July 15, 2019 issue of the Cherokee Phoenix

BERRY GOOD

Cherokees go out each summer and pick blackberries to create delectable dishes such as cobblers and pies. COMMUNITY, 6

CHEROKEE CHEROKEEPHOENIX.ORG

JULY 15, 2019

PHOENIX 191 YEARS OF JOURNALISM

Complaint filed against Coates, Baker Shaw A Greater Tulsa Cherokees official alleges the mishandling of tribal checks for at-large communities.

BY STAFF REPORTS

PHOTOS BY WILL CHAVEZ/CHEROKEE PHOENIX Carolyn Locust, left, signs the Cherokee Speaker Roll while her sister, Lucy Scoggins, waits her turn during a June 25 event to gather the signatures of first-language Cherokee speakers.

ROLL CALL FOR CHEROKEE SPEAKERS The Cherokee Speaker Roll Project honors first-language Cherokee speakers with special medallions featuring Sequoyah’s likeness.

BY WILL CHAVEZ Assistant Editor

M

ARBLE CITY – The Cherokee Speaker Roll Project made a June 25 stop in Marble City to gather signatures in a roll book and present medallions to first-language Cherokee speakers.

The Cherokee Nation project will continue hosting gatherings in 13 area communities this summer to recognize first-language Cherokee speakers.

Master Apprentice Program Manager Howard Paden said he and his staff have been getting a good response from the speakers.

“They are coming out and signing the Cherokee Speaker Roll book. We built that book to last 500 to a thousand years. It’s made of archival paper and archival ink and sewed and glued a certain way to last that long,” he said. “We’re just recognizing speakers and telling them we appreciate them. A lot of them have went through a lot of things to keep this language and keep this way of life, and we’re thankful that they done that. So we’re giving them a medallion, and we’re feeding them and trying our best to make them feel special.”

So far, the Belfonte, Greasy, Kenwood and Marble City communities have been visited to gain signatures. Paden said other communities than the original 13 may be added later.

Anita Christie, 46, came to Marble City from nearby Flute Springs to sign the book.

“It’s an honor because we are probably the last of our generation that are original fluent speakers. We learned from our parents and grandparents. That was our first language at home,” she said. “It’s a pretty good thing that they got going, but it would have been nice too if our parents and grandparents could have been included way back. But it’s really nice they are doing this for us today, and it’s good that they are keeping the language alive by teaching the younger generations.”

Calvin McCoy, 81, grew up in Marble City with his Cherokee-speaking parents. He drove from Tahlequah to sign the book, get his medallion and to see family

SEE SPEAKERS, 2

TAHLEQUAH – An election complaint filed June 10 alleges that a current At-Large tribal councilor and an At-Large tribal council candidate misrepresented checks to community groups.

Linda Leaf Bolin, of the at-large group Greater Tulsa Cherokees, and former Cherokee Nation Registrar Linda O’Leary filed the complaint. In it, they allege that At-Large Tribal Councilor Mary Baker Shaw let current At-Large candidate Julia Coates, a former tribal councilor, take credit for community checks sent from the tribe to at-large community groups approximately a year ago. “(Shaw) specifically requested the funds to be made payable to each of the At-Large Cherokee Communities for Scholarships,” the complaint states. “Instead of sending the checks for $500 to the At-Large Cherokee Communities, she gave the checks to Julia Coates, President of the PINS Foundation...Shaw misused Cherokee tribal funds to influence votes for Ms. Coates and abused her power as a Tribal Councilor by misappropriating funds by giving checks away that were not her checks to give away.”

Election Commission Administrator Marcus Fears said the complaint was handed over to the attorney general’s office.

“I sent it on a couple of weeks ago,” Fears said. “I just have not received any resolution on it.”

Shaw, via email, stated she had not been contacted by the attorney general’s office in relation to the complaint.

“I feel certain they would have been in touch if there was any merit to it,” she wrote.

SEE ALLEGATION, 2

First-language Cherokee speaker Anita Christie looks at the Cherokee Speaker Roll on June 25.

Committee offers hefty pay raises for elected officials Increases have been suggested for the principal chief and deputy chief positions as well as legislators.

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

Some of the 38 signatures gathered June 25 at a Cherokee Speaker Roll event held in Marble City.

Cherokee speaker Reba Rodgers places a medallion on Norma Eli honoring her as a Cherokee speaker.

TAHLEQUAH – Principal Chief-elect Chuck Hoskin Jr. and other Cherokee Nation elected officials could be getting sizable raises when their terms begin Aug. 14, assuming the Tribal Council doesn’t stop or reduce them, which some legislators are calling for.

The Compensation Committee recently recommended to increase the principal chief’s pay by 84 percent, the deputy chief’s pay by 104 percent – a post Tribal Councilor Bryan Warner will assume – and Tribal Council Speaker Joe Byrd’s pay by 26 percent.

Council approval would give Hoskin a $350,000 annual salary. Outgoing Principal Chief Bill John Baker, upon completion of his term, will have received $190,000 for his final year in office. The annual pay for the deputy chief would rise to $233,333 from $114,000.

SEE RAISES, 3

U.S. Supreme Court justices to rehear Murphy case in October A ruling for Muscogee (Creek) Nation citizen Patrick Murphy could expand “Indian Country” in Oklahoma.

BY STAFF REPORTS WASHINGTON – The U.S. Supreme Court on June 27 said it will rehear arguments in a case involving an Oklahoma man who argued that the state had no right to prosecute him because he is a Native American and the crime occurred on Indian land.

The justices said they will hear a new round of arguments in October for the case of Patrick Murphy, a Muscogee (Creek) Nation citizen who was convicted of killing a fellow tribal citizen in 1999.

The Denver-based 10th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled in 2018 that Congress never disestablished the MCN reservation. Murphy’s lawyers contend the case should have been under federal jurisdiction and not state jurisdiction.

However, the appeals court put its ruling on hold pending a final Supreme Court decision. That stay looks as if it will remain in place until the justices reach a decision.

COURTESY This map shows the Muscogee (Creek) Nation reservation and other tribal reservations before Oklahoma statehood.

Supreme Court Justice Neil Gorsuch had recused himself from the case, leaving the court with eight justices who may have been deadlocked.

The MCN and other tribes took Murphy’s side,

arguing that Congress had not formally disestablished their pre-statehood reservations in Indian Territory.

The MCN also contends that it retains jurisdiction over tribal citizens in all or parts of Creek, Hughes, Okfuskee, Okmulgee, McIntosh, Muskogee, Tulsa, and Wagoner counties.

Oklahoma responded stating that Congress meant to disestablish the reservations because it stripped the MCN of its jurisdiction in eastern Oklahoma, its authority and property. The state said Murphy’s claim defied more than 100 years of settled law and boundaries.

Oklahoma also contends that recognizing the Cherokee, Creek, Chickasaw, Choctaw and Seminole nations’ pre-statehood reservations would create economic and judicial chaos in eastern Oklahoma, throwing into question contracts, court judgments and property ownership.

SEE MURPHY, 3

2

CHEROKEE PHOENIX • JULY 15, 2019

News • ᏗᏕᏃᏣᎸᏍᎩ

ᏣᎳᎩ ᏧᎴᎯᏌᏅᎯ • ᎫᏰᏉᏂ 15, 2019

Brits cite cultural learning as reason to retrace Trail

BY D. SEAN ROWLEY Senior Reporter TAHLEQUAH – Having completed a lengthy journey, a pair of foreign visitors took up residence for a few days in June at the Cherokee Heritage Center as part of their effort to learn more about Cherokee culture.

Their trek wasn’t for the faint-hearted, and it roughly followed a 1,500-mile route of the Trail of Tears that Cherokees were forced along after their ejection from homelands in the early 19th century.

Ian Finch, 40, and Jamie Barnes, 25, are United Kingdom citizens, but they decided to make an 80-day journey that mirrored a removal trail because of a wish to learn about the history, culture and traditions of another people.

Referring to the Trail of Tears as a “story of injustice, survival and resistance,” Finch, an experienced long-distance outdoors traveler, along with Barnes, making his first ultra-trip, walked five days from the northeast side of the Smoky Mountains, paddled 900 miles in a canoe along stretches of the Tennessee, Ohio and Mississippi Rivers, and walked nearly 400 miles from Memphis, Tennessee, to Tahlequah.

“Growing up, I always had a fascination with cultures all around the world, and Native American cultures always stood out to me,” Barnes said. “I never heard anything about the Trail of Tears. I had very minimal knowledge about the actual

even got to meet the (Principal) Chief (Bill John Baker). We have met people who are interested in sustaining cultural traditions such as language, clothing and music. This was a very important element to the trip. Wrighter and Parker are part of the future of these cultural traditions, and we really wanted to speak with those who cared and wanted to preserve Cherokee culture.”

Barnes’ longest trip prior to this excursion was a 100-mile hike into Norway. He’s also visited the northeast U.S. Finch has visited many regions of the U.S., including a 2,000-mile trip on the Yukon River in Alaska.

“That also had a thread of Native culture,” Finch said. “I canoed the river and talked with some of the people who depend on the river for subsistence COURTESY living. There is a disconnection because Jamie Barnes and Ian Finch, United Kingdom citizens who followed a Trail of Tears route now they can’t live on the chinook and from the Smoky Mountains to Tahlequah, meet with Principal Chief Bill John Baker on June moose, because the government is telling 10, a day before returning to London. them how many fish they can take from the river, or that they can only take one tribes. I was told of the Trail of Tears by 2017, respectively. Elder John Ross of moose per winter.” a friend of mine from Florida, and I was the Cherokee Nation’s Department The men characterized their Cherokee quite shocked that something like that of Translation was along for a mile. hosts as “wonderful.” had happened that recently in history.”

They discussed the trail’s importance, “Everyone has been humble, generous Finch and Barnes journey was not a including its emotional significance, to and hospitable,” Barnes said. “And there simple test of their mettle. They wanted the Cherokee people. was even some curiosity about us, just to learn about the momentousness of Upon completing the journey, Barnes as we’re curious about them. I don’t their route, historically and culturally. said they “wanted to learn about the think I’ve met anyone in the U.K. who is They were accompanied on the last few Cherokee culture of today.” even aware of the Trail of Tears. For us, miles of their walk by brothers Wrighter “This week (in Tahlequah) has been it is nice to be able to meet people, take and Parker Weavel – “Remember really important,” Finch said. “We got photographs, and take a story back.” the Removal” riders from 2015 and to meet people and talk with them. We

ALLEGATION: Julia Coates faces Johnny Jack Kidwell in the July 27 runoff from front page In a follow-up statement, Shaw said she “never gave checks to Julia Coates or to the PINS Foundation for distribution to the At Large communities.”

“Each check had an attachment designating it for scholarships,” Shaw wrote. “I also sent these groups information to assist them on forming a scholarship committee from the PINS website should they desire to use it. At the time this was sent out, Julia Coates was not a candidate for Tribal Council.”

Coates had not responded to the allegations as of publication.

In the June 1 general election, Coates and Johnny Jack Kidwell received the most votes in their four-candidate race for one of the two At-Large council seats. They will face off July 27 in a runoff election.

A fifth candidate, At-Large Tribal

Councilor Wanda Hatfield, was disqualified by the EC on April 18. She was accused of mailing in CN envelopes community assistance checks, each worth $500, to the Mount Hood Cherokees of Salem, Oregon, and the San Diego Cherokee Community, while also including campaign literature, business cards and handwritten notes asking for their support in the election.

Following a hearing, the commission’s findings and conclusions stated that Hatfield had violated Cherokee statute by “providing anything of value to voter(s) for the direct purpose of influencing voter behavior in an election.”

In their complaint, Bolin and O’Leary liken allegations against Shaw and Coates to those made against Hatfield.

“By misuse of Cherokee Nation funds, misappropriating a $500 Cherokee

Nation check and attempting to deceive the At-Large Cherokee Nation Communities into believing they were from an organization/foundation other than the Cherokee Nation was done with ‘the direct purpose of influencing voter behavior in an upcoming election,’” the complaint states. “Mary Baker Shaw’s intent in giving the check to Julia Coates was meant to influence voters by giving name recognition, in-kind support and a donation using Cherokee Nation Funds.”

Hatfield offered a letter in the complaint.

“The charges that were brought against me which resulted in my disqualification was no different than what was done by Tribal Councilor Mary Baker Shaw and At-Large Tribal Council Candidate Julia Coates,” Hatfield wrote. “Mary Baker Shaw advised me to mail Cherokee Nation Scholarship

checks, through the United States Postal Department, just as she had done, to the At-Large Cherokee Communities.

The mailing contained materials not sanctioned by the Cherokee Nation.”

Of the complaint, Shaw said she was “surprised and disappointed” it was in part from Bolin.

“She and I talked on the phone the day before the check was mailed around a year ago and I am stunned that the Greater Tulsa Cherokees would have her do this,” Shaw said in her statement. “I have supported GTC with Tribal assistance money for their language program and other things they have needed. I feel certain I mailed these checks to their respective At Large groups more than 1-2 years ago. Julia Coates was not a candidate at that time and I was I unaware she had any interest in running.”

CAREER SERVICES ALTERNATIVE EDUCATION

The Cherokee Nation Alternative Education program offers High School Equivalency classes to assist Native American individuals who have not completed high school obtain their equivalency diploma. If this is you, enroll in our program and let us help you prepare for your future!

HSE (GED, HiSET) June-July 2019 Class Schedule WILL CHAVEZ/CHEROKEE PHOENIX Joe Pettit signs his name to the Cherokee Speaker Roll book during a June 25 event hosted by the Cherokee Nation. The event sought first-language Cherokee speakers.

SPEAKERS: The tribe expects to

hold at least 13 Cherokee Speaker Roll Project events and may add more from front page and friends.

“I enjoyed it,” he said. “My mother talked Cherokee all of the time. My dad did too, but he could also speak English.”

McCoy said when he and his siblings started school they didn’t have a “tough time” learning English, but they never lost the ability to speak their first language.

Lorene Johnson, 72, is from Bunch but grew up in Marble City. She said she wanted to attend the event in Marble City to see how many people showed up who speak Cherokee.

“Anymore there’s not that many. They can understand it, but they can’t speak it.

I think they should learn how to speak, so they can help the older people,” she said.

She added that she appreciated seeing friends and family at the event and is pleased the CN is making an effort to honor Cherokee speakers with medallions.

Paden said the community effort should give tribal leaders a better idea

of how many speakers are in each community and their ages. The effort will also tell where language resources are needed.

“We’re just going to see if we need to do more,” he said. “It (turnout) has been really good. I think they appreciate the fact that we’re not wanting anything from them, and we’re just wanting to thank them. They also appreciate the togetherness. Whichever three of the federally recognized (Cherokee) tribes they are from, there’s no distinction when it comes to our language.”

The three federally recognized tribes are the CN, United Keetoowah Band and the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians.

Cherokee Speaker Roll Project events begin at 4 p.m. with an earlybird roll signing. Dinner is at 6 p.m.

July gatherings are July 16 in Rocky Mountain, July 18 in Dry Creek, July 23 in Jay, July 26 in Stilwell and July 30 at Kansas, Oklahoma.

The August gatherings are Aug. 2 at Locust Grove, Aug. 6 at Lost City and Aug. 9 at Tahlequah.

cherokeephoenix.org

Pryor Cherokee Heights – Mayes County Cherokee Nation Literacy Center Wednesdays 918-825-7988 1pm-4pm Pryor – Mayes County Career Services Field Office 918-825-7988

Wednesdays 9am-12pm

Jay – Delaware County Career Services Field Office 918-253-3243

Mondays 10-12pm & 1-4pm

Tahlequah – Cherokee County Alternative Education Tuesdays Career Services Learning Center 12-1pm & 1-5pm 918-458-0577 or 918-458-0484 Thursdays 8-12pm & 1-5pm Claremore - Rogers County Career Services Field Office Mon & Thursdays 918-342-7450 9-12pm & 1-5pm Stilwell– Adair County Cherokee Nation Stilwell Complex 918-696-3124

Mon. & Thursdays 9-12pm & 1-5pm

Sallisaw– Sequoyah County Cherokee Nation Field Office Mon & Thursdays 918-776-0416 9-12pm & 1-5pm

ᎫᏰᏉᏂ 15, 2019 • ᏣᎳᎩ ᏧᎴᎯᏌᏅᎯ

News • ᏗᏕᏃᏣᎸᏍᎩ

JULY 15, 2019 • CHEROKEE PHOENIX

3

MURPHY: A Tulsa attorney special-

izing in Indian law calls the decision to hear more arguments ‘unusual’ from front page The appeals court in 2018 ruled that Congress’ actions did not meet the test necessary to prove the MCN reservation was disestablished.

However, the appeals court acknowledged that Oklahoma’s unique history regarding tribal land treaties might not fit with Supreme Court precedents in that area of law.

While the federal government has assumed jurisdiction in criminal cases occurring on tribal land, experts say a ruling for Murphy would expand what is considered “Indian Country” across Oklahoma.

Experts say a ruling for Murphy would mean any crime committed by or against a Native American in the boundaries of

the MCN reservation would no longer be prosecuted by the state.

Mike McBride III, a Tulsa attorney who specializes in federal Indian law, called the Supreme Court decision to hear more arguments “unusual.”

“Which leads me to believe that maybe they’ve just ran out of time and are still negotiating with each other over an opinion on unresolved questions,” McBride told the Tulsa World. “It could be also that they have a four to four split, but this case has such magnitude that they didn’t want to leave it unresolved, affirming the 10th Circuit decision by virtue of a four to four split.”

The Supreme Court justices did not explain their decision to hear a second round of arguments.

RAISES: The committee meets every four years to set pay rates for officials from front page “This is an independent citizens’ committee created a number of years ago to set these salaries,” Deacon Turner, Compensation Committee chairman, said. “I suppose it is never popular to give elected officials raises, but our vote was unanimous. Given the complexity and growth of the tribe, the pay is not keeping pace. If we don’t stay interesting or competitive, what kind of talent are we going to get?”

Turner said the committee reviewed the compensation of other tribes’ elected officials, finding that the Chickasaw Nation paid its chief roughly $1 million a year. The Choctaw Nation chief was believed to make at least $290,000 a year, while its councilors make $185,000 annually.

Looking beyond tribal and into state institutions, Turner said most Oklahoma regional universities pay their presidents more than $200,000 per year, “and they are less complex than the Cherokee Nation.” Flagship institutions – Oklahoma State University and the University of Oklahoma – approach the complexity of the Cherokee Nation, Turner said, and those schools pay their presidents at least $350,000 per year. He said the pay increases indicate that the Cherokee Nation is “just trying to get competitive” with nearby tribes and institutions.

“These tribes are substantially ahead of the Cherokee Nation in salaries,” Turner said. “With the Cherokee Nation having approximately 370,000 citizens, and you think about the complexity of the government and medical operations, (principal chief) has to be one of the most complex jobs a person could have, and we felt strongly that pay hasn’t kept pace with regional tribes…. The current council pay is far too low in my opinion. I think there are a lot of talented Cherokees out there who don’t run for office because of the pay. They would have to take a pay cut. The impact of low pay is clear because of what we saw when we lost our medical head and our doctors. If we don’t adopt the attitude that we want to attract the best talent, then we put our future growth at risk. If you think of the growth of the tribe in complexity and economic impact, our compensation for elected officials just hasn’t kept up in any way. We’re probably the single most important institution in eastern Oklahoma.”

Under the pay proposal, each councilor would receive $85,000 annually, with Deputy Speaker Victoria Vazquez receiving an additional $5,000, and Speaker Joe Byrd being paid an

additional $10,000.

The committee meets every four years to set pay rates for the principal chief, deputy chief, speaker, deputy speaker and tribal councilors for the next term.

CN spokeswoman Julie Hubbard said the committee met in February, acquired market analysis data in the spring, then held its final meeting June 30.

“The salary adjustment for Cherokee Nation elected leaders was needed to accomplish a couple of different goals,” Hubbard said. “It reflects cost of living adjustments. Typically our Cherokee Nation employees receive a cost of living increase each Oct. 1, and so this adjustment builds in that increase for our elected leaders as well. It also compensates our top elected officials, who serve the largest federally recognized tribe in the United States, with a pay scale that is more comparable, but still less than what elected leaders from some of our neighboring tribal nations in Oklahoma earn.”

Committee members are Turner of Denver; Lyndon Emberton of Muldrow; Suzanne Gilstrap of Eucha; Teresa Adair of Tulsa; and Curtis Bruehl of Oklahoma City.

The principal chief and Tribal Council each appoint two members, and those four choose a fifth member.

The committee’s recommendation four years ago was to increase pay for the chief from $170,680 to $175,000 followed by $5,000 annual increases; deputy chief from $86,897 to $105,000 with $3,000 annual raises; and councilors from $55,334 to $57,000 then $2,000 yearly increases. As Speaker Joe Byrd received an additional $12,000 stipend annually.

When the committee formed in 2011, the base pay for the principal chief was $112,444 while the deputy chief earned $57,241.

The base pay for councilors was $36,450 with the speaker receiving an additional stipend equal to one-third of the councilors’ base salary. In 2011, the committee recommended elected officials get 11 percent raises annually for the four-year term.

On his Facebook page, re-elected Dist. 8 Tribal Councilor Shawn Crittenden said, “the only way to not go through with the raises is to draft legislation.”

“I contacted the council attorney and she is doing that,” he wrote. “There are too many employees not receiving 35-pluspercent raises, and too many times I hear there is not a pot of money for this or that.

I will try to get this on the agenda and vote to leave things the way they are.”

Requests for comment from the Hoskin campaign were not returned as of publication.

COURTESY Cherokee artist Keli Gonzales’ design of the “This Land” podcast, which Cherokee Nation citizen Rebecca Nagle created and hosts.

Nagle makes podcast on Supreme Court case

“This Land” is a podcast bringing the past into the present to await the future of Indian land in Oklahoma.

BY LINDSEY BARK Reporter TAHLEQUAH – Through the evolvement of Cherokee storytelling and the use of digital audio, Cherokee Nation citizen Rebecca Nagle created and hosts the podcast “This Land” to tell the story of a U.S. Supreme Court case involving a murder and the fate of tribal land in Oklahoma.

Nagle, a freelance journalist, wrote an op-ed piece for The Washington Post in 2018 about the Murphy v. Carpenter case in which Muscogee (Creek) Nation citizen Patrick Murphy was convicted of murdering fellow MCN citizen George Jacobs.

After being tried and sentenced to death, the case took a turn after a public defender argued that the incident’s location was on MCN land and that Oklahoma had no jurisdiction in the case.

“In 2004, Murphy’s public defender argued that the crime occurred within Muscogee (Creek) Nation’s reservation and – because only tribes and the federal government can prosecute crimes on Indian land – the state of Oklahoma did not have jurisdiction to try the case. In 2017, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 10th Circuit agreed. Oklahoma appealed, and now the outcome of Murphy v. Carpenter affects not only the fate of one man but the treaty territory of five tribes and nearly half the land in Oklahoma,” Nagle wrote in her Washington Post op-ed. “Half the land in Oklahoma could be returned to Native Americans. It should be.”

Crooked Media, a Los Angeles-based political media company, took interest in Nagle’s op-ed piece and asked if she would turn it into a serialized podcast.

Thus, “This Land” came to fruition and has since aired its first three of six episodes.

In the podcast, Nagle not only covers the case’s facets, but also provides educational opportunities for nonNative people to learn about being Native and issues that are important to Natives.

“When issues like this are in front of the Supreme Court, in front of Congress, a lot of times people outside of Indian Country, they don’t know about Rebecca Nagle the laws that govern our rights. They don’t know what a reservation is legally.

They might not know what a federally recognized tribe is. A lot of times people don’t understand tribal citizenship and the basics of tribal sovereignty. I think the main goal with this podcast is to take a case and a story and an entry point for people that can get engaged and get interested. And along the way learn about these aspects of our history and our contemporary rights today,” Nagle said.

In the podcast, she talks about her ties to Indian land and how the case’s outcome could affect land that has been in her family’s possession for more than 180 years. She is a descendent of Cherokee tribal leader John Ridge, who along with father Major Ridge, signed the Treaty of New Echota in the 1830s, which called for removing the Cherokee, Creek, Choctaw, Chickasaw and Seminole nations to Indian Territory, now Oklahoma.

“I think one thing that is exciting about the podcast is that we talk a lot about the Murphy case, but there will be episodes where we talk about things like the history of the allotment and what its impact has been on Cherokee Nation, our language and even contemporary things like what’s happening in northeastern Oklahoma with the chicken houses. People will not just hear my voice but other voices from our tribe throughout the whole season.”

She said she hopes the podcast’s success creates more space in mainstream media for Native stories to be told by Native people.

“This Land” new episodes debut each Monday and can be streamed wherever podcasts are found such as Apple Podcast, Stitcher, Spotify and at thislandpodcast.com.

4

OPINION • ᏃᎵᏍᎬ

CHEROKEE PHOENIX • JULY 15, 2019

Cherokee Phoenix JULY 15, 2019

Volume 43, No. 14 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.

Native American Journalists Association

ᏣᎳᎩ ᏧᎴᎯᏌᏅᎯ • ᎫᏰᏉᏂ 15, 2019

Navy recognizes Cherokee patriotism

BY Bill John Baker Principal Chief The Cherokee Nation was recently bestowed a great honor by the U.S. Navy, which has decided to name its latest rescue ship after our tribal nation. The forthcoming USNS Cherokee Nation will be launched in summer of 2021 and will be a testament to the service and contributions the Cherokee people have made to the Navy and Marine Corps.

The naming of a ship is the highest honor the Navy issues, and as patriots of this great country, we are extremely honored by this distinction. It is a true testament to generations of Cherokee men and women who have humbly and bravely served in the United States military.

Valor, strength and honor are the traits we admire in our military heroes, and those are traits I admire in my Cherokee heroes, as well. This special announcement came at the annual

Claremore Hall of Fame ceremony where Joseph James “Jocko” Clark was inducted. It was a well-deserved honor, as Admiral Clark remains an inspiration to Cherokees and all Native people across the country. He is the highest-ranking Native American naval officer in U.S. history, and he was the first Native American to graduate from the Naval Academy in 1917. Admiral Clark commanded the USS Suwannee and USS Yorktown during the Battle of Midway in World War II and went on to be the commander of the Seventh Fleet.

He is buried with honors at Arlington National Cemetery in Washington, D.C. My personal Navy heroes include my father, Tim Baker, who proudly served during WWII. He was an ordnanceman and was responsible for arming, loading and firing weapons, and he was a role model for me growing up. Also, two of my closest friends and important members of my administration served in the U.S. Navy during the Vietnam War. Deputy Principal Chief S. Joe Crittenden served as a radio specialist on the USS Princeton, and Chief of Staff Chuck Hoskin worked on the flight

deck of the USS Independence. Their commitment to country and duty is sincere, and it’s inspiring every day. It is why they are such respected leaders within our tribe.

The Cherokee Nation has a deep and rich history in American military service, and thousands of Cherokees served and continue to serve in the Navy.

Our heritage as sailors and seamen is something we take great pride in. Our Cherokee people have contributed in every major battle and war ever fought in this country and continue to serve in the Armed Forces in some of the highest rates per ethnicity.

Cherokees are a strong, resilient people, and we are privileged to soon have a U.S. ship at sea that reflects both our country and tribe’s history and values.

This is the fifth U.S. ship to be named in honor of the Cherokee people.

Previous ships include a gunboat that served during the Civil War and two boats commissioned during World War I, and the last Cherokee namesake was a World War II era tugboat.

New gaming compacts must protect tribes’ interests and state

BY KEVIN STITT Oklahoma Governor Fifteen years ago, the citizens of Oklahoma approved State Question 712, and the Oklahoma Legislature passed laws permitting the state to enter into gaming “compacts” with the federally recognized Indian tribes located in Oklahoma.

Within a few years, Oklahoma led the nation in the number of tribal gaming casinos and was near the top in terms of gaming revenue. By any measure, Oklahoma’s tribal gaming industry, and its economic impact on our state, have been a huge success and emerged as a big business. As a Cherokee Nation citizen and governor of the great state of Oklahoma, I am proud of what this partnership has accomplished.

Today, tribal gaming is the eighthlargest industry in Oklahoma. We are now the third-largest gaming market in the country, behind only Nevada and California, generating an estimated $4.5 billion in annual revenue for the tribes, and home to the world’s largest casino.

Moreover, in large part due to the success of the gaming partnership between the state and the tribes, the tribes have become the third-largest employer in the state, providing jobs to more than 54,000 Oklahomans.

The agreements between the state and

the tribes giving them exclusivity to the gaming industry are, however, terminating as of Jan. 1, 2020, and it is imperative that we come to terms on new compacts prior to the end of the year.

The easiest thing to do is simply renew the existing compacts “as is,” rather than do the hard work of closely reviewing and negotiating new compacts that reflect the state of affairs today. I believe, however, that voters elected me to look at everything in state government with a fresh eye and, where necessary, make the difficult decisions that are in the best interest of all 4 million Oklahomans.

In this case, that means sitting down with our tribal partners to discuss how to bring these 15-year-old compacts to an agreement that reflects market conditions for the gaming industry seen around the nation today. My intent is that any new agreement protects the dynamic success of economic growth and development for our tribal partners, while also fairly building the state of Oklahoma to the benefit of every citizen.

For example, 15 years ago the tribal gaming industry in Oklahoma did not exist. To incentivize this industry from its infancy, the current agreement

provides that, in exchange for “exclusive rights” to conduct gaming in Oklahoma, the tribes pay the state an “exclusivity fee” starting at 4 percent and topping at 6 percent of revenues received. This was reasonable and fair to help introduce the gaming industry in Oklahoma to the world in 2004. Today, Oklahoma’s fees are the lowest in the nation.

Today, most state-tribal compacts around the country provide for exclusivity fees to the state of 20 percent to 25 percent. In fact, in November 2018, voters in our neighboring state of Arkansas approved four new casinos in the state, two of which will be bid on by tribes from Oklahoma, according to media reports. In Arkansas, the fee will start at 13 percent and max out at 20 percent.

As your governor, I am absolutely committed to reaching new agreements with our tribal partners that recognize their historic and significant economic contributions to Oklahoma and provide a framework for them to have even more continued economic growth in the years ahead.

I am equally committed to representing you in a manner that reflects the current fair-market contribution to the growth of the gaming industry and puts all parties in a position to achieve new heights of success for today’s citizens and future generations of Oklahomans.

Classical music is everywhere, if you listen

BY TRAVIS SNELL Assistant Editor When I first heard it, I didn’t realize it was making an impression on me. I thought I was just watching Saturday morning cartoons. But looking back, “Kill da wabbit! Kill da wabbit!” was probably the first time I remember hearing classical music.

Granted that scene of Elmer Fudd singing to Richard Wagner’s “Ride of the Valkyries” while trying to get Bugs Bunny might make the classic classical music fan nauseated, I found it funny and I liked the music.

There were others, such as Bugs massaging lotion onto Elmer’s head to Gioachino Rossini’s “Barber of Seville Overture,” a young Daffy Duck quacking to Johan Strauss’ “The Blue Danube” and Bugs fleeing Yosemite Sam to Rossini’s “William Tell Overture.”

As I got older, I heard classical music at graduations (“Pomp and Circumstance” by Sir Edward Elgar) and weddings (“Wedding March”

by Felix Mendelssohn) and even on professional wrestling (Ric Flair’s intro music was Strauss’ “Also sprach Zarathustra”). However, I wouldn’t say I was a fan.

Growing up in the ‘80s, I listened to my parents’ music and pop music before discovering Aerosmith’s “Toys in the Attic” and Guns N’ Roses’ “Appetite for Destruction.” As the ‘80s gave way to the ‘90s, I liked Soundgarden, Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Alice in Chains, and later Korn, Radiohead, Rage Against the Machine, Johnny Cash, Dwight Yoakam, etc.

In college, while working at a music store, I adopted a rule about music: If I

liked it, no matter the genre, I listened to it.

That rule eventually got me into classical music.

Before we were married, my wife Lisa and I saw “The Nutcracker” ballet. I really enjoyed Pytor Ilych Tchaikovsky’s music for it. Years later, my daughter Sadie and I began a tradition of going to “The Nutcracker” annually, which we still keep.

However, “The Nutcracker” got me wondering what else classical music had to offer. So, I took what I thought was a safe gamble and asked my wife, as a birthday gift, for Beethoven’s complete works. It didn’t disappoint. I love all his symphonies. His seventh is my favorite, and I’ve heard it as well as his fourth and fifth symphonies live. I also enjoy many of his concertos and most of his other works.

After that I began listening to my local classical music station, especially since the alternative rock station was playing more music I didn’t enjoy. Listening to the classical station, I heard music that I’ve heard before, but most was new to me.

I still listen to rock, but if I hadn’t switched to the classical station I may have never known about Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s “Jupiter Symphony” or Gustav Holst’s “The Planets.” FYI, John Williams borrowed heavily from that for the “Star Wars” score. I may have never heard Jean Sibelius’ “Finlandia,” or Maurice Rovel’s “Bolero,” or appreciated Gyorgy Ligeti’s “Requiem” or “Musica ricercata No. 2.”

If you’re a fan of the late film director Stanley Kubrick, you’ve probably heard those Ligeti works.

I suggest giving Carl Nielsen’s “Fifth Symphony” a listen, as well as Beethoven’s symphonies 4 and 7.

Although Beethoven’s most famous symphonies are 5 and 9. Also, try Tchaikovsky’s “Fifth Symphony” or Bedrich Smetana’s “The Moldau.”

Or give Chickasaw composer Jerod Impichchaachaaha Tate’s “Tracing Mississippi” a listen.

I listen to classical music while editing stories and designing pages, while on my long slow runs (rock music for shorter faster runs) and while relaxing before bedtime (with headphones as not to disturb Lisa). I also enjoy putting on a classical record while cleaning the house.

I’m encouraged that Sadie (who plays clarinet) and my son Swimmer enjoy some classical music. They love “The Nutcracker” music, Mozart’s “Piano Sonata K. 331” and Edvard Grieg’s “In the Hall of the Mountain King.” Swimmer even likes J.S. Bach’s “Toccata & Fugue,” which makes many people think of old vampire movies.

Most people probably hear classical music daily via TV and movies but never really think about it. Listen to Aaron Copland’s “Rodeo – Hoe Down” and you’ll probably say to yourself, “Beef, it’s what’s for dinner.” Listen to Carl Orff’s “O Fortuna” and you may want a Gatorade. And George Gershwin’s “Rhapsody in Blue” may make you want to fly somewhere.

Classical music is everywhere. You just have to listen for it.

ᎫᏰᏉᏂ 15, 2019 • ᏣᎳᎩ ᏧᎴᎯᏌᏅᎯ

Community • ᎾᎥ ᏄᎾᏓᎸ

JULY 15, 2019 • CHEROKEE PHOENIX

In Memoriam Leon Buckhorn Feb. 10, 1945 – May 23, 2019

Perry Arnold Phillips Nov. 6, 1947 – June 5, 2019

Marilyn Underwood Jan. 18, 1938 – June 18, 2019

JamieLee Stuck Dec. 21, 1989 – June 25, 2019

Maxine Kay Hayes Oct. 19, 1940 – June 29, 2019

Rodney Jay Buckhorn May 13, 1984 – June 5, 2019

Cecil Eugene Sixkiller Sr. June 15, 1951 – June 5, 2019

Jimmy Lee Chumley Jan. 4, 1948 – June 26, 2019

Robert L. Webb Sept. 18, 1950 – June 13, 2019

Shana Naomi Marie Berry Dec. 29, 1966 – June 28, 2019

Donnetta Sue Gifford Nov. 30, 1968 – June 22, 2019

Mark J. Skinner Jan. 27, 1933 – June 22, 2019

Almera Delight Seber March 21, 1932 - June 2, 2019

Ella Mae Chewey Nov. 9, 1934 – May 12, 2019

Community Events July 15 Neighborhood Association of Chewey Chewey Community Building, 7 p.m.

July 18 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.

July 22 Christie, 7 p.m. 918-778-3423 July 23 Dry Creek, 7 p.m., 918-457-5023 Tuesdays Veterans Affairs representatives Cherokee Nation Veterans Center

Tahlequah, 918-772-4166 or 918-453-5695 The Veterans Center will host VA reps for all veterans to speak to from 9 a.m. to 3 pm.

Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays Marble City Nutrition Center 711 N. Main, 918-775-2158 The Marble City Nutrition Center serves hot

meals at the Marble City Community Center at 11:30 a.m.

First Friday of every month Concho Community Building 405-422-7622 Year Round Will Rogers Memorial Museum Claremore, 918-341-0719

Nomination Form

On Nov. 23, the Cherokee Phoenix will honor seven Cherokees who work to make the world a better place in the categories of Health, Education, Community, Service and Business, as well as advance the tribe’s Language and Culture. Nominations are open throughout July.

Nominee Name:________________________ Nominee Date of Birth:___________________ Community of residence:__________________ Email Address:_________________________ Workplace and Occupation:________________ Why are they being nominated?:_____________ _____________________________________ _____________________________________ _____________________________________ _____________________________________

Any volunteerism, awards, etc?:_________________ __________________________________________ __________________________________________ __________________________________________ __________________________________________ Your Name:________________________________ Your Relationship to Nominee:__________________ Your Email address:__________________________

Mail to Cherokee Phoenix: P.O. Box 948, Tahlequah OK 74465

5

6

CHEROKEE PHOENIX • JULY 15, 2019

Community • ᎾᎥ ᏄᎾᏓᎸ

ᏣᎳᎩ ᏧᎴᎯᏌᏅᎯ • ᎫᏰᏉᏂ 15, 2019

CHEROKEE EATS: Blackberries

Cherokees go out each summer and pick blackberries to create delectable dishes such as cobblers and pies.

BY LINDSEY BARK Reporter Food Type: Blackberries

When and where to find them: Blackberry blossoms can commonly be seen in the late spring though the fruit does not fully ripen until late June to mid-July. They can be found on a forest edge or in open prairies because of the need for sunlight.

Cherokee Nation citizen and Public Health educator Tricia Nichols said she learned from her mother and aunt that she could find blackberry plants on the side of the road and gather 2 to 3 gallons worth to make pies or cobblers. “I learned from them. Every summer that’s what they did.”

HOW TO PICK THEM: When blackberries are ripe, meaning plump and black in color, they can simply be pulled from their stems. Blackberries grow on a vine from the ground and many can grow on one vine. Some people may want to wear rubber gloves when picking because the vines have small thorns that can penetrate the skin.

HEALTH BENEFITS: Blackberries are rich in vitamin C, an important antioxidant, which helps strengthen the body’s immune system. The berries are also high in manganese, which can help with wound healing, and high in fiber, which is heart-healthy. They can also help regulate blood sugar levels and help keep a person full, CN dietitian Tonya Swim said.

COURTESY Cherokee Nation citizen Jan Ballou, front, and her sister, Faye, say they pick blackberries annually to make cobblers and pies for their families.

HOW TO CLEAN THEM: Nichols said she places them in a bowl or strainer and simply rinses them with cool water at least two times to ensure they are clean for preparation. She added that blackberries can be frozen for later use, but she uses them right away to make her dish.

BLACKBERRY COBBLER: Ingredients include blackberries, flour, sugar, cornstarch, milk and water.

Begin with prepping blackberries by adding 4 to 5 cups to a saucepan. After boiling for a few minutes, add 1 cup of sugar. To thicken berry juice, add cornstarch/water mix and stir to desired thickness. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

“It makes its own water and I sweeten them with sugar. You put your cornstarch in water, mix it up and that’s how you thicken it. You just pour it in, stir it a little bit to see how thick it gets,” Nichols said.

To make a crust – add one 5-pound bag of flour into a mixing bowl, 2 cups shortening, and 1 cup of milk. Blend and knead until dough is firm (all flour will not be used). It should make enough for a bottom and top layer.

“For a big cobbler, we’ll use 3 cups of Crisco and then half of what I use for the Crisco of milk. So if I use 3 cups of Crisco then I use a cup and a half of milk,” Nichols said.

After rolling out the dough, place the bottom layer into a 9-inch-by-13-inch baking pan. Pour in blackberry mixture and lay on crust topping. Bake for 45 minutes to one hour. Makes up to 12 servings.

CARRYING ON TRADITION: Nichols said it was important that she and her sister learn to cook from her mother so that they are able to provide meals for their families.

“Learning from my grandma, mom and aunt, I’m happy that we’re able to absorb that information and be able to do the things that they do because there’s not really a lot of people my age that even cook and carry on the tradition,” she said.

ABOVE LEFT: Wild blackberries grow near a roadside in northeast Oklahoma. The berries grow in open areas because of the need for sunlight. They fully ripen from late June to mid-July. ABOVE RIGHT: Cherokee Nation citizen Tricia Nichols carefully places a layer of crust on top of prepared blackberries to be baked into a cobbler. BELOW LEFT: Cherokee Nation citizen and Public Health educator Tricia Nichols and her mother make preparations for a blackberry cobbler on June 24 in Kenwood. BELOW RIGHT: A fresh blackberry cobbler is made by CN citizens Tricia Nichols and Jan Ballou using wild, handpicked blackberries. Ballou is Nichols’ mother.

Nichols’ mother, Jan Ballou, shared her daughter’s sentiments about passing on her cooking knowledge to her children.

“I just never really realized the

importance of it whenever they were little, and we did all those things together until she started cooking, and boy, I loved that. I didn’t have to make all the pies and cobblers by myself anymore. I

guess you’d say it’s a blessing to have daughters that can help out and learn how to do all the cooking just on their own, just by experience,” the CN citizen said.

follow us on twitter! @cherokeephoenix on instagram The Cherokee Phoenix and on facebook facebook.com/TheCherokeePhoenix

Health • ᎠᏰᎸ ᏄᏍᏛ

ᎫᏰᏉᏂ 15, 2019 • ᏣᎳᎩ ᏧᎴᎯᏌᏅᎯ

JULY 15, 2019 • CHEROKEE PHOENIX

IHS, CN launch HIV pilot project

The project is expected to increase the number of Cherokee Nation patients who have been screened for HIV.

BY STAFF REPORTS TAHLEQUAH – On National HIV Testing Day, Indian Health Service and Cherokee Nation officials announced an HIV pilot project to ensure the success of the Ending the HIV Epidemic: A Plan for America.

Tribal officials said the project will begin implementing and evaluating key foundational activities that will help accelerate progress toward ending the HIV epidemic in Indian Country.

“These foundational efforts will set the IHS and our tribal partners on a path for rapid progress in reducing new HIV infections,” Principal Deputy Director Rear Adm. Michael D. Weahkee said. “The pilot project will also reveal important insight into the HIV prevention and treatment activities that should be implemented early – and those that should be strengthened over time.”

According to a CN release, findings will be shared with other communities to accelerate and support their efforts to implement the most effective prevention strategies locally,

and to move the initiative forward should the Ending the HIV Epidemic resources be funded in 2020.

“We have proven to be a successful partner in developing cutting-edge pilot programs, which can drastically decrease health disparities, not just for Cherokees but for all of Indian Country,” Principal Chief Bill John Baker said. “Improved health care over multiple generations is our top priority, and if we can collaborate with our federal partners at IHS to raise awareness, increase education and actively work to prevent new cases of HIV, then we will be creating a healthier future for northeast Oklahoma.”

According to the release, the Ending the HIV Epidemic plan focuses efforts on 48 counties and seven southern states with a high proportion of HIV diagnosis in rural areas. Oklahoma is the state with the highest American Indian population among the seven southern states.

The release also states the pilot is part of efforts by the HHS Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health to jumpstart key activities in select communities using fiscal

year 2019 resources from the Minority HIV/ AIDS Fund.

According to the release, the CN was chosen for the project because of its track record in Hepatitis C prevention and treatment, which screened 50 percent of its health services patients. Among the 3.2 percent testing positive, the cure rate is more than 90 percent.

The release states the HIV Ending the Epidemic plan will use a similar model.

Statistics show that 35 percent of CN patients using the tribe’s health centers have been screened for HIV, with less than 1 percent testing positive. Ninety percent of those patients diagnosed are receiving care, and 90 percent are virally suppressed, the release states.

According to the release, the project will help increase the number of patients screened.

National HIV Testing Day is observed annually on June 27 to encourage people to get tested for HIV, know their status and get into treatment right away if they have HIV. This year’s theme, “Doing It My Way,” highlights how and why people make testing part of their lives in a way that is comfortable for them.

CN fights opioid misuse through education, prevention programs

BY STAFF REPORTS TAHLEQUAH – Cherokee Nation Behavioral Health is hoping to end opioid misuse in Indian Country by helping Cherokee families with programs that focus on education, prevention and medicationassisted recovery.

“Our main goal is to use science in action to reach into our communities and show those struggling with addiction that there is a way out and their family and friends that there is hope,” said Juli Skinner, Behavioral Health clinic administrator. “We’re already seeing shifts of attitude and access within our target communities and clinics.”

The Behavioral Health team works with community groups, local law enforcement, CN Health Services and area schools to help educate about the misuse of opioids and the proper use and storage of them, as well as offer community-wide drug take-back events and various counseling and support services.

“It’s just as much about preventing misuse and abuse as it is stopping an overdose,” Sam Bradshaw, Cherokee Nation Prevention director, said. “We are currently pioneering tribal medication-assisted recovery practices and continue to support safe solutions for opioid storage and disposal within our network of communities.”

Since 2014, the tribe has received more than $7 million in grant funding from sources such as the Indian Health Service, Department of Health and Human Services and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Service Administration. Those multiyear grants helped start six key programs, including the Community Action Network, CN Tribal Opioid Response, Think SMART Oklahoma, Restoring Lives Network, Drugfree Communities and Project HOPE. “The programs we’ve developed are

COURTESY Cherokee Nation Prevention Specialist Coleman Cox and Community Action Network member Shannon Baker, of Vinita, lead a discussion about community prevention efforts. CN Behavioral Health is hoping to end opioid misuse in Indian Country. evidence-based practices and include activities like peer-to-peer trainings for law enforcement and other first responders to use a lifesaving opioid overdose antidote called naloxone,” Bradshaw said. “We distribute Narcan, a nasal spray form of naloxone, to first responder agencies who attend our trainings, and we also resupply them as the need arises.”

In addition to the key programs, Behavioral Health officials have worked closely on projects such as the CN Opioid Task Force, the Hepatitis-C Elimination Project and the medication-assisted opioid treatment expansion.

Oklahoma high court rejects challenge for public vote on Medicaid expansion

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) – Oklahoma’s highest court on June 18 rejected a legal effort to block a plan for a public vote on whether to expand Medicaid to tens of thousands of poor residents.

Just hours after hearing oral arguments in the case, the Oklahoma Supreme Court rejected the challenge spearheaded by a conservative thinktank that has long opposed making the federally funded health insurance program available to more people.

The court’s decision authorized supporters to proceed with gathering the nearly 178,000 signatures they will need to get the question on the ballot. The plan was challenged by the Oklahoma Council of Public Affairs, which argued that the proposed ballot language doesn’t accurately describe what the measure does.

Here are some things to know about Medicaid expansion in Oklahoma: WHO’S ON EACH SIDE OF THE ISSUE? Supporters of Medicaid expansion include doctors, hospitals, business and faith leaders and most Democrats in the Legislature, who say the expansion will infuse close to $1 billion in federal funding into the state’s health care system each year, helping provide medical coverage to low-income Oklahomans who don’t receive health insurance through work or who can’t afford it.

Opponents, including Gov. Kevin Stitt and most Republicans, say the cost to the state, even with a 9-to-1 federal match, is a significant investment and raised concerns about what will happen if the state’s share must increase in future years. Republican politicians in Oklahoma also have spent nearly a decade on the campaign stump demonizing the Affordable Care Act, former President Barack Obama’s signature policy victory.

Travis Jett, the attorney for the Oklahoma Council of Public Affairs, urged justices to disqualify the proposal, saying it was inaccurate and could perpetrate deceit and fraud.

An attorney for supporters, Melanie Rughani, argued that the proposal meets the requirements of the state constitution and urged the court to allow it to proceed with gathering signatures.

In a two-page ruling, the court said the proposal “is not misleading and is sufficient.”

WHO’S UNINSURED IN OKLAHOMA? More than 16 percent of Oklahoma’s population was uninsured in 2017, giving the state the second-highest rate in the nation, behind only Texas, according to the most recent figures from Kaiser Family Foundation, a nonpartisan health policy research organization. Nationally, the uninsured rate is about 10 percent, about 7.6 percent in expansion states and 14.3 percent in non-expansion states.

WHAT ABOUT MEDICAID? About 786,000 Oklahomans, or 20 percent, currently are enrolled in Medicaid, and more than two-thirds of those enrolled in the program are children. Children in Oklahoma can qualify for Medicaid if the annual household income is about $35,500 per year for a family of two. Pregnant women also can qualify if their household income doesn’t exceed about $22,500 for a family of two. Able-bodied adults without children do not qualify for Medicaid in Oklahoma, regardless of income.

WHAT ABOUT MEDICAID EXPANSION? So far 36 states and the District of Columbia have approved an expansion of Medicaid, while Oklahoma and 13 others have not. Under Medicaid expansion, health care would be available to those individuals making less than 133 percent of the federal poverty level, or about $16,000 annually for an individual or about $28,000 for a family of three. Estimates vary as to how many Oklahomans would qualify under Medicaid expansion, but a 2016 study commissioned by the Oklahoma Hospital Association projected about 272,000 Oklahomans would qualify in the first year.

“Opioid addiction doesn’t look like what you would think,” Bradshaw said. “It’s our mothers, fathers, aunts, uncles, siblings, cousins and our children. Increasing awareness of the effects this drug has on the individual and the community, as well as access to services to provide help, is the best way to fight this crisis.”

To learn more about the Community Action Network and its work to end opioid misuse, visit www.thinksmartok.org/ourpartners. For more information about opioid addiction assistance, call Behavioral Health and Prevention at 918-207-4977.

Oklahoma’s medical marijuana enrollment among top in US TULSA (AP) – The Oklahoma Medical Marijuana Authority has already enrolled more than 3.5 percent of the state’s population as patients in its first year, and there’s no indication that applications will slow.

The Tulsa World reported that Oklahoma’s participation rate places it among the top of the 33 states that have some form of medical cannabis legislation. The state medical marijuana agency attributes the strong patient participation to minimal financial obstacles and a lack of restrictions on qualifying conditions.

“I think everyone took the language of the state question to heart by not adding medical condition qualifiers,” Adrienne Rollins, executive director of the authority, said of legislators who broadened Oklahoma’s medical marijuana regulations.

Oklahoma voters approved a medical marijuana measure in June 2018, and the industry has taken off quickly.

As of mid-June, the agency had approved 3,211 grower, 1,548 dispensary and 859 processor licenses.

Only three dispensaries have opened in Arkansas, which approved medical cannabis in 2016, due to drawn-out legal conflicts over restrictions on commercial licenses.

“I think it helped there was a noncompetitive application process,” O’Keefe said of the measure. “You don’t have the government deciding how many pharmacies can operate. For the most part, we let the free market decide.”

The application fee for a patient card online is around $105, and is less than $25 for those on state-financed health care.

As of 2018, Oklahoma has an estimated 3.943 million residents, according to U.S. Census data.

With almost 140,000 patients on record as of June 17, the Oklahoma registration rate is around 35 per 1,000 people.

Earlier this year, Gov. Kevin Stitt signed a medical marijuana measure that expands the framework for the medical cannabis industry.

It goes into effect in August, without any restrictions, and includes state-level safeguards for patients who own firearms.

“I think everyone has tried to make it easier for patients to have access to the system as far as applying and how they can get recommendations,” Rollins said.

7

Feds seek portion of Oklahoma’s $270M opioid settlement OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) – The federal government is seeking a portion of Oklahoma’s $270 million settlement with Purdue Pharma that stemmed from the state’s ongoing lawsuit against opioid drug makers.

The U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services says in a letter to the head of Oklahoma’s Medicaid agency it has determined the federal government is entitled to a portion of Oklahoma’s proceeds.

The June 12 letter from CMS’ regional director Bill Brooks also seeks detailed information from the Oklahoma Health Care Authority and warns that failure to return a portion of the settlement money could result in the withholding of federal funds.

Details of the letter were first reported by The Washington Post.

Oklahoma Attorney General Mike Hunter didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.

Oklahoma ranks 42nd in child wellbeing

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) – The latest national report on the well-being of children by the Annie E. Casey Foundation shows Oklahoma has improved its economic, health, education and social factors for children, although the state remains in the bottom 20 percent of the rankings.

The “Kids Count” report released June 17 ranks Oklahoma 42nd among the 50 states, an improvement from 44th a year ago. The current ranking is based on data from 2017.

The state showed improvement with lower percentages of children in poverty; low-birth weight babies; the childhood and teen death rate; the teen birth rate and alcohol and drug abuse, and an increase in the percentage of children who have health insurance.

The report also shows an increase in the percentage of children in single parent families.

Oklahoma judge wants more answers on $85M opioid settlement NORMAN (AP) – An Oklahoma judge is declining to approve the state’s proposed $85 million settlement with an opioid maker until he’s assured it complies with a new law targeting such deals.

The attorney general’s office says Cleveland County Judge Thad Balkman ordered attorneys for both the state and Israeliowned Teva Pharmaceuticals to file additional paperwork before he approves the settlement.

Attorney General spokesman Alex Gerszewski says the judge wants both sides to address how distribution of the money conforms to the new law.

Concerned about how the state’s $270 million settlement with Purdue Pharmaceuticals was structured, the Republicanled Legislature passed a law directing any settlement funds directly into the state treasury.

Medical marijuana sales soaring in Oklahoma, top $23M in May OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) – Medical marijuana sales are continuing to climb in Oklahoma, topping $23 million in May and marking the eighth straight month of growth for the new industry.

Figures from the Oklahoma Tax Commission show the state collected more than $1.6 million in May from the 7% excise tax on marijuana.

Another $2 million was collected in state and local sales taxes.

To date, medical marijuana sales have generated nearly $10.7 million for state coffers.

Sales have grown significantly each month since dispensaries began selling cannabis in October.

The number of people eligible to obtain the drug also is continuing to skyrocket. The Oklahoma Medical Marijuana Authority says it has approved nearly 130,000 patient licenses since August.

8

CHEROKEE PHOENIX • JULY 15, 2019

Education • ᏧᎾᏕᎶᏆᏍᏗ

ᏣᎳᎩ ᏧᎴᎯᏌᏅᎯ • ᎫᏰᏉᏂ 15, 2019

CN joins nursing education endeavor

The tribe is to fund faculty position for a satellite nursing program at Northeastern State University.

BY CHAD HUNTER Reporter

TAHLEQUAH – The Cherokee Nation has joined a venture with health and educational institutions to launch a satellite nursing program in Tahlequah.

The tribe, along with Northeastern State University, Connors State College and Northeastern Health System, formally signed the agreement July 8. Under the terms, NSU will provide space at its Tahlequah campus for CSC’s associate of applied science in nursing program. The CN and NHS will each fund faculty positions.

“This is another opportunity for us to grow our own nurses right here in the capital of the Cherokee Nation,” Principal Chief Bill John Baker said.

“I couldn’t be any prouder. I think it is going to be something that is lasting and life-changing. With all the expansions going on, there is going to be so many opportunities for our young people to serve their families, serve this community and other communities.”

In May, Baker helped break ground on the first medical school on tribal land in the country thanks to a partnership with Oklahoma State University.

The 84,000-square-foot OSU College of Osteopathic Medicine at Cherokee Nation in Tahlequah is scheduled to open with 50 students in 2020. Once fully operational, the school is expected to serve 200 students. The first graduating class is expected in May 2024.

The new nursing partnership was signed at the Gregg Wadley College of Science & Health Professions Building at NSU. “Chief Baker has a saying when he meets with his leadership — ‘Let’s find a way to get to yes’ — and that’s what happened,” NHS President and CEO Brian Woodliff said.

NSU President Steve Turner said the effort began Feb. 14.

“Northeastern State appreciates good partnerships,” he said. “Today is a day when we came together, really and truly, as higher education to meet a significant workforce demand. Public higher education can be responsible for local workforce needs. A lot of folks have worked hard to make this happen.”

CSC, located in Warner and

PHOTOS BY CHAD HUNTER/CHEROKEE PHOENIX ABOVE: Northeastern State University President Steve Turner talks about a partnership with the Cherokee Nation, Northeastern Health System and Connors State College for a satellite nursing program on July 8 as CSC President Ronald Ramming listens. BELOW LEFT: Northeastern Health System President and CEO Brian Woodliff helps announce a new satellite nursing program July 8 at the Northeastern State University campus. BELOW RIGHT: Principal Chief Bill John Baker signs a partnership agreement July 8 that creates a satellite Connors State College nursing program at Northeastern State University.

Muskogee, was represented by its president, Ronald Ramming, who said he believed the partnership would “prove to be an excellent example of how the public, private and tribal sectors can work together to address critical

workforce needs.”

“We’re truly excited to be able to extend this nursing program into the Tahlequah area,” Ramming said.

“Oklahoma ranks at the bottom nationally in almost any health care metric. A significant contributing

factor to that is this critical shortage of registered nurses in the state and nationwide. If we truly aspire to be a top-10 state, then not only do we have to focus on the skilled workforce, but we have to take care of our people.”

STUDENT SPOTLIGHTS

Joseph Byrd

Byrd will serve a summer internship at the U.S. Department of Justice through the Udall Foundation.

BY LINDSEY BARK Reporter

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – Cherokee Nation citizen Joseph Byrd will travel this summer to Washington, D.C., to intern at the U.S. Department of Justice Office of Tribal Justice through the Udall Foundation Native American Congressional Internship Program.

Byrd is set to earn his juris doctorate from the University of New Mexico School of Law with an Indian law certificate next year.

He is the president of the UMN Native American Law Students Association, student representative of the New Mexico Chapter of the Federal Bar Association and a member of the Environmental Law Society. He interned last summer in the Cherokee Nation Businesses legal department.

He has nearly a decade of Indian gaming experience as the marketing manager for Downstream Casino Resort and as the compliance manager for Cherokee Nation Entertainment.

Byrd holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Northeastern State University and a master’s degree in Indian law from the University of Tulsa School of Law. He said being Cherokee is what motivated him to pursue law.

“Everything I do, I do with my people in mind. It’s in my blood. The elders and children inside our tribal communities provide me the motivation to pursue a law degree. My ancestors fought to protect and assert tribal sovereignty before the word ever existed, and I will honor them by doing the same. I am honored and humbled to be selected as a Udall intern and look forward to the experience.”

He is the son of Tribal Council Speaker Joe Byrd and the late Suzy Moore.

Julie Combs

Cherokee Nation citizen Julie Combs will learn how the government works with tribal nations as a Udall Foundation intern.

BY LINDSEY BARK Reporter TULSA – This summer, Cherokee Nation citizen Julie Combs will journey to Washington, D.C., as a Udall Foundation Native American Congressional intern at the U.S. Department of the Interior, Office of the Assistant Secretary at Indian Affairs.

Combs, a first year law student at the University of Tulsa College of Law, will learn firsthand how the government works with tribal nations. She is pursuing a certificate in Native American law.

“There are not doctors or lawyers or anything like that in my family, and so growing up I wasn’t exactly sure what I wanted to do but knew that I wanted to work specifically with tribal nations and perhaps even for the Cherokee Nation one day,” she said.

She said she realized as a TU undergraduate she had the skills necessary to pursue law. After gaining experience as a law student, Combs said she decided to apply for the Udall internship.

“After my first semester and doing pretty well in all my classes, I kind of felt like I would be a good candidate to be able to apply for it,” she said.

Though a first-year law student, Combs said she has an idea of the type of work she would like to do as a lawyer.

“Ideally, I would like to work somewhere where I could practice in federal Indian law, specifically in advocacy on behalf of women. That’s a huge thing I care very deeply about. I would hope that any sort of career I have whether it’s in government or with a law firm would enable me to do that,” she said.

Combs credits Tribal Councilor and her cousin, Mary Baker Shaw, and her uncle, Amon Baker, who both serve the tribe, as her inspiration.

She also volunteers her time at the Cherokee Heritage Center by working with the development manager to co-author and secure grants for capacity needs for the Cherokee National Historical Society and other tribal projects.

“There’s really not a better time than right now to be a young Cherokee citizen. The tribe is doing so much particularly on the health care front. They’re building a new hospital in Tahlequah, and they’re becoming increasingly more autonomous as time goes on, and so there’s really not a better time to be able to give back to the tribe and to serve the tribe,” she said.

Combs serves as the executive director on TU’s Public Interest Board, and in the fall will serve as president of the Native American Law Student Association.

Luciana Schement

As her team’s only female wrestler this year, Schement earned a collegiate national champion title.

BY LINDSEY BARK Reporter AUSTIN, Texas – Cherokee Nation citizen Luciana Schement in March became a collegiate national champion for her wrestling team at the University of Texas at Austin.

As the only female wrestler on the team this year, she earned the National Collegiate Wrestling Association national championship for the 116-pound weight class. She is also a two-time collegiate All-American.

Schement began wrestling in high school after some encouragement from her sister, who also wrestled.

“It was definitely some getting used to. It’s awkward. It’s a very contact sport. It is awkward at first, but once you kind of get over that it’s really fun, and I’ve really ended up enjoying it,” she said.

She became the Texas High School 6A state champion in 2015 for the 119-pound weight class and high school All-American.

Schement said being the only girl on the team this year at UT-Austin, she sought out area high schools who have a women’s wrestling division so she can practice and work out with other girls who are in the sport.

“Women’s wrestling is one of the sports that’s growing the fastest I think. Just looking at the numbers from when I was in high school until now, it’s increased so much. It’s pretty cool. It’s a lot of hard work, practicing and effort,” Schement said.

Aside from her wrestling accomplishments, Schement is trying to decide where she wants to attend graduate school.

She will soon earn a degree in aerospace engineering and is considering whether to pursue a master’s degree in the fall in aerospace engineering with a focus on astrodynamics.

“Honestly, being in school, I feel like everyone in my major either wanted to be an astronaut as a kid or they wanted to be a pilot. So being an astronaut would be cool. But as more of a practical goal, I think it would be exciting to work at NASA,” she said.

She is deciding between Purdue and the University of Colorado for a master’s degree.

ᎫᏰᏉᏂ 15, 2019 • ᏣᎳᎩ ᏧᎴᎯᏌᏅᎯ

Services • ᎾᎾᏛᏁᎲ

JULY 15, 2019 • CHEROKEE PHOENIX

9

Day Training providing employment instruction

BY LINDSEY BARK Reporter

TAHLEQUAH – For 10 years, Cherokee Nation Career Services’ Day Training program has helped Cherokees with temporary job placement that often results in permanent employment.

In fiscal year 2018-19, the program had 871 applicants with 649 total placements.

Since 2009, more than 6,800 people have applied.

The majority of temporary or permanent job placements are with the CN and Cherokee Nation Businesses.

The program helps people with little or no job experience, as well as people who have college degrees or vocational training, to gain work experience through on-the-job training.

Jeff Vance, Career Services employment programs director, said it has helped people who have just gotten out of prison with no GED as well as people with master’s degrees.

There are few limits on who can be served, he said.

“It just depends on what the situation is. Some have to come in and get paid to pay for child support, to get caught up.

We’ve had them come in and get their GED or driver’s license back. We try to remove those barriers. So on the flip side of that, you’ve got people that have just graduated from college. They can’t make the (CN Human Resources interview)

LINDSEY BARK/CHEROKEE PHOENIX Cherokee Nation citizen Sandra Whitecrow is a former Day Training participant who was hired full time by the department in 2018 as a file clerk. panel because they don’t have any experience,” Vance said.

To qualify, one must be a CN citizen, live within the CN jurisdiction, have no income, be at least 18 years old and out of high school.

The program allows participants to train up to 12 weeks and equal a training payment of up to $1,000. The training payment was recently changed from $3,000 per fiscal year to $1,000 per fiscal

Local CASA group seeks more volunteer advocates

LINDSEY BARK/ CHEROKEE PHOENIX More than 400 registered runners compete in the Cherokee Nation Wings Fitness 5k called Beat the Heat on June 9 in Salina. Runners ranged in age from 4 years old to 80 years old.

Wings Fitness is a way for generations of Native and nonNative families to participate in physical activity.

Court Appointed Special Advocates of Cherokee Country serves Cherokee children and continually seeks help.

BY LINDSEY BARK Reporter

Wings Fitness gives members opportunities at exercises

BY LINDSEY BARK Reporter

TAHLEQUAH – Since 1996, the Cherokee Nation has aimed to introduce physical activity and social support through its Wings Fitness program.

Wings Fitness allows CN citizens to sign up to run 5Ks (3.1-mile runs) for free throughout the tribe’s jurisdiction.

“We wanted to implement an evidence-based program for families, something where everybody gets their physical activity (and) social support for the communities they live in. We offer (it) free throughout the 14-county jurisdiction,” Wings Fitness Supervisor Jeff Tucker said.

Participants can choose more than 20 races a year, directed by Public Health educators who work in CN clinics.

“We direct every race, our educators.

We used to partner. Now we just direct them all, and that opens it up not just to the Native America community only but anybody in that community that’s interested in getting involved. It’s best for us to get the whole community healthy and involved.” Tucker said.

Public Health educator and race director Ronnie Neal said planning a race takes months. “All of our courses are USTAF certified, which means we are certified through the United

year to service more clients.

Payouts include $50 per day for 8-hour workdays, $25 for four hours of work or payouts of $100 to $200 for days worked per week.

Career Services staff is comprised of several employees who started out in Day Training and were hired on after a training period.

CN citizen and Career Services file clerk Sandra Whitecrow said the

program kept her from living on the streets.

“I started Day Training because I couldn’t find a job at all. I went to the unemployment office every day and I was going online and doing applications. I finally thought about Day Training. They put me in the file room, and I stayed in that area for quite a while, and I just kept working and I liked it in there. We stayed busy. My boss, we got along and she liked me and the way that I worked. She needed some help in there, so she decided to hire me on,” Whitecrow said.

Whitecrow started the program in late 2017 and was hired on full time in September 2018.

“It makes me feel good. Before I didn’t know where I was going to be at or what I was going to do for money and a job to sustain myself. If I hadn’t got on there, I’d be on the streets, literally. Before that I was on unemployment and that was about to run out, and finally it did and I got on Day Training. It’s given me a big opportunity to sustain my life and keep going and not give up,” she said.

Citizens can apply at Career Services offices in Tahlequah, Claremore, Jay, Muskogee, Pryor, Sallisaw, Stilwell, Vinita and West Siloam Springs.

Day Training is taking applications for CNB opportunities and will start with CN opportunities in the fall. For more information, call 918-453-5555 or email career-services-dept@cherokee.org.

States Track and Field association. It’s a big event that starts many months out planning it. All of our courses are certified 5K, so if somebody set a record, that would stand in the record books.”

Neal said races include sponsorships, law enforcement for safety, keeping runners hydrated with water and fruit and designing T-shirts.

Racing times are kept via runners wearing bibs with microchips. Their times are recorded once they cross the starting line to when they finish.

Tucker said when the program started its target was CN citizens. Now it targets whole communities whether the residents are Cherokee or not.

“Now that we direct the races, overall public health is what we’re interested in, obviously targeting Native Americans and the Cherokee Nation, but the whole community,” he said.

For those wanting to run a 5K, Tucker said there is a walking and running 101 program available in several communities taught by Public Health. The program is 12 weeks and participants can choose races as their goals and introductions into Wings Fitness.

For more information, visit cherokeepublichealth.org/wings, the Male Seminary Recreation Center in Tahlequah or Public Health at a clinic.

TAHLEQUAH – Since 1995, Court Appointed Special Advocates of Cherokee Country, a nonprofit organization, has trained volunteers to be advocates for neglected or abused children in the Cherokee Nation, Cherokee County and Adair County court systems.

Advocates are trained to gather information for a case that helps a child have a better future.

Anyone 21 years old and older is eligible to be an advocate, and is trained for five weeks every Monday, through online training, and Thursday, in person at the CASA office by advocate coordinator Liz Rainbolt.

“The advocate is simply there to gather information. Because they are court appointed special advocates, there’s a court order that the judge gives to each advocate and that would entitle an advocate to read any document, visit with any individuals they feel important to the case and then they gather information and put it in a form of a court report,” Jo Prout, CN citizen and CASA executive editor, said.

Prout said judges rely on CASA reports for the best interest of the child or children in each case.

“An advocate for CASA can say what he or she feels needs to be done for that child. Because the point is to say what’s in the best interest of that child right now and three months later that might change, and that’s the CASA’s job,” Prout said.

CASA of Cherokee Country is financially aided by the CN for serving a majority of Cherokee children within the tribe’s jurisdiction. In fiscal year 2018-19, CASA advocates served 82 children, with a majority being Cherokee. Since its inception in 1995, CASA has consistently served 70 percent to 90 percent of Cherokee children in the court systems.

“The Cherokee Nation is so supportive of this program because we serve so many Native children. Financially, they make it possible for us to operate.

Without the Cherokee Nation money we would not be able to open the doors.

They’ve supported us from the very beginning,” Prout said.

CASA has 20 advocates but are always looking for more so that they may take on more cases.

Prout said advocates cannot just pick and choose which cases they take because they have to be appointed by a judge. “The judges make those decisions, and we inform them over and over again, every day of every week, we have advocates available, please assign cases.

They sometimes do and sometimes don’t.”

Prout and Rainbolt agreed that some cases take too long and that can affect the child being in the system for long periods of time. If the advocate can help get a case finished, it is a better outcome for the child, and they can go to a loving home.

“Chances are that child has been moved around and every move retraumatizes the child,” Rainbolt said.

Advocates are also provided a travel stipend to offset costs of required visits to children. CASA of Cherokee Country is the only program in Oklahoma to provide the stipend.

“The whole goal of this program, there’s no other goal, except to make sure each child gets a safe permanent home. I mean it’s that way across the country,” Prout said.

CASA of Cherokee Country is one of thousands of CASA programs throughout the country that operates through the National CASA Association.

The next training begins Aug. 5 and applications are being taken. CASA of Cherokee Country is at 201 E. Delaware St. For more information, call 918-4568788 or visit www.cherokeecasa.org and CASA of Cherokee Country on Facebook.

10

Money • ᎠᏕᎳ

CHEROKEE PHOENIX • JULY 15, 2019

ᏣᎳᎩ ᏧᎴᎯᏌᏅᎯ • ᎫᏰᏉᏂ 15, 2019

COURTESY Customers can pick up a prepared poppy seed chicken casserole that can be easily heated for a family dinner.

D. SEAN ROWLEY/CHEROKEE PHOENIX Cherokee Nation citizens Gwen Jones and Julie Armbrister are co-owners of Heart & Soul Kitchen in Kansas, Oklahoma. It offers homestyle foods, sandwiches, soups and breads.

COURTESY Patrons have given the thumbs up to Heart & Soul Kitchen’s chicken and dumplings.

CHEROKEE EATS: Heart & Soul Kitchen

BY D. SEAN ROWLEY Senior Reporter

Owners-Operators: Gwen Jones and Julie Armbrister Established: Aug. 4, 2018 Location: 1020 E. Tulsa Ave., Kansas, Oklahoma Hours: 10:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Wednesday, 10:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. Thursday through Friday and 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday Food Types: Homestyle foods, sandwiches, soups and breads, as well as ready-made frozen foods for carryout.

Specialties: Carrot cake, chocolate delight, coconut cream pie are popular. Lasagna, Salisbury steak, homemade loaves of white and wheat bread, pasta salad, chicken salad, chef salad.

Drinks: Free refills of soda, coffee and tea for diners, and bottled water.

Prices: (For an average meal): $5.99 for a whole sandwich, $3 for a half sandwich, $4.99 for a bowl of soup, $3.49 for a cup of soup.

Atmosphere: Indoor seating for about 40, casual,

outdoor patio

Contact info: 918-868-5555 or search for Heart & Soul Kitchen on Facebook.

Why start the business? “I’d been a teacher at Colcord Schools for 16 years, and just believed God was leading me in a new direction. I kept praying about it, and didn’t know what it would consist of, but I knew it was going to be some kind of food place. I at first just wanted to do

frozen casseroles and deserts for busy moms to stop by and pick up and take home. It branched out into more than I was thinking. Julie had a sandwich shop before this, and I met her about three years ago when I was in the process of thinking through what I wanted to do. We now do this, and I’m thankful she is with me, because I couldn’t have done it by myself. We had the vision that family time was being lost, and if busy moms and dads could pick up food that they could take home and bake easily in their ovens, it would smell good and they could call the family to the table, and have that dinner time.”

– Jones

How has business been? “It started off with a bang, leveled off a little bit, and now it is picking back up. Of course, we always want more customers.” – Jones What work goes into this specialty food? “You can customize your sandwiches. Most everything is homemade. Sometimes even the sausage is homemade.

Something like mayonnaise is bought, but we make our own ranch dressing, chipotle sauce, cream cheese poppy seed, pie crusts. The bread is my husband Johnny’s recipe. He isn’t a cook; we owned a chicken farm. He played around with recipes for months. People love it.”

– Jones What work goes into the restaurant? “We want to get to know people and treat them as our guests. These are friends that we know, and if we have time, we like to come out and talk to them and visit.” – Armbrister Future Plans? “We would like to incorporate local produce. We want to improve the patio. But mostly it is wait and see. I would love to expand, and have some retail type spaces. We want people to be able to carry out our make and bake foods and desserts. We would like it to be easy for people to swing by and pick thinks up to take home for dinner.” – Jones

Customers can visit and pick up a whole tray of chocolate delight for $16.

COURTESY

COURTESY Among the soups offered by Heart & Soul Kitchen is vegetable beef stew.

COURTESY Lasagna has proven one of the most popular items at the Heart & Soul Kitchen.

Tribe’s push to build casino spurs Carolinas political fight

CATAWBA INDIAN NATION, S.C. (AP) – Two of the Carolinas’ most prominent American Indian tribes are battling over geography and lucrative gambling turf.

The Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians in North Carolina, with two casinos established in the mountains, say their opponents should stay in their state to the south. The Catawba of South Carolina argue such state boundaries are artificial and shouldn’t affect their effort to gain a foothold in the industry.

The Catawba Indian Nation, with a 700-acre reservation in upstate South Carolina, has been unable to build a high-stakes gambling operation in the state despite a 1993 federal law that Catawba Chief Bill Harris says was supposed to open the door for them to do so.

The tribe blames anti-gambling opposition from South Carolina leaders.

Instead the Catawba are hoping to revive failed efforts to build a casino in North Carolina just 35 miles northwest of the Catawba reservation along Interstate 85 in the Charlotte suburb of Kings Mountain, where they say they have a historical and legal claim to land.

U.S. senators from both states are backing them, but their efforts may not be enough. A bill they’ve sponsored in Congress has drawn fierce opposition from lawmakers in North Carolina, where the EBCI – one of the state’s most prolific campaign donors – already runs two successful casinos in the state’s far western region.

Those operations, the first of which opened in 1997,

have transformed the fortunes of the tribe’s 16,000 citizens and surrounding Appalachian counties, creating jobs, state-of-the-art government services and payments of about $12,000 annually to each tribal citizen.

Harris says his tribe – whose federal recognition was restored in 1993 after its removal 40 years earlier – deserves the same prosperity. A casino, he says, would rescue a reservation with a 28 percent poverty rate for families, nearly twice the state average.

Six years ago, the Catawba filed an application with the Interior Department to get permission to build on the Kings Mountain acreage. But then-North Carolina Gov. Pat McCrory, more than 100 legislators and state House Speaker Thom Tillis – now a U.S. senator and one of the sponsors of the current bill – shot down the idea.

The U.S. senators’ bill, also backed by North Carolina Sen. Richard Burr and South Carolina U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham, would direct the Interior Department to authorize gambling on the land. Tillis spokesman Dan Keylin says the senator changed his mind about the tribe’s request because Kings Mountain-area leaders have contacted his office expressing their support.

During a Senate committee hearing on the bill in May, John Tahsuda, of the Interior Department’s Indian Affairs, said it was “clear that the benefits that Congress intended for the tribe” in a settlement the federal government reached with the Catawba in 1993 “have not been realized.” He took no stand on the legislation.

Graham remarked, “I’m from South Carolina. Nobody, nobody objects to the Catawbas having land in North Carolina and in establishing a gambling operation as long as it’s consistent with the law.”

Some people north of the border feel differently.

Gov. Roy Cooper has expressed concerns because the senators’ bill appears to exempt the Catawba from having to negotiate with the state over details such as which games could be offered and whether North Carolina would receive a cut of the revenues.

EBCI Principal Chief Richard Sneed says the senators’ bill could have “devastating” economic consequences in his tribe’s region. A Catawba casino could siphon visitors from South Carolina and the eastern two-thirds of North Carolina who want to play blackjack, roulette and slots – and previously did so at the EBCI casinos.

Besides, the EBCI contends, the Catawba have no legal or historical claims to the land where they want to build.

“The historical evidence is on the side of the Cherokees on this one,” Sneed says. He says territorial agreements the tribes reached with the federal government were based in part on information from a 19th century map that shows there was no Catawbacontrolled land in North Carolina after the mid-1700s.

Harris says the land in question is within the tribe’s ancient boundaries and 8 miles from the site in northern South Carolina where the Catawba aided a victory against the British in a 1780 Revolutionary War battle.

ᎫᏰᏉᏂ 15, 2019 • ᏣᎳᎩ ᏧᎴᎯᏌᏅᎯ

People • ᏴᏫ

JULY 15, 2019 • CHEROKEE PHOENIX

11

50-year CNI employee Duvall receives retirement sendoff

BY D. SEAN ROWLEY Senior Reporter

STILWELL – It isn’t uncommon for an employee to become known as “an institution” at a place of business.

However, the term might understate the career and presence of Lizzie Duvall, who retired on June 26 after 50 years with Cherokee Nation Industries, which threw her a retirement bash inside Building 4.

“I started June 16, 1969,” the Cherokee Nation citizen said. “This man worked for the (Bureau of Indian Affairs) and he was a friend to my grandpa. He told me the Cherokee Nation was coming in, and to fill out the paperwork. I did. At that time, I was working at school as a bilingual (teacher). I got the call, and I started to work.”

Her first work was with telephone relays, and she handled quality control with guidance from the client company.

Before long, she was “lead” and taking care of her assembly line. The employment proved convenient – she had two sons who were watched during the day by her aging in-laws, so if they needed a hand, she could be there “in about 12 minutes.”

“For many years, I did lead work,” Duvall said. “When I got tired of it, I asked my supervisor if I could go back on the line, and he told me, ‘I don’t hear you.’

But finally, I went part time and they let me back. I enjoyed sitting on the line, but I enjoyed being the lead, too.”

Losing an employee who is a fixture and so familiar isn’t replaced so easily.

“There aren’t too many employees these days that stay with the same company for 50 years,” Chris Moody, CNI executive general manager for engineering and manufacturing, said.

“Businesses go through a lot of changes, and Lizzie has been able to change with us. She has a lot of tenacity and sticks to it. It has allowed her to be able to grow with the company.”

Moody said managing a line involved oversight of production of a certain item.

Employees reported to Duvall, and she was responsible for pertinent inventory.

“You have to be detail oriented,” he said. “Lizzie has a strictness to her that makes her a very good line manager. She is good with people, they trust her, and she knows what she is doing. When she

COURTESY Among the first employees hired by Cherokee Nation Industries, Lizzie Duvall is pictured in this early photo. She is in the plaid dress, second from right.

D. SEAN ROWLEY/CHEROKEE PHOENIX Lizzie Duvall, who retired from Cherokee Nation Industries after 50 years, had to make her way through a pile of gifts on a table during her retirement party on June 26 in CNI Building 4 in Stilwell. gives instructions, people listen.”

There are plenty of builders supporting CNI operations, and the work will get done in Duvall’s absence, but Moody said it will be hard to replace the “cultural piece” of her presence.

D. SEAN ROWLEY/CHEROKEE PHOENIX Jonia Walker, all-state basketball player for Sequoyah High School, signs her letter of intent during a short ceremony on the SHS campus in Tahlequah. Seated next to Jonia was her mother, Sonya Walker.

SHS basketball standout Walker signs with NSU

BY D. SEAN ROWLEY Senior Reporter

TAHLEQUAH – She committed in March, but Jonia Walker made it official on May 8.

The 6-foot post player for the Sequoyah High School girls’ basketball team signed her letter of intent with Northeastern State University, where she will play for coach Fala Bullock.

Shortly before signing, Walker teared up while speaking to the small assembly gathered on the SHS campus at The Place Where They Play.

“I want to thank my family for always being there, and my teammates,” Walker said.

After signing, Walker said she was excited to face the challenges of college academics and athletics.

“I am definitely going to miss the family feel of Sequoyah,” she said. “But I feel like it will carry on to NSU because I’ve already made friends and am very close to all of my teammates and coaches. We all just click, and that feels really good.”

SHS coach Larry Callison, who has concluded his tenure at the helm of the girls’ basketball team, said he appreciated coaching Walker.

“I remember when she decided to come here her freshman year,” Callison said. “We were really excited. She would

be that threat inside, and a couple of years ago she was among the leaders in blocked shots. We will miss that stability and that type of player inside. She has accomplished so much here. She has a great personality and she is a great kid to be around. I’m glad to have had the opportunity to coach her the last four years. I hope she will carry this to the next level.”

During her senior campaign, Walker averaged 10 points, 6.4 rebounds, 1.8 blocks, 1.3 steals and an assist per game to help the Lady Indians to a 23-5 record and the Class 3A state semifinals. During the state tournament, she averaged 9.8 points, 6.6 rebounds, 2.1 blocks and an assist per game to make the alltournament team.

Walker was named the 3A all-state tournament MVP in 2018 when the Lady Indians won a second consecutive state championship. She nearly averaged a double-double during the three games with 15 points and just under 10 rebounds.

Walker was also a three-time allstate selection for basketball in 2019.

She was named to the Oklahoma Coaches Association All-State Small East squad, the Oklahoma Girls Basketball Coaches Association Middle East team and the Oklahoma Native All-State Association team.

“She brings the history,” he said. “She is the mother figure. She will be missed and there won’t be another Lizzie, but she has taught other people. We will have those people who can step in and continue the traditions of CNI and the work that we perform.”

Production supervisor Lori Muskrat is a 36-year employee of CNI, all spent in proximity to her cousin Duvall.

“Lizzie taught me a lot, not just the daily walks of life, but how to be a boss without being bossy,” Muskrat said. “She explained using the word ‘let’s’ and ‘we.’

‘Let’s do it this way.’ Don’t say ‘I’ or ‘you’ because that is pointing blame. She also taught me how to be a team player. There was also a lot of mentoring on how to be a mother and a grandmother.”

Muskrat said she would miss Duvall’s kindness and “her good food.”

“She is one of a kind,” Muskrat said.

“There is no one else like her, and she is a best friend. It’s her acts of kindness I will miss here. Every holiday, every Valentine’s Day, she had valentines for

everybody. At Easter, she would make us rabbits out of washcloths, which were multi-purpose. We got to spend time with them as gifts, then we got to use them.”

Over a half century, Duvall saw many changes, including policy and technology.

She said in the old days, training was very much on-the-job. While skills are still honed when an employee goes to work, new hires now have the benefit of classroom time to enhance training.

“But right now, I’d say the biggest change of all is those computers. I don’t like them,” she said, smiling.

Duvall said she will miss her colleagues, some of whom she spoke with in Cherokee.

She will attend a lot of ballgames, since her kids love to play sports.“Make your mind up what you are going to do when you retire. A person shouldn’t just sit down and not do anything.”

She also hopes her employer will “take care of the jobs.”

“That way it can be a job for the younger ones coming in,” Duvall said. “It might be my grandkids.”

12

CHEROKEE PHOENIX • JULY 15, 2019

Culture • ᎢᏳᎾᏛᏁᎵᏓᏍᏗ

ᏣᎳᎩ ᏧᎴᎯᏌᏅᎯ • ᎫᏰᏉᏂ 15, 2019

Cherokee Medicine Keepers share land knowledge with youth

BY LINDSEY BARK Reporter TAHLEQUAH – Nearly a year after its inception, a mentorship program combining elders known as Cherokee Medicine Keepers and college students is working to preserve culture and conserve natural resources vital to the Cherokee people.

In conjunction with a project called “Knowing the Land,” the mentorship program seeks to acquire land in the Cherokee Nation by obtaining data for future land conservation.

According to the project’s website, its purpose is to investigate the relationship between access to natural resources, language preservation, environmental knowledge and biodiversity maintenance.

“This project came about by my relationship and ongoing work with the Cherokee Medicine Keepers.

They’re a group of elders that formed in 2008 around the goal of perpetuating Cherokee environmental knowledge and practices. So it really spans from the cultural knowledge of wild plants, the uses of those plants for food and medicine. We’ve been working together since then and part of what they had wanted to do going forward is get the young people involved. Start looking at transmitting this knowledge to them,” CN citizen and project leader Clint Carroll said.

The group meets several times a year to discuss plants that are in season, and students learn how to identify the plants and their uses from elder mentors.

On June 4, the group met in the Tsa-La-Gi Community Room at the CN Tribal Annex. Elders taught students how to make cornbread from scratch by shucking corn, grinding it in a hand-cranked grain mill and adding ingredients.

“I really like talking about the plants, plants that are meant for different uses whether to eat or whether to be medicine. I can share what I know, and I like doing that.

Because if we just keep it inside and not share, then it’s just going to die. After a while we won’t know anything, and this younger generation that’s coming up they need to know something like that,” Medicine Keeper Anna Sixkiller said.

CN citizen and student Sky Wildcat said she applied for the program to become more in tune with her heritage.

“We’re just learning to cook our own foods traditionally, and it will just be kind of like a holistic thing, like we’re learning the language at the same time. We’re learning medicine. We’re learning food

COURTESY Cherokee Medicine Keepers and students meet on the 830-acre tract of land in Adair County designated for them as a tribal conservation area. They are working with the Cherokee Nation to obtain more land in other areas of the jurisdiction for the same purpose. sovereignty. Those are the kind of goals for us to have towards the end of this program,” Wildcat said.

Carroll has worked with CN environmental officials to administer the three-year program. He said the elders and students work with the Kenwood, Greasy and Marble City communities because it’s a communitybased research program.

“We have the investment of the community in the project but also that the community is also able to direct the research in the areas they feel are important. So far we’ve had really good reception from each of these communities as far as the goals of the project. I think it’s a worthwhile question to ask. The question is how are Cherokee people navigating the landscape? With the checker-boarded property ownership and places that are hard to get to whether it’s a land lock by private property or even thinking about the impacts of climate

D. SEAN ROWLEY/ CHEROKEE PHOENIX One of Jamil Jaser’s larger 3-D printing projects is a replica of Hunter’s Home in Park Hill. The artist’s project is still “under construction.”

Jaser recently showed models of different Cherokee Nation-related buildings at the Cherokee Heritage Center.

Cultural preservation moves into 3-D printing

BY D. Sean Rowley Senior Reporter

TAHLEQUAH – With the march of technology seeming to quicken its pace as the years pass, the preservation of Cherokee history or culture may not always be storytelling or traditional art.

On May 18, artist Jamil Jaser unveiled an array of scale models at the Cherokee Heritage Center.

The pieces are replicas of several buildings of historical importance to the Cherokee Nation, including the Cherokee National Capitol building and Leoser Cabin.

However, these models are not like the prefab plastic model cars people once stuck together with modeling glue. Jaser’s replicas are 3-D printed.

The exhibit is open at the CHC through July, with pieces added as the show continues.

“I always wanted to incorporate 3-D art – difficult 3-D art – into what I was doing,” said Jaser, 33, and holder of a bachelor’s degree from Northeastern State University. “I took a couple of cracks at it. After I graduated, I figure that was the time to take another shot. I was looking for a meaningful way to do that, and one was to try to involve the local sites that I’ve seen.”

Because the CN has many historical sites, Jaser decided to make them his starting point, and the momentum grew.

“I wrote a grant to a few places and it got funded,” Jaser said. “So that was encouraging, and I kept going. I hope to find some support to continue doing this. I’d like to expand this project throughout the jurisdiction of the 14 counties, so we would have all of our historic sites catalogued.”

Until his project is fully oriented, Jaser has chosen to stick with modeling of structures on the National Register of Historic Places.

“But there are sites not on the NRHP that I would be interested in, to advocate for the registry or at least to record and acknowledged them as important assets,” he said. “I definitely don’t want to exclude those sites. I’ve always wanted to make a model of Rose Cottage (the former home of Principal Chief John Ross).”

Jaser’s interest began with painting and drawing, talents that came in handy with the 3-D printing project, especially when using just a few

photos to recreate a site.

“One of the models I’ve made here is rather small scale, because I’ve extrapolated a lot of it from just three photographs,” Jaser said. “These models could download to 3-D print themselves.

You disseminate the information quickly, and cultures that are able to utilize the new technologies to record their information are the ones that stand the test of time.”

The 3-D information has flexibility, and does not necessarily need to be used for three-dimensional printing.

“You can use this as an animator, or if you are rendering 3-D images of these historic sites for still images,” Jaser said. “There are all sorts of applications.”

Jaser said he is creating materials he hopes will be of interest to Cherokee audiences, or people with a deep interest in Cherokee culture.

“I can’t remember who said it, but I was inspired when I heard it said there is a lot of media being produced about Natives for a non-Native audience, but not a lot of content being produced for a Native audience,” he said.

Jaser said he is always learning something new, and noticed something about the architecture of Tahlequah. “I really like the contrast – and I didn’t really notice before the project – the contrast between Gothic revival and the WPA (Works Progress Administration) buildings of the 20th century. Somehow they work together. I like that – maybe it’s the stone.

And I didn’t even know Leoser Cabin existed until I started this project. It’s like ‘Tuck Everlasting,’ hidden back there. It’s small and easy to hide with all those trees around it.”

An interview with Jaser, featured on the podcast “Look What I Did,” is available at lookwhatidid. net. Jaser’s website is thetsalageek.com. Once he secures appropriate licensing, he wants to use the site to release downloads of his 3-D printing programs, particularly for use by public organizations and education, or for personal projects. His plan is to allow such uses if his work is simply acknowledged.

“I also hope (thetsalageek.com) becomes a place to spotlight Tsa-La-Geeks and utilize emerging technologies to preserve our culture,” Jaser said.

change,” Carroll said.

As part of the group’s purpose, an 830-acre tract of land in Adair County has been acquired and designated a tribal conservation area.

Carroll said he hopes by the program’s end it has enough information and data to inform CN officials about tribal land conservation plans by obtaining local data on what areas need to be prioritized for conservation, protecting plants and ensuring Cherokee people can have access.

“This is a project that we’re really happy to see come to light as far as the broad goals of it. We’ve got younger people involved. It’s been a long time coming, and we’re all really excited to see this materialize or develop like it is. Again, just that ultimate goal of creating a next generation of Cherokee environmental leaders and the underscore of being connected to the land,” he said.

Jackson to create Tahlequah veterans sculpture

BY D. SEAN ROWLEY Senior Reporter

TAHLEQUAH – With plans now mostly in place, a veteran’s memorial is expected to stand at the intersection of South Muskogee Avenue and the Bertha Parker Bypass by the end of 2020.

Cherokee National Treasure Troy Jackson will create the sculpture in bronze as it honors Cherokee military veterans, particularly Purple Heart recipients. Jackson said he’s completed the preliminary model.

The name of the sculpture is “Dahnawa Ahiv Ajisonvhne Ayawisgi,” or “The Soldier was Wounded in War,” literally translated.

“A few years ago, I was talking with Don Nichols, commander of the Military Order of the Purple Heart No. 641 in Tahlequah,” Jackson said. “We were talking about creating a bust to honor (Jack C. Montgomery) who won the Medal of Honor, and we did do a bust to honor him, but we got to thinking about something that would honor all veterans. That’s how this came about.”

The 17-foot tall statue will depict two soldiers on the battlefield – one wounded and another signaling for a medevac helicopter. It will be placed on the Oklahoma Department of Transportation’s property, and the unveiling is planned for Veterans Day 2020.

“We want this piece to remind the people of what our soldiers and warriors have done for us through the years,” Jackson said. “Because of what they did, most of us have not had to go to war. We’ve enjoyed our lives and freedoms here in Tahlequah because of what they have done, and the sacrifice they have given. It goes back to the old saying that with every great victory, there is great sacrifice. I wanted this piece to show the victory and the sacrifice.”

Jackson said several people requested that ODOT make the land available, among them U.S. House Rep. Markwayne Mullin, former Tahlequah Mayor Jason Nichols and Don Nichols. The ODOT was responsive and supported the idea.

Jackson said he hopes the sculpture will not only be a memorial but an educational resource.

“We are hoping to get more people involved,” he said. “After putting the sculpture up, we also want to have a repository or directory, which will be online. People can take a smartphone and pull up stories. We want to tape and film these soldiers and their stories, so our children and grandchildren can hear them. We would like to set up a QR (code) at the memorial itself, so those stories can be downloaded.

That is where we would need a lot of support and help to get that done. We think it would benefit Tahlequah and be an honor to our veterans.”

Named a Cherokee National Treasure in 2018 for pottery and sculptures, Jackson is a well-documented artist who holds many awards, including 17 grand prizes for clay and steel sculptures.

“I grew up in Tahlequah,” Jackson said.

“I always knew from an early age that I was an artist. I started painting when I was attending Bacone College in Muskogee where I earned my associate’s degree. I was working on my bachelor’s degree at Northeastern State University when I took a pottery class from (Jerry) Choate. I became a ceramist. I got my master’s degree from the University of Arkansas, and after that I joined a group called the Cherokee Artists Association.

I became a sculptor. I was doing pottery, but they were so sculptural that I started doing that.”

Jackson said he “pretty well” has the final sculpture in his head when he starts to work, and that he most enjoys the problem solving required as he sculpts in a medium.