Providing Cherokee elders day trip opportunity

It’s not often that we can provide Cherokee Nation citizens free field trips, one that includes a lunch, an education in tribal history and a tour of the modern Cherokee Nation complex. We have started a new program with our 14 senior nutrition sites. Recently, we hosted the first group of about 30 Cherokee elders from senior nutrition sites in Marble City, Muldrow and Sallisaw and the response was great. Our elders are so important to our tribe and culture. They are the anchors of our families and the keepers of our culture, traditions and values.

The tribe’s senior nutrition sites provide an invaluable service and help ensure the continued good health and quality of life for our Cherokee elders. Over the past year, Deputy Chief Joe Crittenden, Secretary of State Chuck Hoskin Jr. and I have joined different Tribal Council members to attend at least one lunch per month. We visited all of the 14 senior nutrition sites, which are open to provide meals to our elders.

These were opportunities to connect with our citizens and provide important updates to people who may not get news from the tribe regularly. So, we set out to change that, and we had wonderful conversations and experiences across the 14 counties. Several people asked for the opportunity to travel to Tahlequah and actually see firsthand some of the things we were talking about.

We promised to fulfill that request, and so we partnered with the cultural tourism department at Cherokee Nation Businesses to arrange a bus trip for the elders to Tahlequah and tour the Cherokee National Prison Museum, the Cherokee National Supreme Court Museum and the John Ross Museum. It’s a natural fit to partner with CNB, which provides the shuttle bus as well as the friendly and informative tour guides, who share so many aspects of our tribal history and heritage.

We also provided lunch at the Restaurant of the Cherokees, and offered opportunities to shop at the Cherokee Nation Gift Shop or stop by the registration department for photo IDs, as well as visit the Cherokee Nation Veterans Center. Additionally, there was a drive-by tour of Northeastern State University to see Seminary Hall and the bronze Sequoyah statue in front of the school. 

We already have many more trips for the other sites planned in 2017. I am so very proud to have set this program in motion because it affords us opportunities to share time, a meal and fellowship with some of our most delightful and eager citizens. The Cherokee Nation’s Human Services and Community Services and CNB’s cultural tourism have all played valuable roles to ensure these trips are well planned and meaningful.

For more information, contact Barbara Foreman at (918) 453-5919 or Barbara-foreman@Cherokee.org.

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'Tis the season for gratitude

Cherokees have a long tradition of coming together to support our families, friends and communities. That collective goodwill is one of the most respected and shared values within the Cherokee Nation. I am proud to say it remains a critical characteristic in the work we do every day for our people. 

Our tribal and business employees, as well as citizens throughout the Cherokee Nation, continually exemplify the generous and giving characteristics necessary to uphold this vital aspect of our culture. Our business arm, Cherokee Nation Businesses, incorporates this concept into the company’s mission of growing Cherokee Nation’s economic footprint. That success supports the tribe, our citizens, and the programs and services that positively impact Cherokee lives. 

As the economic engine of our tribe, all of CNB’s profits are reinvested into either job creation or social services like health care, housing, human services, career services and education.

CNB also offers support through the Community Impact Team, a companywide endeavor promoting volunteerism and community engagement for all employees. Each of our Community Impact Team employee volunteers at CNB are true champions of our tribe and are making real differences in northeast Oklahoma. The people who benefit the most from this commitment to community are some of our neediest Cherokee Nation citizens, especially youth and elders. 

Our CNB employee volunteers, through the Community Impact Team, engage in a variety of outreach assignments across the tribe’s 14 counties. Almost 940 employees have participated and given more than 3,300 hours of volunteer time to hundreds of worthwhile causes. They offer their time to organizations like Iron Gate, New Hope Oklahoma, the Cherokee Nation Angel Project, and the Oklahoma Department of Transportation’s Trash-OFF and Adopt-A-Highway programs. They also coordinate events like local school supply drives, blood drives, the tribe’s Heart of a Nation annual fundraising campaign and many other efforts throughout the year.
 
It is especially important during the holiday season and upcoming harsh winter months that we, as a tribe, uphold our values of giving back and making stronger families and communities. It helps ensure every Cherokee Nation citizen feels the support of the tribe and receives the helping hand they may need, even more during this time of year. 

During this season of giving and celebration, it is only appropriate to recognize and say thank you to the many individuals who volunteer, give their time and donate personal funds to support their fellow citizens throughout the year. These everyday heroes exemplify the Cherokee tradition of working together as a community and show our tribe’s love and dedication to all of our citizens. 

I offer my personal gratitude to you all. God bless each and every one of you this Christmas season. 

Wado. 

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In remembrance of Janelle Lattimore-Fullbright

The Cherokee Nation has lost a true patriot. Janelle Lattimore-Fullbright was a longtime servant to the Cherokee people, dedicating her time to the Cherokee Nation in so many capacities they are too numerous to mention. She was a Tribal Councilor for eight years, tirelessly fighting for the people of Sequoyah County and making quality health care for Cherokees her top priority above all else. She served as the Deputy Speaker of the Tribal Council, as well as on the Cherokee Nation Gaming Commission and was most recently a valuable member of the Cherokee Nation Businesses board of directors, guiding our business interests with the same priorities in mind that she did our government – always for the betterment of Cherokee Nation citizens. On a very personal level, she was one of my closest friends and I will miss her dearly. She truly was a Cherokee treasure and will be missed by all who knew her. Please pray for her extended family, including husband Alfred and children Cody and Natalie, and keep them in your prayers during this difficult time. 

- Bill John Baker 

Cherokee Nation Principal Chief 

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Cherokee Nation files suit over ‘Broken Treaties’

The Cherokee Nation recently filed a lawsuit against the federal government to uncover details about how the United States throughout history managed the tribe’s trust fund, which includes money, property and other resources. The claim was filed in federal court in the Western District of Oklahoma on the 231st anniversary of the Treaty of Hopewell, the first treaty between the Cherokee Nation and the United States government. In the Treaty of Hopewell, the United States agreed its actions would be for “the benefit and comfort” of the Cherokee Nation. Sadly, the United States violated this treaty and every other treaty signed with the Cherokee Nation’s government.

This current lawsuit is about holding the federal government accountable; it is about making sure there is an accurate accounting of the vast Cherokee trust fund, the money and natural resources, including the land, coal, timber, water, grazing, and oil and gas, that the federal government agreed to hold in trust for the benefit of the Cherokee Nation.

As a trustee, the federal government managed the Cherokee trust fund, handling the money earned off the land and resources. The federal government’s reports state that Indian trust funds were handled with a “pitchfork.” As a result, many of the recorded transactions are lost or scattered across the country in epically disorganized accounting books. Our hope and desire are to address the information and management gap at the core of the federal government’s mishandling.

At different  times throughout history, Cherokee lands in Indian Territory were taken, sold or leased by the federal government, the most powerful and sophisticated government in the world. Yet, because of the federal government’s management, we cannot get an accurate accounting of what it did with the revenue from our natural resources. The resources relate to the treaty lands of the Cherokee Nation, including the current 14-county jurisdiction of our tribe.

The federal government can’t tell us what it did with our trust fund resources; it can’t tell us what profit was realized from the sale of those resources; it can’t tell us where the money went or whether it was fairly and justly allocated to the tribe as negotiated and agreed upon. We believe the United States government should live up to its word, and we think most Americans feel the same way.

This is a tremendous opportunity for the United States to reconcile its management of the Cherokee trust fund over the centuries and to finally account for the resources that it was legally obligated to manage for the benefit of the Cherokee people. We believe the Cherokee Nation is in a position of strength in this litigation and that the Nation is able to pursue its legal interests to hold the federal government accountable. Yes, lawsuits by nature are adversarial, but this is a chance for the government of the United States to do what is right. This can chart a path of healing and of stronger cooperation between our governments going forward. 

The United States has a trust responsibility to the Cherokee Nation, and similar duties to other tribes nationwide. In the recent past, the United States was sued by other tribes seeking an accounting like the Cherokee Nation seeks in this lawsuit. The United States, ultimately, never provided any accountings in those other cases, but instead it has paid other tribes the values of the trust funds for which it cannot account. To date, there have been dozens of such settlements spanning the Clinton, Bush and Obama administrations.  

Without a doubt, this lawsuit is overdue, and as Principal Chief it is essential for me to hold the United States accountable for the promises made. As a leader among tribal governments, we hope Cherokee Nation’s lawsuit helps all of Indian Country move forward. We have very strong claims, and we are hopeful for a positive outcome in the courtroom. This suit will mean a brighter future for the Cherokee Nation.

Learn more at www.brokentreaties.com

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Statement on Dakota Access Pipeline announcement

Cherokee Nation applauds the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and leadership from the Obama Administration for exploring ways to reroute the Dakota Access Pipeline and protect the safety of the Standing Rock Sioux people. A revised plan with input from tribal leaders will hopefully protect the water and the sacred lands of the tribe. This is a testament to our ability to find a better way. In the most powerful and progressive country in the world, we should be able to find solutions that do not jeopardize what we as Native people value, including our land and water. When I visited Standing Rock, I saw firsthand the passion and purpose of the water protectors. They have prayed and resiliently fought for this just and honorable decision. I hope President-elect Trump will continue to work collaboratively with the Standing Rock Sioux and all tribal governments. We support the development of good energy policies, ones that respect the sovereignty of Indian people and include tribes as part of the solution. We must have the ability to protect our homeland and families for the generations to follow. That’s what being a good steward means. I look forward to tribes, like the Cherokee Nation and the Standing Rock Sioux, being part that dialogue with the incoming Administration. 

- Bill John Baker
Cherokee Nation Principal Chief 

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Deciding the future of the Illinois River Watershed

For decades, Cherokees have been noticing a change to our water resources. When I was a boy the Illinois River was pristine, even in the deepest areas, and at Lake Tenkiller visitors and locals alike flocked to the crystal-clear waters during the warmest parts of the summer. Like most people in this region, I treasure the memories of swimming, fishing and catching crawdads in the creeks and rivers that make up the Illinois River Watershed. The entire watershed west of Arkansas is within the Cherokee Nation, making it a uniquely Cherokee water resource.

Today during the summer months when visitors are at Lake Tenkiller they can see only a few inches into the water and the Illinois River is often plagued with thick, green algae that chokes the riverbed. Sadly, after the algae blooms and dies, vital oxygen is removed from the water resulting in fish kills that depend on the delicate balance of the river’s ecosystem.

Parents in our community worry whether their children and grandchildren will even be allowed the simple pleasure of growing up in a place with clean water to fish and swim. That is a birthright for every Cherokee in northeast Oklahoma since our people came here on the Trail of Tears.

Oklahoma has set a standard for water quality on the Illinois River, but just last week an expert panel chosen by Arkansas and Oklahoma politicians got together to review a study on algae in the Illinois River- a study funded entirely by the state of Arkansas. This group, which has excluded the Cherokee Nation and EPA from its decision-making process, will make recommendations on whether to allow even more pollution into the Illinois River in the coming years. It will convene again on Friday, Dec. 2nd at 9:00 a.m. at the Renaissance Tulsa Hotel and Convention Center to discuss what the Illinois River should look like for the next seven generations.

The Illinois River is sacred and deserves to be protected. It is a truly scenic river and outstanding water resource that our tribal culture and communities depend on every day. Cherokees and Oklahomans alike need to be asking questions and attending the meetings of this committee.

We must have the power to decide for ourselves what the future of our water resources will be, and not leave theses decision up to out of state policy makers. Negative impacts to our water resources that happen upstream in Arkansas could harm our natural resources for generations.  We can’t afford to sit idly by and hope that those involved make the right decisions, so we have to make our voices heard on this important issue. These are the waters that belong to the Cherokee Nation and flow through northeast Oklahoma.

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Spirit of Native people unbowed at Standing Rock

Recently, I had the fortunate opportunity to visit the Standing Rock Sioux Reservation and the Sacred Stone Camp, where close to 10,000 people were standing in solidarity with the tribe in its righteous campaign to protect its historic and sacred sites, along with its precious natural resources.

I was deeply touched by the resolute spirit and collective power of the water protectors, and I am so proud the Cherokee Nation is standing united with our brothers and sisters from North Dakota. It was a powerful moment to stand shoulder to shoulder with friends, associates at the Cherokee Nation and tribal citizens from around the country to lend our voice and support for the Standing Rock people in their just fight to reroute a proposed oil pipeline that could harm historic and sacred sites, and potentially contaminate the water supply for 18 million people.

It is simply amazing what tribal people can accomplish when we come together in times of need. We delivered vital supplies, including firewood and winter clothing that our Cherokee Nation Youth Council collected. It marked the third official trip from our government, not to mention the hundreds of individual Cherokees who have traveled to support the cause. We have contributed funds for the legal battle and much needed firewood and supplies for the upcoming winter months, which on the North Dakota prairie can be brutal.

It’s the right thing to do and is a plight worth supporting. The Standing Rock Sioux Tribe, like Cherokee Nation, has always been a good steward of the land.  Like the Lakota people, we've experienced hardships, removal and termination policies. We’ve had treaties broken, guarantees ignored and our lands and natural resources pillaged time and time again.  It’s an unfortunate history that all Indian nations share in this country and Indigenous populations share all over the world. However, Native people can and should be part of the solution for a sustainable future and for the development of clean, safe energy. We must have a seat at the table before decisions are made impacting the safety, health and natural resources of our communities because economies can no longer be built on the backs of Native people.

At the Sacred Stone Camp, water protectors are prepared for a long winter and ready to peacefully defend the water that sustains so many communities down the river. Like others across Indian Country, I hope for a positive and safe outcome and the federal government truly takes into account all tribal concerns. We pray that the well-being of the community will be prioritized ahead of profit and corporate interests.

This battle is really about more than just one tribe. It’s about protecting our sovereign rights. It’s about defending our precious water and Mother Earth. It’s about all tribal nations coming together for a common cause to say, ‘our rights must be respected and upheld.’

We went to Standing Rock as the largest tribe in the United States to amplify the message and voices that are rallying around this critical cause and to let all of Indian Country know that at Cherokee Nation, our heart and our spirit is with the Standing Rock Sioux people.

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