Cherokee Phoenix June 5, 2019

BREAKING GROUND

The first students of the OSU College of Osteopathic Medicine at Cherokee Nation will begin studies in August 2020. HEALTH, 6

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JUNE 5, 2019

PHOENIX 191 YEARS OF JOURNALISM

Hoskin Jr. wins principal chief race

Chuck Hoskin Jr. wins the race on June 1 with 57.51 percent of the vote.

BY D. SEAN ROWLEY Senior Reporter TAHLEQUAH – Chuck Hoskin Jr., former secretary of state for the Cherokee Nation, has been elected principal chief, according to unofficial results of the June 1 general election.

The tribe’s Election Commission posted the results in the early hours of June 2.

The results showed Hoskin with 7,933 ballots or 57.51 percent of the vote. Dick Lay received 3,856 votes, or 27.95 percent.

Because of the disqualification of candidate David

Walkingstick, whose name was printed on the ballot, the remaining percentage was cast for the Dist. 3 tribal councilor. Walkingstick received 2,006 votes, or 14.54 percent.

The EC announced the results with 52 of 52 precincts reporting, or 100 percent, including 406 challenged ballots.

“I think the campaign went well,” Hoskin said. “It was a campaign that took all of my energy and all of (deputy chief candidate) Bryan Warner’s energy. I think the end results speak for themselves. I wouldn’t be here without my family, friends, colleagues that I served with while secretary of state, and folks who wanted to see this

FIRST CLASS

FOR MORE ELECTION NEWS SEE PAGES 2 - 4 Chuck Hoskin Jr.

Dick Lay

progress continue and were attracted to the message Councilor Warner and I were offering.”

Hoskin said there were several issues he hoped to address once he assumes office.

SEE CHIEF, 2

Warner wins deputy chief contest

Bryan Warner takes 58 percent of the vote, according to unofficial results.

BY CHAD HUNTER Reporter

PHOTOS COURTESY OF TOM FIELDS “Remember the Removal” cyclists in 1984 pose for a photo at a historic marker at Tatham Gap Road near Robbinsville, North Carolina. 2019 marks the 35th anniversary of that inaugural “RTR” ride. The Cherokee Nation in 2009 began sending riders annually on the trip.

Alumni of the first “Remember the Removal” ride recall experiences.

BY LINDSEY BARK Reporter

O

n June 4, 1984, 20 Cherokee youth rode out of Cherokee, North Carolina, into the Great Smoky Mountains on a four-week bicycle ride using the Northern and Benge routes of the Trail of Tears, the same routes thousands of Cherokees used to reach Indian Territory, now Oklahoma, in 1838-39.

Thirty-five years and 10 bike rides later, the Cherokee Nation’s “Remember the Removal” program still sends riders annually to retrace the Northern Route to remember the removals and honor ancestors.

After a 25-year hiatus, the “RTR” ride restarted in 2009 as an annual ride, consisting of only CN citizens.

Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians riders from North Carolina began taking part in 2011.

But it was the 1984 riders who paved the way for the program’s cyclists now who want to learn about Cherokee history and visit landmarks where their ancestors walked in wintery conditions.

“It was exciting and it was a little scary. There were quite a few riders that never even spent the night away from home before,” CN citizen and 1984 cyclist Tress Yahola Lewis said.

Riders in 1984 also faced many differences than today’s cyclists.

SEE RTR, 4

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A group of 1984 “Remember the Removal” cyclists rest and have snacks along the trail. Shown from left are Taylor Alsenay, Thomas Pritchett, Ed Sevenstar, Jimmy Muskrat and Howard Kingfisher.

TAHLEQUAH – Bryan Warner, one half of the Hoskin-Warner campaign, was elected Cherokee Nation deputy chief in the June 1 general election with Bryan Warner 58.88 percent of the vote, according to unofficial results.

Warner, who ran alongside principal chief-elect Chuck Hoskin Jr., won his race against Meredith Frailey with a vote count of 8,0605,630, including challenged ballots, according to the Election Commission.

“I’m ready to serve with Chuck as Meredith chief,” Warner said. “We complement Frailey each other very well. It’s been a long race, but anything we do for the Cherokee Nation is always worth the effort. I look forward to the future of everyone coming together and working together.”

Warner, of Sallisaw, is serving his first term as the Dist. 6 tribal councilor.

“I have a lot of friends on the council, and I look forward to working with them,” Warner said. “In the end, it’s always ‘how can we improve,’ even when we’re successful.”

A former college science instructor, Warner is campus director at Carl Albert State College in Sallisaw. He said he plans to step away from that role and focus solely on his job as deputy chief.

“It’s a great day, but also sad in my heart because I’ll be leaving Carl Albert,” he said. “It’s not an immediate exodus. It’s going to be a slow process.”

Warner will replace S. Joe Crittenden, a former tribal councilor who is terming out after eight years as deputy chief.

“I appreciate the job he’s done, and what Chief (Bill John) Baker has done,” Warner said.

SEE DEPUTY, 2

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“Remember the Removal” cyclists ride into Stilwell, led by Sharon Blackfox, right, and Nancy Gourd, at the end of the inaugural “RTR” ride in 1984.

1984 cyclists Will Chavez, left, and Marvin Cochran move down the road along the Benge Route of the Trail of Tears.

3 councilors win, 5 seats to see new reps

Rex Jordan, Shawn Crittenden and Keith Austin win second terms. Three council races will have runoffs.

BY D. sean rowley, LINDSEY BARK & chad hunter Senior Reporter & Reporters TAHLEQUAH – According to unofficial results, all three tribal councilors who were up for re-election on June 1 won second terms. And while two other seats were determined, three legislative races are headed to runoffs.

DISTRICT 1 Tribal Councilor Rex Jordan retained his seat against Ryan Sierra in the general election, according to unofficial results.

Jordan won with 672 votes to 489 votes or 57.88 percent of votes to 42.12 percent. Those vote tallies include challenged ballots, according to the Election Commission.

SEE COUNCIL, 3

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ᏣᎳᎩ ᏧᎴᎯᏌᏅᎯ • [UMI 5, 2019

Top court upholds Walkingstick DQ BY chad hunter Reporter

TAHLEQUAH – The Cherokee Nation Supreme Court on May 29 denied David Walkingstick’s appeal to rejoin the principal chief race.

On May 17, the Election Commission disqualified Walkingstick, the Dist. 3 tribal councilor, for violating tribal election law. He filed an appeal that Supreme Court justices heard on May 24 , which provided an opportunity for all parties to offer witnesses, clarifying information or other data.

The court’s order states the EC’s conclusions “are supported by sufficient evidence” to disqualify Walkingstick from the June 1 election.

Former Secretary of State Chuck Hoskin Jr. won the election over Dist. 12 Tribal Councilor Dick Lay. Hoskin garnered 57.51 percent of the vote or 7,993 ballots. Lay got 3,856 votes for 27.95 percent.

Walkingstick’s disqualification was based on the attorney general’s case that he and his campaign illegally accepted inkind donations from the limited liability company Cherokees for Change and solicited illegal contributions.

Deputy Attorney General Chrissi Nimmo told the court that if Walkingstick was reinstated, “We are telling the world that Cherokee Nation elections are for sale.” One of Walkingstick’s attorneys, Brian Berry, contended the attorney general’s case had “not one bit of evidence that can carry any weight.” “(Walkingstick) committed no violation justifying disqualification as a candidate for office of principal chief under Cherokee Nation law as it currently exists,” Walkingstick’s attorneys wrote in a “findings of fact” document filed May 28. “The evidence presented to the commission fails to prove (Walkingstick) accepted in-kind contributions from Cherokees for Change.”

Much of the attorney general’s case was based on CN law that allows only individuals to make campaign contributions.

“It is clear that Cherokees for Change LLC made illegal in-kind contributions to the campaign of David Walkingstick,” the May 17 EC decision states. “David Walkingstick knew that Cherokees for Change LLC was being created directly for his benefit and both his financial agent and his mother assisted the LLC in carrying out its mission.”

Gregory Russell Appleton, who was briefly the Walkingstick campaign financial agent, created the LLC on Feb. 21. In an affidavit that included 103 pages

CHAD HUNTER/CHEROKEE PHOENIX Dist. 3 Tribal Councilor David Walkingstick takes part in the May 11 Stilwell Strawberry Festival parade. The Election Commission disqualified him from the principal chief’s race on May 17. An appeal of that decision failed in the Supreme Court. of correspondence among Walkingstick, campaign manager Luke Harshaw and others, Appleton stated Walkingstick knew of the LLC from its inception.

“On Feb. 21, 2019, David Walkingstick had knowledge that I intended to create/ had created a legal entity that would accept donations and make expenditures in support of his candidacy,” Appleton wrote. “That legal entity was Cherokees for Change LLC.” When asked about the statement, Walkingstick said Appleton was lying.

Via its website, Cherokees for Change accepted contributions of nearly $60,000, Appleton stated. The LLC also maintained a Facebook page and sent out two mailers, one supporting Walkingstick and the other criticizing Hoskin.

Walkingstick maintained there was no connection between his campaign and the LLC. “There’s no collusion or coordination between Walkingstick for Chief and Cherokees for Change,” he told Marshal Service Director Shannon Buhl, according to a transcript.

Walkingstick said he and Appleton parted ways Feb. 28 and that he had no control over anti-administration groups.

“If they’re pro Walkingstick or pro Lay or pro Hoskin, great, so be it.”

In a May 23 brief requesting the court uphold the EC’s decision, Attorney General Todd Hembree said Walkingstick “was never a bystander in this transaction, but a participant who worked to arrange contributions for Cherokees for Change LLC.” He said evidence “demonstrated that Walkingstick and his financial agent used

Council greenlights Stilwell ambulatory facility, honors vets

D. SEAN ROWLEY/ CHEROKEE PHOENIX Chuck Hoskin Jr., shown here with supporters on election night, won the principal chief race in the Cherokee Nation’s June 1 general election, getting more than 57 percent of the vote.

BY D. SEAN ROWLEY & CHAD HUNTER Senior Reporter & Reporter

CHIEF: Hoskin says he wants to

quickly address health care issues from front page “I think initially we have to look at health care,” he said. “Our health care system has grown and improved the last eight years, but we know there are gaps, particularly with wait times, not enough providers – doctors, nurses and other health care providers. The first thing I want to look at is how to remedy that. We have some ideas. We need to leverage the $100 million in new revenue that is coming in from the government to help operate the new outpatient facility.

We need to leverage our partnership with Oklahoma State University, so we can start growing our own doctors. But we also have a range of issues such as language preservation that we need to

continue to work on, job creation – not just directly but also in the rural areas in particular where capital investment makes sense. We have to be prepared for the compact negotiations in a year. These are some of the issues that helped propel us to victory tonight.”

All results are unofficial until certified by the EC. For all the June 1 races, recount requests must be received by June 5, and any recount must be completed

by June 7. The deadline for appeals is June 10. Requests for absentee ballots in runoff races must be received by June 17.

Absentee ballots will be mailed June 2425. Walk-in or early absentee voting will be offered at the CNEC office on July 20 and 23-25. Runoff elections are July 27.

DEPUTY: Warner is the current Dist.

6 Tribal Council representative

from front page Warner’s opponent, Frailey, of Locust Grove, served on the Tribal Council from 2003-13. She is a Mayes County commissioner and Locust Grove city attorney.

“During this 2019 campaign, it has been so encouraging to meet many new people and visit with longtime friends that I haven’t seen in quite a while,” she said in a statement. “I also have learned many needs of our people are not being met.”

During an April 16 debate sponsored by the Cherokee Phoenix, Frailey said her goal was to “help our people become

Cherokees for Change LLC as a place to ‘hide’ donations.”

“Walkingstick’s motive to do this is illuminated clearly in a text message he sent to Appleton on Jan. 5, 2019, where he observed that, ‘[i]t’s kind of a recurring theme that people are scared to get involved in this race,’” Hembree wrote. “Given that this is the first principal chief election where no incumbent is running since 1995, it is perhaps understandable that potential donors would be more willing to donate if they could hedge their bets and remain anonymous. So Walkingstick and Appleton went about arranging a way for donors to do that, using the state and federal PAC system as a model.”

In its ruling, the EC stated that Walkingstick’s campaign tried to hide its connection with the LLC by changing the financial agent’s name on documents, refunding LLC donations and closing a P.O. box that was allegedly set up by Walkingstick’s mother for LLC purposes.

In a Facebook video following his disqualification, Walkingstick described the EC’s decision as “deeply concerning,” and referenced what he called “corruption and cronyism.”

“When an unelected board of Cherokee citizens close to the chief can remove a candidate without due process or evidence of wrongdoing, it highlights something fundamentally wrong with our election process,” he said.

Oklahoma City attorney Jason Reese, on Walkingstick’s behalf, described the EC hearing as one in which “the attorney general’s office went to great pains to

remove an option from the democratic electorate of the Cherokee Nation.”

“The commission continues to fail to demonstrate the offer or acceptance of any in-kind contribution as opposed to a third-party expenditure,” Reese stated in a May 23 brief filed with the court.

“Likewise, the commission remains unable to cite any Cherokee Nation law against coordination or communication between a campaign and a third party.”

At the Supreme Court hearing, Reese questioned the tribe’s definition of “inkind contributions” and said CN laws had not been updated “to accommodate Citizens United,” a U.S. Supreme Court case that granted corporations and unions unlimited spending power on political activities.

Nimmo said “Citizens United does not apply to or within the Cherokee Nation.”

According to the attorney general’s office, Walkingstick also sought an illegal donation from Cherokee Nation Businesses board member Shaun Shepherd. “I told (Walkingstick) that I could not support him,” Shepherd wrote in an affidavit. “(Walkingstick) told me that I could make a cash contribution and remain anonymous and that no one had to know but he and I. He asked if I would be willing to contribute to his campaign through a family member, specifically mentioning my mother. I told him no …”

The Supreme Court ruling noted that commissioners “also found that another potential contributor, Sheldon Miggletto, was solicited by Walkingstick for campaign contributions.”

Justices also noted that Walkingstick’s responses “were evasive” at the EC hearing and that he “provided no plausible explanation” for the P.O. box.

“All of this activity and the record demonstrate the election commission properly found that the facts constitute evidence that Walkingstick knew Appleton had created Cherokees for Change to solicit and receive contributions in support of his candidacy and he and Appleton had engaged in solicitation of unlawful campaign contributions,” the court order states.

“Most importantly, all of this was done outside of the control and knowledge of the election commission.”

Walkingstick’s running mate for deputy chief, Meredith Frailey, was not implicated of wrongdoing. Nimmo said there was “zero evidence she had a connection with Cherokees for Change.”

Earlier this year, the EC deemed principal chief candidate Rhonda BrownFleming ineligible to run based on residency requirements. The court also upheld that decision.

satisfied with their own personal achievement, foster happy, functional families, strong and supportive communities and a vibrant tribal government.”

Frailey’s running mate was Dist. 3 Tribal Councilor David Walkingstick, who was disqualified from the chief’s race by the Election Commission on May 17 for violating tribal election law. The Supreme Court upheld the EC decision on May 29.

A third deputy chief candidate, Linda Sacks, of Muskogee, withdrew from the race in February. She was running alongside chief candidate Dick Lay.

TAHLEQUAH –The Tribal Council voted May 13 to seek grant funding to establish an ambulatory facility at the Wilma P. Mankiller Health Center in Stilwell.

The Cherokee Nation administration will apply for $2 million from the Indian Health Services Small Ambulatory Program. The CN has also $2 million in matching funds designated for it.

Health Services officials said the IHS Small Ambulatory Program is funding made available on a competitive basis for qualifying projects to construct, expand or modernize small ambulatory health care facilities owned and operated by tribal health organizations to serve American Indian patients.

Program funding is for construction of a satellite facility, construction of a replacement facility, expansion of an existing facility or the modernization of an existing facility, officials said.

“Cherokee Nation is seeking grant funding from the Small Ambulatory Program for expansion of the Wilma P. Mankiller Health Center in Stilwell,” states an email from W.W. Hastings Hospital CEO Brian Hail. “The Health Center is an outpatient (also known as ‘ambulatory’ based on the concept that patients seeking care at an ambulatory facility are typically able to walk into the facility) care facility providing care outside of a hospital setting.”

The Tribal Council unanimously approved the measure, which calls for the facility’s construction after “demolition of the original portion.”

Also at the meeting, veterans Ralph A. Feather, 86, of Jay; John R. Carleton, 73, of Owasso; and James D. Roe Sr., 85, of Warner, were dubbed “Cherokee Warriors” and awarded the tribe’s Medal of Patriotism.

Feather enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps in 1952. A year later, he deployed to Korea, where he served with other Marines along the 38th Parallel battlegrounds as a rifleman, Deputy Chief and U.S. Navy veteran S. Joe Crittenden said.

Feather was honorably discharged in 1955 as a military police corporal.

When receiving his CN award, Feather

CHAD HUNTER/CHEROKEE PHOENIX Cherokee Nation citizen and Korean War veteran Ralph A. Feather, 86, of Jay, center, receives the tribe’s Medal of Patriotism on May 13. Feather is flanked by Dist. 9 Tribal Councilor Mike Shambaugh, left, and Principal Chief Bill John Baker. addressed the crowd in Cherokee.

“He said, ‘I’m just happy to be here this evening and I thank you guys for honoring me,’” Tribal Council Speaker Joe Byrd, who speaks Cherokee, said.

Carleton enlisted in the U.S. Air Force in 1964. He trained in Texas and Illinois to become a special-vehicle training instructor, then transferred to the Tulsa Air National Guard later that year. Carleton, who was honorably discharged in 1970, said his daughter encouraged him to become more involved in the tribe.

“I thank you for everything you have done for us over the years,” he said. “I appreciate it.”

Roe enlisted in the Army National Guard in 1949. He was stationed at Fort Sill in 1953, then later at Fort Leonard Wood in Missouri as an engineer.

“In 1954, he was deployed to Korea, along with the 822nd Engineer Aviation Battalion,” Crittenden said, “and was ordered to Southeast Asia and to Guam.”

Roe was honorably discharged as a corporal in 1955. “It’s a pleasure to be here tonight. In fact, when you get to be this age, it’s a pleasure to be anywhere.

I’ve lived a good life. I didn’t enjoy the military while I was in it. But after I got out, I learned to appreciate it more and more because I got to travel a lot and see a lot, and I appreciate this country more than ever.”

[UMI 5, 2019 • ᏣᎳᎩ ᏧᎴᎯᏌᏅᎯ

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JUNE 5, 2019 • CHEROKEE PHOENIX

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COUNCIL: Daryl Legg and Joe Deere win their respective council races from front page Jordan also won the Dist. 1 seat in 2015 against Sierra by an 856-494 vote count, according to election results.

Dist. 1 covers portions of Cherokee and Wagoner counties.

“As a tribal councilor, I have been able to be available to help tribal citizens of Rex Jordan District 1, 24 hours a day 7 days a week.

I firmly believe being a tribal councilor is a full-time job. You must be ready and willing to answer calls at any time. You cannot work around another work schedule. This must be your first and only job,” Jordan said in a Cherokee Phoenix questionnaire.

Jordan is a member of all the Tribal Council’s standing committees and chairman of the Resource Committee. He also serves as an advisory board member for Cherokee Nation Businesses and the Housing Authority of the Cherokee Nation.

“Education, housing, health and jobs continue and will always be a great need for District 1. Through work addressing each need, we are improving in multiple areas,” Jordan said in the questionnaire.

In a Facebook post on his campaign page, Jordan said he wants to continue to build the future of the CN by providing educational opportunities, and that he and his wife were assisted by CN in their higher educational endeavors. “That education has allowed us the opportunity to operate small businesses and to give back to the Cherokee Nation. I want to see that continue for all Cherokees and want to assure all Cherokees applying for school funding receive help from the Cherokee Nation.”

A third candidate, Randy Dirteater, withdrew from the race in February.

DISTRICT 3 The seat vacated by David Walkingstick drew seven filings, from which Debra Proctor and Wes Nofire emerged as the neck-and-neck candidates for the July 27 runoff, according to unofficial election results.

A total of 306 votes, or 29.09 percent, were cast for Proctor, while Nofire garnered 310 ballots, or 29.47 percent.

Billy Flint was third in the balloting with 11.79 percent, or 124 votes. R.J. Robbins received 113 votes, or 10.74 percent. The 103 votes for Jim Cosby counted for 9.79 percent, while 79 votes were cast for Larry Dean Pritchett for 7.51 percent, and Brandon Girty got 17 votes, or 1.62 percent.

Wes Nofire According to the EC, the vote tallies include challenged ballots.

A message left with Nofire in the early hours of June 2 was not returned as of publication.

“Nobody has outworked us,” Proctor said. “We have been out every day, seeing our citizens and making calls.

I really want to give thanks where thanks is due – my family, my sons, my Debra Proctor cousins, other volunteers, supporters and friends. This is how we run a good, clean campaign.

I had community support from friends, east and west, and I feel blessed. We will continue to work hard.

Win, lose or draw, that’s who I am. I believe in helping people, and that is not a campaign slogan. That will always be my journey in life.”

DISTRICT 6 Daryl Legg, of Sallisaw, won the Dist. 6 Tribal Council seat by getting 56.71 percent of the votes over opponents Gary Trad Lattimore and Ron Goff, according to unofficial results.

Unofficial results determined Legg received 794 votes, Lattimore received 466 votes and Goff received 140 votes overall, including challenged ballots.

Bryan Warner, who is the deputy chief-elect, occupies the Dist. 6 seat.

Dist. 6 covers the eastern part of Sequoyah County.

Daryl Legg Legg said he decided to run for council after being employed by Cherokee Nation’s Career Services for more than 12 years and helping CN citizens “remove barriers to employment and becoming self-sufficient,” according to a Cherokee Phoenix questionnaire.

He said one of the greatest needs in Dist. 6 is job creation.

“Through my work as director of Vocational Programs, and more recently as director of Economic Development at Cherokee Nation, I have helped to bring quality jobs to the (Cherokee) Nation. I know our communities need access to education, workforce readiness and career opportunities in order to succeed,” Legg wrote on his Facebook campaign page.

Legg said his experience working with the CN gives him an advantage when it comes to helping citizens with services.

“When our citizens call a tribal council member it’s usually because they are in dire need of services. My experience with the (Cherokee Nation) gives me an advantage because I have learned how to fill certain gaps between programs to get the services delivered,” he said in the Cherokee Phoenix questionnaire.

DISTRICT 8 Shawn Crittenden, one of the tribe’s two Adair County tribal councilors, handily won a second term in the general election against opponent Ralph Keen, according to unofficial election results.

The vote tally, which includes challenged ballots within the district, was 603-80 (83.4 percent to 11.07 percent).

“The people need a connection to the Cherokee Nation,” Crittenden stated in a Cherokee Phoenix questionnaire and also on Facebook. “Someone needs to fight for my family and yours so that services are provided to the Cherokee people. I will continue to stand on the Shawn side of the people.”

Crittenden Dist. 8 covers the eastern portion of Adair County, as well as much of its northern border. Crittenden won his first term in 2015 against Corey Bunch with a vote count of 486-307, according to election results.

Keen, of Stilwell, is an attorney who served on the tribe’s Constitution Convention Commission. He was appointed in 2003 to fill the unexpired term of Tribal Councilor Harold “Jiggs” Phillips, who died in 2002.

Keen lost his Tribal Council seat in the next year’s election.

Former Tribal Councilor Jodie Fishinghawk was a candidate in this year’s race until May 23 when she

was disqualified by the EC amid accusations of forging signatures on voter registration forms and absentee ballot requests, and enlisting the help of an accomplice.

Despite her removal, Fishinghawk garnered 40 votes or 5.53 percent.

DISTRICT 12 Four candidates sought the Dist. 12 Tribal Council seat held by Dick Lay, who will term out on Aug. 14 and was running for principal chief.

According to unofficial results, Dora L. Smith Patzkowski received 215 votes or 32.92 percent, and Phyllis Lay, wife of Dick Lay, got 197 votes, or 30.17 percent. The vote tallies include challenged ballots.

Patzkowski expressed a degree of astonishment at the results of the balloting.

“I really am surprised, and I really didn’t expect this,” she said. “I am looking forward to the runoff. I appreciate the support of the voters, and would certainly appreciate it again. I will definitely need it again.”

Phyllis Lay said she appreciates her family, friends and supports.

“I would like to say thank you Dora L. Smith to my family, to friends and to Patzkowski supporters. They have all been great and I appreciate their support in my getting to a runoff race for District 12,” she said. “So many great things have taken place for Cherokee citizens in District 12 in recent years, and I would like to continue the opportunity of building Cherokee involvement in our communities, working with youth Phyllis Lay and elders and increasing the overall health of citizens and our district. I appreciate the opportunity to run for office and to serve the Cherokee citizens. I will continue a campaign that is accountable and transparent.” ​ The other candidates polled well enough to earn double-digit percentages of the balloting. Todd M. Branstetter finished with 150 votes and 22.97 percent, while Don Scott received 91 votes, or 13.94 percent.

DISTRICT 13 After a March 14 Supreme Court opinion affirmed the EC’s decision to prevent incumbent Buel Anglen from running in the general election because of term limits, Anglen’s sole opponent, Joe Deere, knew he would be the next Dist. 13 tribal councilor.

Deere, a business owner, said he decided to run because he wanted to create more community awareness in the district. Dist. 13 covers parts of Tulsa and Rogers counties.

“I’m going to create a community where people feel more engaged in our community because there is that thing where you’re in Tulsa, and we’re not directly part of what goes on in Cherokee Nation, in the Tahlequah center, but we still are Cherokee,” Deere said.

Joe Deere He said he feels he can bring his business sense into his role as tribal councilor. Deere owns Joe Deere Consulting and is a CN Tribal Employments Rights Office-certified vendor.

“I do understand financial statements. I do understand leverage. I do understand the black and reds. I think I can bring more to the table when it comes to that, working with CNB, CNI (Cherokee Nation Industries) and CNE (Cherokee Nation Entertainment). As far as the TERO vendors and supporting Cherokee Nation, growing is going to be great. Because you do have to go with the blue collar and grass roots people of the world.

That’s where voters are, that’s where the work comes from. That’s where you want to engage the community because you’re going to know what the needs are.”

Deere said he was encouraged by the people in his community to run. He ran for council in 2011 for Dist. 5 but lost to Lee Keener.

He said he wants to improve and expand on what Anglen brought to the district and where the money goes. He said he wants to spread funds wider in the district rather than just certain areas. He added that he wants to build community buildings in Dist. 13 because there are currently no meeting places for CN citizens.

DISTRICT 14 Incumbent Keith Austin defended his seat against former Tribal Councilor Cara Cowan Watts in an unofficial 579-440 vote (56.82 percent to 43.18 percent).

The vote tallies include challenged ballots, according to the EC. “I’m very proud of the work we’ve done the last few years,” Austin said after his win. “We’re in a good position to go forward and do good things.”

Austin, a businessman from Claremore, previously served on the Cherokee Phoenix Editorial Board. He was elected as a tribal councilor in 2015 “The voters need to know that access and responsiveness is there,” he said.

“That’s what I’ve been told over and over they were missing previously.”

Reflecting on his past four years in Keith Austin office, Austin said he’s most proud of “healing the divide.”

He expanded on that thought in a Cherokee Phoenix questionnaire.

“Four years ago there was much division between area Tribal Council representatives and the Cherokee Nation executive branch,” he stated. “I have made great strides to heal these divisions, and these efforts have led to many great partnerships with organizations within District 14. I have always believed we do more when we work together.”

His opponent, Watts, of Claremore, served on the Tribal Council from 2003-15, representing portions of Tulsa and Rogers counties.

“My heart is in service to the community,” she said in the candidate questionnaire. “I want every Cherokee to have a career path which guarantees their family a great income and stability.”

Watts is the CEO and owner of Claremore-based Pier Drilling.

AT-LARGE Former Tribal Councilor Julia Coates and longtime serviceman Johnny Jack Kidwell are headed to a runoff election after taking the top two spots in the At-Large Tribal Council race.

Coates, of Los Angeles, and Kidwell, of Broken Arrow, faced two other opponents in the June 1 election. Coates received 994 votes, or 44.75 percent, while Kidwell received 679 or, 30.57 percent, according to the unofficial results.

Coates was born in Pryor. She served as an At-Large tribal councilor for two terms.

“As the At-Large representative on the Tribal Council from 2007 to 2015, I have been involved in achieving significant gains for the at-large citizens,” she said in a Cherokee Phoenix questionnaire. “I am driven by the desire to help those outside the Cherokee jurisdiction take their place Julia Coates in their Nation.”

Kidwell was born in Claremore and raised in Spavinaw. He spent 20-plus years in the U.S. Coast Guard.

“I decided to run for Tribal Council because I feel a deep calling to serve my Cherokee family,” he said in the Cherokee Phoenix questionnaire.

“I have always called the Cherokee Johnny Jack Nation my home.”

Kidwell The other two candidates were Steve Adair, who received 371 votes, and Pamela Fox, who received 143 votes.

Current At-Large Tribal Councilor Wanda Hatfield, who got 34 votes, was a fifth candidate in the race before she was disqualified on April 18 by the EC for violating Cherokee statute by “providing anything of value to voter(s) for the direct purpose of influencing voter behavior in an election.”

She was accused of mailing community assistance checks in Cherokee Nation envelopes, each worth $500, to the Mount Hood Cherokees of Salem, Oregon, and the San Diego Cherokee Community, and included campaign literature, business cards and handwritten notes asking for their support in the election.

All results are unofficial until certified by the EC. The EC had scheduled a meeting for 4 p.m. on June 3 with an agenda item to certify the vote count for the 2019 general election.

For all the June 1 races, recount requests must be received by June 5, and any recount must be completed

by June 7.

The deadline for appeals is June 10. Requests for absentee ballots in runoff races must be received by June 17.

Absentee ballots will be mailed June 24-25. Walk-in or early absentee voting will be offered at the CNEC office on July 20 and 23-25.

Runoff elections are July 27.

Unofficial Results of the June 1 General Election PRINCIPAL CHIEF Chuck Hoskin Jr. 57 percent of vote Dick Lay 27 percent of vote David Walkingstick* 14 percent of vote

7933 votes 3856 votes 2006 votes

DEPUTY CHIEF Bryan Warner 58 percent of vote Meredith Frailey 41 percent of vote

8060 votes 5630 votes

DISTRICT 1 Rex Jordan Ryan Sierra

57 percent of vote 42 percent of vote

672 votes 489 votes

DISTRICT 3** Wes Nofire 29 percent of vote Debra Proctor 29 percent of vote Billy Flint 11 percent of vote RJ Robbins 10 percent of vote Jim Cosby 9 percent of vote Larry D. Pritchett 7 percent of vote Brandon Girty 1 percent of vote

310 votes 306 votes 124 votes 113 votes 103 votes 79 votes 17 votes

DISTRICT 6 Daryl Legg 56 percent of vote Gary T. Lattimore 33 percent of vote Ron Goff 10 percent of vote

794 votes 466 votes 140 votes

DISTRICT 8 Shawn Crittenden83 percent of vote Ralph Keen II 11 percent of vote Jodie Fishinghawk* 5 percent of vote

603 votes 80 votes 40 votes

DISTRICT 12**

32 percent of vote Phyllis Lay 30 percent of vote Todd Branstetter 22 percent of vote Don Scott 13 percent of vote

Dora Smith Patzkowski

215 votes 197 votes 150 votes 91 votes

DISTRICT 13 Joe Deere

Winner: No Election Day opponent

DISTRICT 14 Keith Austin

56 percent of vote

579 votes 440 votes

AT-LARGE** Julia Coates

44 percent of vote

994 votes 679 votes 371 votes 143 votes 34 votes

Cara Cowan Watts 43 percent of vote

Johnny Jack Kidwell 30 percent of vote

Steve Adair 16 percent of vote Pamela Fox 6 percent of vote Wanda Hatfield* 1 percent of vote

*Disqualified candidate **Runoff on July 27 between top two vote-getters Source: Election Commission

Election Commission 2019 Election Cycle Timeline Recount Request: June 3-5 Recount, if necessary: June 6-7 Recount Result Deadline: June 7 Election Appeals Deadline: June 10 Election Commission Meeting: June 11 Supreme Court Hearings, if necessary: June 11-13 Supreme Court Hearings Deadline: June 13 Runoff Absentee Request Deadline: June 17 Mail Runoff Absentee Ballots: June 24-25 Election Commission Meeting: July 9 Early Walk-in Voting: July 20 & July 23-25 Runoff Election: July 27 Recount Request: July 29-31 Recount, if necessary: August 1-2 Recount Result Deadline: August 2 Election Appeals Deadline: August 5 Supreme Court Hearings, if necessary: August 6-8 Supreme Court Hearings Deadline: August 8 Inauguration Day: August 14

4

News • ᏗᏕᏃᏣᎸᏍᎩ

CHEROKEE PHOENIX • JUNE 5, 2019

Fishinghawk doesn’t challenge DQ ruling

Cherokee Phoenix

Jodie Fishinghawk, the disqualified Dist. 8 candidate, does not exercise her right to appeal the Election Commission’s ruling that removed her.

JUNE 5, 2019

Volume 43, No. 11 The Cherokee Phoenix is published twice monthly by the Cherokee Nation, PO Box 948, Tahlequah, OK 74465.

Application to mail at Periodicals postage rates is pending at Tahlequah, OK 74464.

POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Cherokee Phoenix, PO Box 948, Tahlequah, OK 74465

Editorial Staff Brandon Scott Executive Editor brandon-scott@cherokee.org 918-453-5000 ext 7258

Travis Snell Assistant Editor travis-snell@cherokee.org 918-453-5358

Will Chavez Assistant Editor will-chavez@cherokee.org 918-207-3961

Mark Dreadfulwater Multimedia Editor mark-dreadfulwater@cherokee.org 918-453-5087

Reporters D. Sean Rowley Senior Reporter david-rowley@cherokee.org 918-453-5560

Lindsey Bark Reporter lindsey-bark@cherokee.org 918-453-5000 ext 4223

Chad Hunter Reporter chad-hunter@cherokee.org 918-453-5000 ext 7256

Multimedia Staff Roger Graham Multimedia Producer roger-graham@cherokee.org 918-207-3969

Administrative Staff Dena Tucker Administrative Officer dena-tucker@cherokee.org 918-453-5324

Joy Rollice Administrative Assistant joy-rollice@cherokee.org 918-453-5269

Samantha Cochran Advertising Specialist samantha-cochran@cherokee.org 918-207-3825

Terris Howard Advertising Representative terris-howard@cherokee.org 918-453-5743

Editorial Board Lauren Jones Cusick Kendra McGeady Brenda Thompson Ceciley Thomason-Murphy Cherokee Phoenix P.O. Box 948 Tahlequah, OK 74465 (918) 453-5269 FAX: (918) 207-0049 1-800-256-0671 www.cherokeephoenix.org ANNUAL SUBSCRIPTIONS Within the United States: $15 for one year Please contact us at the number above to subscribe.

Mail subscriptions and changes of address to the Cherokee Phoenix, P.O. Box 948, Tahlequah, OK 74465, phone 918-207-4975. Please include the words “Change of Address” or “Subscription” on the envelope.

Back Issues may be purchased for $2.50 postage and handling. Please inquire to make sure the issues are in stock by writing to Back Issues, Cherokee Phoenix, P.O. Box 948, Tahlequah, OK 74465; or calling 918-207-4975.

Member

Copyright 2018: The entire contents of the Cherokee Phoenix are fully protected by copyright unless otherwise noted and may be reproduced if the copyright is noted and credit is given to the Cherokee Phoenix, the writer and the photographer. Requests to reprint should be directed to the editor at the above address. Material provided through membership with Associated Press NewsFinder, identified by (AP), may not be reproduced without permission of the Associated Press.

Oklahoma Press Association

Native American Journalists Association

ᏣᎳᎩ ᏧᎴᎯᏌᏅᎯ • [UMI 5, 2019

BY D. SEAN ROWLEY Senior Reporter

TAHLEQUAH – With a May 31 deadline elapsed, Jodie Fishinghawk remained disqualified from the Dist. 8 Tribal Council race in the Cherokee Nation’s June 1 general election.

Under CN law, Fishinghawk had five business days to appeal to the Supreme Court the Election Commission’s decision that disqualified her. She served as a CN legislator from 2007-15.

The remaining Dist. 8 candidates were Ralph F. Keen II and incumbent Shawn Crittenden, who won with 83.4 percent of the vote.

She was removed from the race on May 23 amid accusations of forging signatures on voter registration forms and absentee ballot requests, and enlisting the help of an accomplice. The EC disqualified her after hearing from her and her counsel, as well as Attorney General Todd Hembree.

During the May 23 hearing, Fishinghawk argued that many in her family wished to register and vote for her, and gave her permission to have the forms sent to a single address where she could fill out the pertinent information and apply signatures for them.

She also argued that her actions were in no way intended to deceive the commission or gather fraudulent votes. Fishinghawk said all voters were eligible and gave her permission to fill out registrations or ballots on their behalf.

Hembree said Fishinghawk had no authority to sign for another voter on EC forms, even if she received permission. He asked whether she had “power of attorney or guardianship” over several people whose names

appeared on forms Fishinghawk said she signed.

The EC stated it is charged with the duties of voter registration Jodie and processing Fishinghawk absentee ballot requests, and that candidates who interfere with those duties can be subject to hearings and disqualification.

The EC findings included the dropping off of voter registration forms and absentee ballot requests by a person on three occasions between April 10-19, all bearing the names of CN citizens, and that voter registration forms were turned in for three members of one family and four other citizens despite none of them recalling completing or signing forms.

Four of Hembree’s witnesses told the EC that voter registration forms had been requested in their names without their knowledge. They also said they did not know who had requested the forms and signed their names. The EC concluded that each witness “demonstrates that Fishinghawk directly interfered or attempted to interfere with the Commission’s prescribed duty,” with the four representing “a fraudulent voter registration form executed on behalf” of each.

The EC wrote that Fishinghawk “violated Section 38(A) of the Cherokee Nation’s election law by both directly and indirectly interfering and attempting to interfere with the Commission’s prescribed duty to register voters and process absentee ballot requests through forging voter registration forms and absentee ballot requests. She is therefore subject to disqualification...”

Federal judge nixes Brown’s case to rejoin chief contest

BY CHAD HUNTER Reporter

WASHINGTON – A federal judge on May 31 dismissed a lawsuit filed by Cherokee Nation citizen Rhonda Brown Fleming, who the tribe’s Election Commission earlier this year deemed ineligible to run for principal chief.

“Because the plaintiffs do not have standing, the court lacks jurisdiction over their claims,” Senior U.S. District Judge Thomas Hogan wrote in his ruling. “The defendants’ motions to dismiss will be granted, and the plaintiff’s motion for a preliminary injunction will be denied as moot.”

Brown Fleming, having exhausted her appeals in tribal courts, filed suit against the CN in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. She sought to have her name placed on the June 1 ballot or the election postponed to allow her to comply with residency laws.

The CN Supreme Court on March 12 affirmed the EC’s finding that Brown Fleming, a Freedman descendant from California, was ineligible to run for principal chief based on residency requirements. Her candidacy was challenged under the constitutional clause requiring principal chief candidates to be residents of the CN jurisdiction for at least 270 days prior to the election.

Hogan wrote that the plaintiffs – Brown Fleming and the Harvest Institute Freedman Federation LLC of Potomac, Maryland – lacked constitutional standing to sue.

“The plaintiffs have not alleged an injury in fact sufficient to demonstrate that Ms. Fleming has standing in this litigation,” the ruling states. “The Cherokee Nation Election Commission found Ms. Fleming ineligible to run because she did not meet the Cherokee Nation Constitution’s 270-day domicile requirement, which applies to all Cherokee citizens. As a result, the plaintiff has failed to demonstrate that she faces a substantial probability of injury, let alone the ‘imminent future injury’ required when seeking a preliminary injunction.”

The court noted Fleming twice sought a restraining order to enjoin or delay the June 1 election, which the court twice denied.

RTR: Riders in 1984 had to fund themselves for the trip from front page “It was just unbelievable some of the things we did, especially because we left straight from Cherokee and we went straight into the Smoky Mountains,” CN citizen and 1984 cyclist Nancy Little said.

The 1984 riders left from North Carolina, whereas today’s riders leave from New Echota, Georgia, and follow the Northern Route, which starts in Georgia and goes through Tennessee, Kentucky, Illinois, Missouri, Arkansas and Oklahoma.

Other major differences are funding, riding gear and food. Today’s riders have all aspects of the ride covered.

“We had to raise our own money. We had to get sponsors. I mean it wasn’t easy,” Little said. “I mean we had T-shirts. We had biker shorts that were supposed to help us on the bike seat. But we just had our own clothes to go on.”

Little said she remembers having a yard sale to raise money and that on the riders’ daily treks they only had Gatorade and granola bars until they ate supper. She said it was probably not the “proper diet” for riding.

The 1984 riders also carried their own gear on their bikes, which added 10 pounds to 40 pounds they had to contend with while riding up hills and

down winding roads.

Lewis said the bikes had packs on each side of both wheels carrying clothes and toiletries and a small pack on the front to hold first aid kits and a map.

were chaperones and joined two weeks into the ride.

“My parents were older and they kind of were the grandparents of the group.

My dad would pray with the riders every morning.

“From what we were told was basically this would be a way for us to learn about Cherokee history, learn what we’re not getting in our history books.”

Tress Yahola Lewis, 1984 “Remember the Removal” cyclist She said they also had fewer rest days. “We didn’t have that many days off. We just rode and rode and rode.”

Lewis said some riders knew each other from a CN youth leadership program, while the rest were strangers until training began.

“It was just another way for us to identify ourselves, not just individually but as a group. It made us feel more like family once we realized how hostile it was to be forced out of your home and then trek across America in winter with whatever you could carry. It was just such a tragic story, but at the same time it made us realize how strong we were as a people,” Lewis said.

CN citizen Geri Pierce also went on the inaugural trip, but not as a rider. Her parents, Bill and Jean Glass,

They’d get into a circle with the riders and they’d hold hands and my dad would lead prayer for them. They thoroughly enjoyed that trip, they loved every student,” Pierce said.

She said her parents hauled supplies and equipment in their truck, helped buy groceries and prepared meals. She also took in the sites and history on the way.

“It was one of the most significant times in my lifetime, to see where our ancestors walked and to see the actual terrain and to see the rivers and the places that they went. It was amazing to be able to be there and actually just imagine them coming through when they had to walk,” Pierce said.

The 1984 riders also said they learned more about their history and ancestry on the

trip than they did in school.

“From what we were told was basically this would be a way for us to learn about Cherokee history, learn what we’re not getting in our history books. So I was anxious to see what all we would find out. We were blown away,” Lewis said.

“It’s so fitting that its called ‘Remember the Removal’ because that’s what’s important for anybody in any culture is to remember where your people came from and what’s been accomplished since then. I think that’s what makes us a strong tribe.”

CN citizen and 1984 cyclist Eric Budder shares Lewis’ sentiments about the history.

He said along the way they talked with people who had grave markings on their properties or Cherokee relics.

“People took care of our ancestors without even being asked. That was an honor and respect to those that went before us. I was just glad to hear that people still care about humanity,” he said.

After 35 years, friendships made in 1984 remain strong.

“When you do that trip, you learn to lean on each other and you learn how to encourage other people too, not just encourage yourself.

That’s such a great lesson in life. That’s something to take with you everywhere you go in every situation.” Lewis said.

1984 “Remember the Removal” Cyclists and Support Staff CYCLISTS Alvin Beaver Sharon Blackfox Eric (Bruce) Budder Clayton Campbell Will Chavez Marvin Cochran Anthony Fields Sherry Wincle Holcomb Howard Kingfisher Tressa Yahola Lewis Nancy Gourd Little Luther Littledave Jimmy Muskrat Thomas Pritchett Jeff Robertson Ed William Sevenstar Mary Wilson

SUPPORT STAFF Michael Morris Mose Killer* Taylor Alsenay* Denise Bushyhead Daniel Murdoch Leta Rector Thomas Fields Geri Glass Pierce Billy Taylor Ida Smith Lora Birdtail Cortez* Bill Glass Sr. Jean Glass *Staff who also cycled at various times.

Members of the “Remember the Removal” team wave to family members as they return home to Cherokee Landing in Cherokee County in July 1984.

Community • ᎾᎥ ᏄᎾᏓᎸ

[UMI 5, 2019 • ᏣᎳᎩ ᏧᎴᎯᏌᏅᎯ

JUNE 5, 2019 • CHEROKEE PHOENIX

5

Stilwell hosts wet but robust Strawberry Festival

BY CHAD HUNTER & ROGER GRAHAM Reporter & Multimedia Producer

STILWELL – This year’s Stilwell Strawberry Festival was a damp yet successful affair packed with paradegoers, vendors, entertainment and umbrellas.

“I would like to say thank you to all the people who came to the festival on this rainy day,” newly-crowned festival queen Sydney Ritter said during the May 11 event. “I know that it’s kind of miserable, but I think if everybody comes together they can still have a good time.”

Despite the weather, thousands of people filled the streets for the city’s 72nd annual event that pays homage to a onceabundant crop.

“Today, we claim the title of ‘Strawberry Capital of the World,’ but that’s not based on volume or production,” past Stilwell Kiwanis Club President Ralph Keen said. “It’s really based on quality over quantity. We still grow some of the best strawberries you will find in the world. We’re very proud of that.”

According to the event’s Facebook page, early rain prevented planned helicopter tours, a BMX bicycle stunt team and a children’s obstacle course.

“Some of the vendors also canceled due to the weather, which also affected the strawberry supply,” the page states. “But we had great entertainment Friday and Saturday and most of the vendors did a booming business on Saturday.”

Vendor Jim Burns, of Claremore, was pragmatic about the event’s slow start early Saturday.

“I guess it’s because of the weather,” he said. “We can’t control weather. But the people are still coming.”

Held each spring, the event is sponsored by the Stilwell Kiwanis Club.

Keen, current governor of the Kiwanis Texas-Oklahoma district, said the festival has been twice voted best in the state.

“We have something for everyone,” he said, citing a 5K run, parade, live entertainment, craft vendors and other events. “This is and always has been a family-friendly event. Kiwanis is all about helping children. All the money we raise through this event will stay right here in the community to help

Junior Miss Cherokee Kaitlyn Pinkerton, left, and Miss Cherokee Whitney Roach toss plastic hoops from a float in the Stilwell Strawberry Festival parade.

New Stilwell Strawberry Festival Queen Sydney Ritter waves to parade-goers on May 11 despite damp conditions.

PHOTOS BY CHAD HUNTER/CHEROKEE PHOENIX Draydon Butler, 7, of Stilwell, watches a strawberry-themed float pass at the 72nd annual Stilwell Strawberry Festival on May 11. the children of Adair County. This is a fundraiser for us, and it’s a major one.

We’re blessed to have it because it’s grown so large.”

Historically, Keen said, the festival

“really came about as a means to promote our local agriculture. It started back in 1947, I believe it was. Back then, we had a lot of strawberry growers. It was a big crop for the county.”

At one point, the Stilwell area had more than 3,500 acres of berries, Keen said.

“Now, that’s greatly diminished for various reasons,” he added.

While the Kiwanis Club is noted as the festival’s official sponsor, Keen said it’s turned into a community-wide event.

“We couldn’t do it without our partners,” he said. “We couldn’t do it without the city of Stilwell, the fire department, the police department.

Cherokee Nation has really become a real strong supporter in recent years.

So it really takes a community to put something of this magnitude on.”

Following the traditional parade, Ritter, 18, a Cherokee Nation citizen, began her reign as the newest Strawberry Festival queen.

“It is an honor,” she said. “I am so proud to be a more influential part of my community. I feel with the crown, I will be more able to make a difference. I’m very proud to be Cherokee and represent the crown.”

IN MEMORIAM Dolly E. Toney Owen Dolly E. Toney Owen, Cherokee Nation citizen went home to her father in Heaven on April 29, 2019 due to a fall. She was 92.

She was born on Aug. 22, 1926, in Porum, Okla., the fourth child of Ira Dell Shoemake and Famous Indian Toney.

Our mom was a proud Cherokee woman, a spunky gal who listened to her country and western music and Alan Jackson and her TV show Doc Martin; she enjoyed watching her plants grow and her flowers bloom. Dolly worked as a seamstress for many years and helped make suits for a couple of lady movie stars. She also loved to crochet and she made beautiful afghans. Above all though she was a homemaker who loved her family.

Left behind to cherish her memory are her children, Sue Soo-kinne Minnoch, Paul Toney Owen and David James Owen and wife Theresa; 12 grandchildren; 20 great grandchildren; and 16 great grandchildren. She was preceded in death by her parents and five siblings, her husband George N. Owen, daughter Celia Gay Syphers, granddaughter Janet Minnoch, grandson Grady Minnoch and daughter-in-law Heidi Owen.

Funeral services were at the Oak Grove Church in Webbers Falls with Pastor Pat Alexander officiating. Burial followed in the Toney Cemetery under the direction of Lescher-Millsap Funeral Home of Webbers Falls.

COMMUNITY EVENTS JUNE 6 Greasy Fellowship Community Organization Greasy Community Building 7 p.m.

Washington County Cherokee Association 300 E. Angus Ave., Dewey 7 p.m.

Call 918-333-5632 Lost City Community Organization, 6 p.m.

JUNE 9 Rogers County Cherokee Association Stickball with Rogers County JOM and Education Groups Meal by RCCA Email rogerscountygwys@gmail.com Call 539-777-2898

6 p.m.

Call 918-774-0655 Email brentcomm@live.com Fairfield Community Organization, Inc. 6:30 p.m.

Call 918-605-0839 Marble City Pantry 7 p.m.

Call 918-775-5975 Oak Hill/Piney 7 p.m.

Call 918-235-2811 JUNE 11 No-We-Ta Cherokee Community 1003 Lenape Drive, Nowata 6:30 p.m.

Call 918-273-5536

JUNE 10 Rocky Mountain Cherokee Community Organization 6 p.m.

Call 918-696-4965

Victory Cherokee Organization 1025 N. 12th St., Collinsville 7 p.m.

Call 918-371-6688 Email victorycherokee@att.net Call 918-696-2354

Brent Community Association 461914 Hwy. 141, Gans

JUNE 13 Stilwell Public Library Friends

Society 5 N. Sixth St. 5 p.m.

Call 918-315-4279 Native American Fellowship Inc. 215 Oklahoma St., South Coffeyville 6 p.m.

Call 620-252-8883 Adair County Resource Center 110 S. Second St., Stilwell 6:30 p.m.

Okay Senior Citizens, Inc. Okay Senior Building, 3701 E. 75th St. 7 p.m.

Lyons Switch 7 p.m.

JUNE 17 Neighborhood Association of Chewey Chewey Community Building 7 p.m.

JUNE 20 Tri-County (W.E.B.) Association J.R.’s Country Auction 6 p.m.

Orchard Road Community Outreach (Stilwell) Turning Point Office 6 p.m.

JUNE 24 Christie 7 p.m.

Call 918-778-3423 JUNE 25 Dry Creek 7 p.m.

Call 918-457-5023 TUESDAYS Veterans Affairs representatives Cherokee Nation Veterans Center Tahlequah, 918-772-4166 or 918453-5695 The Veterans Center will host VA reps for all veterans from 9 a.m. to 3 pm.

MONDAYS, WEDNESDAYS AND THURSDAYS Marble City Nutrition Center 711 N. Main Marble City, 918-775-2158 The Marble City Nutrition Center serves hot meals at the Marble City

Community Center at 11:30 a.m.

Meals are free to anyone over 50, but a small donation is suggested to help with expenses. Gather for fellowship and friendship. Volunteers welcome.

FIRST FRIDAY Concho Community Building Concho, 405-422-7622 The Indian Art Market invites all Indian artists to sell/share their work.

YEAR ROUND Will Rogers Memorial Museum Claremore, 918-341-0719 The museum honors the Cherokee cowboy, movie star, writer and humorist from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Closed on Monday and Tuesday from Nov. 11 to February.

To have an event or meeting listed, fax information to 918458-6136 attention: Community Calendar. The deadline for submissions is the 10th of each month.

6

CHEROKEE PHOENIX • JUNE 5, 2019

Health • ᎠᏰᎸ ᏄᏍᏛ

ᏣᎳᎩ ᏧᎴᎯᏌᏅᎯ • [UMI 5, 2019

Ground broken for OSU-CN medical school The first 50 students will begin studies in August 2020.

BY D. SEAN ROWLEY Senior Reporter

TAHLEQUAH – After much preparation and planning by Cherokee Nation and Oklahoma State University officials, the first shovels of dirt were officially turned on May 20 to build a medical school in Tahlequah.

CN and OSU officials broke ground to symbolize the start of construction on the 84,000-square-foot OSU College of Osteopathic Medicine at Cherokee Nation.

“It truly is amazing what you can get done if you don’t care who gets the credit,” said Principal Chief Bill John Baker. “There were many moving parts, and many people in this audience had a great deal to do with making this a reality today.”

Baker, pointing to the decades during which recruiting doctors to rural practice has been problematic, said the school could offer medical students with smalltown backgrounds an opportunity to have careers in proximity to their families and neighbors.

“Not all 50 doctors, each year, will be for the Cherokee Nation,” he said. “We need the other clinics supplied with quality doctors all over northeastern Oklahoma. OSU has a fantastic reputation for creating rural primary care physicians. It was a perfect marriage. They get an opportunity to almost double the size of their medical school, right here in the capital of the Cherokee Nation.”

Recalling the importance the Cherokees placed on education – creating male and female seminaries in the 1800s – and producing their own teachers, Baker said the medical school “is no different.”

“We are going to grow our own physicians right here in Indian Country at W.W. Hastings (Hospital), in Tahlequah, Oklahoma, in a partnership with OSU,” he said.

OSU officials spoke of their enthusiasm to partner with the CN to open the facility, which will include a bookstore; medical surgery, pediatric, emergency room, and maternity/obstetric simulation labs; two lecture halls; and four learning labs.

“It’s unbelievable that we are here breaking ground on a facility that will transform health care in rural and tribal communities across our state,” Dr. Kayse Shrum, OSU Center for Health Sciences president, said. “Together, OSU and the Cherokee Nation have put in numerous hours planning and attending accreditation meetings to bring this to fruition. This groundbreaking is a proud moment in our shared history. It is yet another milestone placing us one step closer to the day when our vision will be a reality and 50 new medical students will walk through those doors in 2020.”

Dr. William Pettit, who will serve as the school’s dean, said “this is by far one of the proudest moments of my medical career.”

“The OSU College of MedicineCherokee Nation will lead the way in training primary care physicians for rural Oklahoma,” Pettit added. “Today is a new day for rural health. Starting next August, we will start training what we hope will be rural-minded medical students who share our passion for rural health.”

The campus will be on Hastings Hospital’s grounds. The institution also will be the first medical school on tribal land, with a tribal affiliation, in the U.S. Room for construction is available south of Hastings Hospital, and room is also available in the southern part of the Hastings facility because of the $150 million expansion project to the east, which will be the site of outpatient services and encompass 469,000 square feet.

The facility will include state-of-the-art classrooms, lecture halls and cutting-

COURTESY The 84,000-square-foot Oklahoma State University College of Osteopathic Medicine at the Cherokee Nation will be located on the W.W. Hastings Hospital’s campus in Tahlequah.

D. SEAN ROWLEY/CHEROKEE PHOENIX Officials for the Cherokee Nation and Oklahoma State University prepare to throw the first shovels of dirt during a May 20 groundbreaking for an osteopathic medical school in Tahlequah.

D. SEAN ROWLEY/CHEROKEE PHOENIX Principal Chief Bill John Baker introduces Dr. Kaye Shrum, Oklahoma State University Center for Health Sciences president, at the groundbreaking for the OSU College of Osteopathic Medicine at Cherokee Nation.

edge technologies, including medical simulations, officials said.

The college is scheduled to open with 50 students in August 2020. Once fully operational, the school is expected to serve 200 students. The first graduating

class is expected in May 2024.

The school will include 16 full-time faculty, five part-time faculty and several adjunct clinical faculty, and hold certification from the Commission on Osteopathic College Accreditation.

Gov. Stitt not supportive of Okla. Medicaid expansion

BY D. SEAN ROWLEY Senior Reporter

COURTESY Former Treasurer Lacey Horn, right, packs care kits containing hygienic products for girls and women who struggle to afford those products during their menstrual cycles.

COURTESY One of four drawings by Cherokee artist Keli Gonzales of a “Cherokee Super Girl” accompany the care kits as a way to promote the program and encourage young girls and women to ask for the kits.

CN helps girls, women with hygiene care kits

BY LINDSEY BARK Reporter

TAHLEQUAH – After learning about girls and women missing school and work because of their inability to access or afford necessary supplies during their menstrual cycles, former Cherokee Nation Treasurer Lacey Horn and women from various tribal departments created “We Care About Our Girls, Period!” to distribute eco-friendly hygienic care kits to females in need.

Funded by the CN and partnering with hannahpad USA, a company creating washable and reusable cloth pads, the program in March distributed 5,000 ecofriendly hygienic care kits to all eight CN health centers and W.W. Hastings Hospital.

Horn said the program is intended to promote confidence in girls and women during their periods. According to research, the average cost of living with a period can cost as much as $18,000 during a lifetime and be prohibitive for girls and women in rural and impoverished Oklahoma who go without products and miss school or work while on their periods or attempt to use unhygienic products such as toilet paper to get by.

The care kits contain self-care products such as a nail kit, brush/mirror set, wet bag, five reusable feminine hygiene pads from hannahpad USA and an informational pamphlet.

Horn said hannahpad USA products

LINDSEY BARK/CHEROKEE PHOENIX Care kits contain a tote bag, five reusable hannahpads, a brush/ mirror set, nail kit and wet bag. The tote bag, nail kit and brush/ mirror set are printed with the Cherokee syllabary “anigeya sinvda unehvi,” which translates to “that time of the month.”

are made from absorbent organic cotton that with proper care can last from five to 10 years.

“When we first went down the road of looking for a reusable product, we got online and we purchased several different types. We had some tester girls, some daughters of employees that were our pioneers that gave us real honest feedback on what they liked, what they didn’t like. They helped us make the selections on the sizes we should put in the kits, etc.,” she said.

Upon receiving a kit, girls and women are encouraged to take a survey after using the products by following the link www.bit.ly/CNperiodproject provided in the pamphlet.

Horn said the survey is the foundation to help provide grant opportunities to keep the program going.

Art by Cherokee artist Keli Gonzales, who created “Cherokee Super Girls” drawings to help create interest in young females about the kits, accompanies the care kits. The artwork is displayed in the tribe’s eight health centers and Hastings Hospital women’s clinic, where the kits can be requested.

“This program is intended to help girls and women feel confident and prepared as they go about their daily lives. It is my hope that recipients of these kits feel empowered and educated about their periods. We want our girls and women to feel strong like the ‘Cherokee Super Girls’ they are,” Horn said.

OKLAHOMA CITY – Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt is not keen on expanding Medicaid under the provisions of the Affordable Care Act. Or at least he would rather the voters not force it on lawmakers.

The Oklahoman recently reported that Stitt would “actively discourage” state voters from approving a Medicaid expansion by getting a state question on the November 2020 ballot.

Expansion supporters have filed to gather signatures for an initiative petition to let voters decide on the funding. The petition will need 178,000 signatures to trigger a state question.

The petition was sought because it’s unlikely legislators will vote for the expansion. With Republicans controlling the House and Senate, Democrats do not hold enough seats in either chamber to derail the 75 percent approval needed for new revenues.

Oklahoma is among 14 states not accepting the Medicaid expansion. The arguments against expansion include the state not being able to afford it, or the possibility of the federal government offloading some funding burden to the states. Match rates vary, but the federal government picks up more than 90 percent of the bill for most states.

Supporters have argued that Oklahoma taxpayers are helping foot the federal expense of Medicaid expansion and reaping none of the benefit.

CN officials have taken no official stance on whether they believe Oklahoma should accept the expansion – uninsured Cherokees can receive health care through tribal services – but the tribe encourages its citizens to purchase health insurance if possible.

CN Health Services can bill insurers for reimbursement, thereby stretching the Nation’s health care resources. The CN has estimated that about half its citizens do not carry health insurance.

The option to take or leave Medicaid expansion was established when the U.S. Supreme Court – while ruling the ACA constitutional – decided the Medicaid provisions were unreasonable.

The ruling said the federal government could not withhold matching funds for state Medicaid programs if they didn’t increase eligibility to 133 percent of the federal poverty level.

Medicaid expansion was expected to offset some reductions to Medicare reimbursements. In states that refuse expansion, hospitals and health care providers may try to recover lost revenue from other insured patients.

Some states have attached work requirements to Medicaid eligibility.

While decried by some, such requirements are believed to have little effect on benefits or costs.

Stitt told the Oklahoman he would discourage any Medicaid expansion ballot question that doesn’t include a work requirement. Stitt said he would not “say never” to expansion, but said he also had to look at the “big picture” of what is best for all Oklahomans.

[UMI 5, 2019 • ᏣᎳᎩ ᏧᎴᎯᏌᏅᎯ

Education • ᏧᎾᏕᎶᏆᏍᏗ

JUNE 5, 2019 • CHEROKEE PHOENIX

SHS band director hits 46 years in music

BY LINDSEY BARK Reporter

TAHLEQUAH – For more than 40 years, Sac and Fox Nation citizen Sam Morris has been in marching band music via participation, college, teaching and directing. He is currently the band director for Sequoyah High School’s marching band.

Morris took interest in music in the fourth grade, playing trumpet for the marching band.

He continued it in junior high and high school. After high school, he joined the military.

After four years of service, he attended Haskell Indian Nations University in Lawrence, Kansas, where he joined the school’s marching band.

Morris said he went on tours with the HINU marching band to North Dakota, South Dakota, Montana, Wyoming, Arizona and New Mexico. “Most of the time we went to government boarding schools to play. We used it as a recruitment for coming to Haskell.”

It was on those tours that he realized he wanted to be a band director. So Morris earned an associate degree at HINU before transferring to Northeastern State University in Tahlequah where he earned a bachelor’s degree in music education.

He interned and taught at Stilwell Public Schools for two years, Riverside Indian School in Anadarko for two years and Fort Gibson Public Schools for 11 years. He retired after returning to Stilwell to teach for 17 years.

“After 36 years I retired from public school. I laid out for about six months. I knew that I would

LINDSEY BARK/CHEROKEE PHOENIX Sequoyah High School band director Sam Morris, right, conducts a practice with band students on May 2 in the school’s band room in Tahlequah. Although a Sac and Fox citizen, he has taught many Cherokee students during his 46-year career. probably get back into teaching, but I didn’t want to go to Arkansas. I didn’t want to move to Texas. I just kind of started thinking and looking,” he said.

He became interested in SHS after realizing it did not have a marching band. “They had the athletics and they’re winning, but it was lacking something. I thought band was what it was lacking.”

After talking to Cherokee Nation officials about starting an SHS band, he was hired as band director in 2009. When he started, only seven students joined. But by his third year, he had enough students to begin marching.

“I’ve always told my band kids size isn’t a factor. I’m not worried about how big we are. Yes, I would like to have more people, but all I’m worried about is you going, doing your best, playing your instrument and the rest of

it will take care of itself. We have no substitutes like football has or like basketball has. Everybody in the band is a starter. They have to play because we are small. Everybody has to play to contribute. I’ll just say that we sound bigger than we look,” Morris said.

With 27 students this past school year, Sequoyah’s band competed in competitions, including the Oklahoma Secondary School Activities Association competition.

Morris said the marching band has won competitions or received high ratings as a whole band and individually. He said former band member and CN citizen Bailey Stone won awards for his role as drum major, and CN citizen Athena Goingsnake was accepted into the Eastern District Band Director’s Association honor band in 2018.

“The first part of the school from all of September, all of October, through the first or second week of November that’s all marching season. That’s when we do all of our contests. Then we start our individual stuff, trying out for honor bands,” he said.

He said this past year has been the best yet for students being involved in solo and ensemble competitions. “I had 15 kids that made superior ratings at OSSAA, solo and ensemble, so that qualified them to go to state in Stillwater. And out of those 15, 12 came back with superior ratings and three came back with excellent ratings. They all made it to state.”

A superior rating is the highest rating in competition.

An excellent rating is the second highest.

He said he tells his students the more they do well and obtain the highest ratings, people will expect a superior band, and to keep that in mind when they play.

“People keep asking me ‘why do you do this,’ and well, it’s fun, but it’s fun because I’ve got kids that are willing to work and put forth the effort,” Morris said.

He said he doesn’t know how long he will be a band director and that he’ll eventually slow down.

“I’m not getting any younger. I just want to be able to contribute and just keep what’s going here at Sequoyah, keep it going. I don’t want to just walk out the door and say ‘hey, I’m done.’ We’ve got too much going. We’ve built it up, and I hate to see if I walked out the door that it just wasn’t there anymore.”

STUDENT SPOTLIGHTS

Seth Brown

BY GrANT NEUGIN Former Reporter

OKLAHOMA CITY – Seth Brown, an eighth grade student at Stilwell Middle School, was Seth Brown awarded first place in the “If I Were Mayor” essay contest, sponsored by the Mayors Council of Oklahoma and the Oklahoma Municipal League.

Oklahoma eighth graders were invited to participate to promote a better understanding of municipal government and its role in our lives. Winners were recognized during the Congress of Mayors at the Oklahoma Capitol.

His essay expressed his desire to revitalize his hometown of Stilwell. He wrote that he believes a recreational center – complete with basketball courts, swimming pools, a fitness center, a library, classrooms and rinks for ice and roller skating – would benefit the town’s adults and youth. “This could be done in stages through a partnership with Cherokee Nation, ” Brown wrote.

He also expressed a desire to re-open a downtown movie theater and snack bar as a way to provide entertainment and produce community income, drawing families from nearby towns. Also, Brown said Stilwell must focus on bringing in businesses and jobs to reduce poverty. His vision includes restaurants and stores in vacant buildings.

He said this could be accomplished by working with the Chamber of Commerce and organizations and businesses. Brown said he accepts his vision won’t be accomplished overnight, but says via hard work and partnerships it can be achieved.

Ashley Anderson

BY GrANT NEUGIN Former Reporter CAMBRIDGE, Mass.

– Cherokee Nation citizen Ashley Anderson is a senior at Harvard Ashley Anderson University majoring in history literature with an emphasis on visual culture and minoring in Central European studies.

She graduated from Sequoyah High School as the valedictorian with a perfect GPA and a 32 ACT score.

“I love astronomy. I read many science fiction novels, and I’m fascinated with the beauty of space,” she said. “My passion for space is what helped me figure out what I would like to study in Harvard.”

There she found history literature as a major thanks to a professor. “My favorite writer is Shakespeare, so studying his works for two semesters with Professor Garber was incredible.”

Anderson has also been active on campus by being a part of the College Board and the Native Americans at Harvard College organization. She has collaborated on the Indigenous College Planning Guidebook as a member of The College Board’s Native American Internship Program.

She also developed and edited the Indigenous College Planning Guidebook at Harvard and was the secretary of Native Americans at Harvard College and helped organize “Indigenous Day” events.

Anderson said she was set to graduate this spring. Afterward she planned to teach at a nonprofit organization for a year before going back to school to pursue law. She said she would like to focus on civil rights and tribal law.

Genevieve Hayes

BY LINDSEY BARK Reporter CASA GRANDE, Ariz.

– Cherokee Nation citizen Genevieve Hayes said she hopes to make strides in Genevieve Hayes her community, and the world, by participating on the science, technology, engineering and mathematics committee at her school.

A Casa Grande Union High School sophomore, she’s a member of the Amerind Club, which is short for American Indian Club, and works to involve Native students by bringing awareness to diverse tribes in the state. She also took part in the Amerind Pageant, which she was named Miss Amerind First Attendant.

But her biggest accomplishment comes from serving on the biotechnology STEM committee. She and her school’s STEM team were recently given the opportunity to “solve a world problem.”

Hayes said she was recruited last year to be a part of Lemelson-MIT, an organization that partners with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology to “inspire young people in STEM.” She said her school’s InvenTeam had the opportunity to create an invention aimed to solve a world problem. They created a wildfire protection system to save homes from catching fire.

She said the device prototype is composed of a reservoir with Class A Foam concentration, a compressed air tank, air pressure gauges, a hose and a sprinkler head.

The invention received one of 15 $10,000 grants to help build and showcase it at EurekaFest in June in Boston.

7

CNF increasing Jr. Achievement’s impact in NE Okla.

TULSA – Cherokee Nation Foundation and Junior Achievement of Oklahoma are partnering to bring work-readiness, entrepreneurship and financial literacy skills to students in northeast Oklahoma.

CNF serves as an extension of JAOK and offers JA programs to schools within the Cherokee Nation. The mobile facility provides students with a fictional life situation, a marital status, children, a job and a salary. They are challenged to create and use a budget and make decisions around saving, spending, investing and philanthropic giving. Students work in groups and visit 19 kiosks with interactive terminals that simulate utility companies and businesses.

Seneca Indian School reunion set for June 7-8 WYANDOTTE – The Seneca Indian School Alumni Association will host the 2019 Seneca Indian School Reunion at the Wyandotte Cultural Center located on the old Seneca Indian School campus. All alumni, former staff, friends and family are invited to attend.

Events begin 7 p.m. on June 7 with a hot dog roast and horseshoe tournament at the old basketball courts. The main meeting is from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on June 8 inside the Wyandotte Cultural Center. A potluck lunch will begin at noon and will include door prizes, raffles and arts and crafts. Saturday concludes with the first Simon Bush Pool and Bowling tournaments at River Bend Casino Club 60 West from 5 p.m. to midnight.

For more information, email senecaindianschoolalumni@gmail. com or join the Facebook group Seneca Indian School Alumni.

Record percentage of students earn Oklahoma’s Promise grant OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) – A record 73.6 percent of high school graduates who enrolled in the college access program Oklahoma’s Promise in 2018 completed the requirements to earn the scholarship, according to an Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education report.

There were 6,024 scholars who received the college tuition grant in 2018. The scholarship covers tuition at public two- and four-year schools or a portion of tuition at private colleges and universities. Students can enroll in in the program from eighth to 10th grades.

AICF reports on higher ed equity for Natives DENVER – The American Indian College Fund recently published Creating Visibility and Healthy Learning Environments for Native Americans in Higher Education as a tool for higher education institutions to advance the visibility of Native American students at their institutions and to ensure that Native history, achievements and perspectives are respected.

It highlights steps institutions can take with recruiting, financial aid, student orientation, recognition of Native lands, curriculum creation, establishment of meeting places for Natives, work with tribes and more.

8

CHEROKEE PHOENIX • JUNE 5, 2019

Services • ᎾᎾᏛᏁᎲ

ᏣᎳᎩ ᏧᎴᎯᏌᏅᎯ • [UMI 5, 2019

Delayed road project prompts contract talk

BY CHAD HUNTER Reporter TAHLEQUAH – A longunfinished Cherokee Nation road construction project sparked conversation May 13 among tribal leaders who questioned why the general contractor, under any company name, would be allowed to bid on other projects.

“I think if somebody does work like they’ve done on this road and they don’t complete it in a timely manner, we should not give them any more bids until that project’s completed,” Dist. 9 Tribal Councilor Mike Shambaugh said during May’s Community Services Committee meeting. “I just don’t think that’s right. Even if they change their name and we know it’s that same company, we shouldn’t do that.”

The conversation arose after Transportation Director Michael Lynn told councilors that the long-overdue, $3.94 million Leach/Kenwood road project in Delaware County was finally nearing completion. Lynn said only guardrails, signage and general cleanup remained on the job, which began in August 2016.

“The original contract was for 180 days,” Lynn said. “As of (May 13), the cumulative days used on the project is 1,001 days.”

Leach/Kenwood Road, also known as N4540 Road, is an 11.84-mile stretch that connects the two communities. General contractor Glover & Associates

LINDSEY BARK/CHEROKEE PHOENIX In this June 2018 photo, paving had started at the turnoff from Highway 412 in Leach onto the Leach/Kenwood Road, also known as N4540 Road.

Cherokee Nation Transportation Director Michael Lynn told councilors in May that the long overdue, $3.94 million road project in Delaware County was finally nearing completion. of Muskogee was awarded the bid to replace drainage structures, build new box bridge structures and lay asphalt.

Lynn said the contractor has been accruing a penalty of $1,000 per day past the original sixmonth deadline.

“The cumulative amount paid to the contractor is $2,969,114,” Lynn said. “That leaves a remaining balance that the Nation still has here in our possession, in our accounts, of $971,297.”

Lynn was asked if Glover & Associates could receive the remaining unpaid balance.

“At this point, probably not because we’ve got the liquidated

damage days that are in there,” he said. “I’m sure there will be some kind of negotiation process in the end once the project is complete. Then we’ll have to assess how many days they will be charged.”

Dist. 3 Tribal Councilor David Walkingstick said the contractor put the CN in a bind. “Then they go and they change their company up. They change their name to H&G, then we’re giving them awards on other projects that are Cherokee Nation. Why are we awarding people for doing work halfway?”

A call to the contractor’s line was answered by an APACCentral representative, who said

CN gives $476K to NE Okla. fire depts.

AMY MARTIN/VIA ASSOCIATED PRESS Ophelia WatahomigieCorliss, a citizen of the Havasupai Tribal Council, at Red Butte, stands at a site that the Havasupai consider sacred about 15 miles south of Tusayan, Arizona. Native American tribes are pushing the federal government to give them priority when it issues licenses that could expand internet coverage in their communities.

BY STAFF REPORTS

Tribes across U.S. push for better internet access

FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. (AP) – In a remote Arizona canyon that’s home to a Native American tribe, there’s skepticism of the internet.

The telemedicine equipment that health care officials promised would work gathers dust. School children who have homework struggle to get online. And streaming a web-based conference or taking classes remotely? Well, “that’s a lot of luck you’d have to get,” said Ophelia WatahomigieCorliss, who sits on the Havasupai Tribal Council.

Things started to change after a company approached the tribe to broaden coverage for educational use. It’s now using the experience to push the federal government to give tribes priority for broadband spectrum largely unassigned across the western United States.

The Federal Communications Commission has not issued any permanent licenses for the Educational Broadband Services spectrum in more than 20 years.

It asked the public a year ago to weigh in on possible changes to the licensing system to better define geographic areas, add flexibility, create priorities for tribes and educational institutions, and possibly auction the 2.5 GHz-band spectrum. It’s not clear when the FCC will act.

The agency estimates that about one-third of the people living on tribal lands don’t have access to high-speed internet, but others say the figure is twice as high. That’s partly because homes on remote reservations are spread far apart.

And telecommunications companies are unwilling to expand

Glover & Associates was now H&G Paving Contractors LLC of Muskogee. A call to H&G Paving, a Tribal Employment Rights Office-certified business, was not returned as of publication.

Walkingstick suggested the council “tighten up” language related to TERO businesses.

“If we’re going to allow someone who owes the tribe money to go and rebid on a job in the Cherokee Nation, we need to get some type of safeguards or language in place in our TERO law to be sure that this isn’t going to repeat down the road,” he said.

“Who’s allowing these TERO bids to be accepted when we know what’s happening? Someone needs to be held accountable.”

Tribal Speaker Joe Byrd asked Lynn to clarify the TERO policy.

“If these people are bidding, even though they are TEROcertified, and they’re not providing us quality work, we have the discretion to not give them the bid, correct?” he asked.

Lynn said the policy states that the “most reasonable, responsible bidder” may be chosen via the tribe’s procurement department.

Councilors indicated they plan to revisit the issue.

“I think we’re all in agreement that if somebody is not doing quality work for us, let us do a process here where they don’t get any additional bids,” Byrd said.

“I mean, that’s kind of a simple request here. All we’re asking for is quality work in a timely manner.”

to tribal lands because of the cost, tribes say. The internet on the Havasupai reservation has been a mixed bag. Tribal employees could sign on to their email and do internet searches but not much else. Public access for 450 residents was centered on the community building in Supai.

Thousands of tourists who trek 10 miles down a winding trail to see the reservation’s famed blue-green waterfalls have no internet access at their campsites.

The tribe began working with the company MuralNet in 2017 to get teachers and students better access. They successfully sought temporary authority from the FCC to use the Educational Broadband Services spectrum – a channel of electromagnetic waves – that wasn’t being used. Flagstaff-based Niles Radio Communications helped build the network.

Jacqueline Siyuja now has a wireless router to take online classes for her job at the tribe’s Head Start program. A few years ago, she and her colleagues flew out of the canyon and drove more than two hours to a community college in Flagstaff for classes. “It was really challenging for us.”

The tribe won’t know whether it can make other plans for the spectrum, like using telemedicine, transmitting medical records electronically or starting an online high school, until the FCC decides whether to grant the tribe’s application for a license.

Tribes in Oklahoma, Wisconsin, Washington, Idaho and others in Arizona also are pressing the FCC for a priority filing window.

TAHLEQUAH – Cherokee Nation officials disbursed nearly half a million dollars to 136 rural Oklahoma fire departments on May 13 during the annual Volunteer Firefighter Ceremony at the Cherokee Casino Tahlequah.

Each year, rural fire departments rely on fundraisers, membership dues and the help of good Samaritans to maintain operations. The CN provided each department with a check for $3,500, totaling $476,000, to help with equipment, fuel or other items needed to protect lives and properties of families in northeastern Oklahoma.

The funding is set aside in the tribe’s budget each year.

“Volunteer fire departments and the men and women volunteer firefighters who serve in them are protecting lives and property each and every day,” Principal Chief Bill John Baker said. “They deserve the continued thanks and support of the Cherokee Nation, and that’s why the tribe proudly invests in rural fire departments every year.”

Kansas Fire Department in Delaware County and Keys Fire Department in Cherokee County were each recognized as a Volunteer Fire Department of the Year.

According to a CN release, the firefighters with the Kansas department are known for reaching out to victims of tragedy to assist in their recovery, placing their community members first.

“I have an awesome team, and I wish we knew who nominated us for this award.

We are shocked,” said Kansas Fire Chief Jason Martin.

In the aftermath of a tornado in 2018, the Keys Fire Department assisted a neighboring department in conducting a systematic search during the rescue and recovery efforts. The fire department is also proactive

in its community, working with local schools to teach fire safety and ensuring the department is represented at community events.

“This is quite an honor,” said Keys Fire Chief Yogi Cole. “We’re really proud of what our department has accomplished and really shocked that we got this award with so many good departments in the Cherokee Nation. The Keys Fire Department has had a good couple of years with a lot of improvements and growth.

We’ve been working to gain new members and personnel, and that really helps our department.”

The CN also selected five recipients for the Volunteer Firefighter of the Year awards: · Brandon Qualls, of the Keys Fire Department, for his response to emergency calls during his 20 years with the department. Recently, he arrived at a structure fire and rescued a German Shepherd.

Qualls found the dog during his search inside the burning home. Qualls secured it inside a tanker truck until the homeowner arrived. · Roy Phillips, of the Illinois River Fire and Rescue, for his 30 years of service. Phillips is known for his professionalism.

In one instance, he sat with a frightened homeowner, helping to guard the house from a threatening wildfire throughout the night. · Billy Sanders, of the Disney Fire Department, for his commitment to the department and the community’s citizens. After each call, Sanders contacts firefighters who had been involved in the response to check their well-being. · Waid Whitlock and Gilbert Moore, both of the Collinsville Fire Department, for working to improve the safety of firefighters. Recently, they chose to forego spring break plans to fabricate and build safety cages for a CFD truck.

CN donates $30K to Adair County law enforcement TAHLEQUAH – The Cherokee Nation recently contributed $30,000 to three Adair County law enforcement agencies.

The Adair County Sheriff’s Department received $15,000, and the Stilwell and Westville police departments each received $7,500.

“It goes without saying that our local law enforcement agencies provide an invaluable service to our communities,” Tribal Councilor Canaan Duncan said. “As with most sectors in our state, law enforcement agencies have also experienced the stress of budget cuts, and I am so glad the tribe can step up and help alleviate some of that financial strain.”

Each year the tribe gives 20 percent of car tag sales revenue to local law enforcement agencies. The funds can be used on equipment or other needs.

CN donates more than $67K to law enforcement CLAREMORE –Districts 14 and 15 Tribal Councilors Keith Austin and Janees Taylor celebrated Law Enforcement Week on May 16 by hosting the third annual Law Enforcement Appreciation Breakfast at Will Rogers Downs.

Following the breakfast, each agency received a donation to assist with law enforcement efforts.

The donations totaled a little over $67,000. Officials from more than 15 agencies in Rogers and Mayes counties attended the event and were treated to a buffet breakfast and a short program. Taylor said she wants to help fill in gaps when necessary and has been working with the DROP Task Force of Mayes County to mitigate opioid abuse.

CN gives more than $123K to Rogers County groups CLAREMORE – The Cherokee Nation recently donated more than $123,000 to 13 organizations in Rogers County.

Organizations that benefited from the tribe’s annual contributions included court advocates, community groups and foundations and the county sheriff’s office. One of the recipients of this year’s funds was the Will Rogers Memorial Foundation. It got more than $25,000 for renovations to the auditorium located at the Will Rogers Museum. Other organizations getting charitable contributions were Meals on Wheels ($2,800), Rogers County Elder Day Center ($3,000), William W. Barnes Child Advocacy Center ($12,000), Child Advocates of Northeast Oklahoma ($25,803.92), Rogers County Sheriff’s Office ($13,000), SAFENET ($15,000), Indian Women’s Pocahontas Club ($7,500), Davis Arms Museum ($10,000), Rogers State University Foundation ($2,500), Good Samaritan Ministry Inc. ($2,000), Rogers County Cherokee Association ($2,000) and Rogers County Premium Auction ($3,000).

State leaders push to count young children in census OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) – Oklahoma leaders are kicking off efforts to ensure the state gets an accurate count in the 2020 census.

State leaders will focus on including children 5 and younger, which many say have been historically undercounted. Federal and state officials throughout the U.S. began their efforts promoting the once-a-decade census, a year ahead of the official count. Each state’s population from the Census is used to determine how many U.S. representatives it is allotted, plus that number influences federal funding for some programs.

Joe Dorman of the Oklahoma Institute for Child Advocacy says it’s important to count children in poor households because they often are affected by programs that provide health care, food and other services.

[UMI 5, 2019 • ᏣᎳᎩ ᏧᎴᎯᏌᏅᎯ

Money • ᎠᏕᎳ

JUNE 5, 2019 • CHEROKEE PHOENIX

9

Quapaw Nation applies for casino license in Arkansas

PHOTOS BY CHAD HUNTER/CHEROKEE PHOENIX Dylan Collyge, owner of Collyge Farm & Produce near Westville, said he hopes other young people will start strawberry patches in Adair County to continue the tradition of having strawberries in the county.

Strawberry farmer urges others to grow berries

BY WILL CHAVEZ Assistant Editor WESTVILLE – Strawberry farmer and Collyge Farm & Produce owner Dylan Collyge had planned to take part in the 2019 Stilwell Strawberry Festival as a strawberry grower.

He had planned to have berries in the annual judging contest and sell some of his crop that he grows in Adair County.

“Growing up I never missed a Strawberry Festival that I can remember.

We always went every year,” Collyge said. “I always wanted to be in the situation where I could grow something and be a part of that group of people that continues the tradition of strawberry growing.”

Collyge, 25, has a little more than 2 acres of strawberry plants growing.

“This is the first year out of this patch here. We’ll pick it again next year and add another patch north of here,” he said.

He said he plans on having the same number of plants next year. In his patch he estimates he can harvest 2,000 to 3,000 flats. A flat contains 8 quarts of berries.

“We plant in September. We cover them for the winter and then uncover them (in early spring) and use the cover when they start blooming for frost/freeze protection,” he said.

Around his patch he has an 8-foot high fence to keep out deer and other animals that want to eat the berries.

The Cherokee Nation citizen also said the growing method used by many of today’s strawberry farmers is different than it used to be. Black plastic is placed under the plants to help grow the berries because it keeps the soil about 10 degrees warmer in the spring. For example, if the soil temperature outside the strawberry patch is 40 degrees, he can still grow berries at 50 degrees. Also, next to each row is an irrigation hose to water the plants, and it can also carry fertilizer.

Adair County, particularly around Stilwell where the Stilwell Strawberry Festival is held each May, is known for its strawberry crops, but the number of strawberry patches in the county has dropped in the past 30 years.

“It seemed like there was a berry patch at every mile intersection when I was a kid,” said Dylan’s father, Jeff Collyge.

“Probably not that many, but it seemed so. I picked berries as a kid. In 1974, I remember getting 8 cents a quart to pick.

The next year, the pay went to 10 cents a quart. I remember thinking, dang, we’re gonna get rich.”

Jeff said he believes the reasons for the decline in patches are canning factories stopped buying them and it’s hard work.

“When Dylan decided to grow, I was really proud of his decision. I’m glad he is working so hard to keep our local

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) – An American Indian tribe has submitted its first application for a casino license in Arkansas.

Voters approved a constitutional amendment in November that legalized casinos in four Arkansas counties.

The Quapaw Nation in Oklahoma gave the state Racing Commission a $250,000 check on May 1 as the casino license application period began, the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette reported.

The application period was in effect through May 30.

Nate Steel, attorney for the Quapaw Nation, said it was crucial that the tribe submit its application on the first day.

“We wanted to show the commission we wouldn’t be dragging our feet,” he said.

Quapaw Nation officials announced several months ago that they wanted to build the Saracen Casino Resort in Pine Bluff, which is a $240 million project.

Pine Bluff’s mayor and Jefferson County officials backed Quapaw Nation’s plan, which is a requirement under the amendment.

The tribe is happy to finally start the application process for the project, said Alex Gray, the Quapaw Nation attorney who helped draft the amendment.

“It’s been an 18-, 19-month project at this point,” Gray said. “It’s exciting to see us entering this phase.”

Steel noted that while it was just the first day of filing, he doesn’t expect any other casino interests to apply for the Jefferson County license.

“From the scale that Downstream is looking at investing in Jefferson County, it would be very difficult for other qualified applicants to match,” said Steel, referring to the tribe’s business entity, the Downstream Development Authority. “This goes beyond just dollars and cents. For Downstream and the Quapaw tribe this is about investment in the homeland.”

Once the license is awarded, crews will start working “within 10 minutes,” said Quapaw Nation Chairman John Berrey.

“It will take about 10 to 11 months to get it framed in, then we’ll open the casino and a couple of restaurants,” Berrey added. “Then we’ll finish the hotel and convention center. It will probably be 16 to 18 months total time.

We’ll have the ball rolling and people working. We’ll be generating taxes for the state of Arkansas, and we’ll be bringing people to Jefferson County for tourism.”

2 Oklahoma tribes to build bison meat processing plant

Strawberries grow on top of a black plastic cover in a patch owned by Cherokee grower Dylan Collyge.

Pickers gather strawberries from a patch owned by Collyge Farm & Produce near Westville.

A bucket of strawberries sits in a strawberry patch owned by Collyge Farm & Produce near Westville. tradition and legacy alive,” he said.

Dylan said he believes there are less than half a dozen patches now. He fears in five years there won’t be enough growers in Adair County to sustain the county tradition of being known for strawberries and possibly lessen the annual festival.

He added that there are loans that could help young people get in the business. “You just need to have land and a little help. It’s important that we find more people to do this to carry on the tradition, to keep it going.”

The plant is being built in El Reno and would be chiefly for bison, but would also take in cattle and wild game.

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) – Two Native American tribes in Oklahoma are planning to build a meat processing plant in an effort to take a more active role in bringing the nations’ bison herd to the marketplace, a tribal business official said.

Nathan Hart, business director for the Cheyenne & Arapaho Tribes, noted an eatery at the American Indian Cultural Center and Museum being developed in Oklahoma City could sell the meat plant’s first bison entrees.

Hart said the U.S. Department of Agriculture-inspected processing plant being built in El Reno would be chiefly for bison, but the planned 150-acre site would also take in cattle and wild game, The Journal Record reported.

“When we started this, we had a smaller processing facility in mind,” Hart said. “But as we’ve stepped out and let more people know what we’re doing, the plan expanded up to 3,000 animals per year. This won’t just be for

our processing purposes, either. We’re in contact with a lot of other producers in western Oklahoma to fill a need for production there.”

The tribes’ farming program already has supply chains for bison meat to be sold in dozens of the region’s stores.

Its bison flock stands at roughly 400 head, mostly in Concho. Hart said his tribes’ leaders are crafting the legal framework to turn the processing plant into a business unit under a corporate holding company. A viability study will also be instituted.

The Cheyenne & Arapaho aren’t the first tribes to cultivate bison herds for internal and profitable uses.

The Quapaw Cattle Co., for instance, contributes around 20,000 pounds (around 9,000 kilograms) of beef and bison to Quapaw Public Schools, while also donating to area food banks, day care centers, churches and Quapaw Tribe Title VI nutritional programs to provide protein for a healthy diet.

Okla. court expenses, fines and fees rise in recent years

TULSA (AP) – Fines, dues and court expenses assessed to Oklahoma defendants have spiked since fiscal year 2007 and government agencies are increasingly relying on them as an income source, criminal justice advocates said.

Citations, fees and costs have risen 27 percent since 2007, the Tulsa World reported. Lawmakers have also imposed administrative charges that collectively require defendants to pay an additional 25 percent of all fees amassed by courts for the executive branch.

Court collections have contributed to around 66 percent to 90 percent of yearly district court subsidies over that period.

Kris Steele, Oklahomans for Criminal Justice Reform executive director, said a person’s inability to pay either puts them in jail or they return to crime to pay the debts.

State or local executive branches benefit from one-third of the roughly $160 million in yearly collections of fines, dues and court costs, state Supreme Court records show.

The sheriff dues in civil and criminal cases amount to around $9 million annually, which is the largest collection of specific funds for an executive branch agency. Two Tulsa attorneys and a civil rights group have sued calling the system an “extortionate scheme.”

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CHEROKEE PHOENIX • JUNE 5, 2019

People • ᏴᏫ

ᏣᎳᎩ ᏧᎴᎯᏌᏅᎯ • [UMI 5, 2019

Spook aims for Cain’s, Rocklahoma gigs The metal core band has played at locations in Oklahoma and Arkansas.

BY GRANT NEUGIN Former Reporter TULSA – Spook is a metal core band based in Tulsa, but its roots are in the Cherokee Nation in Pryor.

CN citizen Kobe Feeling started the band in 2016 after high school in Pryor.

The band originally consisted of Kobe and his friend who played drums. The drummer proceeded to ask his high school friend to join Kobe’s band soon after to make a trio.

Once Kobe’s bandmates graduated high school, they left the band. Kobe, the lead vocalist, ended up recruiting drummer Kyle Proctor, guitarist Perry “Frog” Ballou and bassist King Arthur, also known as Art. “By the end of 2018, we have played around 50 to 60 shows total,” Feeling said.

“There were some weeks where we had to play three shows in one week or even three days in a row. Those were tough on our work schedules, but it was worth it.”

In 2018, Spook performed at the annual Rocklahoma festival in Pryor, which is the biggest music venue it’s played so far.

Spook has also opened for acts such as

GRANT NEUGIN/CHEROKEE PHOENIX Spook performs live in Tulsa. The metal core band has been performing at bars and music venues such as The Vanguard, Venue Shrine, Ed’s Hurricane Lounge and Bad Ass Renee’s.

Smile Empty Soul, a popular band in the early 2000s.

The band also performs at venues in Arkansas and competed in a battle of the bands contest in Fort Smith. The winner performed as an opening act for Black Stone Cherry. Spook didn’t win, but

gained experience, Feeling said.

Spook has recently played in the Tulsa area, performing at bars and venues such as The Vanguard, Venue Shrine, Ed’s Hurricane Lounge and Bad Ass Renee’s.

“Record labels have reached out to us, but working with them requires us to

pay money up front to get on tours. At the moment, we just want to concentrate on making music and releasing it out on the internet for people to hear,” Ballou said. “We are able to advertise ourselves, and that is what we are doing for the time being.”

Spook members said they make money playing at bars and venues, but most of their money is made from merchandise.

Bands who play in today’s music scenes rely on merchandise sales and tours in order to make money, they said.

“We have performed at places where we have been paid a good amount, but the crowd was not in it. Those are the worst shows,” Feeling said. “I prefer playing when the crowd really gets into it when we play. Whether or not we make money at those shows doesn’t matter too much to me as long as it was a fun experience for both the crowd and us.”

In 2019, the band wants a bigger stage at Rocklahoma and a show at the Cain’s Ballroom. Both venues are big in Oklahoma because they premiere talent not in the conventional rock genre.

Spook has an EP released on all of the streaming services such as Spotify and Apple Music. The band does not have physical copies due to convenience and budgeting. The band’s second EP, “Ravenmocker,” was released in April.

For more information, visit Spook’s Facebook page.

Young Cherokee Cherokee scientist finds role with EBCI singer releases musical video

BY CHAD HUNTER Reporter

BY D. SEAN ROWLEY Senior Reporter

RED OAK – In southeastern Oklahoma, Red Oak residents were recently treated to a pageant of country music celebrity, including a rising star of their own.

Cherokee Nation citizen Ava Rose Johnson, 12, was onstage for the release of the music video for her single, “Heaven’s Window,” which was shown before inside the First Baptist Church Life Impact Center.

While the ceremony was to introduce the video, much focus centered on the song’s inspiration, written in remembrance of her friend, Behr Place, who died March 13, 2017, in an ATV crash at age 10.

“People are gathered here because they were impacted by the love that Behr shared every day with everyone he knew or didn’t know,” said Johnson, whose eyes frequently swelled with tears as she spoke of her friend to the crowd. “We knew him a short time, and look at the impact he made.”

With her were country artists Lainey Edwards and Billy Dawson, Florida Georgia Line drummer Sean Fuller and videographer James Rayner.

Johnson wrote the song with the help of Fuller, Dawson and Edwards, all of who performed “Heaven’s Window” with Johnson at the release. Dawson sang a few songs and spoke, while Johnson added her rendition of the gospel hymn “How Great Thou Art.” “I’ve seen a lot of different artists. I’ve never seen a girl at 12 years old with pipes like hers,” Fuller said.

Johnson already has national exposure, including an appearance on Good Morning America. But it was during Dawson’s “Nashville to New Mexico” event in New Mexico that he met Johnson. He invited her to Nashville in January to write a song, and she expressed her wish to Dawson, Edwards and Fuller to write a song about Behr. The song involved a threeday recording session totaling more than 40 hours, and Rayner, a filmmaker, shot the video.

“It was a complete pleasure to work with Ava,” Dawson said after the recording session. “She is so talented and hard working. I met her a few years ago whenever they were opening for my ‘Nashville to New Mexico’ event and her voice just blew me away. I knew that we would be working together at some point. She is definitely on the right path.”

Johnson has been named the year’s outstanding performer at the American Kids Dale Awards and won her age bracket at the 2017 National Competition in Branson, Missouri, in several musical categories.

Clips of Johnson and the “Heaven’s Window” video are on Facebook @avarosejohnsonmusic.

CHEROKEE, N.C. – An Oklahomaborn scientist from the Cherokee Nation turned his passion for the environment into a career helping manage wildlife on the Qualla Boundary in North Carolina.

CN citizen Dr. Caleb Hickman, 42, is a supervisory biologist for the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians’ Office of Fisheries & Wildlife Management in North Carolina.

“This is a dream job to work in this environment,” Hickman said.

Hickman was born, raised and attended school in Pryor, Oklahoma. He earned a master’s degree in biology at Missouri State University.

“Then I worked for six years all over the country,” Hickman said.

According to The Wildlife Society’s Invasive Species Working Group, of which Hickman is a past chairman, the ecologist has years of experience “from southwestern deserts to east-coast estuaries.”

“Much of his work focuses on the conservation of amphibians and reptiles with interests in how human-altered environments can shape interactions between species,” Hickman’s society biography states.

He eventually earned a doctorate in zoology from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

“I finished that up and was looking for jobs,” he said. “A lot of people go into academia to become a professor, work at a state or federal agency or something like that. You know, it was always hard for me to find a job in Oklahoma.

But this job came open and it was a master’s-level position, so I applied.

CHAD HUNTER/CHEROKEE PHOENIX Cherokee biologist Caleb Hickman talks about salamanders on March 27 in Cherokee, North Carolina. An Oklahoma-born scientist from the Cherokee Nation, he turned his passion for the environment into a career helping manage wildlife on the Qualla Boundary.

I even wrote in Cherokee on the application. I tried my hardest to get it and pulled out all the stops.”

A majority of the EBCI’s 13,400 citizens live on the Qualla Boundary, with slightly more than 56,000 acres held in trust by the federal government, according to the EBCI. Hickman describes his role as a marriage of his love for ecology and Cherokee culture.

“In a lot a ways, this is perfect, to still be around Cherokee people, and it reminds me of the Ozarks where I grew up,” he said. “We manage all of the plants and animals. We’re a bio-diversity hot spot, so there are federal regulations that come into play and federal money to protect the land rights here. Any time somebody wants to develop here, we have to do surveys for endangered species, make sure the water quality is good, the air quality is in good shape.”

Hickman’s office is also responsible for species restoration projects.

“There’s a fish here we’ve been trying to restore,” he said. “Whitetailed deer are rare here. Especially with the Deer Clan and cultural tie to deer, you want to bring them back because they used to be here in great numbers. But because of over-hunting and habitat loss, they’ve just never recovered. Those are just two groups. Then there are endangered species we try to protect like bats and flying squirrels.”

Field work is attractive to most scientists, Hickman said, but a lot of his time is spent “in the office.”

“If you want stability at the level I’m at, you end up pushing paper,” he said. “I do a lot of paperwork and grant writing so we can fund the work. I do reports on the projects to show that we’re actually finding things.”

Culture • ᎢᏳᎾᏛᏁᎵᏓᏍᏗ

[UMI 5, 2019 • ᏣᎳᎩ ᏧᎴᎯᏌᏅᎯ

JUNE 5, 2019 • CHEROKEE PHOENIX

11

LANGUAGE LESSON NEWSPAPER goweli galeyvtanvhi ᎪᏪᎵ ᎦᎴᏴᏔᏅᎯ SPONSOR: Cherokee Elder Care, 918-453-5544, https://eldercare.cherokee.org, eldercare@cherokee.org

Cherokee history projects in Charleston open

BY WILL CHAVEZ Assistant Editor

CHARLESTON, Tenn. – The Hiwassee River Heritage Center and the National Historic Trail Experience’s expansion recently opened with a ribbon cutting for donors and supporters.

Cherokee; Charleston-Calhoun, Tennessee; and Civil War history from the area are included in the center’s George Robert and Doris Bolen Johnson Exhibit Hall. The expansion also allowed for the Carl E. Colloms Education Room, a library and a larger greeting area.

“This project has been in development for many years and we are so grateful for the opportunity to share these important stories with residents and visitors, groups and individuals,” Darlene Goins, Hiwassee River Heritage Center manager, said.

National Trail of Tears Association President and Cherokee Nation citizen Jack Baker attended the ribbon cutting.

He said Fort Cass, built in Charleston to facilitate the Cherokee people’s removal, and Charleston were the starting points for many Cherokees who were removed to Indian Territory, now Oklahoma.

“There our people continued the Cherokee Nation, the sovereign Cherokee Nation, and established a new government. Today, we are a nation of more than 370,000 citizens,” he said. “This is our ancient homeland.

I really do appreciate all that the local community has done on this project and remembering the Cherokee people and our forced removal.”

The U.S. Department of Agriculture was a supporter for the center’s expansion and the trail, and area donors gave funding and time to the two projects.

“We could never have accomplished these projects without donors and supporters. We have been so blessed to have the right people in our paths at the right time, and it has been a whole host of people who have made this center and trail happen over these last 13 years of working and planning,” Melissa Woody, Tourism Development of the Cleveland/ Bradley Chamber of Commerce vice president and development chairwoman for the Charleston-Calhoun-Hiwassee Historical Society, said.

She said she and Goins grew up in Charleston and Cleveland and never knew the stories of the area, but knew it “had something to do with the Trail of Tears,” however, “the significance had been lost over the years.”

“At that point we learned. We started learning a lot. We were able to get the story at least to where we could

PHOTOS BY CHAD HUNTER/CHEROKEE PHOENIX A crowd attends the recent opening and dedication of an expansion at the Hiwassee River Heritage Center in Charleston, Tennessee.

Wes Shamblin, of Calhoun, Tennessee, tours a recently opened exhibit hall at the Hiwassee River Heritage Center in Charleston.

A trail segment called “Voices from the Past” features quotes about the Cherokee Removal at Fort Cass from Cherokees, missionaries and military figures.

understand what happened here. At the time we were uncovering American history that had not been really documented or explained in a public setting, and so we feel so privileged and honored to be a part of that process,” Woody said.

Goins and others formed the Charleston-Calhoun-Hiwassee Historical Society in 2008 and opened the Hiwassee River Heritage Center in 2013 with the intent of adding an exhibit hall and education room.

“It was one room pretty much with information panels. We were able to greet people, host people, start telling the story, but it begged for more. It begged for illustrations, artifacts, more space to host groups and students. We wanted to be able to host bigger groups and share this American history with everyone,” Woody said.

She said the CCH Historical Society

has raised $750,000 to expand the museum and build the National Historic Trail Experience.

“So, what is the story? The story is Charleston, Tennessee, was the military operational headquarters for the entire Cherokee Trail of Tears removal,” Woody said. “All of the orders that went to other emigration depots, went to other military installations, came from here, from Gen. Winfield Scott just over the bridge in Calhoun, Tennessee. That was America.

When the treaties of 1819 (between the U.S. and CN) were signed, you could look across the river and that was America and you would be standing here (Charleston) in the Cherokee Nation.

We are able to tell this story in this wonderful heritage center.”

Woody and other speakers, including former CN Tribal Councilor and National TOTA Executive Director Troy Wayne Poteete, thanked Tennessee TOTA

member Shirley Lawrence for bringing the idea of telling the Cherokee story and what happened at Fort Cass to Woody.

“Her coming here and telling Melissa about this is very typical. She gets it done. We are gratified after 25 years of the (Trail of Tears) association that these elders can look back and say, ‘golly, we really did something, we really did make something happen,’” Poteete said. “I’m very honored to be a part of this.”

He said he has “a great affinity” for Charleston and Calhoun because many Cherokee people from the area eventually settled in Webbers Falls, Oklahoma, where he lives.

The exhibit hall features information beginning with pre-Cherokee Native peoples and goes through Cherokee settlements, the federal Indian Agency, Fort Cass and the Cherokee Removal. The exhibit also examines Charleston and Calhoun’s role in the Civil War. The National Historic Trail Experience also made its recent debut. The trail’s first segment connects the Hiwassee River Heritage Center to the Charleston Park. The National Park Service conceived the design and funded it.

The segment is called “Voices from the Past” and features quotes about the Cherokee Removal at Fort Cass from Cherokee people, missionaries and military figures. The Middle Tennessee State University Center for Historic Preservation Team, with assistance from HRHC volunteer Laura Bryan Spann, researched and designed the signs.

“The trail sets the stage for learning more about the Trail of Tears and bringing the struggle of that time to a personal level,” Woody said. “Presenting quotes from the people affected by this difficult time in history really brings this story to life and to a relatable place for all of us as human beings.”

The trail experience and heritage center are two components of a master plan for development in Charleston and Calhoun. The trail is intended to extend beyond the Charleston Park and reach the Hiwassee River at a park. There is also intent to connect with the Cleveland/ Bradley Greenway as it extends toward the Hiwassee River.

“We are looking forward to offering a more detailed experience for our visitors.

Our vision is to host groups – students and adults, increase our programming, continue extending the greenway and ultimately preserving this nationally significant history in our communities,” Bryan Spann said. “This expanded facility and trail will allow us to fulfill these goals.”

NPS designates Cherokee house as Trail of Tears site

BY WILL CHAVEZ Assistant Editor

CLEVELAND, Tenn. – A house built around 1826 in present-day Cleveland by Alexander Harvey “Harve” Wilson for his Cherokee bride, Jane Swan, has been designated as being part of the Trail of Tears National Historic Trail by the National Park Service.

Trail of Tears Association members, the NPS, a Cleveland/Bradley Chamber of Commerce representative and Charleston-Calhoun-Hiwassee Historical Society members gathered recently on the lawn of the house to dedicate an NPS sign designating the property as a Trail of Tears site.

The NPS partnership certification agreement signed in 2014 states the Wilson-Ervin House at 914 Walker Valley Road meets the national historic trail criteria established by the National Trails System Act. In 1838, Cherokee people traveled through Cleveland on their way to holding camps in Charleston, just northeast of Cleveland, and the tribe’s makeshift capital at Red Clay was nearby.

During the ceremony, the house’s current owners, Bob and Nancy Erwin, spoke about acquiring the house in 1979 and its history. Bob said it’s believed the house was built between 1826 and 1831. One story about the house is that it had been built before 1826 “in the condition of a log cabin,” and after Wilson and Swan married in December 1826 and moved in, they expanded it.

“There’s really no good written records of those early years, but there are lots traditions within the family.

Family traditions are sometimes accurate; sometimes

CHAD HUNTER/ CHEROKEE PHOENIX Coreen Donnelly, left, a National Park Service landscape architect, Oklahoma Trail of Tears Association member Mildred Taylor, center, and Tennessee Trail of Tears Association President Debbie Moore visit the Wilson-Erwin house, a historic Trail of Tears site, in Cleveland, Tennessee.

they are not. They are all that we can tell you at this particular point,” he said.

He said family stories state Alexander got along with his Cherokee neighbors and was accepted by the Cherokee Nation. Behind the house is a stream, and beyond that there was once a field that was used for stickball, the “Cherokee version of knock down, drag out,” he said, and the Cherokees held meetings next to the stream and played in it.

“Apparently, what we can conclude from those early two years is that he (Wilson) fit in very well with the Cherokees. The only problem we’ve ever identified is that in one of the ball games it got just a little rougher than usual and one or two of them had just a few too many, and a couple of people were killed. He was called out to restore order, which apparently he did. Obviously, he was well received by the people, so he could infuse some degree of order,” Bob said.

Wilson and Swan had five children. She died around age 39. Wilson remarried about a year after Swan’s death to Sarah (who was called Sally) Ross, who was related to Principal Chief John Ross. Bob said he did not know how closely she was related to Chief Ross. Sally died when she was 29.

Wilson eventually created a 1,000-acre farm, which was passed on to his and Sally’s son, Wood Alexander Wilson, before another descendant, Tom Wilson, inherited the farm.

“He (Tom) was a very likeable person,” Nancy said.

After being in the Wilson family for approximately 153 years, the house was sold to the Erwins in 1979.

“Bob said to me, ‘do you want that house?’ and I said

CHAD HUNTER/CHEROKEE PHOENIX Bob Erwin, of Cleveland, Tennessee, talks about his home’s ties to the Trail of Tears. A house built circa 1826

by Alexander Harvey “Harve” Wilson has been designated as being part of the Trail of Tears National Historic Trail by the National Park Service. yes. It was really for me,” Nancy said. “It was just an impulsive, emotional bond. There was something here. I don’t know what it was.”

After entering the home, a statement from Bob and Nancy hangs near the front door with a photo of the Wilson family in front of the home about 1900.

The statement, in part, reads: “Through the years, we have come to love and respect the house for it continues to stand true, providing comfort and shelter for those who are privileged to live within its walls. Our feelings about the house have been kindled by more than an interest in its rich history or by a curiosity about its past days. Rather, they spring from a feeling of special kinship with those who lived here before us, including our Cherokee predecessors. We sense the integrity of their ways of life and of their deep feelings of love for this land.”

WILL CHAVEZ/ CHEROKEE PHOENIX This photo of a photo shows members of the Wilson family sitting outside their house around the year 1900. The house is now owned by Bob and Nancy Erwin. The National Park Service designated the house as being part of the Trail of Tears National Historic Trail.

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CHEROKEE PHOENIX • JUNE 5, 2019

Culture • ᎢᏳᎾᏛᏁᎵᏓᏍᏗ

ᏣᎳᎩ ᏧᎴᎯᏌᏅᎯ • [UMI 5, 2019