August 1, 2019 issue of the Cherokee Phoenix

PITCHIN’ SHOES

Cherokee Nation citizen Dione Byrd says he’s excited to put skills to the test against the best. PEOPLE, 11

CHEROKEE CHEROKEEPHOENIX.ORG

AUGUST 1, 2019

PHOENIX 191 YEARS OF JOURNALISM

3 win in runoff races to fill vacant council seats Wes Nofire, Dora Smith Patzkowski and Julia Coates fill the open seats in districts 3 and 12 as well as an At-Large vacancy.

BY D. SEAN ROWLEY and Lindsey bark Senior Reporter and Reporter

Nation. They deserve an energetic advocate who will continue to advance their standing in the Cherokee Nation,” she said in a recent Cherokee Phoenix questionnaire.

Coates also believes at-large citizens deserve a place and a voice within the tribe.

“At-large citizens are a valuable resource and they deserve more than lip service given to their role in this Nation. They deserve a voice and place. They should be getting accurate information. They need the ability to question their elected officials and have their concerns taken seriously. They must be more than a mere audience to the Nation’s civic and cultural life. At-large Cherokees deserve real engagement,” she said in the questionnaire Kidwell, born in Claremore and raised in Spavinaw, spent 20-plus years in the U.S. Coast Guard where he said he found the tribe’s administrative and electoral

TAHLEQUAH – Three new people will begin serving council terms next month after winning their runoff races on July 27.

Former tribal councilor Julia Coates of Los Angeles won the open at-large Tribal Council seat.

According to unofficial results, Coates received 879 votes or 56.42 percent of the vote to Johnny Jack Kidwell’s 679 votes or 43.58 percent.

Coates, born in Pryor, served as an at-large Tribal Councilor for two terms from 2007 to 2015.

She said she wants to be an “energetic advocate” for at-large citizens.

“At-large citizens deserve a representative who reflects their sensibilities about their own issues as well as their feelings about the direction of the Cherokee

SAVE AND PROTECT CHAD HUNTER/ CHEROKEE PHOENIX Cherokee Heritage Center Executive Director Charles Gourd studies the original Cherokee Nation land patent on July 23 in the center’s basement. The patent, which was signed

by President Martin Van Buren, resides in a drawer in the center’s basement.

History caretakers want facility to save ‘sacred’ Cherokee documents Early cost estimates for an archival building exceed $2 million.

BY CHAD HUNTER Reporter

P

ARK HILL – To protect aging records that include the Cherokee Nation’s most significant documents, an effort is afoot to fund and construct an archival building on tribal land.

The CN’s national archives are stored in the basement of the Cherokee Heritage Center, which is the official repository for tribal documents.

However, storage conditions “don’t pass muster,” said CN archivist Jerrid Miller, who pointed to a lack of resources to properly care for the estimated 1.2 million records.

“We have a water pipe running through it,” he said. “It’s a travesty. I can run the best archives in Indian Country if I have available staff, technology, budget and a facility. I have none of these right now.”

CHC Executive Director Charles Gourd is advocating for a dedicated archival facility.

“We’re kind of at the beginning stages of starting that whole conversation to find out what the best options are, what the levels of interest are,” he said.

“Since it’s a long-term commitment and expensive endeavor, we need to start looking at how much all of this is going to cost, not only to put up a building, but to staff the building, to pay the utilities. You can’t think about this as getting a rate of return on your investment. It’s an investment for a whole different purpose.”

Preliminary plans call for a 10,000-square-foot building on tribal land, next to the CHC’s 44 acres, to preserve the oldest and most significant documents such as the original CN land patent signed by President Martin Van Buren in 1838. The patent resides in a drawer in the center’s basement.

“That’s the deed that gave us our 14 counties,” Miller said.

SEE ARCHIVE, 2

“You can’t think about this as getting a rate of return on your investment. It’s an investment for a whole different purpose.”

Charles Gourd, Cherokee Heritage Center executive director

Wes Nofire

Dora Smith Patzkowski

Julia Coates

processes to be “disjointed and burdensome.”

“After returning home, I witnessed first-hand the every day struggles of my family members while attempting to use services such as healthcare and housing. I know we can do better than this,” he said in a Cherokee Phoenix questionnaire.

Previous At-Large councilor Tribal Wanda Hatfield ran for her second term but was disqualified early in the race on April 18 by the CN Election Commission

SEE RUNOFFS, 3

Tribal Council rejects recommended pay increases Critics claimed the suggested raises for elected officials’ salaries were too steep.

BY D. SEAN ROWLEY Senior Reporter

TAHLEQUAH – Tribal councilors voted July 15 not to accept the pay increases recommended by the Cherokee Nation Compensation Committee, with critics within and outside the tribal government claiming they were too generous.

Had the measure – introduced by Councilors Shawn Crittenden, David Walkingstick and Dick Lay – been defeated or not added to the agenda, the raises would have taken effect Aug. 14, the start of the new terms for elected officials.

The measure to reject the pay raises passed 124. Councilors Crittenden, Walkingstick, Lay, Mary Baker Shaw, E.O. “Junior” Smith, Janees Taylor, Buel Anglen, Harley Buzzard, Joe Byrd, Mike Dobbins, Canaan Duncan and Mike Shambaugh voted in favor, while Councilors Wanda Hatfield, Rex Jordon, Victoria Vazquez and Keith Austin voted to accept the increases.

Deputy Chief-elect Bryan Warner abstained.

For the rejection of the raises to be complete, Principal Chief Bill John Baker must sign the measure, or he can leave it on his desk, whereupon it would become effective in 10 days. Or he could wield his veto power, which would require 12 councilors voting to override.

The recommendations consisted of a $350,000 annual salary, up from $190,000, for the principal chief, and annual pay to the deputy chief of $233,333 from $114,000.

Councilors were to receive a base salary of $85,000.

Before councilors could vote on the measure, the meeting’s agenda had to be amended. Walkingstick, perhaps anticipating the amendment would fall short of the required 12 votes, said he was “sorry” for what was about to happen and that he “didn’t fight hard enough” to kill the raises.

Lay asked to get the pay raise rejection on the agenda with three other items out of the Community Services Committee, but Deputy Speaker Vazquez asked that they be considered as separate amendments to the agenda.

The pay raise rejection barely passed earlier in the day during the Rules Committee meeting. However, some councilors changed their votes between the Rules Committee and Tribal Council meetings. Warner changed his “no” vote in Rules to an abstention, and Hatfield voted “no” after abstaining in Rules. Smith, Duncan and Shambaugh voted to reject the raises in the Tribal Council meeting after voting for them in Rules.

SEE INCREASES, 4

Tribes respond to Stitt’s gaming compacts letter

Tribal leaders are upset Gov. Kevin Stitt believes the current agreement will not renew and needs to be renegotiated.

BY D. SEAN ROWLEY Senior Reporter TULSA – With the exclusive Indian gaming compact with the state coming up for renewal in 2020, officials for several Oklahoma-based tribes were dealt a surprise on July 5.

A letter was delivered from Gov. Kevin Stitt – and an editorial by him appeared in the Tulsa World – suggesting that the tribal gaming compact did not renew or roll over at the end of the year, but expired and required renegotiation.

Stitt wrote that “since there has been no governmental action of the State, or court order authorizing electronic gaming in the State, since the effective (2004) date of the Compact, I have been advised that the Compact will not automatically renew. Therefore, I believe it is necessary, prudent, and in the best interests of the State

of Oklahoma and (the tribes) to begin negotiating the terms of a new gaming compact as soon as reasonably practicable.”

The letter contends that all terms must be renegotiated, that an agreement should be attained by the end of 2019 and approved by the Department of the Interior, so that tribes “may continue to lawfully conduct certain class III games in Oklahoma after that date.” It also urged tribal representatives to contact Stitt’s general counsel, Mark Burget.

Stitt wrote that other exclusive tribal gaming compacts in states can run as high as 20 percent to 25 percent, and cited Arkansas for charging 13 percent for exclusive gaming rights at four sites to rise to 20 percent. He said Oklahoma-based tribes pay 4 percent to 6 percent for exclusive rights – “the lowest in the

SEE COMPACT, 4

SUE OGROCKI/ASSOCIATED PRESS Matt Morgan, Oklahoma Indian Gaming Association chairman and Chickasaw Nation citizen, answers a question at the tribe’s Oklahoma City area office.

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ᏣᎳᎩ ᏧᎴᎯᏌᏅᎯ • ᎦᎶᏂ 1, 2019

CN leaders mull CHC acquisition BY chad hunter Reporter

PARK HILL – Tribal leaders have expressed interest in acquiring the Cherokee Heritage Center as a “showplace” for the Cherokee Nation.

“I’ve often thought that the center should be owned and operated fully by Cherokee Nation, and remove the state of Oklahoma, so that we would have absolute control over what’s happening with our artifacts and our staffing,” At-Large Tribal Councilor Mary Baker Shaw said July 16 during a Culture Committee meeting. “What would it take as a motion to make this go under Cherokee Nation, to pursue all efforts to try to obtain our Heritage Center for Cherokee Nation?”

Established and owned by the Cherokee National Historical Society, the 44-acre CHC on Keeler Drive includes a mid-1970s building that houses the Cherokee National Archives, a museum store and office and exhibit space. It also features reconstructed historic villages, a Trail of Tears display and original columns from the former Cherokee Female Seminary.

CHC Executive Director Charles Gourd called the brief July discussion “a good first step.”

“We have mutual interests,” he said.

“We need to share resources, stop duplicating and essentially become full partners. We’re all in this for the same reason.”

CHAD HUNTER/CHEROKEE PHOENIX The Cherokee Heritage Center is described as “the premier cultural center for Cherokee tribal history, culture and the arts, located in the heart of the Cherokee Nation in Tahlequah.”

It was suggested that a Tribal Council representative attend the CHC board of directors’ next meeting, which was set for July 31.

“The time is now to merge those two interests,” Gourd said. “There’s no other entity out there that has the interest or the money.”

Currently, the CHC would revert to the state if closed, but Gourd said public perception is that the CN already owns and manages the site.

“It’s because of the name,” he said.

“But this place was created before there was a Cherokee Nation. This was 1963, and the Nation didn’t have a government until 1971 when Congress passed the Five Tribes Act.” Gourd said it would cost nearly $200,000 to buy out the site’s reversionary clause.

“Based on the formula … $190,000 is what the Heritage Center would have to come up with in cash to give to the

historical society for them to clear it,” he said. “The option that was presented was deed it to the Nation, have it immediately placed federal restricted in trust. That would remove the reversionary and make it tribally affiliated.”

Responding to the cost, Tribal Council Speaker Joe Byrd said, “That’s OK, we owe them something.”

“But $190,000 for us to make that place that’s got the word Cherokee on there, a showplace … we just need to do it,” he said. “What do you need from us?”

Funding sources for the CHC include membership donations, grants and the CN. Annual operating costs at the center are $1.4 million annually, CHC officials said.

Under the CN umbrella, other investments could be made, Gourd said, and federal funding opportunities would increase. “For example, the Cherokee Nation roads program could come over and help fix the parking lots. But at present, the Cherokee Nation doesn’t make investments in property they don’t own. I wouldn’t either.”

Of the potential change of ownership, Gourd said he “wouldn’t consider it a takeover.”

“It won’t become a part of the management or operation of the Nation,” he added. “The current board and everything else will stay the same. The difference will be eligibility. It becomes actual trust property, which opens up a whole other area of federal funding opportunities.”

Cherokee Phoenix selling its 2019 holiday T-shirt

BY TRAVIS SNELL Assistant Editor

COURTESY The U.S. Navy is naming its newest rescue ship the “Cherokee Nation” to honor the service and contributions the Cherokee people have made to the Navy and Marine Corps.

Navy to name newest rescue ship ‘Cherokee Nation’ It is the fifth U.S. ship to be named in honor of the Cherokee people.

BY STAFF REPORTS

TAHLEQUAH – The U.S. Navy is naming its newest rescue ship the “Cherokee Nation” to honor the service and contributions the Cherokee people have made to the Navy and Marine Corps.

The ship is expected to be built in July 2021.

“The Cherokee Nation is extremely honored that the U.S. Navy is recognizing our tribal nation and the generations of Cherokee men and women who have bravely and humbly sacrificed for our freedom today,” Principal Chief Bill John Baker said. “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 have a U.S. ship at sea that reflects both our country and tribe’s history and values.”

Secretary of the Navy Richard V. Spencer announced on June 20 the

newest $64.8 million contract award for the towing, salvage and rescue ship, named the “Cherokee Nation.”

The ship will serve as an open ocean towing vessel and will additionally support salvage operations and submarine rescue missions.

According to the U.S. Navy, this is the fifth U.S. ship to be named in honor of the Cherokee people. Previous ships are: · USS Cherokee (1859), a blockade gunboat during the American Civil War, · USS Cherokee (SP-1104), a steam yacht built in 1903 and commissioned as a patrol ship in the Atlantic during World War I, · USS Cherokee (SP-458), built in 1891 but commissioned as a tug during World War I, and · USS Cherokee (AT-66), a World War II-era tug.

Thousands of CN citizens have served in the Navy, including the first Native American to graduate from the Naval Academy, Joseph James “Jocko” Clark.

Clark went on to command the USS Suwannee and USS Yorktown during the Battle of Midway in World War II. For more about the Navy ship, visit www.navy.mil/local/secnav/.

ARCHIVE: Preliminary plans call for

a 10,000-square-foot building on tribal land, next to the CHC’s 44 acres. from front page Gourd said the building’s estimated construction cost of $2 million to $2.5 million is worth it “just to preserve” the deed, called a fee simple patent.

“If you hold the fee simple patent, in Western land law, that’s the ultimate, final ownership of that property,” he said. “The fee simple patent, to me, is

the most sacred object anywhere. To be in the basement of a 50-year-old building with water pipes running overhead causes me concern constantly.”

Miller said the archives are in dire need of proper shelving and temperature control.

“We’re dehumidifying things, but at the same time, it’s not enough,” he said. “For a short term, a few months, it would be great, but we’re going on

TAHLEQUAH – The Cherokee Phoenix is now selling its 2019 holiday T-shirt that Native artist Mallory Taylor created.

The shirt will be sold at the Cherokee Phoenix’s office and Cherokee Nation Gift Shop.

In 2016, the Cherokee Phoenix commissioned Cherokee artist Buffalo Gouge to design its initial T-shirt, one that differed from the tribe’s Cherokee National Holiday shirts. For the 2017 T-shirt, the Cherokee Phoenix sought entries from Cherokee artists and chose Daniel HorseChief’s concept. In 2018, the Cherokee Phoenix chose Nathalie Standingcloud’s design.

This year, the Cherokee Phoenix selected Taylor’s design, which she said features a phoenix and three women who represent the Three Sisters agricultural crops – winter squash, corn and beans.

Taylor – who is Cherokee/ Osage/Blackfoot/Crow and lives in Bentonville, Arkansas – said the three crops benefit one another when planted together and that she wanted to symbolize the way Indigenous communities build, support and love one another.

“Women in general band together to support our nation, and I wanted to show the strength in unity walking within the phoenix’s fire,” she said.

“To me the women walking together closely through the fire of the phoenix represents the strength in unity. We live in a divisive time where common ground and connection are often overlooked. I wanted to show a visual representation of unity. These three women are walking through the flames and together will rise like the phoenix.”

Above the design in the Cherokee syllabary are the words “Cherokee Phoenix.” Below the image in English are the words “CHEROKEE HOMECOMING” as well as “2019” and Taylor’s signature. Also, the Cherokee Phoenix logo will be on a sleeve.

She said she plans to submit another concept for the 2020 T-shirt and encourages other artists to do the same.

“Please artists, submit to any and all competitions you have access to and can afford to enter. My experience with this institution has been wonderful.

Competing as an artist gives you

ARCHIVE Native artist Mallory Taylor created the Cherokee Phoenix’s 2019 holiday T-shirt.

It shows three women, who represent the Three Sisters, and a phoenix. perspective on what the community is looking for, what other artists are working on and how that conversation enable artists and communities alike to learn, love and grow.”

The black shirts are short-sleeved with adult sizes ranging from small to 3XL. The Cherokee Phoenix is also offering a youth medium size. All shirts are priced at $20 plus tax each. To order online, visit http://cherokeegiftshop.com.

The Cherokee Phoenix office is in the Annex Building (Old Motel) on the Tribal Complex. The gift shop is also on the complex.

Staff members will have shirts available at the Cherokee Phoenix booths during the Cherokee National Holiday. The Cherokee Phoenix will also have T-shirts featuring the previous designs in limited supplies at the booths.

The Cherokee Phoenix plans to continue contracting with Cherokee artists to create the annual holiday T-shirts. Artists who are interested in submitting T-shirt concepts can email them to travis-snell@cherokee.org. The deadline for submissions is midnight on Jan. 1.

For more information, call 918-4535269 or email joy-rollice@cherokee.org.

“It’s a travesty. I can run the best archives in Indian Country if I have available staff, technology, budget and a facility. I have none of these right now.”

Jerrid Miller, Cherokee Nation archivist years and time’s ticking. Documents are like sponges. They just suck up all this moisture. The end result is we’re probably losing hundreds of years on the life of these documents in the long term.”

A fire-proof safe is used to store what Miller called the “crown jewels,” such as a rare photograph of Stand Watie, a principal chief from 1862-66.

While the CHC is the official repository of governmental records, modern documents are stored in a warehouse.

“The warehouse is where our

contemporary records go after the departments are done with it,” Miller said. “There is a transition point where those records are supposed to come over here, but we don’t have the space here.”

Miller said he would like to one day digitize the historical collection.

“The whole objective of an archives is that institutional memory for the tribe,” he said. “What I envision is for our documents to be digitized and out there for our Cherokee Nation citizenry.”

ᎦᎶᏂ 1, 2019 • ᏣᎳᎩ ᏧᎴᎯᏌᏅᎯ

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AUGUST 1, 2019 • CHEROKEE PHOENIX

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CN recognizes 4 veterans in July

The tribe honors two veterans from the Army, one from the Navy and one from the Air Force.

BY STAFF REPORTS TAHLEQUAH – The Cherokee Nation honored four veterans with the tribe’s Medal of Patriotism award during the July 15 Tribal Council meeting.

Jack Buffington, 80, of Rogers, Arkansas; Roy Brown, 68, of Stilwell; Conn Davis, 72, of South Coffeyville; and James Smith, 68, of South Coffeyville, were recognized by Principal Chief Bill John Baker and Deputy Chief S. Joe Crittenden for their service and sacrifice to the country.

Rear Adm. Buffington was born in 1938 and enlisted in the Navy in 1961.

Buffington completed his first six tours with the Seabees with the Naval Mobile Command Battalion-9. Later, Buffington served in the Naval Facilities Engineering Command and was deployed to the Philippine Islands. He also served as a commanding officer of the Naval Mobile Construction Battalion-1 before he honorably retired in 1995 with various medals and awards.

“I deeply appreciate the Cherokee Nation and everything that your people do,” Buffington said. “You have the greatest reputation anywhere in the world and of any tribe, and it is because of the hard work of all the people here tonight.”

Sgt. Brown was born in 1950 and enlisted in the Army in 1970. After boot camp, Brown served as a helicopter mechanic and eventually deployed to the Republic of Vietnam where he served under the 235th Attack Helicopter Company in Can Tho, Vietnam, as well as several other posts in Vietnam. Brown was honorably discharged in 1972.

Sgt. Davis was born in 1946 and enlisted in the Air Force in 1967. Davis served at duty stations in Texas and Illinois as a teletype message center and eventually was deployed to the Philippine Islands. During his military career, Davis served several tours in Vietnam and also served in Thailand and South Korea. In 1971, Davis was honorably discharged.

Sgt. 1st Class Smith was born in 1950 and enlisted in the Army in 1970. Smith served as a noncommissioned officer and was tasked with refueling helicopters flying in and out of South and North Korea in the demilitarized zone. During his military career, Smith served five overseas tours, including service in Korea and Egypt. Later, Smith also served in Operation Desert Storm and the Persian Gulf War. After 27 years of active duty and serving in the reserves, he was honorably discharged in 2010.

To nominate a veteran who is a CN citizen, call 918-772-4166.

COURTESY PHOTOS From left to right are Deputy Principal Chief S. Joe Crittenden, Tribal Councilor Wanda Hatfield, Navy veteran Jack Buffington, Principal Chief Bill John Baker and Tribal Councilor Mary Baker Shaw. The tribe recognized Buffington for his military service at the July 15 Tribal Council meeting.

From left to right are Deputy Principal Chief S. Joe Crittenden, Tribal Councilor Victoria Vazquez, Air Force veteran Conn Davis, Principal Chief Bill John Baker and Tribal Councilor Dick Lay.

From left to right are Deputy Principal Chief S. Joe Crittenden, Army veteran Roy Brown, Principal Chief Bill John Baker and Tribal Councilor Canaan Duncan.

RUNOFFS: Requests for recounts are not anticipated due to landslide margins in the runoffs. from front page for violating the Cherokee statute, “providing anything of value to voter(s) for the direct purpose of influencing voter behavior in an election.”

Her disqualification left the at-large seat open for a new Tribal Councilor.

Voters in Districts 3 and 12 also voted for their representation.

Wes Nofire is the unofficial winner of the Dist. 3 seat over Debra Proctor, while Dora L. Smith Patzkowski won the Dist.

12 post over Phyllis Lay. Nofire received 540 ballots to Proctor’s 307, giving Nofire 63.75 percent of the vote.

Patzkowski won 320 votes to Lay’s 186, giving Patzkowski 63.24 percent of the ballots.

“My heart is full tonight,” Nofire said.

“This whole race, we’ve heard so much from the people about what they would like to see. It is really humbling to know that I am going to be able to serve those people. There is nothing more that I would like to do with my life than to serve them. I spent the last decade, for the most part, representing the Cherokee people as a professional (boxer), but now my profession will be my involvement on the council.”

Nofire said he wanted to keep the lines of communication open with his constituents and to address the issues they deemed most pressing. He also thanked his support system.

“I appreciate everyone for their support, and thank Councilman (David) Walkingstick for coming out and bringing the attitude that we needed change in our district and the representation we need there. I thank my wife, who stood by me in this race. It’s a lot for a family to go through, and I thank all the Cherokee people for supporting me.”

A message requesting comment from Proctor, left late on election night, was not returned by deadline.

“My opponent worked hard and did a great job,” Nofire said. “I thank her for all the years of service she has provided to us.”

Proctor actually won two more votes

than Nofire in the general election on June 1, while Patzkowski was the leading vote getter in the District 12 general balloting.

“I am grateful to the people of District 12 for Debra Proctor their support, and I look forward to working with the Cherokee Nation administration and council,” Patkowski said. “I would also like to thank Phyllis Lay for running a civil campaign.”

A message left with Lay late on election Phyllis Lay night was not returned before deadline.

District 3 includes much of southern Cherokee County, including the communities of Woodall, Keys, Zeb, Pettit, Park Hill, Tenkiller, Welling and Dry Creek.

District 12 is the Johnny Jack most northwestern Kidwell district within the Cherokee Nation’s jurisdiction. The district encompasses Washington County, southern Nowata County and the extreme northwest of Tulsa County, and includes the cities of Bartlesville, Nowata and Dewey.

The District 3 and District 12 seats were vacated by Walkingstick and Dick Lay, respectively, who both termed out of office. Patzkowski and Nofire and the other candidates who were elected in the general election in June will be sworn in on Aug. 14.

All election results are unofficial until certified by the Election Commission.

The elections were to be certified on Monday, July 29. Candidates have until July 31 to file a request for a recount, and those would be scheduled on August 1-2, but requests for recounts are not anticipated due to the landslide margins in the runoffs.

cherokeephoenix.org

From left to right are Deputy Principal Chief S. Joe Crittenden, Tribal Councilor Victoria Vazquez, Army veteran James Smith, Principal Chief Bill John Baker and Tribal Councilor Dick Lay.

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COMPACT: Stitt wrote that other

exclusive tribal gaming compacts in states can run as high as 25 percent. from front page nation” – reflecting early efforts to get Indian gaming started that eventually become the state’s eighth-biggest industry.

Speaking to the Tribal Council’s Rules Committee on July 15, Cherokee Nation Gaming Commission Director Jamie Hummingbird said the Nation pays the state a share of its Class III gaming.

Class III games account for about 60 percent of the Nation’s machines, and the tribe is charged on a sliding scale between 4 percent and 6 percent on revenue of $20 million or more.

Table and card games are covered under the compact, and the state gets 10 percent of those revenue pools.

Hummingbird said early 2019 figures suggest all Oklahoma-based tribes that game will combine to pay the state $137 million for the year, and that those tribes have given the state $1.6 billion since the compact became effective. He also said figures indicate an economic impact of $2.2 billion per year, and possibly $7.5 billion if “multipliers” are considered.

The Cherokee Nation, along with the Muscogee (Creek), Seminole, Choctaw and Chickasaw nations, released a joint statement on July 12 in response to Stitt’s editorial.

“This compact represents a continuing and mutually beneficial partnership,” the statement read. “The recent action of Governor Stitt puts into question his sincerity to work with us in a cooperative manner moving ahead. We are resolute in our position, and it is our hope Governor Stitt and his advisors will not attempt any bad faith interference on the compact which could set back the progress we have achieved by working together.”

Tribal leaders gathered in Tulsa to decide the statement’s message. The release noted the tribes’ discontent that Stitt, who is a Cherokee Nation citizen, announced his wish to renegotiate the compact through the media rather than contacting the tribes. It was also noticed that Stitt made no mention of terms or a framework for renegotiation and that the tribes would support and observe the current compact.

State Sen. Dewayne Pemberton, R-Muskogee, said there was no

indication within the Oklahoma Legislature that reworking the compacts was a priority for the governor or lawmakers.

“This was not something discussed at all during the (legislative) session in any of the caucuses, conferences or meetings I attended,” Pemberton said. “It caught me off guard, and I think it caught everybody off guard. I was always under the impression that there should be some preliminary conversations between the governor and the tribes to ensure that everyone is agreeable to opening the compacts back up.”

Pemberton said the compacts might not be within reach of lawmakers, but between the governor and tribes. “I certainly think it is OK to reach out to the tribes and see about renegotiating the compacts, but I don’t think the governor can strong-arm any of the tribes to come to the table.”

State Rep. Matt Meredith, D-Tahlequah, also thought the compacts would “roll over.”

“The state is charging (the) oil and gas (industry) 5 percent, and if we charged them as much as we charged the tribes, we would be a lot better off,” Meredith said. “The Cherokee Nation’s impact on the state, and especially northeast Oklahoma, is awesome.”

Meredith said the Nation is a boon to his district, providing jobs and donating to public services.

“Northeast Oklahoma isn’t feeling the bigger pinch in health care that we see in some parts of Oklahoma – where rural hospitals and clinics are closing – because we have great partners such as the Cherokee Nation,” he said. “I would hate to see what our state would look like without the Cherokee Nation and the other tribes. You look at everything the Nation does, and it’s a good deal for the state.”

Tribal officials have indicated that their July 12 statement is their last until Stitt replies, but Cherokee Nation Principal Chief Bill John Baker told the Tribal Council on July 15 “our sovereignty is at stake.” “(We provided) a unified, formal and firm response to the governor’s call to reopen the gaming compact talks,” Baker said. “His action calls into question the sincerity of the work with the tribes in a cooperative manner….”

ᏣᎳᎩ ᏧᎴᎯᏌᏅᎯ • ᎦᎶᏂ 1, 2019

INCREASES: Had the measure

been defeated the raises would have taken effect Aug. 14. from front page Austin voted for the refusal during Rules, but against it during Council.

Taylor was absent during the Rules meeting.

Explaining his decision not to support the salary increases, Crittenden told the Rules Committee “this is not the right time for such a significant, significant pay raise.”

“Lots of good things are going on, but when it comes to services for the people such as housing and health care, I sometimes hear yes when we need help, but too many times I hear no,” he said.

Lay said the Compensation Committee “overstepped quite a bit.”

Buzzard added, “I’m not against raises, and I think it would have been OK (to give) incremental raises, but I also see people who don’t have water, sewer, a roof on their house and a place to sleep.”

Rejection of the pay raises means the principal chief, deputy chief and councilors would not receive pay raises. Unless the law is changed, the Compensation Committee convenes once every four years. The Citizens Committee on Compensation was established by the Compensation for Elected Officials Act of 2003, and enacted on July, 18, 2003. It has been modified multiple times during the past 16 years. The two members of the Compensation Committee appointed by the Council were unanimously approved in December 2018.

Talk of pay spilled over into the July 16 Executive & Finance Committee meeting when Walkingstick introduced measures to give raises to CN employees, stating that the annual 3 percent merit raises were “quarters, 50 cents” for many employees.

Two measures were presented for amendment to the agenda, which called for the raises and provided funding.

Byrd said he believed the Executive & Finance Committee was not the appropriate venue to propose employee pay increases.

“When you talk about salaries, you do that through the budget process, not in the E&F meeting,” Byrd said. “That is the way it’s always been. We are not in the budget process yet.”

Walkingstick said the raises would

become effective Oct. 1, after the budget process was complete. A figure of $12 million was given to supply employees with raises, and Walkingstick said his second item would fund the extra pay by increasing the dividend from Cherokee Nation Businesses.

A motion was seconded to amend the agenda, and Taylor, the committee chairwoman, called for a vote, but Walkingstick and Crittenden pressed for “discussion.”

“We should not be discussing the particular act at all because it is not on the agenda,” Taylor said.

The vote to amend the agenda failed, drawing six yes votes from Buzzard, Crittenden, Baker Shaw, Walkingstick, Lay and Anglen.

Walkingstick then presented his act to fund the raises, and asked for a vote to amend the agenda. Legal counsel advised that any discussion should only be about whether to amend, and not the merits of the proposed act.

A motion and second was received, though Lay suggested that the first vote obviated any action on the funding act.

Attorney General Todd Hembree approached councilors when Crittenden began discussing how the funding measure would work, and told Hembree “I have the floor.”

An exchange among Hembree, Crittenden and Walkingstick then occurred, with Walkingstick repeatedly telling Hembree to sit down.

“The chair has recognized me and your topics have to be germane, they have to be,” Hembree said.

Byrd broke in, stating “the chairlady has asked for (Hembree’s) input,” to which Crittenden replied, “but I was speaking first.” Byrd then told Taylor, “you’re the chairlady, you decide.”

“I actually asked for a vote on whether to amend the agenda on this several minutes ago,” Taylor said. “So I think that is the order. If it makes it to the agenda, then we can talk about it.”

After a protest by Crittenden, Taylor said, “It is my understanding that it is outside the rules of the order to debate anything that is not on the agenda, and this is not on the agenda, so… please do a roll call vote.”

The second motion to amend also failed, with Lay abstaining.

OPINION • ᏃᎵᏍᎬ

ᎦᎶᏂ 1, 2019 • ᏣᎳᎩ ᏧᎴᎯᏌᏅᎯ

Cherokee Phoenix AUGUST 1, 2019 Volume 43, No. 15

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

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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.

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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

AUGUST 1, 2019 • CHEROKEE PHOENIX

5

Tribal governments ensure Oklahoma’s success

BY Bill John Baker Principal Chief In a recent oped, Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt called for a renegotiation of the highly successful tribal gaming compacts, governmentto-government agreements that have fueled our home state, public education and job creation for more than 15 years.

He argued that new compacts should reflect “market conditions for the gaming industry,” which he implied would set tribes’ payments to the state at a much higher percentage of revenues.

Unfortunately, Gov. Stitt’s approach ignores the history of tribes in Oklahoma and the many contributions made by tribes, including the Cherokee Nation, to our state. The ability of tribes in Oklahoma to thrive as sovereign nations is one of the state’s greatest competitive advantages. It would be a serious mistake for our state government to engage with tribes like we were just any another industry, ignoring our unique economic, cultural and governmental contributions.

Decades before statehood, tribes built Oklahoma’s first modern infrastructure and institutions, establishing settlements that grew into thriving cities and towns and founding the territory’s first public schools and institutions of higher education.

The Nation’s original Supreme Court building still stands as Oklahoma’s oldest public building, now serving as a history museum.

In later decades, the federal

government and non-Indian settlers tried to dismantle tribal governments, shut down tribal institutions and divide the land, but tribes in Oklahoma did not vanish. We maintained our tribal culture and identity in the face of this existential threat. Through activism and lawsuits, Oklahoma and the United States eventually recognized tribal rights to sovereignty and selfgovernance.

Through self-determination, tribes have prospered in business and rebuilt government institutions. As of 2017, tribes had a nearly $13 billion economic impact on the state, according to a new study commissioned by the Oklahoma Tribal Finance Consortium. In that year, tribes directly employed more than 50,000 Oklahomans and indirectly supported over 96,000 jobs.

The contribution of tribes is not only as successful businesses, but also as effective governments. Profits from tribal businesses are invested back into the community through the development of affordable housing, health care facilities, education, infrastructure and job creation.

The contribution of tribes goes far beyond the exclusivity fees for tribal gaming. Tribes in Oklahoma contributed $198 million for Oklahoma education in 2017, including exclusivity payments to the state, donations to schools, scholarships and tribal education programs. Tribes contributed more than $42 million for road construction and maintenance in their jurisdictions. Tribes operated health clinics and hospitals and provided or reimbursed care for thousands of

Oklahomans, especially filling gaps in under-served, rural parts of the state.

The CN, the largest tribal government in the state, is constructing a 469,000-square-foot outpatient health facility through a joint venture project with the Indian Health Service. When it opens later this year, it will be the largest tribal health facility in the country.

Additionally, CN Career Services provides vocational and on-the-job training for Cherokees and collaborates with the state, cities and chambers of commerce to attract businesses to Oklahoma. Recent successes of these recruiting efforts include Amazon and Macy’s fulfillment centers, which are respectively bringing thousands of jobs to Tulsa and Owasso.

Tribal governments provide assistance with housing, food and nutrition, child care and development, child support and elder assistance – all areas with huge unmet needs in Oklahoma. Tribal courts handle many child welfare and adoption cases, as well as prosecuting offenders who abuse women and children.

Though it was not always of our own free will, tribes have made a permanent home here in Oklahoma. Tribes have outlasted all attempts to terminate our governments and disperse our people.

We have built prosperous communities, nearly lost it all, and rebuilt again.

Native culture and institutions are one of Oklahoma’s greatest renewable resources, and all Oklahomans are better off when our state government recognizes that fact.

Trump wasn’t first president to confront SCOTUS and back down

BY BETHANY BERGER University of Connecticut A key presidential election is approaching. The U.S. Supreme Court hears a case with powerful political implications. The court rules, but the populist president doesn’t care.

Our national commitments – to the Constitution, to morality, to the rule of law – seem at risk. Then, the president backs down. The nation survives.

This might be the story of President Trump’s short-lived threat to get a citizenship question on the census in defiance of the Supreme Court. Instead, it’s the story of President Andrew Jackson and Worcester v. Georgia, decided in 1832.

Like the modern relationship between the president and the court, the case dominated public debate, raising deep questions about the endurance of the rule of law. At the height of the crisis, former President John Quincy Adams wrote, “The Union is in the most imminent danger of dissolution.”

Cherokee Nation challenges Georgia Worcester v. Georgia had its genesis in disputes between the CN and the state of Georgia.

Treaties between the United States and the CN solemnly guaranteed the tribal nation independence on its reservation in Georgia. But Georgia wanted the Cherokees gone, particularly after gold was discovered on their land.

The United States tried to convince the Cherokees to move west, but most refused to leave their homeland.

In response, Georgia passed laws asserting its control over the reservation, prohibiting the Cherokee government from meeting and posting guards over the gold mines. Jackson did nothing to stop this violation of U.S.-Cherokee treaties. Instead, at the request of the Georgia governor, he removed federal troops from the reservation.

The Cherokees mounted a legal challenge, and tried to take their case to the Supreme Court. Their lawyer, William Wirt, and the justices worried that Jackson would not enforce a decision in favor of the Cherokees.

But, Wirt told the court, “What is the value of that government in which the decrees of its courts can be defied and mocked at with impunity … It is no government at all.”

Chief Justice John Marshall, however, ducked the issue, holding that the court lacked jurisdiction over the case.

Georgia wasn’t done attacking the sovereignty of the Cherokees. In 1830, the state demanded that non-Indians take a loyalty oath to Georgia before going onto the Cherokee reservation.

Missionaries Samuel Worcester and Elizur Butler – both pro-Cherokee and anti-slavery – refused to sign.

The law made an exception for federal employees, and Worcester had served as federal postmaster, but Georgia persuaded the Jackson administration to dismiss Worcester so the exception would not apply.

The state sentenced the missionaries to four years of hard labor. Because the case pitted Georgia against Worcester, a citizen of Vermont, the Supreme Court could hear the case directly, rather than on appeal from the state courts. The court could finally rule on Georgia’s authority over Cherokee land.

The “supremacy of the laws” The case was argued in 1832, an election year, and Jackson’s opponents campaigned on his disregard for the courts.

Speeches at the National Republican Convention, where they nominated the candidate Henry Clay to challenge Jackson, condemned Georgia’s “inhuman and unconstitutional outrages” against the missionaries and praised Jackson’s opponent Clay as a man who would “assert the supremacy of the laws.”

For Chief Justice Marshall, approaching the end of his career, the case and the election might decide whether his legacy in building a strong and independent Supreme Court would survive him.

Georgia, meanwhile, signaled its disdain for the court by refusing to even appear for oral argument in Worcester.

The court’s 5-1 opinion resoundingly vindicated the Cherokees.

Federal treaties, the chief justice wrote, “solemnly pledge the faith of the United States” to protect Cherokee selfgovernment; the Constitution made those treaties “the supreme law of the land.”

Georgia’s attempt to govern the reservation, therefore, was “repugnant to the constitution, laws, and treaties of the United States.”

But Georgia did not care, and Jackson would not force it to release the missionaries.

When the Georgia Guard jailed Cherokees for celebrating the decision, Jackson wrote his brigadier general that the “decision of the supreme court has fell still born.” Newspapers across the country reported that Jackson refused to enforce the decision. That July, in vetoing another bill, Jackson declared that the court had no power over the president.

The chief justice wrote despondently, “I yield slowly and reluctantly to the conviction that our Constitution cannot last.”

Dangerous repercussions

Perhaps Trump was channeling Jackson, his favorite president, when he tweeted that there would be a citizenship question on the census a week after the court ruled against his administration’s attempt to add one.

Certainly the assertion raised – as Trump has throughout his presidency – a threat to the constitutional balance of powers.

But Jackson quickly realized that failing to enforce federal law in Worcester had dangerous repercussions.

In December 1832, shortly after Jackson’s re-election, South Carolina passed the Nullification Ordinance, declaring federal tariffs illegal in the state.

Jackson condemned the state and supported a “Force Bill” that, for the first time, gave federal marshals clear power to enforce U.S. laws. Any doubt that federal officials could not force Georgia to release the missionaries was gone.

Rather than force a public confrontation, Jackson’s allies went to Georgia Gov. Lumpkin and persuaded him to pardon the missionaries still languishing in jail.

The constitutional crisis was averted.

Removal in a different way All did not end well for the Cherokees.

In 1835, while Cherokee Principal Chief John Ross was in Washington seeking protection from the U.S., Jackson’s agents got individual Cherokees to sign a treaty agreeing to move to a new reservation west of the Mississippi.

On the strength of the false treaty, the U.S. rounded up the Cherokee people and forced them west. The Trail of Tears – a forced march on which one in four Cherokees died – is a dark legacy of Worcester.

Independence affirmed But today, Worcester v. Georgia also stands as a monument to both tribal sovereignty and judicial independence.

At the height of the backlash against Brown v. Board of Education, Justice Hugo Black called Worcester one of Justice Marshall’s “most courageous and eloquent opinions,” which, “despite bitter criticism and the defiance of Georgia … came to be accepted as law.”

As Chief Justice John Roberts reluctantly joins the progressive minority on the court to reject political power grabs, he maintains Chief Justice Marshall’s legacy of judicial independence articulated in Worcester.

And as Trump agrees reluctantly to respect the court – at least in the case of the census – he follows, in part, that longago legal victory of the Cherokee Nation.

EDITOR’S NOTE: Professor Bethany Berger is a widely read scholar of property law and legal history and one of the leading federal Indian Law scholars in the country.

6

CHEROKEE PHOENIX • AUGUST 1, 2019

Community • ᎾᎥ ᏄᎾᏓᎸ

ᏣᎳᎩ ᏧᎴᎯᏌᏅᎯ • ᎦᎶᏂ 1, 2019

Cherokees helping turn historic plantation into living museum Efforts are underway to add more livestock and crops to Hunter’s Home in Park Hill.

BY CHAD HUNTER Reporter PARK HILL – Static for years, Oklahoma’s last remaining antebellum plantation is slowly becoming what its caretakers call a “living history” museum with livestock and crops.

“We want to have more things to offer to draw more people in other than a house museum,” Hunter’s Home historical interpreter Lisa Rutherford said. “We want them to have an experience. We want them to be able to experience life on an 1850 farm.”

Built in 1845, Hunter’s Home was established by George Michael Murrell, and is tied to the influential Cherokee family of John Ross, Cherokee Nation principal chief from 1828-66.

Rutherford, a Cherokee National Treasure for her pottery skills, works alongside other Cherokee Nation citizens such as site director David Fowler and livestock manager/outdoor historical interpreter Greg McGee. “It’s the best job I’ve ever had,” McGee said. “I retired from the federal government as a manager, and I wanted something totally different. We’re in the process of making this a living history museum. That’s why we have animals and bees, turkeys and chickens.”

Future additions will include sheep, an apple orchard and cider mill, sorghum and draft animals for plowing.

Greg McGee, Hunter’s Home livestock manager/outdoor historical interpreter, takes part in the site’s annual “May Day Celebration” on May 4 in Park Hill.

PHOTOS BY CHAD HUNTER/CHEROKEE PHOENIX Hunter’s Home in Park Hill was built in 1845. It is the last remaining pre-Civil War plantation in Oklahoma.

“We’re going to be fencing the entire property,” Rutherford said. “Then we’ll start to make the animal pens, the animal shelters. Later on we may get pigs and maybe a couple of cattle. But we’ve only got the 40 acres here. We’re going to try to operate it much like they did as a farm.”

The site, formerly known as the George M. Murrell Home, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and is a division of the Oklahoma Historical Society.

Murrell, born to a prominent family in Lynchburg, Virginia, was married to Chief Ross’ niece, Minerva.

“When the Cherokees were forced to

leave their homes during the Trail of Tears 1838-39, Murrell chose to move with his wife’s family to the new Nation in the West,” a historical biography states. “In Park Hill, Indian Territory, he established a plantation and built a large frame home similar to those he remembered in Virginia. He called the Greek Revivalstyle house Hunter’s Home because of his fondness for the fox hunt.”

Each October, Hunter’s Home plays host to the Antique Agriculture Festival, which celebrates the fall harvest. A park east of the home was previously closed because of budget cuts.

“It was just too expensive,” Rutherford

“It’s the best job I’ve ever had.”

Greg McGee, Hunter’s Home employee

said, “and there was a lot of crime there.

We had constant vandalism and theft over there. Cars were getting broken into. They destroyed our bathrooms.”

Rutherford said she and other Hunter’s Home workers were “really excited” about upcoming changes.

“People are aggravated now that the park is gone, but if they’ll just be patient, it’s going to be so much better,” she said.

“The nature trail will be cleaned up.

They won’t have free access to it like in the past; they’re going to have to come through the house, pay admission and be out by closing. But we’re going to have it cleaned up where it’s safer, more attractive. We’re just wanting to get it back as much as we can to like when the Murrells lived here.”

Hunter’s Home is located at 19479 E. Murrell Home Road. Admission is $7 for adults, $5 for seniors 62 and older, $4 for students, $18 for families and free for children 5 and under and veterans/active military. For more information, call 918456-2751 or visit okhistory.org.

In Memoriam Shelby Lee Hicks July 3, 1932 – July 25, 2019

Sarah Jane Cochran Dec. 14, 1962 – July 8, 2019

Ricky Doyle Oct. 13, 1971 – July 19, 2019

Gregory “George” Isaac Smith April 24, 1934 – July 4, 2019

Sandra Lea Anderson July 13, 1947 – July 6, 2019

Frankie Doyle Deckard Sr. March 24, 1959 – July 8, 2019

Alma J. Glenn Sept. 16, 1922 – June 27, 2019

Edna Mae (Bean) Strickler Nov. 22, 1920 – July 11, 2019

Community Events Aug. 1 Greasy Fellowship Community Organization Greasy Community Building, 7 p.m.

Washington County Cherokee Association 300 E. Angus Ave., Dewey 7 p.m. 918-333-5632 Aug. 5 Lost City Community Organization 6 p.m.

Native American Association of Ketchum 280 East Gregory, Ketchum, 6:30 p.m.

Belfonte 6:30 p.m. 918-427-4237 Marble City Community Organization MCCO Building 7 p.m.

Eucha Indian Fellowship Eucha Community Building, 8 p.m.

Aug. 6 Vian Peace Center 604 W. Schley 5:30 p.m.

Muldrow Cherokee Community Organization MCCO Building, 6 p.m. 918-427-5440 Brushy Cherokee Action Association

465406 E 1010 Rd, 6 p.m. 918-775-6914 Tulsa Cherokee Community Organization 6:30 p.m., 805-551-6445 tulsacherokees@gmail.com One Fire Association Kenwood Community Building, 7 p.m. emmahayes87@yahoo.com Aug. 8 Stilwell Public Library Friends Society 5 N. 6th St., Stilwell, 5 p.m., 918-315-4279 Native American Fellowship Inc. 215 Oklahoma St., South Coffeyville 6 p.m., 620-252-8883 Adair County Resource Center 110 S. 2nd St., Stilwell, 6:30 p.m.

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

Lyons Switch, 7 p.m.

Aug. 11 Rogers County Cherokee Association Miss Cherokee and Jr. Miss Cherokee visit, rogerscountygwys@gmail.com 539-777-2898 Aug. 12 Rocky Mountain Cherokee Community Organization, 6 p.m., 918-696-4965

Brent Community Association 461914 Hwy. 141, Gans, 6 p.m.

918-774-0655, brentcomm@live.com Fairfield Community Organization, Inc. 6:30 p.m., 918-605-0839 Marble City Pantry, 7 p.m., 918-775-5975 Oak Hill/Piney, 7 p.m., 918-235-2811 Aug. 13 No-We-Ta Cherokee Community 1003 Lenape Drive, Nowata, 6:30 p.m.

918-273-5536 Victory Cherokee Organization 1025 N. 12th St., Collinsville, 7 p.m.

918-371-6688 or 918-696-2354 victorycherokee@att.net Aug. 15 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.

Aug. 19 Neighborhood Association of Chewey Chewey Community Building, 7 p.m.

Aug. 26 Christie, 7 p.m., 918-778-3423

Aug. 27 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. Meals are free to anyone over 50, but a small donation is suggested to help with expenses. Gather for fellowship and friendship. Volunteers welcome.

First Friday of every month Concho Community Building 405-422-7622 The Indian Art Market invites all Indian artists to come and sell/share their work.

Year Round Will Rogers Memorial Museum Claremore, 918-341-0719 The museum honors the Cherokee cowboy, movie star, writer and humorist from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. with nine galleries, three theaters and a special children’s museum. Closed on Monday and Tuesday from Nov. 11 through February.

ᎦᎶᏂ 1, 2019 • ᏣᎳᎩ ᏧᎴᎯᏌᏅᎯ

Health • ᎠᏰᎸ ᏄᏍᏛ

AUGUST 1, 2019 • CHEROKEE PHOENIX

7

Nation-IHS joint venture to add 800 jobs

BY LINDSEY BARK Reporter

TAHLEQUAH – The Cherokee Nation W.W. Hastings Hospital and Indian Health Services joint-venture outpatient health care facility, slated to open in September, is expected to bring in 800 new jobs during the next several years as the need for physicians, providers, nurses, specialists, support and clerical staff are identified.

“It’s built on the size to meet our needs in this community for the next 15 years. That’s why the size is the way it is, because the need is so great and projected to grow year after year,” Dr. Stephen Jones, CN Health Services interim director, said.

The nearly 470,000-square-foot facility is four stories high and features five surgical suites and two endoscopy suites inside its ambulatory surgical center, 33 dental chairs, six eye exam rooms and three audiology-testing booths. It also contains rehabilitation services, behavioral health and space for a wellness center.

Jones said the 300 jobs with outpatient care teams at the existing Hastings facility will transition to the new facility after it opens. An additional 100 employees have been hired since January to help get the new facility ready for the opening.

“Those are already existing on this year’s budget and we’ve already started hiring those. They’ve been going since January, and a lot of those positions are already filled and moving, are employed now,” Jones said.

For fiscal year 2019-20, more than 200 jobs will be available, Jones said.

“As we get people over into the new facility and we have more space to work

COURTESY An aerial view of the new Cherokee Nation Outpatient Health Care facility being constructed in Tahlequah. The facility is projected to bring in 800 new jobs during the next several years. in, we’ll have more support staff, we’ll have more provider room, and those jobs vary from all the way up to physicians, specialists, down to clerical support,” he said.

He said currently the outpatient facility at Hastings is so limited on space that there is not adequate support around each physician or provider. “So that’s going to allow us to hire that extra support which will increase access and decrease wait times,” Jones said.

“As we get into the facility, there’s going to be other determinations made, like we need an extra clerical person here, we need another provider,” he said. “We don’t have enough providers here. So we’re starting to identify those, and we’ll be adding them as we

Oklahomans fearful of tickborne diseases after rainy spring

Tick-borne diseases can be dangerous, causing everything from a food allergy to red meat to miscarriage to death.

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) – Oklahoma’s rainy spring has provided an ideal environment for ticks.

“One thing ticks don’t like is being dry. It’s good news for them,” said Bob Brennan, Ph.D., biology department chair at the University of Central Oklahoma.

That could be bad news for people and their pets, because the pathogens many ticks carry can cause serious diseases.

“Oklahoma tends to be a leader in the country for tick-borne illnesses,” Brennan told The Oklahoman.

The risk of getting a tick bite isn’t limited to hikers and campers in the woods. Plenty of the bloodsuckers live in urban parks and neighborhoods.

Former UCO graduate student Mariah Small collected ticks using dry ice traps and fabric drags for 12 months at Arcadia Lake and Mitch Park in Edmond and gathered approximately 2,500 ticks for her research, Brennan said.

Nine in 10 were Lone Star ticks, which can carry agents that cause ehrlichiosis and Rocky Mountain spotted fever, the two most common tick-borne illnesses in Oklahoma, he said.

Small’s research found about half of the Lone Star ticks she collected carried bacteria that cause Rocky Mountain spotted fever and 15 percent carried bacteria that cause ehrlichiosis.

Her sampling of ticks also showed established populations of the American dog tick, deer tick and Gulf Coast tick.

Those four tick species also inhabit Martin Park Nature Center, the mostvisited park in the Oklahoma City park system. Gulf Coast ticks showed up three years ago for the first time, said Will

Hagenbuck, head park naturalist.

“The tick population seems to expand more and more as years go on,” Hagenbuck said.

“This year the tick activity was even earlier. We started seeing ticks emerge the second week of March,” he said.

“And last year we saw them all the way into November.”

Throughout winter, ticks feed on rabbits and small rodents before emerging in spring.

Hagenbuck said park visitors can avoid most of the ticks by staying on the trails, but that’s no guarantee.

Ticks are “a necessary nuisance” because they are part of the food chain, Hagenbuck said. They are food for reptiles, opossums, young turkeys, bobwhite quail and other birds.

Tick-borne diseases can be dangerous, causing everything from a food allergy to red meat to miscarriage to death.

“It’s really important when you get home to wash your clothes and do a good tick check,” Hagenbuck said.

Look behind ears, at the collar line on the back of the neck, armpits, joints, waist and groin, and on your socks and shoes. Adults may be easy to spot, but nymphs might look like a freckle, he said.

The earlier you check, the better, said Brennan. In most cases, it takes about 12 hours or longer for a tick to transmit a pathogen to its host, he said.

He recommends a hot shower for yourself and a hot dryer for your clothes. Dry clothing should be dried on high for 10 to 20 minutes. Damp clothing will need longer.

When it comes to repelling ticks, DEET doesn’t work, Hagenbuck said.

identify them.”

Jones said there would also be opportunities for specialty programs Health Services has never had. For example, he said they expect to hire a specialist in imaging for MRI machine services.

“Imaging is one of the bigger (services), as we do contract all that out.

So we’re going to be able to keep those types of services in house. Some of our dental specialties that we contract out, we’re going to be able to keep those in house by bringing in some pediatric dentists and oral surgery,” Jones said.

“We’ve always had to outsource that, so those type of programs that we’re going to be adding…we’re not going to have to outsource anymore, are also going to

provide jobs.”

He said as outpatient services move into the new facility, the existing hospital will expand its inpatient services rather than send patients to other facilities because of lack of capacity or services.

“Our intent is to expand our inpatient services, too. We are going to be able to take care of them right here on our campus rather than send them out to another facility where the family has to travel to be close to the person who has a medical issue,” Jones said.

Inpatient operations, emergency services, labor and delivery decks, diagnostic imaging and pharmacy will remain at the current Hastings facility.

In addition to the new outpatient facility, the Oklahoma State University College of Osteopathic Medicine is being built on the Hastings campus. The OSU facility will also bring in more jobs, though not related to the CN-IHS joint venture. However, students will have the opportunity to train at Hastings with doctors and providers.

“Our responsibility is to maintain the building, maintain the grounds around the building. It’s not a shared service.

We don’t hire their people. We don’t run their program. They are located on our campus. We have their students working in our facilities. They’ll have an opportunity to come in and do training under our physicians and our providers,” Jones said.

Job recruitment will take place via CN Career Services and postings online.

Jobs posts for the new facility are at www.practicelink.com/JobBoard/JobSe archResults?members=Cherokee-Nation for areas such as pediatric dentistry, oral surgery for dentistry, occupational therapy and in behavioral health.

CN Public Health creates HPV focus groups

They are to gather information on what the public knows about the human papillomavirus and to further relay information about its vaccination.

BY LINDSEY BARK Reporter TAHLEQUAH – In July, Cherokee Nation Public Health officials began conducting focus groups at CN health centers to collect information on the public’s knowledge, attitudes and views toward receiving the human papillomavirus vaccine.

The focus groups aim to learn what participants know about HPV, where they get their information and their thoughts on whether they would vaccinate their children.

“Really the purpose of the project is to better understand the parents’ comprehension of, their attitudes of and their experiences with the HPV vaccination. So we wanted parents with children 9-17 years of age. We’re really asking them what they know about the virus, what they know about the vaccination, and where they’re getting their sources. And if they trust those sources,” prevention project specialist Margie Burkhart said.

Human papillomavirus vaccine, or HPV as it is more commonly known, is a sexually transmitted virus known to cause genital warts and certain types of cancers.

“HPV is made up of a little over 150 viruses. Some of those viruses can cause genital warts or they can cause cancer.

The cancers (can be) in both men and women. They can get mouth cancer, throat cancer, anal and rectum cancer.

That’s in both sexes. Men can get penile cancer and in the women they can get

vaginal and cervical cancers from some of the HPV viruses,” Burkhart said.

Burkhart said the Centers for Disease Control recommends that children get the vaccination starting at age 11.

According to the CDC, two doses of the HPV vaccine are recommended for all boys and girls at ages 11-12. The vaccine can be given as early as age 9.

The longer a child waits to get a vaccine the more likely it could result in a third dose, the CDC states.

Children who start the vaccine series on or after their 15th birthday need three shots given over six months. If your teen hasn’t gotten the vaccine yet, talk to his/ her doctor about getting it as soon as possible,” the CDC website states.

For more information on the virus and vaccinations, visit www.cdc.gov.

Ten focus groups are being conducted at W.W. Hastings Hospital in Tahlequah, Sam Hider Health Center in Jay, Redbird Smith Health Center in Sallisaw, Vinita Health Center in Vinita, and Wilma P. Mankiller Health Center in Stilwell and will run through August.

Participants must be Native American, utilize CN Health Services and have children between the ages of 9-17. Participants will be compensated for their time.

If interested in participating in a focus group or know someone who might be interested, email Dr. Ashley Comiford at ashley-comiford@cherokee.org or call 918-453-5000, ext. 7076, or email Margie Burkhart at margie-burkhart@cherokee. org or call 918-453-5000, ext. 5440.

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CHEROKEE PHOENIX • AUGUST 1, 2019

Education • ᏧᎾᏕᎶᏆᏍᏗ

ᏣᎳᎩ ᏧᎴᎯᏌᏅᎯ • ᎦᎶᏂ 1, 2019

Teacher recruits backtrack on Sequoyah positions COURTESY Cherokee Nation citizen Brendan Crotty stands next to his entry in the Engineering Mechanics division at the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair in May in Phoenix.

STUDENT SPOTLIGHT: Brendan Crotty Brendan Crotty has received recognition for his studies and projects in the science and engineering field.

BY LINDSEY BARK Reporter MUSKOGEE – Cherokee Nation citizen Brendan Crotty has studied, in various forms, metalworking since he was 11 years old, and has since received recognition for his studies and projects. He is home schooled and will be a senior this fall.

In May, he traveled to Phoenix to compete in the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair, where he won second place in the Engineering Mechanics division out of 98 students. Overall, more than 1,800 students from 82 countries entered the fair.

Crotty’s entry was a natural gas burner designed to lower emissions of oxides in nitrogen in high-temperature industrial applications.

Earlier in the spring, he won top honors at regional and state science fairs with his project in addition to receiving awards from the Yale Science & Engineering Association, Ricoh Sustainable Development, the U.S. Metric Association and the Oklahoma Science Teachers Association.

In April, he attended the Junior Science and Humanities Symposium in Albuquerque, New Mexico, where he placed second with his project and was named a Presidential Scholar Semifinalist.

“I actually started science and engineering through metalworking when I was about 11

years old. I started doing blacksmithing and welding when I was 11, and it slowly evolved into other types of metalworking, and then from there I moved into the science fair and toward engineering,” he said.

Crotty said being home-schooled has given him the opportunity to further his studies.

“I will say that has definitely attributed to everything I’ve done with science fair, definitely more freedom to learn other things and have time to do experimentation and science projects and things like that,” he said.

Crotty said his interest lies in metallurgical engineering, which is the study of metal in terms of manufacturing, processing, foundries, steel mills, designing engine components for automotive companies and all other aspects.

This summer he is interning for the American Foundry Group in Muskogee where he is working on a research project for the Steel Founder’s Society of America.

“The project focuses on developing a database to increase the accuracy of strength and property predictions within steel castings such that parts can be designed with a higher level of confidence,” he said.

Crotty is looking to attend college upon graduating, possibly at the Missouri University of Science and Technology, where he can study metallurgical engineering or obtain a material science degree.

NSU partners to host cultural, historical preservation event

BY STAFF REPORTS TAHLEQUAH – Individuals can reconnect with Green Country’s rich heritage during a special preservation and restoration event Sept. 27-28 at Northeastern State University.

Held in conjunction with NSU’s homecoming celebration, the two-day event, which runs from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on the Tahlequah campus, will feature digital preservation and oral history stations, as well as presentations and workshops – all showcasing the region’s top resources for preserving, restoring and sharing historical artifacts. The event is free and open to the public.

“Paving the Way: Green Country’s Cultural & Historical Preservation Initiative 2019” is a combined effort with state, tribal and regional entities made possible by a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities.

Brenda Bradford, head of NSU Special Collections and Archives, said she’s eager to see the interesting history that could walk through her door during the event and is equally excited to capture it with the addition of much-needed, grant-funded archival equipment.

“I am hoping to generate excitement in our local history through our fantastic speakers,” Bradford said. “I want guests to walk away with digital copies of their material, an understanding on how to preserve their family history, and how to help safeguard and protect it. This is a great way to connect with community, share a variety of services available in our area and work towards future collaborative efforts.”

Guest speakers will cover topics such as local, NSU/Seminary and Cherokee history, preservation methods for family artifacts, as well as provide hands-on basic emergency care

training for material in case of a manmade or natural disaster.

Individuals are invited to bring up to 10 historical artifacts – photographs, documents, letters, heirlooms and treasured memorabilia – for members of the NSU Archives team and Oklahoma Department of Libraries to scan/digitize at their preservation stations.

Participants will be given a free flash drive loaded with their digitized items and the opportunity to share their respective and applicable history in forthcoming physical and digitally accessible collections that result from the effort.

Historical images, artifacts and documents related to Tahlequah and the surrounding Green Country communities, NSU, Seminary Hall and Native American-related items are of particular interest for the initiative, Bradford said.

An oral history station will also be onsite to capture stories passed down through generations or lived firsthand.

Initiative partners include the Cherokee Heritage Center, NSU Center of Tribal Studies, NSU Native American Support Center, Hunter’s Home, Cherokee Nation Tourism & Community Relations, Five Tribes Museum, United Keetoowah Band John Hair Cultural Center & Museum, Museum of Native American History – Arkansas and Osage Culture Center, Oklahoma Department of Libraries, Tahlequah Chapter – Daughters of the Revolutionary War, NSU Alumni Center, Oklahoma Historical Society, NSU University Relations, Tahlequah Genealogy Society, Cane Hill Museum – Arkansas, War Memorial Park and Tahlequah Chamber of Commerce.

For more information, call 918-444-3220.

Sequoyah High School educators are searching for replacements for band, math and robotics.

BY CHAD HUNTER Reporter

TAHLEQUAH – As the upcoming academic year approaches, Sequoyah High School officials are searching for band, math and robotics instructors to replace new hires who backed out, Superintendent Leroy Qualls said.

“We’ve had some teacher openings, and (Principal Jolyn Choate) just informed me we had some people back out on us that we thought we had,” Qualls told Tribal Councilors during the July 15 Education Committee meeting. “So we’re faced with the dilemma of advertising one more time and then biting the bullet after that, probably when school starts.”

Qualls said a difference in retirement systems potentially played a part in the loss.

“I speculate teacher retirement having a different system than we have, and there’s a reluctance to switch over,” he said.

“That’s understandable with career teachers. We’ve got an attractive school. It’s just with career decisions like that, it’s hard to lure people to come in and to teach for us.”

Teachers report back to school Aug. 5, followed by students on Aug. 7. Qualls said this year’s enrollment of approximately 385 students includes 102 freshmen.

ACT scores Choate told the committee that ACT scores have seen “increases and gains” between 2005 and 2018.

“The average (in 2005) was a 15,” she said. “The reason why I think that is interesting is because our composite score for 2018 was a 19.1.”

She added that in 2005, in general, only students who planned on attending college took the ACT. “Now, everyone is taking the ACT,” she said. “We’re just two-tenths of a point behind the state average of 19.3. We’re a little bit further behind as far as the nation is concerned. The national average is 20.8. So we have some things to strive for.

I have no doubt we’ll beat the state and hopefully we’ll get up there closer as far as the nation’s average is concerned.”

New assistant coach Qualls announced that Jeff Turtle has been named the new assistant girls’ basketball coach. “(Turtle) came over from the boys’ side,” Qualls said. “Now, as of today, we’re going to advertise for an assistant boys’ and assistant baseball, which we need to get filled.”

GED graduation Career Services Executive Director Diane Kelley reported that the graduation for GED students on Sept. 19 will take place at the ballroom inside the new Cherokee Casino Tahlequah, rather than at Northeastern State University as in the past.

CNF discusses 2018-19 academic year

BY LINDSEY BARK Reporter

TAHLEQUAH – At its June 25 board meeting, the Cherokee Nation Foundation discussed its programs for the 2018-2019 school year and the number of schools and students served by its programs.

• The Princeton Review, a six-week intensive, 18-hour course that consisted of interactive instruction with a certified Princeton Review instructor was held in the fall and spring in Sallisaw, Fort Gibson and Tahlequah, serving 90 students.

• “Testing with Success,” Oklahoma’s premier testing specialist, provided teachers and students with tools needed to achieve higher test scores. For 2018-2019, CNF administered the program to 23 schools and served 2,760 students.

• The MasteryPrep ACT Boot Camp served 100 students across the 14-county jurisdiction to help them prepare for the December 2018 and April 2019 ACT tests. A one-day camp was led by the MasteryPrep organization that provided essential test-taking strategies and skills. Instructors guided students through content strategies for all four-subject areas on the ACT and administered mini-tests to help them identify their strengths and weaknesses.

• The Cherokee Junior Achievement program served 5,716 students by teaching and promoting financial literacy concepts and skills students will take with them as they enter college and the work force. The program follows the traditional Junior Achievement course curriculum and is taught by Cherokee Nation Businesses and local community volunteers.

• Testing Strategies, a two-hour workshop provided by CNF in partnership with American Indian Resource Center, served fifth through eighth grade students in 41 school districts preparing them for their end-of-year exams.

• Other programs administered by CNF throughout the year for elementary and middle school students included Junior Achievement Biztown, It’s My Future, It’s My Business, and Economics for Success. High school programs included Junior Achievement Finance Park, Junior Achievement Personal Finance, and Junior Achievement Investor’s Challenge.

• CNF awarded a total of $233,250 in scholarships to 40 high school graduates and 61 current university students for the 2018-2019 academic year.

• CNF hosted the Cherokee College Prep Institute July 14-19 at Northeastern State University in Tahlequah. The weeklong camp connects students with admissions counselors from across the country to help prepare and complete college applications, find scholarship opportunities and explore schools of interest. CCPI is offered at no cost to CN citizens who are preparing for their junior and senior year of high school. All lodging, meals and testing expenses are provided for by CNF, CNB and NSU.

ᎦᎶᏂ 1, 2019 • ᏣᎳᎩ ᏧᎴᎯᏌᏅᎯ

Services • ᎾᎾᏛᏁᎲ

AUGUST 1, 2019 • CHEROKEE PHOENIX

9

Environmental Programs tests for mold in HACN homes

College Housing Assistance Program applications available

TAHLEQUAH – The Cherokee Nation’s Environmental Programs offers mold testing for Housing Authority of Cherokee Nation homes that are suspected of having the fungus growing inside them and could be affecting air quality.

Ashley Wagnon, Environmental Programs manager, said the department has been sampling homes for 10 years, but the service is not publically offered. The service is available upon request for HACN participants and is dependent on funding.

“It’s just usually for Housing Authority (of the Cherokee Nation) or if a participant just calls us out of the blue and says ‘my house has a leak, and I’ve been sick and I want to know what’s going on,’” she said.

According to americanairandwater.com, mold and mold spores adversely affect indoor air quality. “In low levels, molds and mold spores are generally harmless, but if their levels increase they can affect people, especially people with allergies, asthma and respiratory conditions or suppressed immune systems,” the website states.

Wagnon said mold can develop when a house receives too much moisture from a water source.

“It has to have something to grow on and has to have water to activate it. It can be from flooding, plumbing leaks, roof leaks, just anything that brings water into the house,” she said.

The process of mold testing involves checking for types of

TAHLEQUAH – The Housing Authority of the Cherokee Nation will accept College Housing Assistance Program applications for the fall 2019 semester until Aug. 9.

The CHAP is a Native American Housing Assistance and SelfDetermination Act-funded program designed to help low-income Native American students secure safe and affordable housing while seeking a first-time bachelor’s degree. Program participants must also maintain full-time student status at accredited institutes of higher education.

Applicants must be citizens of a federally recognized tribe and be residents in the CN jurisdiction.

They must also meet NAHASDA income guidelines as well as other requirements according to the CHAP. Priority will be given to CN citizens and students who were served the previous semester.

Applications are available at www.hacn.org or any HACN office.

BY LINDSEY BARK Reporter

COURTESY PHOTOS LEFT: Nick Clark, environmental specialist, demonstrates how part of a mold test is conducted with a moisture meter measurement against a wall. Mold tests, conducted by Cherokee Nation Environmental Programs, takes measurements of a home’s temperature, relative humidity and air samples to determine if a home contains mold. RIGHT: An example of what mold looks like when growing in a home as it begins protruding through the walls. environmental levels inside the home.

“After some questions on the phone, we do a visual, take some parameters like temperature, relative humidity, carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, and then get a little history if the homeowners had leaks in the past and things like that. We have an air pump that pulls in the air for five minutes per sample, and we take that to lab for analysis.

There’s always going to be some spores because it’s always naturally occurring, so we have to take an outside sample to compare,” Wagnon said.

She said for Environmental

Programs to test a HACN participant’s home, the homeowner should suspect a water leak somewhere in the house.

“We really try to discourage us coming out, like if you have mold (visually) growing on the wall. We can come out and try to locate the source of water, but all the mold testing does is confirm that you have mold or you don’t. So if you have it growing, you know you have it, just the moisture needs to be taken care of,” she said.

When mold is detected, homeowners can check with the HACN to see if there are any services they qualify for

to fix the problem or it is up to homeowners to take care of it themselves. Wagnon said a report is provided with recommendations to the homeowner.

“When we go out we’re just looking at indoor air quality as a whole, not just mold. So if there’s carbon monoxide levels detected we’ll try to find that source and just a safety check mainly,” she said.

As of July 22, Environmental Programs has test approximately 35 homes.

For more information, email ashley-wagnon@cherokee.org or call 918-453-5009.

CN notified of support for family aid program

BY CHAD HUNTER Reporter

COURTESY The Cherokee Nation updated its website on July 1 for the first time in more than eight years.

Cherokee Nation revamps its website

The tribe’s website, cherokee.org, has a new look to accompany content changes.

BY CHAD HUNTER Reporter

TAHLEQUAH – On July 1, the Cherokee Nation launched a revamped website with updated content, departmental contacts and “cleaner navigation so that our tribal citizens can find the services they need more quickly,” according to the principal chief.

“A more sophisticated website has been our vision for some time now,” Principal Chief Bill John Baker stated in a release following the launch, “along with the goal of making it easier for visitors to find the information that is important to them.”

The site, cherokee.org, has a new look to accompany the content changes.

“Outdated information has been removed,” Baker said.

“Program content has been reviewed, augmented and, in many cases, completely rewritten. With continued input from each department, the site’s new management system will give Cherokee Nation the ability to keep the site’s information fresh and relevant.”

At the top of the main page is a section called “Find Your Way” with links for language, citizenship, vehicle tags and health care. There are

drop-down menus for tribal services, basics about the CN government, employment opportunities and links for visitors.

Toward the bottom of the page is a section called “What’s Happening” that will change regularly, according to the CN. There are also now direct links to the CN’s television show, “Osiyo, Voices of the Cherokee People;” radio show, “Cherokee Voices, Cherokee Sounds;” and the Anadisgoi newsroom.

“The new cherokee.org has also been optimized for viewing across your mobile devices, since we know many of our citizens now use smart phones and tablets to access the web,” Baker stated. “By transitioning our website to a more responsive, mobile-friendly platform, we expect it to grow as an online community, as tribal citizens and others come to rely on it for receiving information.”

Department photos, additional historical and cultural information, a map of the CN juridiction and other key items will be added soon, Baker said.

“As always, there’s going to be room for improvement,” he noted. “We know that, and we appreciate all feedback from tribal citizens.”

“A more sophisticated website has been our vision for some time now.”

Principal Chief Bill John Baker

cherokeephoenix.org

TAHLEQUAH – The Cherokee Nation will receive nearly $6 million to develop a financialassistance program aimed at helping needy families become self-sufficient, a Career Services official said.

Earlier this year, the CN submitted its Tribal Temporary Assistance to Needy Families plan, also known as a TANF, to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, which provides states and tribes with funding to financially assist needy families that qualify.

Career Services Executive Director Diane Kelley said an official letter telling the tribe that it was getting “$5.99 million in TANF” was received.

“We’re rolling it out in October,” she told Tribal Councilors on July 15 during a committee meeting. “We did all of the due diligence required of the federal government as well as the state. We’re really looking forward to it.”

The state government has been administering TANF assistance to eligible Oklahoma citizens, including tribal citizens. Under the CN program, Career Services will be in charge.

“The emphasis of TANF has shifted to assisting needy families obtain gainful employment, leading to self-sufficiency,” legislation approving the program states. “Career Services has both the expertise and experience to develop and operate a high quality, successful TANF program.”

The Career Services office worked with the federal government and Muscogee (Creek) Nation, which administers a TANF plan for its citizens.

Cherokee Elder Care enrollment at all-time high The Cherokee Elder Care program has 180 participants, an all-time high, it was reported during the July 15 Health Committee meeting.

“We are a full-blown clinic,” Cherokee Elder Care CFO Thelma Pittman said.

Cherokee Elder Care is considered a community Program of All-inclusive Care for the Elderly, or PACE. “It’s a program that has been within the federal registry for almost 30 years now,” Pittman said. “We are an agency of the CN within the executive branch, but we exist on federal dollars.”

The federal PACE is designed to keep elders living in their homes, connected with their

communities and out of nursing home facilities, according to the CN. “The PACE center combines the services of an adult day health center, primary care office and rehabilitation facility into a single location,” the tribe’s website states. “Services include but are not limited to primary care, rehabilitation, prescription medication, meals/nutritional counseling, respite services, caregiver training, home health and transportation.”

Enrollment in elder care dipped to an all-time low of 139 in May 2018, according to Pittman’s report. Elder care saw a financial drop of $123,858 in March, bringing the six-month loss to $449,158, the report stated.

“Our population is aging and frail,” she wrote. “Hospital and skilled stays are common, but this fiscal year (Cherokee Elder Care) has experienced a larger number of the population in need of acute care.”

CN awarded housing rehab grant The CN received an Indian Community Development Block Grant award for housing rehabilitation, Gary Cooper, Housing Authority of the Cherokee Nation executive director, said.

“It’s right around a million bucks that will be used to provide rehab to elderly families,” he said during the July 15 Community Services Committee meeting.

“So we will be able to fully rehab somewhere in the neighborhood of 35 elderly families’ homes.”

It was also reported that the federal housing agency approved expansion of the tribe’s Section 184 program into Crawford, Washington, Benton and Sebastian counties in Arkansas.

“Last week, we got approval from (the U.S. Department of Housing & Urban Development),” Cooper said. “Those four counties are now eligible for the Section 184 loan program.”

Commerce Director Anna Knight said the tribe was denied when it previously asked to expand into the entire state. “So we took a different approach and went after specific counties where most of the Cherokees were,” she said.

According to HUD, the Section 184 program was designed to provide access to mortgage financing to Native American and Alaskan Native tribal citizens. The loans are guaranteed 100 percent by the Office of Loan Guarantee within HUD’s Office of Native American Programs.

CN One Fire Victims Services adds Equine Therapy BRIGGS – Twin Pines Ranch has been selected by Cherokee Nation One Fire Victims Services to conduct Equine Therapy Classes for their clients.

The classes are funded through federal Victims of Crimes Act funds. The act is a federal law that provides funds in support of services and activities that assist victims of crime. Equine therapy classes are normally held in the spring and summer months when weather conditions are more suited for riding.

One Fire cultural advocate Michelle King said that by grooming and riding therapy horses, victims of domestic violence make a connection with the animals, which builds leadership, control and gives them back their self-esteem. For more information, call 918-772-4260.

Disaster flooding aid approved for 41 Oklahoma counties OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) – Gov. Kevin Stitt says the Federal Emergency Management Agency has approved disaster assistance for 41 Oklahoma counties as a result of spring flooding and severe weather in the state.

The storms produced historic flooding throughout the northern half of the state.

Stitt said it makes federal funding available for cities, counties, rural electric cooperatives and the state to repair infrastructure and other costs associated with the storm response.

The counties approved for assistance extend from west to east across the northern half of Oklahoma and Stitt said assistance was also approved for individuals and business owners in 27 of the counties.

Families of missing indigenous women march in Oklahoma CONCHO (AP) – Families and friends of missing or slain American Indian women and girls are again calling for justice for their loved ones.

About 200 people gathered recently near the headquarters of the Cheyenne & Arapaho Tribes in Concho. Many wore red and marched, holding signs with pictures of women on them.

Similar demonstrations have taken place in other states amid growing concern that police nationwide are not adequately identifying or reporting cases of missing and murdered Native American and Alaska Native women and girls. Those demographic groups have some of the nation’s highest rates of sexual and domestic violence.

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CHEROKEE PHOENIX • AUGUST 1, 2019

Money • ᎠᏕᎳ

ᏣᎳᎩ ᏧᎴᎯᏌᏅᎯ • ᎦᎶᏂ 1, 2019

COURTESY PHOTOS BY LISA SNELL LEFT: Cherokee Nation citizen Nathan Hicks uses a crow bar to pry off a countertop at a home he and his father are flipping in Wagoner, Oklahoma. RIGHT: Cherokee Nation citizen Harold Hicks paints a wall on the inside of a house he and his son, Nathan, are flipping in Wagoner.

Cherokee father, son flip houses

BY LINDSEY BARK Reporter

BROKEN ARROW – For the past 12 years, Cherokee Nation citizen Harold Hicks and his son, Nathan, have taken on flipping houses part-time, which means buying property at a low cost, renovating it and making it move-in ready for buyers for profit.

Despite what’s seen on television shows about house flipping, Hicks said there is more to flipping homes.

“You’re buying a house in order to maybe do some repairs a little bit then sell it and make a profit. Be prepared to do the work. It’s not a regular job. It’s not something you can go and do when you feel like it. Time is money. I think understanding the market, understanding the neighborhood and what the houses will bring, choosing colors that will appeal to people.

You can’t just go in and paint up to your own taste,” Hicks said.

He said he started helping his son, who initially started flipping homes. He helped with the business side while Nathan handled construction and repairs. But after retiring three years ago, he was able to help out more. Now, he said, they flip two to three homes a year.

“The house flipping, it takes a lot more capital investment money to really do it full time. In our situation it’s more of a part-time business, I guess,” he said.

Hicks said to flip a house, he and Nathan look for homes that are available in sheriff auctions, which are foreclosed homes sold at cheaper prices. They inspect the homes to see what types of repairs are needed.

“Usually there’s a lot of cleaning. They’re almost always very dirty, a lot of cleaning, trash and just old stuff laying around. We get to the cleaning, there’s painting because the houses were dirty and they haven’t been kept up very well, and fresh paint really does a lot to make a house look good,” he said.

Aside from cleaning and painting, other repairs

might include new carpet, trim, tiling and appliances.

Hicks said they also look for newer homes that don’t need as much cleaning and repairing because as costs add up they could lose more money than they can make.

“You spend on things that give you the best return.

The whole point is you want to make some money. We do a lot of the work ourselves as far the cleaning and painting. We try to get the little bit newer homes, those may be 10 to 15 years old or newer. Sometimes we get some that are only five or six years old. So we try to get the newer ones just because they’re less trouble with plumbing or electrical issues. Normally ours are just in regular neighborhoods – three bedroom, two bath – because those sell better,” Hicks said.

He said they mostly look at standard floor plans – no custom builds or add-ons – outside brick walls and ensure the neighboring homes look in good shape with well-kept yards because a buyer will likely consider those factors.

“We want something that has a broader appeal. We look at houses that are going to sell $100,000 to $150,000, somewhere in that range. If you go too high it takes longer for them to sell,” he said.

First- or second-time homebuyers are their usual customers, he added.

“We’ll generally start on our own with finding the buyers, maybe run a few ads of a house for sale to see if we get anything that way. If we don’t get a good response pretty quick then we’ll go ahead and contact a realtor and get a house listed just so you have a lot more exposure. You want it to sell quick. You can check the market for a particular area, how long is the average time for houses to sell,” Hicks said.

He said they’ve bought and sold homes in the Broken Arrow, Coweta, Tulsa, Claremore and Wagoner areas.

“It can be a lot of fun. There is a reward in getting the house that’s run down and bad looking and fixing it up, turning it into a really nice-looking place and selling it to someone who’s excited about buying a house,” Hicks said.

Cherokee Naiton citizens Nathan Hicks, left, and Harold Hicks, right, work on a house they are flipping in Wagoner.

Sports, horse betting bill for Cherokees gets final approval

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) – North Carolina’s only federally recognized American Indian tribe could soon offer sports and horse wagering to patrons at its two casinos.

The General Assembly on July 15 gave final approval to a measure that would give the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians the authority to offer the additional types of betting. The House voted 90-27 for the measure that had already cleared the Senate three months ago.

The bill now goes to Gov. Roy Cooper’s desk. Cooper spokesman Ford Porter said the governor will review the bill before making a decision on whether to sign it into law.

The sports-book option took shape after the U.S. Supreme Court struck down a federal law that made most sports gambling illegal last year. State law already lets the Eastern Band offer live poker, slot machines and videostyle games.

EBCI Principal Chief Richard Sneed said in an interview July 15 that the new options would provide more amenities at the tribe’s Harrah casinos in Murphy and Cherokee, but downplayed them as big money-makers.

Sneed said the tribe projects an additional $14 million annually by offering sports and off-track horse betting,

of which $1 million annually would go to state coffers. State government already receives regular funds from Eastern Band gambling operations.

“People are excited about it, (especially) for a lot of folks that haven’t done sports betting besides office pools,” Sneed said. “We’re just excited to be able to offer it” if it becomes law, he added.

Rep. Kevin Corbin of Macon County, who was shepherding the bill, told colleagues on the House floor the measure wouldn’t expand geographically where tribal gambling could occur.

Although conservative Christians warned lawmakers in committee about

the societal dangers of more gambling, nobody spoke out against the measure.

EBCI citizens benefit from casinorelated jobs and payments of about $12,000 annually for its share of gambling income. The Eastern Band is also one of the state’s top political contributors.

A separate measure now before the Senate to create a state gambling commission would direct the proposed panel to study the feasibility of authorizing sports betting and steeplechases in the state. Sneed said he’s excited about the study proposal, given that the tribe has been involved in casino gambling for more than 20 years.

People • ᏴᏫ

ᎦᎶᏂ 1, 2019 • ᏣᎳᎩ ᏧᎴᎯᏌᏅᎯ

AUGUST 1, 2019 • CHEROKEE PHOENIX

11

LANGUAGE LESSON REPORTER

diganotsalisgi

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TO SPONSOR A LANGAUGE LESSON, CALL 918-207-3828 OR EMAIL samantha-cochran@cherokee.org

Young Cherokee learns to grow food as pastime

HEMET, Calif. – Cherokee Nation citizen Michael Stopp, of Tahlequah, Oklahoma, was one of five Oklahoma high school sports officials chosen by the 7G Foundation to officiate the second annual Indigenous Bowl held June 29 at the Soboba Band of Luiseno Indians Reservation.

The Indigenous Bowl is an opportunity for about 40 graduated Native American high school seniors from across the nation to play in an All-Star game in front of college recruiters.

“The opportunity to highlight Native American athletic talent is something that is greatly needed in this country,” said Stopp, who serves as chief of staff for U.S. Rep. Markwayne Mullin, who is also a CN citizen. “Often students on reservations or in the most rural areas are overlooked by college recruiters. I am excited and honored to be a part of the 7G mission.”

BY LINDSEY BARK Reporter COLCORD – Cherokee Nation citizen Zachary Beck is only 7 years old, but his interest in gardening during the past year has taught him more about plants, responsibility and getting out of his comfort zone.

“This has made him more adventurous in trying new things, too. He doesn’t always like it, but he does try it,” KaSandra Beck, CN citizen and Zachary’s mother, said.

Zachary took an interest in gardening a year ago, learning from his “Papa” Arthur Speer. He said his favorite thing to do while gardening is “digging up grass” and being able to pick vegetables when they become ripe.

“It’s actually my grandpa, and he’s done gardens for years. Then (Zachary) started getting into it and I said, ‘well, we want to garden.’ And he just took it and ran with it. I was the one that wanted to garden,” KaSandra said. “It wasn’t anything we pushed on him. He just took it and ran with it. And my grandpa, he just loves it. He’s in his 70s.

He has a pretty big garden, and he loves it that Zachary likes to come out here with him.”

She said her grandfather said if there are any questions to refer to Zachary because of the knowledge he’s obtained in the past year. For example, he’s learned the difference between cantaloupe and watermelon leaves.

“The cantaloupe is furry, and

LINDSEY BARK/CHEROKEE PHOENIX Cherokee Nation citizen Zachary Beck picks ripened bell peppers from his garden at his home near Colcord. the watermelon is slick when it gets rained on, but it’s just hard when it’s just dry,” Zachary said. “We planted tomatoes, cantaloupe and watermelon.

There’s banana pepper plants, bell peppers and carrots.”

He is also growing corn, green beans, sunflowers, cabbage and a cotton plant.

KaSandra said she and Zachary have learned several do’s and don’ts while gardening.

She said one day she went to pull up what she initially thought was a weed and Zachary was quick to correct her when she pulled up a radish. “He knows more about it than I do.”

They have also learned what types of plants can or cannot grow in the same garden. For example, they attempted to plant squash and watermelon in 2019, but it didn’t work out.

He said watermelons did not

grow very well this past year because of the squash that was also planted, that the roots may have intertwined as they grew.

Zachary said his next gardening venture is to learn how to grow strawberries and possibly avocados.

“I think it’s great. I think it’s a learning experience and it’s teaching him responsibility.

He just enjoys being out here,” KaSandra said.

Byrd pitches way into world horseshoe tourney

BY CHAD HUNTER Reporter

CHERRY TREE – A lifelong horseshoe pitcher from Adair County says he’s ready to debut on the world stage against the best his sport has to offer.

Cherokee Nation citizen Dione Byrd, of Cherry Tree, qualified this year for the World Horseshoe Tournament, which was slated for July 22 to Aug. 3 in Wichita Falls, Texas.

“As a full-blood Cherokee, I’m really excited representing Adair County in this tournament,” Byrd said. “It took a lot of work to get to this horseshoe tournament.

I believe in myself. I believe that I’ll bring something back.”

Born in the Sally Bull Hollow community, Byrd, 56, is a fluent Cherokee speaker who “was always into playing horseshoes.”

But despite taking part in horseshoe-pitching events during the years, Byrd never made the leap into world-class competition.

“This is my big step,” he said.

“I’m really happy. I’m going to do what I can do. Win or lose I’m still going to be happy coming home because I went to the world horseshoe tournament.”

Byrd was slated to compete in 15 games during the two-week competition, which is organized by the National Horseshoe Pitchers Association. Players

Stopp refs 2nd annual Indigenous Bowl

CHAD HUNTER/CHEROKEE PHOENIX Cherokee Nation citizen Dione Byrd takes aim at a horseshoe stake July 10 during one of his frequent practice sessions in the Cherry Tree community. battle in one of eight divisions and 70-plus classes that match athletes of similar skill, age and gender.

“I know my percentage is 33.72, but when I get there, I’m going to put my percentage up,” Byrd said. “I want to move up. I don’t want to stay in that same class.”

Byrd was placed in what the NHPA calls the E2 Division based on his performance in seasonal events. He competed in four sanctioned tournaments that averaged the players’ top three number of “ringers,” which describes the horseshoe completely surrounding the stake.

“I want to get to that top 10,” he

said. “That’s where I want to be.”

Byrd’s wife, Ramona, said Cherokees who play horseshoes with her husband “joke around and stuff, but they’re all real gentlemanly. They always shake hands before they play and all shake hands after they play. They don’t talk smack and nobody applauds or says ‘way to go.’”

Byrd said win or lose, he has a smile for every opponent.

“I can come back and win again,” he said. “I see a lot of people around here I play with when they get beat, you can see by their looks they didn’t like that.”

For Byrd, the change in

competition this season also comes with a change to the game’s horseshoe pits, which are spaced 40 feet apart. Rather than pitching toward familiar dirt pits, he will be faced with clay pits like those at a recent tournament in Fayetteville, Arkansas.

“I kind of was nervous and I didn’t do hardly good,” he said. “I was used to playing in dirt where you can slide them. In clay, when you throw it, it’s going to stick there. I told myself I’ve just got to focus on that pole.”

Byrd will be pitching horseshoes alongside seasoned competitors such as United Keetoowah Band citizen Gary Bearpaw, currently ranked third in the world. Bearpaw placed second overall the past two years.

As of July 10, between 950 to 1000 competitors were entered into the world championships.

Oklahoma had the fourth-highest number of competitors with 50plus. With more than 100, Texas lead the pack.

Other Native players from Oklahoma scheduled to compete were Michael Cummings (men’s), Mathew Cummings (men’s), Mitchel Smith (men’s), David Mallory (senior), Logan Ross (junior) and brothers Cale and Lane Matlock (junior).

For more information or results from the world event, visit horseshoepitching.com.

Cherokee angler makes Bassmaster All-State Team BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – Cherokee Nation citizen Dakota Page, of Catoosa, Oklahoma, made the 2019 Bassmaster High School AllState Fishing Team for Oklahoma and is a finalist for Bassmaster High School All-American Team.

The 16-year-old is a junior at Sequoyah-Claremore High School.

Sixty-two high school anglers from across the country were named to their respective allstate fishing teams presented

by Academy Sports + Outdoors.

They were selected based on their success in bass tournament competition, academic achievement and leadership in conservation and community service.

“It is an honor to be recognized

by Bassmaster as a member of the 2019 Oklahoma All-State Team. I absolutely love to fish and I thank my teammate, Bryce Blue, for getting me into tournament fishing.

We finished fourth in the FLW State Championship on Lake Eufaula in my very first tournament two years ago,” Page said.

Cherokee author spins tale of grandsons CLAREMORE – A Cherokee Nation citizen with “a wild imagination” has penned the first of what she hopes will be a series of children’s books featuring her grandsons.

Julia Hash, a former Illinois educator now living in Claremore, wrote “The Adventures of Carson and Haiden: The Nighttime Noise,” a 24-page work recently published

by Covenant Books.

Hash’s grandsons – cousins Haiden, 7, and Carson, 8 – are the series’ protagonists. The first story takes place in Dalton, Minnesota.

“I think it’s great,” Haiden Hash said of his grandmother’s tale, adding that he hopes a follow-up book will take place in Illinois, where he once lived.

– CHAD HUNTER

12

CHEROKEE PHOENIX • AUGUST 1, 2019

Culture • ᎢᏳᎾᏛᏁᎵᏓᏍᏗ

ᏣᎳᎩ ᏧᎴᎯᏌᏅᎯ • ᎦᎶᏂ 1, 2019

CHC atrium exhibit would focus on modern Cherokees The display would be a partnership between the Cherokee Heritage Center and participating Cherokee communities.

BY D. SEAN ROWLEY Senior Reporter TAHLEQUAH – Throughout the decades, the Cherokee Heritage Center’s atrium has been home to many displays and exhibits that have put the spotlight on facets of Cherokee culture.

CHC Director Dr. Charles Gourd now has plans to use some of the space for a permanent feature focusing on modern Cherokee life, and has the flexibility to incorporate information as it arises.

“The idea here at the CHC is to promote Cherokee history and culture, and I think when some people visit, they leave here thinking every Cherokee is just like that,” Gourd said.

“I wanted to ensure something that allowed a partnership with the CHC and the (Cherokee) Nation, where we talked about the past, but we wanted to also do something contemporary and offer Cherokees an opportunity to highlight their communities.”

The CN Community & Cultural Outreach employs a “sister community” effort to connect atlarge Cherokee populations with the tribe, and allows the exchange of ideas and resources, and Gourd wants that concept employed in the atrium display.

“We can have these local and sister communities show how Cherokees live and what they do,” he said. “Our hope is that we will have a way to show contemporary, or present, and future Cherokee culture.”

Some CHC visitors are probably familiar with the atrium. It is where they enter, and it often hosts art shows and receptions. The modern culture exhibit would not require construction, and the atrium would continue to host events and other displays.

Gourd said the display could include a large map showing each participating community – designated with a stick pin.

“The idea for that came from the Trail of Tears Association years ago,” Gourd said. “The National Park Service designated three Trail of Tears routes, and in those states, each Trail chapter is designating spots where there were camps, or where rivers were crossed. Our display would show the communities, how many Cherokees live there, and might discuss their schools or athletic programs.”

Traditional art and culture would also be important.

Gourd said most Cherokee National Treasures live in small communities. Their work could be featured, as could those of other Native artists within those towns. They could tell about their communities through art demonstrations and impressions, he said.

“The purpose of the CCO is economic development and enterprise, and a lot of local artists are having a problem marketing their works,” Gourd said. “We want to establish partnerships with these communities to let them know what we are doing here and how they can get involved and teach people about the communities and their cultures.”

Speaking in mid-July, Gourd said the CHC’s short-term focus was the Cherokee National Holiday. However, he said a few communities had already inquired about participating in the display.

“They asked what I had in mind for the story, and I told them this is their story, and we’re just providing the space for them to tell their story,” Gourd said. “We hope to have this going, hopefully, by late September or early October.

Some communities are ready to do this right now, but we should have the first ones in during the fall.”

Gourd said the preservation of traditional tribal culture, language and history is essential, but Cherokees around

ROGER GRAHAM/CHEROKEE PHOENIX Cherokee Heritage Center Curator Callie Chunestudy assists artists participating in a screen printing held July 29, 2017, in the CHC atrium in Park Hill. CHC Director Dr. Charles Gourd plans to use some of the atrium space for a permanent feature focusing on modern Cherokee life.

“Our minds are not locked in the 19th century. We are a vibrant culture doing things in the world today.”

Dr. Charles Gourd, Cherokee Heritage Center director

the country also have important stories to tell about what they do today.

“These partnerships are about getting more Cherokees involved in telling their stories, and we want as many as possible to take part in telling their stories together,” Gourd said. “They are the present, and their children are the future.

We don’t want Cherokee history to become something that is all about the past. Our minds are not locked in the 19th century.

We are a vibrant culture doing things in the world today.”

COURTESY The Cherokee Heritage Center’s atrium is often used for receptions and exhibits, such as this display of screen prints. CHC officials hope to incorporate a permanent display of modern Cherokee culture, as told by communities participating in the “sister communities” program of the Cherokee Nation’s Community & Cultural Outreach.