving our heritage and culture.

Many of our at-large citizens are involved with the nearly two dozen at-large Cherokee community organizations across the country. These groups make up the Cherokee Nation Community Association and are coordinated through the tribe’s Community and Cultural Outreach department. The new website provides vital information on Cherokee community gatherings near you. These are the community groups we visit regularly to share news updates, photo ID cards and voter registration information.

In Oklahoma alone there are more than 90,000 Cherokee Nation citizens who reside outside our 14-county tribal boundary. Through our negotiated state compacts, all Cherokee Nation citizens in Oklahoma are eligible for a Cherokee Nation Hunting and Fishing license and Cherokee vehicle tags. The new website has information on both of these opportunities.

Improving communication at the Cherokee Nation has been a longstanding goal, and it’s the reason we have launched an award-winning television show, “Osiyo, Voices of the Cherokee People,” which can be streamed online at www.osiyo.tv. We also mail an award-winning magazine to all citizens called “Anadisgoi.” Both the show and magazine profile exceptional citizens, current events and stories on Cherokee history and cultural preservation.

The new site is something I have talked about with folks across the country as I travel. There was a need and desire for more information, so we set out to fulfill it.

This administration is devoted to improving our tribe, protecting our families and creating more hope for the Cherokee people.  The strength of the Cherokee Nation has always been its people. Passionate Cherokees are driving us forward and deserve every opportunity to better know and understand the tribe. 

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Honoring Moms on Mother's Day

As we continue doing our important work for the Cherokee Nation, I want to take a moment and reflect on the important people in my personal life - Sherry Baker, First Lady of the Cherokee Nation, Dr. Isabel Baker, my beloved mother, and my daughters, Lacee, Angie and Brooke.  

Mother’s Day is Sunday and I consider myself blessed to have these inspiring role models for modern women by my side.

As the mother of our children and grandmother of our 10 grandchildren, Sherry has always put family first. I admire her strength and nurturing spirit. She made a commitment to Cherokee people by spearheading our effort to protect women and children through the One Fire Task Force.  She also balances managing a successful small business and doing the things grandmothers do – making healthy meals and helping with homework.

My mother set an incredible example for me. She taught me invaluable lessons of fairness and honesty and she instilled a sense that any goal was achievable through hard work.

I also want to acknowledge what wonderful mothers my children have become before my own eyes. My daughters make me so proud because they have grown up to be such strong women and role models for their own children.

To all of them I say Happy Mother’s Day and I encourage each of you to take the time and recognize your own mother or role model in your life that should be acknowledged with love and respect. As a friend told me recently, ‘A mother’s love is the fuel that enables a normal human being to do the impossible.’ I believe that.

God bless all our Mothers.

Wado.  

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