High school student fights for right to wear Native regalia and an eagle feather during commencement - Cheyenne & Arapaho Tribes

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High school student fights for right to wear Native regalia and an eagle feather during commencement - Cheyenne & Arapaho Tribes
Follow us on Twitter #CATribalTribune                        www.CheyenneAndArapahoTribes.org                                      May 15, 2019 -Vol. 15, Issue 10

High school student fights for right to
wear Native regalia and an eagle feather
during commencement
                                            Latoya Lonelodge Staff Reporter      items that hold significance within their
                                                                                 individual cultures. To uphold tradition
                                         With success comes a great deal of      that has been passed down from gener-
                                     pride and honor as many students are        ation to generation, one Native student,
                                     anticipating and counting down the          Tvli Birdshead is actively fighting for
                                     days until their high school graduation.    his right to wear an eagle feather, bead-
                                     Completing a milestone such as high         ed cap, and an honor cord that was pre-
                                     school is an accomplishment for stu-        sented to him by his tribe, the Chicka-
                                     dents, a success story of its own, and      saw Nation.
                                     one of the last memories they will have        Birdshead, 18, is a senior at Latta
                                     parting ways into the next chapter of       High School in Ada, Okla. Birdshead is
                                     their lives.                                actively involved in the Native Ameri-
                                         While students look forward to the      can student life at school with clubs and
                                     big day in excitement, others are facing    maintains his grades as a National Hon-
                                     challenges of their own in their fight to   or Society student, and he takes great
                                     freely express themselves culturally as     pride in his heritage.
                                     some Oklahoma schools continue to              Birdshead said that when he went
                                     deny Native American students the right     to his principal at Latta High School
                                     wear regalia and eagle feathers during      to request permission to wear his eagle
                  Courtesy photos
                                     graduation ceremonies. With Oklaho-         feather, beaded cap and cord, he was
   Tvli Birdshead, 18, fights        ma being home to 39 Native American         told no.
for his right to wear an eagle       tribes, it leaves some baffled by these        “I kind of already anticipated what
feather and regalia for his up-      school decisions banning the wearing of     Latta would say, they said no initially,
coming graduation ceremony           regalia, beaded caps or eagle feathers.     because you hear these stories every
at Latta High School in Ada,             For centuries, Native Americans         year and I had anticipated their answer.
Okla. Pictured with Tvli is his      have praised the sacredness of specific     It wasn’t that big of a shock to me but
mother, Taloa Birdshead.
                                                                                                   BIRDSHEAD / pg. 8

Breaking ground on economic prosperity

    The new Watonga Lucky Star Casino Hotel &
    Convention Center slated to open in 2020
                         Rosemary Stephens, Editor-in-Chief       square feet and double our
                                                                  employment. This passage
   One shovel of rich red Oklahoma soil marks the begin-          from Denver, from Kansas,
ning of economic growth and prosperity for the Cheyenne           everyone sweeps through
and Arapaho Tribes.                                               here and we hope we catch
   The tribes begin construction of the new Watonga Lucky         some of that traffic and have
Star Casino Hotel & Convention Center with the official           a lot of people stay and even
ground breaking held May 3, 2019 in Watonga, Okla.                make this their destination to
   The casino expansion will include the addition of a new        come out to this rural area, to
five-story hotel comprised of 80 rooms, a hospitality suite,      enjoy the peace and quiet and
full service restaurant and a 300-person capacity conference      get away from all the hustle
center. Also included will be space for retail and an increased   and bustle of city life.”
gaming floor with accommodations for up to 400 additional             Wassana shared the Wa-
slot machines.                                                    tonga casino/hotel project
   The Watonga Lucky Star Casino was first opened under           was the first of many to come,
the name of ‘Feather Warrior’ in the early mid-1980s. It was      “We’re not making this hap-
housed in the Watonga community center and then expanded          pen just because of me and
into the now existing trailers. But the casino will now see an    Lt. Gov. Miles, we’re making                                      started with these trailers and they got moved out here, Marie
expansion on a scale it and the community have never seen         this happen because of you and the legislators. And in order      Whiteman prayed over this ground and her prayers were so
before.                                                           for things to progress we all have to get along, have the same    strong and so good we are here today,” Buffalomeat said as
   Cheyenne and Arapaho Gov. Reggie Wassana addressed             thoughts and the same wishes. It all happens because we get       Whiteman received a loud applause from the audience.
the audience expressing his thankfulness and excitement see-      along, we get together, talk and reach the goals we see for the       Arapaho District 1 Legislator Sutton told the audience,
ing the new hotel/casino project begin.                           tribes.”                                                          “It’s a good opportunity, today, but not just for today, for our
   “I would like to welcome everyone but first of all I would         Watonga lies in the Cheyenne and Arapaho District 1,          people but not just for our people, but everybody here and it’s
like to say thank you. We’ve talked about this project, we’ve     whose legislators are Cheyenne District Burl Buffalomeat          a good opportunity for Watonga, Oakwood, Canton, Hitch-
heard about this project and there are some people in the com-    and Arapaho District Billie Sutton. Both were in attendance,      cock, Seiling, Geary … for all of us and the communities.
munity who still don’t believe it, but today we finally have      along with several other members of the Cheyenne and Arap-        Good things happened when we work together, so let’s con-
gotten to this point where we can say we are doing this (proj-    aho Legislature.                                                  tinue to work together, not just our community or our govern-
ect),” Wassana told the audience. “It’s going to be a 100,000         “I want to thank Marie Whiteman because when this all                         WATONGA GROUNDBREAKING / pg. 7
High school student fights for right to wear Native regalia and an eagle feather during commencement - Cheyenne & Arapaho Tribes
PAGE 2                                 Cheyenne & Arapaho Tribal Tribune                                                                                         Tsistsistas & Hinonoei

George Hawkins Memorial Treatment Center
undergoing expansion and renovations
        Rosemary Stephens
             Editor-in-Chief

   The first step to recovery
from alcohol/substance abuse
is admitting and accepting
there is a problem.
   The second step is reach-
ing out for help. And that help
may come in the form of at-
tending a treatment facility,
such as the George Hawkins
Memorial Treatment Center.
   Owned by the Cheyenne
and Arapaho Tribes, the
George Hawkins Memorial
Treatment Center (GHMTC)
specializes in alcohol and
substance abuse recovery. On
May 1, 2019 a groundbreak-
ing ceremony was held on the
GHMTC grounds for the ren-
ovation and expansion of the
treatment facility.
   The building in Clinton,
Okla., has been opened since
2002 and the new expansion
and renovations is welcomed
news for the staff who ded-
icate their lives to helping                                                                                                                                             Photos / Rosemary Stephens
people find recovery from al-                  1700 more square feet and it will allow our        Center. As a provider in the realm of sub-       school, with summers being the only time he
coholism and drug addiction.                   meeting room to expand, have a larger kitch-       stance abuse treatment, it’s very important      was allowed to spend time with his family.
   “The expansion will add approximately       en, dining area, three new counselor’s offices     that we have adequate space and facilities       After the ninth grade, George attended El
                                                               and a wellness room for our        so that our clients can achieve successful       Reno High School and was a member of the
                                                               clients, as well as more ren-      treatment. Looking at the design of the fa-      basketball team that beat Tulsa 35-5 in the
                                                               ovations throughout,” Nico-        cility they kept in mind practical needs for     1932 Oklahoma State finals, making it El
                                                               las Barton, GHMTC director         group rooms, the eating area and places our      Reno High School’s fourth state basketball
                                                               said.                              clients can feel safe,” Winnie Whitetail said.   championship.
                                                                   Barton said each year they     “I’ve been a treatment provider for almost 30        After high school George moved to Ft.
                                                               bring in, on an average of         years, specializing in substance abuse and I     Defiance, Ariz., to work for the C.C.C. put-
                                                               75-80 clients within a year.       can say that using traditional practices and     ting telephone lines across the Navajo Res-
                                                               “So at any one time there can      our cultural ways in conjunction with the        ervation. In 1936 he sent a telegraph wire to
                                                               be up to eight women, eight        western ways, our Native people respond to       Molette Chochran of Cherokee, Chickasaw
                                                               men, plus staff on site, so this   Native providers, they respond to the Red        and Chippewa descent, who was employed
                                                               building has been through          Road to Wellbriety and to our own Cheyenne       at the Cheyenne and Arapaho Indian Agen-
                                                               some wear and tear,” he said.      and Arapaho traditions and cultures, and we      cy in Concho, Okla. In his wire he asked her
                                                                   Under cloudy skies, guests     will have a great success rate when those are    to come to Arizona to marry him. Molette
                                                               gathered at GHMTC for the          offered to the clients.”                         took a leave of absence, got in her Plymouth
                                                               groundbreaking. Chief Lar-             One of the special guest speakers was De-    Coupe, and with $20 in her pocket drove to
                                                               ry Roman Nose conducted            lores Hawkins-Sullivan, daughter of George       Ft. Defiance to marry George.
                                                               a blessing of the ground and       Hawkins, whom the building was named af-             A marriage that almost didn’t happen due
                                                               tribal elder Margaret Behan        ter in 2002.                                     to a 1936 law in Arizona stating white people
                                                               opened up the ceremony with            “I am privileged to speak today on this      could not marry Indians. Molette was very
                                                               prayer. Following, Cheyenne        very special occasion. As the only child of      light complected, often being mistaken as a
                                                               and Arapaho Gov. Reggie            George Hawkins I believe I should tell you a     white person. However, when they both pro-
                                                               Wassana greeted the guests,        little something about him.”                     duced their birth certificates the marriage was
                                                               thanking everyone who                  About George ‘Lone Wolf’ Hawkins             allowed to take place and they were wed May
                                                               played a part in getting the           George ‘Lone Wolf’ Hawkins was born          5, 1936
                                                               treatment center expansion/        Oct. 3, 1912 in Calumet, Okla., to Katie             Molette would give birth to their only
                                                               renovations in the works. In       ‘White Woman Haag and Kish ‘Wolf Tooth’          child, Delores Hawkins on June 16, 1937.
                                                               attendance were many elders        Hawkins. Kish as a farmer, an interpreter            Their family was transferred to Window
                                                               who support recovery and           during the Oklahoma Land Rush, and trav-         Rock, Ariz., where the Bureau of Indian Af-
                                                               wanted to be a part of the         eled many times to Washington D.C. to speak      fairs at the Navajo Tribal Area Office em-
                                                               groundbreaking ceremony.           on behalf of the Cheyenne Tribe. His mother      ployed Molette and George.
   Kyle Spottedhorse carries an architectural drawing of the       “As a Cheyenne elder,          Katie was considered one of the top beaders          In 1942, after Pearl Harbor, George volun-
George Hawkins Memorial Treatment Center expansion to          I’m   really excited to attend     in the area.                                     teered to join the U.S. Army. He was assigned
be placed on display during groundbreaking ceremony.           this  groundbreaking for the           The first nine years of George’s school      to the 45th Infantry Division and fought in Af-
                                                               George Hawkins Treatment           years were spent in a government boarding                       GHMTC EXPANSION / pg. 6

Cheyenne and Arapaho
Tribes host monthly
AICCO’s Leadership
Native Oklahoma meeting
                                        Rosemary Stephens, Editor-in-Chief

   (CONCHO, OK) Building strong lead-           fy, evaluate and implement
ership within Native communities is a           projects that are of value to
goal shared by both the American Indi-          Native American business-
an Chamber of Commerce (AICCO) and              es in Oklahoma.”
the leaders of the Cheyenne and Arapaho             The LNO course in-
Tribes. That’s why when AICCO asked             cludes seven monthly ses-
Cheyenne and Arapaho Gov. Reggie Was-           sions, with a graduation
sana to host the May meeting, he quickly        recognition ceremony held
agreed.                                         each year. This year’s cer-
   On May 6, with over 30 LNO partici-          emony will be held Oct.
pants present, Wassana welcomed them to         8, 2019 during the Gather
Cheyenne and Arapaho Country.                   Business Summit at the
   As hosts of the meeting, the tribes          Choctaw Casino in Du-
shared information to the audience on a         rant, Okla.
multitude of topics including Cheyenne              The AICCO is an orga-
and Arapaho culture, language, the buffalo      nization in which Amer-
program and the new justice center.             ican Indian businesses,                                                                                      Photo / Christopher Roman Nose
   According to the AICCO Website,              tribal leaders and other         American  Indian  Chamber    of Commerce  of Oklahoma   (AICCO)  President Bailey Walker (left) and Ex-
LNO is a statewide organization encom-          minority-owned business-      ecutive Director of AICCO   Ayla Medrano (right) presents  Cheyenne and Arapaho  Tribes   Gov. Reggie Was-
passing Native American citizens from ev-       es can come together with     sana with a Leadership   Native Oklahoma binder  during  the May monthly meetig held  at the  Cheyenne and
ery region of Oklahoma ensuring a diverse       innovative ideas that will    Arapaho  Tribes.
group of leaders.                               promote and enhance the                        strong community. For this very reason, we ize that we all share in the responsibility
   The Website also states, “LNO is a           success of all American Indian people strive daily to seek resources that provide of creating economic growth within our
unique opportunity to foster cohesiveness       alongside communities.                         returns to business owners through edu- great state.”
from a group of tribal leaders and future           Baily Walker, AICCO president states cational sessions and networking events               Following presentations and a catered
tribal leaders from different backgrounds.      on the Website, “Our American Indian monthly. We are truly blessed in our native lunch provided by the tribes, the group
The hours spent together will create a bond     Chamber of Commerce of Oklahoma un- community to have tribal leaders, business embarked on a tour of the Cheyenne and
like no other organization across the state.    derstands that in order to have a strong owners, educators and citizens who real- Arapaho buffalo herd in Concho, Okla.
Based on respect and interaction, to identi-    economic environment you must have a
High school student fights for right to wear Native regalia and an eagle feather during commencement - Cheyenne & Arapaho Tribes
Tsistsistas & Hinonoei                                                               Cheyenne & Arapaho Tribal Tribune                                                                                                 PAGE 3

Oklahoma governor signs
bill combining Columbus Day
with Native American Day
                                                                                                          Rosemary Stephens, Editor-in-Chief
   (OKLAHOMA CITY) When the news media announced                               tional Conference on Discrimination against Indigenous pop-
Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt was poised to sign a bill declar-                    ulations in America proposed that Indigenous Peoples’ Day
ing the second Monday in October as Native American Day,                       replace Columbus Day. And the fight to do just that has been
hopes of thousands of Native Americans living in Oklahoma                      ongoing every year up to and including 2018.
soared.                                                                           A similar bill was vetoed last year by former Oklahoma
   The hopeful feeling didn’t last long.                                       Gov. Mary Fallin, who stated, ““I believe combining a new
   What Gov. Stitt actually signed was Senate Bill 111 mov-                    Native American Day designation with the current Colum-
ing Native American Day from the third Monday in October                       bus Day holiday could be viewed as an intentional attempt
to the same day as Columbus Day, the second Monday in                          to diminish the long-standing support of November being
October, thus combining the two together.                                      proclaimed annually as Native American Heritage Month in
   ““I think moving it to Columbus Day, I don’t see any                        Oklahoma, and the third Monday in November as ‘Oklahoma
downside to it at all,” Stitt said, according to the news agency.              Native American Day.”
“It just gives us one opportunity to celebrate Columbus, but                      The first state to rename Columbus Day with Indigenous
also the Indigenous people here in America.”                                   Peoples’ Day was South Dakota in 1990. Alaska, Minnesota,
   But to many Indigenous people living in Oklahoma it falls                   Oregon, Vermont and Hawaii have done away with celebra-
short of giving honor to the many Native American tribes lo-                   tions of Columbus Day replacing it entirely with Indigenous
cated in Oklahoma. In the minds of many Native people is                       Peoples’ Day. New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham ap-
the fact the colonial takeovers of the Americas started with                   proved legislation in early April that replaces Columbus Day
Columbus, and led to the deaths of millions of Indigenous                      with Indigenous Peoples Day.
people and the forced assimilation of survivors. Generations                      Last year Oklahoma City Mayor David Holt and El Reno
of Native American people have protested Columbus Day. In                      Mayor Matt White signed a proclamation declaring Oct. 8,
1977, for example, participants at the United Nations Interna-                 2018 as Indigenous Peoples’ Day in Oklahoma City.

Eighteenth Regular Session of
the Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes
Seventh Legislature June 8
    The 18th Regular Session of the                Session are as follows:                            with Custer County for Indian Res-
Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes’ Sev-                     Approval of the 16th Regular Ses-               ervation Roads Bridge Program (IR-
enth Legislature will be held 9 a.m.,              sion minutes – April 13th, 2019.                   RBP) Funding for the construction of
Saturday June 8, 2019 at the Cheyenne                 Approval of the 18th Special Session            the selected bridges as high priority re-
and Arapaho Tribes Dept. of Admin-                 minutes – April 29th, 2019.                        placement and reconstruction projects.
istration building conference room in                 A Resolution to Authorize the BIA                  A Resolution to support the FY
Concho, Okla. The legislature holds                to enter into a Cooperative Agreement              2019 solicitation of proposals for eco-
their regular monthly sessions on the              with Canadian County for Indian Res-               nomic development feasibility study
second Saturday of each month.                     ervation Roads Bridge Program (IR-                 grant application funding from the Of-
    The Constitution of the Cheyenne               RBP) Funding for the construction of               fice of Indian Energy and Economic
and Arapaho Tribes requires the Leg-               the selected bridges as high priority re-          Development (IEED), through its Na-
islature to convene in Concho for Reg-             placement and reconstruction projects.             tive American Business Development
ular Sessions. Article VI, Section 6,                 A Resolution to Approve the adop-               Institute (NABDI).
subsection (a) reads, in part, “The Leg-           tion and submission of the Cheyenne                   A Resolution to support the FY
islature shall convene in Concho for               and Arapaho Tribes Department of                   2019 solicitation of proposals for eco-
twelve Regular Sessions of up to two               Transportation’s Indian Reserva-                   nomic development feasibility study
consecutive days beginning on the sec-             tion Roads Bridge Program (IRRBP)                  grant application funding from the Of-
ond Saturday of each month beginning               Transportation Plan (TIP).                         fice of Indian Energy and Economic
at 9 am...”                                           A Resolution to Authorize the BIA               Development (IEED), through its Na-
    In addition, Article VI, Section 5,            to enter into a Cooperative Agreement              tive American Business Development
subsection (a) of the Tribe’s Consti-              with Kingfisher County for Indian                  Institute (NABDI).
tution reads, in part, “The Legislature            Reservation Roads Bridge Program                      A Resolution to support the FY
shall have the power to make laws and              (IRRBP) Funding for the construction               2019 solicitation of proposals for eco-
resolutions in accordance with the                 of the selected bridges as high priority           nomic development feasibility study
Constitution which are necessary and               replacement and reconstruction proj-               grant application funding from the Of-
proper for the good of the Tribes.”                ects.                                              fice of Indian Energy and Economic
    The Legislative Process requires:                 A Resolution to Authorize the BIA               Development (IEED), through its Na-
“All Bills shall be published in a Leg-            to enter into a Cooperative Agreement              tive American Business Development
islative Calendar for at least thirty              with Blaine County for Indian Res-                 Institute (NABDI).
days prior to action on the Bill. All              ervation Roads Bridge Program (IR-                    A Resolution to Approve a Reso-
Bills shall be made the subject of a               RBP) Funding for the construction of               lution that the leadership of the Chey-
public Legislative Hearing prior to ac-            the selected bridges as high priority re-          enne and Arapaho Tribes show support
tion on the Bill.” Article VI, Section 7,          placement and reconstruction projects.             that the Capital Sand Creek Massacre
sub-section (a) (ii).		                               A Resolution to Authorize the BIA               be located in the Southeast Corner of
    Agenda items for the 18th Regular              to enter into a Cooperative Agreement              the Capital Grounds.

Gaming Per Cap updates and information
     Deadline for Change of            to you, which will delay                mailed to you by calling            database system can fill this
 Address and W9 forms is               your paperwork. The W9                  the Enrollment Department           form out on the minor’s be-
 July 12, 2019.                        requires your full name, ad-            at 405-422-7600 or 1-800-           half. Should guardianship/
     If you have not moved             dress, social security num-             247-4612 ext. 27600 or              custody change, an original
 or do not have a name                 ber, signature, and date.               printed off on www.chey-            or certified copy of court or-
 change, you do not need               The address placed on the               enneandarapahotribes.org/           der must be submitted to the
 to submit a Change of Ad-             W9 will be the address the              project/forms/.                     Dept. of Enrollment verify-
 dress and W9. You only                check will be sent to. Please               The Per Capita office           ing guardianship. Originals
 need to update your address           keep in mind this address               will mail your check or any         and certified copies will be
 with the Enrollment De-               should match with Enroll-               letters concerning your ac-         returned via certified mail.
 partment if these changes             ment’s mailing address.                 count to your mailing ad-              If you have any Child
 pertain to you since the last            The Per Capita office is             dress on Change of Address          Support, Student Loans,
 per capita payment (De-               not responsible for sending             and W9. Once paperwork              or Federal Garnishment
 cember 2018).                         a per capita check to the               is processed, the Per Cap           questions that need to be
     Please read instructions          wrong address if the tribal             office will review accounts         addressed, please contact
 carefully on the Change of            member has failed to sub-               to determine if any past due        the Per Capita Office at
 Address (COA) form and                mit a current and correct               checks are available for re-        1-800-247-4612 ext. 27725
 W9. The COA form re-                  change of address form and              issue.                              or 405-422-7725. All gar-
 quires all areas to be filled         W9 to the Enrollment De-                    Minor Change of Ad-             nishments of Child Sup-
 out according to instruc-             partment.                               dress forms need to be no-          port, Student Loans, and/
 tions and to be notarized.               Please submit all COA                tarized and signed by their         or Federal Garnishments
 If all areas are not filled out       Forms and W9 forms to                   legal guardian. Only the le-        should be submitted to the
 according to instructions,            the Enrollment Department               gal custodial parent(s) or le-      Per Capita office by July
 the forms will be returned            by deadline. Forms can be               gal guardian(s) listed in our       15, 2019.

      Rosemary Stephens, Editor-in-Chief
                                                                           T
                                                                             Cheyenne
                                                                              r i b a l
                                                                                        and
                                                                                          T r
                                                                                             Arapaho
                                                                                              i b u n e
                                                                                                                                           Latoya Lonelodge, Reporter/Advertising Sales
   405-422-7446 / rmstephens@c-a-tribes.org                                                                                                   405-422-7608 / llonelodge@c-a-tribes.org
                                                        1600 E. Hwy 66, Suite 8, El Reno OK / P. O. Box 38, Concho, OK 73022 Fax: 405-422-8204

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                2010-2018 NATIVE AMERICAN JOURNALIST ASSOCIATION MEDIA AWARD WINNER & 2012-2017 AWARD WINNER OF THE OPA BETTER NEWSPAPER CONTEST
High school student fights for right to wear Native regalia and an eagle feather during commencement - Cheyenne & Arapaho Tribes
PAGE 4                                                                  Cheyenne & Arapaho Tribal Tribune                                                               Tsistsistas & Hinonoei

Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes
transit program recognized
at 2019 conference and expo
    (DURANT, OK) The Cheyenne and Arapaho Department
of Transportation’s (CADOT) Tribal Transit Program was
recognized on May 2, 2019 at the Oklahoma Transit Asso-
ciation annual Conference and Expo 2019 in Durant, Okla.,
with the Tribal Transit Excellence Award by Federal Transit
Administration Region 6.
    The CADOT TTP was nominated and received the award
based on criteria such as submitting reports on time, spend-
ing grant funds completely, collaborating with other transit
agencies, and closing out grant contracts accordingly. The
CADOT TTP strives to ensure compliance with all of FTA
regulations while delivering services to tribal citizens in need
of transportation.
    CADOT Executive Director Angela Bling said, “I would
like to add that I am very proud of our Tribal Transit Program
and each of the staff, from the transit drivers and dispatcher
that interact with our tribal members daily, to our office staff,
the administrative assistant and coordinator, in their roles to
ensure adherence to all transit regulations. In 2008, I sub-
mitted transit grants to develop a plan and to purchase vehi-
cles, and on December 1, 2010, Tribal Transit was restored
to serve tribal members through four (4) fixed routes. As a            The Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes Transit Program
director, my goal is to research and submit grants to meet the      received the Tribal Transit Excellence award during the
needs and demands of our Tribal members (and not for the            Oklahoma Transit Association’s annual conference in Du-
accolades) but it is nice to be recognized after eight years as     rant, Okla.
recipients of FTA grants. I am proud to see our Tribal Transit         Accepting the award is Transit Coordinator Wilma
Program receive recognition for their dedication and service        Tapaha (left) and Dept. of Transportation Executive Di-
to tribal members and I am honored to continue to support our       rector Angela Blind (right). (Submitted photo)
Tribal Transit Program that provides transportation to those
in need.”                                                               Due to FTA regulations, each person that utilizes transit
    In closing, the Tribal Transit Program would like to thank      services must be assessed a fare therefore each time a trib-
the current Gov. Reggie Wassana for further supporting the          al citizen is transported using the Tribal Transit fixed route
Dept. of Transportation’s goal to provide transportation at no      and/or demand response services, the tribal citizen must use
cost to tribal citizens.                                            their discount card to ensure fares are assessed for account-
     In 2018, the Dept. of Transportation submitted their bud-      ability. The TTP Discount Card can be issued by the transit
get proposal for the Tribal Transit Program to include the al-      drivers and by Dept. of Transportation staff at all three Trans-
location of tribal revenues that would supplement fare cost for     portation offices including the DOT Administration office in
each tribal citizen. Beginning Jan. 1, 2019, the Tribal Transit     El Reno, the Roads Office at Concho, and the Clinton Transit
Program has been able to offer rides on its fixed route and         Satellite Office.
demand response services at no cost to tribal citizens. In order        The Tribal Transit Program is always seeking to employ
to qualify for the free ride services, or the TTP Discount Card,    tribal citizens to become a part of their driving team. For
tribal citizens must complete a one-page application and sub-       more information on the Discount Card and/or driver posi-
mit a copy of their CDIB. In exchange, each tribal citizen that     tions, please contact the Tribal Transit Program at 1-800-247-
applies is issued a card that is assigned a specific number.        4612, ext. 32600 or directly at 580-331-2600.

Capt. Joe Bryant selected                                           CSU Reaches Highest
to serve as Chief                                                   Customer Service Mark
Executive Officer for CSU                                              The Clinton Service Unit       patients are encouraged to fill
                                                                    (CSU) is committed to cus-        out a short patient experience
     (CLINTON, OK) Capt.          the patient centered medical      tomer service and continu-        survey. Their answers to key
 Joe Bryant is named Chief        home, increasing third party      ously improving our patients      questions are then calculated
 Executive Officer (CEO) ef-      revenue from $4.7 million         experience. To assist in im-      into scores, using a zero - 10
 fective April 15, 2019 of the    in 2012 to over $11.3 mil-        proving this experience, CSU      scale, on how likely it is they
 Clinton Service Unit (CSU.)      lion in 2018, establishing a      uses the Net Promoter Score       would recommend CSU to
     Bryant is a member of        unifying vision of “Exceed        (NPS). NPS is a management        friends or family members
 the Cherokee Nation and          the Need” and net promot-         tool used to measure custom-          Respondents are grouped
 received his Doctorate of        er score measurements, im-        er experience and gauge the       as follows:
 Pharmacy from Southwest-         proving Purchased/Referred        loyalty of a company’s cus-           · Promoters (score 9-10)
 ern Oklahoma State Univer-       Care operations, improving        tomer relationships.              are loyal enthusiasts who
 sity (SWOSU). He began his       acquisition operating pro-           “I am pleased to announce      would keep using services
 Indian Health Service (IHS)      cedures, and implementing         during the month of March         and refer others
 career in 2005 as a pharma-      patient care services such as     2019 we reached the high-             · Passives (score 7-8) are
 cy practice resident at WW       computerized tomography           est customer service mark         satisfied but unenthusiastic
 Hastings Indian Hospital in      (CT), chiropractic, massage       with a net promoter score         customers
 Tahlequah, Okla., with an        therapy and nephrology ser-       of 81 for the service unit,”          · Detractors (score 0-6)
 emphasis in Pharmacy Ad-         vices.                            CEO Capt. Joe Bryant said.        are unhappy customers who
 ministration. Upon comple-           Bryant is board certified     “This is marked with a total      can damage the brand by
 tion of his residency, Bryant    in pharmacotherapy (BCPS)         of approximately 700 patient      negative word-of- mouth
 was retained at Hastings as      and has been awarded mul-         surveys collected throughout          Subtracting the percent-
 a staff pharmacist serving       tiple IHS director’s awards       the month and after our first     age of Detractors from the
 in multiple leadership and       for his efforts. Additionally,    installment of customer ser-      percentage of Promoters
 clinical positions. In 2008,     he has participated in many       vice training. I appreciate our   yields the NPS, which can
 Bryant transferred to the        local, area and national          staff’s efforts to provide cus-   range from a low of negative
 IHS National Supply Ser-         committees including IHS          tomer service that exceeds        100 (if every customer is a
 vice Center (NSSC) as the        National      Accountability      the needs.”                       Detractor) to a high of 100
 Supervisor of the Pharmacy       Dashboard, IHS National              After each visit to any of     (if every customer is a Pro-
 Support Branch.                  Pharmacy and Therapeutics         the departments within CSU,       moter).
     In 2012 Bryant trans-        Committee (NPTC), IHS
 ferred to CSU where he has       National Pharmacy Coun-
 served in multiple leader-       cil (NPC), NPC Inventory
 ship positions including         Management Subcommit-
 the Director of Pharmacy         tee, Veterans Affairs/IHS/
 Services, Ancillary Ser-         Department of Defense
 vices Director, Administra-      Federal Pharmacy Exec-
 tive Officer, and (A) Chief      utive Steering Committee
 Executive Officer. He has        for Pharmaceutical Procure-
 championed efforts to im-        ment, and Food and Drug
 prove operations including       Administration (FDA) Drug
 integrating pharmacists into     Safety Oversight Board.

                                                                      BRIEFS AT A GLANCE
    Amending and Updat-           it www.nativenationevents.           June 10-11, 2019 at the           June 25-27, 2019 in Las        Women                                 Aug. 6-9, 2019 at the Cox
ing Tribal Enrollment Re-         org.                              Pechanga Resort & Casino          Vegas, Nev. For more infor-           July 18-19, 2019 in Phoe-     Convention Center in Okla-
quirements                                                          in Temecula, Calif. For more      mation visit www.falmouth-        nix, Ariz. For more informa-      homa City. For more infor-
    May 29-31, 2019 at the           The 8th annual Native          information visit www.na-         institute.com.                    tion visit www.falmouthin-        mation or to register visit
Tropicana Resort in Las Ve-       American Housing Confer-          tivenationevents.org.                                               stitute.com.                      www.diabetesinindiancoun-
gas, Nev. For more informa-       ence                                                                   Understanding the Indi-                                          try.com.
tion visit www.falmouthin-           June 10-11, 2019 at the           Contracting and Pur-           an Self-Determination Act:          Introduction to Case
stitute.com.                      Pechanga Resort & Casino          chasing Certificate Pro-          Contracting and Compact-          Management in Indian                 The 21st annual Tax
                                  in Temecula, Calif. For more      gram                              ing Under P.L. 93-638             Country                           Conference National Inter-
   The 13th annual Native         information or to register vis-      June 17-19, 2019 in Las           July 16-17, 2019 in Las          July 23-24, 2019 in Las         tribal Tax Alliance (NITA)
American Economic Devel-          it www.nativenationevents.        Vegas, Nev. For more infor-       Vegas, Nev. For more infor-       Vegas, Nev. For more infor-          Aug. 13-15 2019 at the
opment Conference                 org.                              mation or to register visit       mation or to register visit       mation or to register visit       Buffalo Thunder Casino &
   June 10-11, 2019 at the                                          www.falmouthinstitute.com.        www.falmouthinstitute.com.        www.falmouthinstitute.com.        Resort in Santa Fe, N.M. For
Pechanga Resort & Casino             The 10th annual Native                                                                                                               more information visit www.
in Temecula, Calif. For more      American Healthcare Con-            Indian Country Enroll-             Professional Commu-               The 2019 Diabetes In In-       ncai.org.
information or to register vis-   ference                           ment Summit                       nication Skills for Native        dian Country Conference
High school student fights for right to wear Native regalia and an eagle feather during commencement - Cheyenne & Arapaho Tribes
Tsistsistas & Hinonoei                                              Cheyenne & Arapaho Tribal Tribune                                                         PAGE 5

 Candidate Registration Opens
May 1, 2019 / Closes June 3, 2019
   In accordance with the Constitution of the Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes and the Elec-
tion Law for the Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes,
   The Election Commission opens nominations for elective office to qualified candidates.
Nominations opened May 1, 2019 will close on June 1, 2019.

                ELECTIVE SEATS OPEN
 LEGISLATURE:
  Arapaho District 3
		    (No Incumbent)
  Arapaho District 4
		    (No Incumbent)
  Cheyenne District 1
		    (Incumbent Burl Buffalomeat)
  Cheyenne District 3
		    (Incumbent Ronald Redshin)

 ELECTION COMMISSION:
  Arapaho District 1
		    (Incumbent Ray Mosqueda)
  Arapaho District 2
		    (Incumbent Dale Hamilton)
  Cheyenne District 2
		    (Incumbent Norma Yarbrough)
  Cheyenne District 4
		    (Incumbent Sarah Orange)
                                                                                                                QUALIFICATIONS
                                      FEES                                                  LEGISLATOR
                                                                                               Each District Legislator shall be an enrolled member of the tribes,
 LEGISLATIVE.........................................$200                                   age 25 or older and shall possess a high school degree or its equivalent.
                                                                                            No person convicted of a felony within the last ten years shall serve as
 ELECTION COMMISSION.....................$100                                               a District Legislator unless pardoned.
 CHALLENGE..........................................$200                                       At time of filing a nomination petition, a candidate for District Leg-
                                                                                            islator shall physically reside in such District. Each District Legislator
                                                                                            shall reside in the District from which they are elected for the duration
 Fees are paid by money order or cashier’s check                                            of their term. Each District Legislator shall be a registered voter in the
made payable to the Election Commission and are                                             District from which they are elected.
                                                                                               A candidate for the Office of District Legislator cannot owe any mon-
NON-REFUNDABLE.                                                                             ey or debts to the tribes or be employed in any governmental capacity.

                                                                                            ELECTION COMMISSIONER
               REGISTRATION PACKETS                                                           Members of the Election Commission shall be elected from their re-
   Registration Packets can be picked up at the Election Com-                               spective districts to serve a term of four years. Election Commissioners
                                                                                            shall possess at a minimum a high school degree or its equivalent. No
mission Office in Concho or from any Commissioner after the
                                                                                            person convicted of a felony shall serve as an Election Commissioner.
fee has been paid. The packet must be turned in before reg-                                 Each Candidate for elective office shall file a nomination petition.
istration closes on June 1, 2019. The candidate will receive
a copy of the Election Law, their districts voter listing and a
listing of dates to remember once the packet is turned in.                                              ELECTION COMMISSION
                                                                                                The Election Commission is located in the Education Build-
                                                                                             ing, Concho Campus, Rooms 106 and 107. Currently the of-
                 VOTER REGISTRATION                                                          fice is open Wednesday, Thursday and Friday 8 a.m. to 12 p.m.
                                                                                             and 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. The office number is toll free 800-247-
 Voter Registration is open and will close on                                                4612 ext. 27619 or you may call or message any one of the
                                                                                             commissioners for assistance:
June 15, 2019.
 Tribal members who are not 18 but will be                                                   A1 Ray Mosqueda 405-306-7281
                                                                                             A2 Dale Hamilton 405-248-7584
before the Primary or General Election must                                                  A3 Pat Smothers 405-535-7863
have their voter registration turned in by June                                              A4 Elizabeth Birdshead 405-464-60043
                                                                                             C1 Sandra Hinshaw 405-593-7944
15, 2019.                                                                                    C2 Norma Yarbrough 405-538-6664
                                                                                             C3 Ramona Welch 405-464-2716
                                                                                             C4 Sarah Orange 405-637-6036
High school student fights for right to wear Native regalia and an eagle feather during commencement - Cheyenne & Arapaho Tribes
PAGE 6                                                                Cheyenne & Arapaho Tribal Tribune                                                            Tsistsistas & Hinonoei

      E a t i n g                                              Metabolism Myths & Facts
    healthy
    for        DIABETES                                                   Tara Conway, MS, RD, LD, CDE
                                                                          C&A Diabetes Wellness Program

   Why can one person           lean muscle mass. Muscle            The truth: There is lit-    and instead prioritize
eat like a growing teenag-      is metabolically active,        tle evidence to support the     healthful foods, including
er and not gain a pound,        which means that people         fact that eating after 8 p.m.   whole grains, legumes,
while another person’s          with lean, muscular bod-        causes weight gain. How-        vegetables and fruits,
every indulgence shows          ies need more energy to         ever, you may be more           and fun physical activity.
up on the scale? Chalk it       function than people with       likely to snack mindless-       Don’t forget about stress
up to individual differenc-     a higher percentage of          ly in the evenings while        management and proper
es in metabolism, muscle        body fat.                       watching television.            sleep. These healthy life-
mass and physical activity.         Our muscle mass de-             Eat regular meals and       style behaviors contribute
Metabolism is the process       creases as we age, and this     snacks throughout the day       to overall well-being.
by which our bodies con-        contributes to a slower         to prevent extreme swings          SAVE THE DATE!!
vert what we eat into the       metabolic rate. But you         in hunger and fullness. If      NYPD CAMP JUNE 10-
energy we need to survive       can counteract this pro-        you’re eating later in the      14, 2019. REGISTRA-
and function. It powers         cess by picking up the          evening, do so mindfully        TION IS OPEN! FIRST
everything from breathing       weights to help lessen this     and put away snacks when        COME FIRST SERVE!
to blinking. A fast metab-      decline.                        you’re satisfied.                  DEADLINE            AP-
olism is like a hot furnace         Claim: A diet of green          Claim: Very low calorie     PROACHING          SOON!
that burns through fuel(-       tea and chili peppers will      diets and skipping meals        ONLY FOUR SPOTS
calories) quickly. A slow       boost metabolism.               can jumpstart weight loss.      LEFT.
metabolism needs less               The truth: No magic             The truth: Creating a          If you picked up an
fuel to keep a body run-        food will speed up metab-       large calorie deficit in at-    application, please return
ning.                           olism. Some studies have        tempts to lose weight can       to me as soon as possi-
   It’s tempting to blame       shown that green tea and        backfire. Our bodies are        ble. Please let me know
weight gain on a slow           hot chilies temporarily         smart and programmed            if you are not going so we
metabolism, but there           boost metabolic rates, but      for survival. Severly lim-      may open those spots up
are ways to support me-         the lift isn’t very signifi-    iting calories can make         for other children. Thank
tabolism and maintain a         cant.                           your body think its en-         You!
healthy weight.                     The path to a healthy       tering a famine, and that          For more information
   Claim: Our metabolism        lifestyle includes a bal-       it needs to do more with        and tips on health and
rates can’t change.             anced eating pattern filled     fewer calories. Your body       wellness contact Tara
   The truth: While it’s        with nutrient-rich foods,       adapts to the restricted ca-    Conway @ Diabetes
true that genetics help         not a diet doused in chili      loric intake, and uses few-     Wellness Program 405-
determine our metabolic         peppers.                        er calories to perform the      422-7685/1-800-247-
rates, we can boost me-             Claim: Eating late at       same tasks.                     4612 ext. 27685 or email
tabolism by increasing          night slows metabolism.             Resist the urge to diet     tconway@c-a-tribes.org.

GHMTC                EXPANSION
continued from pg. 2                                                                                                               To 45th Wares
                                                                                                                                   Add Four Bears
rica, Italy, France and Germany. He was a skill, much less acquiring an educa- summer and fall of 1971 developing an
injured on Anzio Beach, but after recov- tion. It’s a situation where alcohol be- alcohol recovery program that incorpo-
ery he joined his unit until he returned comes a way out.”                             rated traditional Cheyenne and Arapaho
home after D-Day.                               George Hawkins was the program treatment approaches with non-Indi-
    “This is where it gets hard, when my director of the Cheyenne and Arapaho an counseling/medical methods. The
dad came back he worked with the ir- Tribes Alcoholism Rehabilitation Cen- study group that took part in that effort
rigation department in Window Rock. ter in Bessie, Okla. from 1972 to 1974 included Albaugh, Rowlodge, Leonard
He had drank alcohol with his friends and again in from 1976-1977. He was Yellow Eagle, Ed Burns, Sam Buffalo,
prior to going in the military, but after executive director of the United Indian Lawrence Hart, Winifred Franklin, Vir-
he came back from the war he began to Recovery Association, a member of the gil Franklin, Harvey Twins, Gus Yellow
drink a lot and was also violent with my Oklahoma Association on Alcoholism Hair, Willie Fletcher and Bertha Little
mother while drinking. In 1950 my par- & Drug Abuse Certification Board and Coyote.
ents divorced,” Delores voice shook as was involved in upgrading the stan-                Albaugh and Rowlodge then wrote
she struggled to hold back tears. “I saw dards testing and qualifying certified a grant during the fall of 1971 asking
my father on my high school graduation counselors in the state of Oklahoma.            the IHS to fund an alcohol rehabilitation
day in May 1955 and then I didn’t see           In May 1982 George was selected program for the Cheyenne and Arapaho
him again until 1966.”                       as one of the National Indian Health people that incorporated the traditional
    When Delores did see her dad again Board’s Honorees.                               treatment methods used by tribal citi-
in 1966 he was sober and felt very              “Between his giving back to the drug zens and modern counseling approach-
strongly that Alcoholics Anonymous and alcohol abuse community, his many es. Lawrence Hart signed that appli-
(AA) was a good program, but lacked trips to testify in Washington, he be- cation as chairman of the study group
something for the Native alcoholic.          came a loving and caring father, grand- and Albaugh was named as the princi-
    In a 1977 interview with the Oklaho- father, brother and uncle to his entire pal investigator for the grant with the
ma City Times George spoke about the family. He used to always say, ‘I have funds going to the Clinton Service Unit
Native alcoholic. “Alcoholism affects at been given this ‘bonus time’ and I in- (CSU). The request was for $49,441, but
                                                                                                                                       On Nov. 27, 1950 the          with the right grunt.
least 80 percent of the American Indian tend to use it to the fullest.’ He attended in January 1972, $27,561 was awarded
                                                                                                                                   Daily Oklahoma published              Now Pfc. Freddie Tall
population. If one member of a fami- all graduations, weddings, wrote many to see if the tribes could actually start
                                                                                                                                   an article entitled, “To 45th     Bear isn’t the tallest bear,
ly suffers from alcoholism, the entire caring letters, made many family vis- such a program. This had never been
                                                                                                                                   Wares, Add Four Bears.            he’s really the shortest bear
family is affected. So it is possible that its,” George’s daughter, Delores said. “I done before and the IHS was willing to
                                                                                                                                   The short satirical article       of the four, standing 5’7 even
close to 100 percent of our population loved my father very much and am very see if it could actually be accomplished.
                                                                                                                                   revolved around four Chey-        when reaching for a piece of
is affected by alcoholism.                                                                       The study group then wrote a

                               “
                                                                                                                                   enne and Arapaho tribal cit-      pipe.
At this point most of our                                                                        treatment approach, which was
                                                                                                                                   izens who were serving in             And Cpl. Clyde Old Bear
work is directed toward the
alcoholic,” George stated.
                                       We’re pulling people out of the                           reviewed by the different clans
                                                                                                 (societies) of the Cheyenne and
                                                                                                                                   during the Korean War in          isn’t so old, either, just a
“We’re pulling people out river to keep them from drowning.
                                                                                                                                   Company L 179th Infantry,         mere 24, and barely the old-
                                                                                                 Arapaho Tribes and the Okla-
                                                                                                                                   45th Division. They were          est of the four bears, none
of the river to keep them What we need to do is go back up                                       homa State Committee of the
                                                                                                                                   Freddie Tall Bear, Clyde Old      of whom have the same for-
from drowning. What we                                                                           Native American Church. Nu-
need to do is go back up the the river to see what’s pushing them merous locations were looked
                                                                                                                                   Bear Harry Big Bear and           bears.
                                                                                                                                   Howard Good Bear.                     Rct. Harry Big Bear is
river to see what’s pushing in.”                                  George Hawkins at to house the treatment pro-                        They say it’s a small         neither the biggest bear nor
them in. Nobody becomes                                                                          gram. Finally the closed ele-
                                                                                                                                   world and after talking with      the hairiest bear, by two
an alcoholic by his own vo-                                                                      mentary school located in Bes-
                                                                                                                                   George Brian Sykes, director      inches upward from his bare
lition.”                                     grateful that you have named this facili- sie, Okla., was agreed to by the town
                                                                                                                                   of the Cheyenne and Arapa-        feet in the one case and a
    George went on to say during that ty after him. I know he is smiling down of Bessie and the study group. The
                                                                                                                                   ho Office of Veteran Affairs,     bare chin for the second.
1977 interview, “That saying a small on all of us.”                                    treatment program was started and right
                                                                                                                                   it seems to be true.                  Now it is a military se-
amount of liquor makes an ‘Indian’ go           History of Treatment Facility          away Albaugh wrote another grant to
                                                                                                                                       “My erved with the four       cret how good Sgt. Howard
crazy is a myth. Scientists have studied        In the summer of 1970 the Chey- the National Institute on Alcoholism as
                                                                                                                                   bears in Company L 179th In-      Goodbear really is, but we
the theory and have come to the conclu- enne and Arapaho Business Committee well as the IHS for continued funding.
                                                                                                                                   fantry, 45th Division between     know he hasn’t had to bare
sive evidence that Indians have no dif- asked Bernard Albaugh, a social worker            The board for this grant application
                                                                                                                                   1948 and 1954 but my father       his hide to put on a fatigue
ferent physical reaction to alcohol than at the Clinton Indian Hospital, to ana- included most of the people named
                                                                                                                                   wasn’t in Korea with the          coat with a big “P” for pris-
the public in general. That myth like the lyze the problem of alcoholism and al- above. A professional advisory board
                                                                                                                                   them. My dad, George Ev-          oner on it, neither has he
myth that Indians are lazy is about 150 cohol abuse. In response to that request was developed that included the CSU
                                                                                                                                   erett Sykes was in their unit     had to bare his secrets to the
years old. It came from the public who Albaugh developed a study group made chief of staff and the psychiatric consul-
                                                                                                                                   but his assignment was in         chaplain.
could not face the plight it put Indians up of the tribal health committee and tant to the IHS. The board also included
                                                                                                                                   Japan and he was in Japan at          He may really be a good
in. It is easier to create a myth than to tribal health staff as well as communi- Albaugh and George Hawkins.
                                                                                                                                   the time the four bears were      bear, this Goodbear, because
accept the responsibility for robbing a ty people interested in the problem of            Continued funding for five years was
                                                                                                                                   in Korea,” Sykes said.            he earned and keeps those
man and his family of their home and alcoholism and its impact on tribal citi- granted in June of 1972. The program
                                                                                                                                       Below is the article pub-     three stripes and like a nice
confining them to a reservation where it zens. A system of counseling outpatient was incorporated as a non-profit on
                                                                                                                                   lished Nov. 27, 1950              bear bears them well. And
is impossible to make a living.”             programs and community education June 29, 1972 and George Hawkins was
                                                                                                                                                                     don’t get funny with his por-
    As the president of the National In- was developed to offer services to tribal employed in July of that same year as
                                                                                                                                      To 45th Wares, Add Four        ridge bowl either, goldilocks,
dian Board told the interviewer along citizens.                                        the first actual director of the program.
                                                                                                                                   Bears                             honey, because he is really
with social, economic and psycholog-            In 1971 Art Rowlodge was hired by Hawkins stayed with the program until
                                                                                                                                      (CAMP POLK, LA) If             taller than Tall Bear and has
ical factors, he blamed an absence of the Indian Health Service (IHS) as a 1974 when he resigned to work for a
                                                                                                                                   you will just bear with us a      the weight to go with it.
spiritual principles for the high rate mental health technician to work with regional alcohol program. He returned
                                                                                                                                   minute, Goldilocks, honey,            Old Bear is Arapaho from
of alcoholism among Indians. “When Albuagh developing alcohol outreach to Bessie as director again in 1976 and
                                                                                                                                   we’ll see your three bears        Gearv, Okla. and the other
these people come into our rehabilita- programs. Rowlodge was a recover- remained until his death.
                                                                                                                                   and raise you one because         Bears are Cheyenne from
tion programs one of the first things we ing alcoholic whose recovery had been            After his death there were several
                                                                                                                                   down hear in the pine tree        Watonga, Okla. Goodbear,
try to do is instill a sense of spiritualism achieved through the Native American “acting directors” who were inexperi-
                                                                                                                                   forest we’ve got four of ‘em      Tall Bear and Big Bear, that
… it’s a powerful tool. Many Indians Church and other traditional Native enced and did not follow the treatment
                                                                                                                                   in company L, 179th infantry.     is, and they can all barely
living on reservations have given up American practices. He suggested they plans adopted by the original commit-
                                                                                                                                      And a fine place it is for     wait until they can get back
hope to improving their status in life. incorporate those recovery methods into tee resulting in the facility being closed
                                                                                                                                   bears, too, even if they are      in the brush Monday to
It’s a situation where for generations the existing programs being offered.            because of various infractions, some
                                                                                                                                   Oklahoma Indians and an-          scrape some bark off trees
there has been no hope of ever learning         These two then spent the rest of the             GHMTC EXPANSION / pg. 7           swer roll call at chow time       after a holiday hibernation.
High school student fights for right to wear Native regalia and an eagle feather during commencement - Cheyenne & Arapaho Tribes
Tsistsistas & Hinonoei                                                    Cheyenne & Arapaho Tribal Tribune                                                                           PAGE 7

WATONGA              GROUNDBREAKING
continued from pg. 1
ment, but the government of Oklahoma also.        believe it started out with Reggie and I as
And I wanted to say let’s give credit where       a conversation on the road, in a plane or in
it’s due and that’s to our Creator.”              a restaurant. It tells us that all it takes is us
    Following both legislator’s comments,         working together with the legislators, with
closing speaker Cheyenne and Arapaho Lt.          the people, have a dream, be honest about
Gov. Gib Miles took the podium.                   what you’re doing, hire the right people and
    “It’s been said already the working rela-     we can get things done … and this is proof
tionship we have with the legislators and the     of it. This isn’t the only dream we have, this
courts, it’s made our jobs a lot easier. Reggie   isn’t the end, it’s the beginning. This isn’t
and I won’t take credit for this because it’s a   about us … it’s about we.”
work in progress for the tribe, not just Reggie      One by one 40 individuals picked up a
and I. Now I am looking out in this room and      golden shovel, placed a hard hat upon their
to think about all the people that are here and   heads and on the count of three scooped the
I see everybody here for a groundbreaking         soil marking the beginning of a new tomor-
for a hotel, a casino and a restaurant I can’t    row starting today.

                                                                      Left: Tribal elder Marie                                                                         Photos / Rosemary Stephens
                                                                   Whiteman and Lucky Star               Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes Gov. Reggie Wassana (center) visits with tribal elder and
                                                                   Casino CFO Stephanie               long time resident of Watonga, Okla., Floyd Blackbear and the Watonga Chamber of Com-
                                                                   Black dig in.                      merce Director Teresa France.

                                                                                                                                        Above: Lucky Star Casino CEO Charlie Welbourn,
                                                                                                                                     Stephanie Black, Gov. Reggie Wassana and Andy Rednose.
                                                                                                                                        Left: Watonga Lucky Star Casino General Manager
                                                                                                                                     Rory Littleraven gives a little help to his grandson.

GHMTC                EXPANSION
continued from pg. 6
of which ran afoul of local
laws.
   A dormitory of the old
Concho boarding school was
available in Concho, Okla.,
so the Substance Abuse Pro-
gram moved to Concho. In
the 1990s, Marcus Harrison,
Vera Franklin and Richard
Franklin began directing the
program. A decision was
made to build a new treat-
ment center facility, with
Clinton, Okla., being the cho-
sen site for several reasons.
Land was available near the
Clinton Indian Hospital and
it was geographically more
central to the old reservation
boundaries, as well as being
a rural isolated location.
   In February 2002 the new
building in Clinton was com-
pleted being dedicated and
named after George Haw-
kins.                                                                                                                                   Above Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes Gov. Reggie Was-
   Marcus Harrison died in                                                                                                           sana meets Delores Hawkins Sullivan, the daughter of
May of that same year and                                                                                                            George Hawkins, whom the treatment center was named
Robert Blackwolf was cho-                                                                                                            after in 2002.
sen as director in August
2002.
   The overall project, from
design to completion, is pro-
jected to take 180 days, and
by the time of the ground                                          Photos / Rosemary Stephens
breaking ceremony, the proj-        Above Chief Larry Roman Nose (left) prepares to
ect was at a 30 percent de-      bless the ground with the assistance of Kyle Spottedhorse
sign completion.                 at the George Hawkins Memorial Treatment Center in
   The Cheyenne and Arap-        Clinton, Okla.
aho Tax Commission pro-
vided funding for the treat-
ment facility expansion/
renovations, with technical
support from the I.H.S. area
office. The Cheyenne and
Arapaho Planning and De-
velopment Program is work-
ing with the tribes’ Dept. of
Health, as well as the George
Hawkins Treatment Center
staff, to work through the de-
sign process, and will assist
with the coordination during
construction.
   The architect and engi-
neer firm is a Native Amer-
ican owned company called
Blue Star Interactive Stu-
dio, out of Tulsa, Oklahoma
and WarCon, also a Native
American owned company
located in Oklahoma City,
will be the construction man-                                                                                                           George ‘Lone Wolf’ Hawkins served in the U.S. Army,
ager overseeing the project.       Members of George Hawkins’ family who attended the groundbreaking in his honor.                   joining days after the bombing of Pearl Harbor. (Courtesy
                                 From l-r: Delores Hawkins-Sullivan, Lightfoot Hawkins and Teri Kay Bryant.                          photo)
High school student fights for right to wear Native regalia and an eagle feather during commencement - Cheyenne & Arapaho Tribes
PAGE 8                                                                        Cheyenne & Arapaho Tribal Tribune                                                           Tsistsistas & Hinonoei

Local university hopes to bridge
cultural gap by hosting first Bridging
the Cultural Gap Collaboration Day
           Latoya Lonelodge
                Staff Reporter

    Creating     relationships,
communicating and bringing
awareness to available re-
sources are what many of the
University of Oklahoma’s
research centers, collections
and programs can only hope
for in their efforts in reach-
ing out to tribal nations.
On April 29 the Bridging the
Cultural Gap: OU Indige-
nous Language, Culture and
Tribal Nations Collaboration
Day was held at the Sam
Noble Museum in Norman,
Okla.
    The collaboration day                                                                                              Photo / Latoya Lonelodge
was held in an effort to bring       The Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribe’s Language Program Director Rebecca Risenhoover
tribes together and highlight introduces herself on behalf of the language program’s attendance at the collaboration day.
what resources are available
at the University of Oklaho-                   As part of the collaboration day, various public service programs.
ma (OU).                                   various programs at OU presented in-                   In highlighting useful resources
    “My role as the acting tribal liaison  formation     and   resources    available    for  available      for tribes at OU, language
officer is to be the middle person and     tribes  to  use  and   take   part  in. Present-   and    culture     also plays an important
connection between our tribes and the      ers   and   speakers     included      Christina   role  in  bridging     the gap between tribes
university, one of the ways that I want-   Naruszewicz       and   Dan    Swan     with  the  and   the  university.
ed to bring the tribes here to help them OU Sam Noble Language and Eth-                           “Collaborations don’t just stop and
in their efforts for their language, cul-  nology    Collections,      Lina   Ortega    and   end,   they’re continuous and I hope that
ture and historic preservation is with     Dr.  Todd    Fuller   with   the  OU    Western    this  relationship      continues to grow and
the Sam Noble Museum,” Dr. Johnny          History   Collection,     J.A.  Pryse   with  the  I hope     that   it  continues    to build into
Poolah, OU’s acting tribal liaison offi-   Carl    Albert    Congressional        Research    more     things.     I know    our   tribes need
cer said.                                  and   Study,   and   Melanie    Frye    with  the  support      and   I   know    that  we’re here
    Poolah said he wanted to have an       Seminole     National    Language      Program.    and   I  know     our   tribes  are  going  to be
event where tribes could come and lis-         In the Sam Noble Language and here, so I hope we can continue this
ten to what OU has to offer.               Ethnology      Collections, there are ap- relationship and this partnership and
    “We have a Western History Col-        proximately      7,500 items that are in or after today I hope that our tribe’s take
lection, we have the Carl Albert Cen-      about   more    than  300 languages, mate- advantage of what they’ve learned, the
ter, we also have the Sam Noble with       rials  collected   from    tribes, individuals collections, the materials and the ser-
their language and ethnology archives,     and  linguists   include    5,165 print mate- vices that are for all for them and al-
there’s a ton of resources here that we    rials and   2,578   audio/video     recordings, most all of it is free,” Poolah said.
have. When I found out about it and all    and   an   extensive     collection     of tradi-      As the collaboration day closed
the resources they had, I was amazed       tional   art  and    material    culture    from   marking       the first of its kind, Poolah
because there’s so much that we have       societies   around    the   world.    The  West-   hopes     to  see growing numbers in the
here and so if I didn’t know, then a       ern  History     Collection    contains    more    following      year.
lot of our tribes don’t know either. I than 2,000 manuscript collections and                      “I wish there could’ve been a lit-
wanted to have a day where we could        a  building    collection    of  Native    Liter-  tle  bit more representation, but that’s
share everything that we have to offer     ature.   The   Carl   Albert    Center’s    con-   okay,    this is our first one and we can
and have hopes that our tribes come        gressional     archives     provide     national   grow    and   we can build and I hope word
back and work with the University of       resources     available    to  historians,    po-  of  mouth      spreads about this event and
Oklahoma in ways that can help their       litical scientists,   the   media    and  public   I hope     that   it continues, I hope next
nations, in language and culture and       interest   while    promoting      a  wider   ap-  year   we’ll    have   doubled the numbers,”
history,” Poolah said.                     preciation    of  the  Congress      through   its Poolah     said.

BIRDSHEAD
continued from pg. 1

we still fought and we approached the princi-         shead said.                                            the tribes each school year.
pal at first. After our conversation with him             And while the school stood by their policy             “We do have a strong tra-
my mom had a meeting with the superinten-             and with Birdshead standing firm in his fight          dition of Native American
dent and he also said no. He said it was up to        to wear his regalia, Birdshead said it became          students at El Reno in our
the school board members and that the next            frustrating for him at school.                         community and so we try as
meeting that could change that policy was                 “It’s really frustrating because people talk       best we can to meet the needs,
May 6,” Birdshead explained.                          around the school, I’m hearing other people            there’s a lot of activities that
    Referring to the school’s handbook, Bird-         use comparisons like ‘what if this other kid           the Native American students
shead said the school’s reasoning behind de-          wanted to honor, in quotations, his ancestors          get to participate in especially
nying his request was that only school sanc-          that were Nazis or what if they wanted to              through our Indian Education
tioned items could be worn at graduation.             wear the swastika on their cap,’ and they’re           Program, which I think is a
    “They didn’t really show me anything that         taking it to the extreme and that makes me             phenomenal program,” Li-
said I couldn’t wear it and that’s where me           really angry because that belief, that whole           ticker said.
and my mom were confused because they                 situation that they made up is not protected in            And like other schools, Li-
would say it’s against policy and it wouldn’t         the American Indian Religious Freedom Act              ticker said they do have poli-
go with the student handbook or it’s against          and that just makes me angry,” Birdshead               cy for all students to follow.
the dress code and the dress code isn’t stated        said.                                                  However, the one and only
and the policy that they talked about doesn’t             In helping schools better understand the           exception allowed at grad-
state it either, so that’s the situation that we      Native American viewpoint in honoring                  uation time allows Native
were running into,” Birdshead said.                   themselves at ceremonies such as graduation,           American students to wear an
    In wearing regalia at ceremonies such as          Birdshead said education is the key.                   eagle feather on their cap if
graduation, Birdshead said it would give him              “I think we definitely need to educate bet-        they choose to.
a sense of pride in honoring his family and           ter and get the word out about the significance            “We have a policy, not
where he comes from.                                  of the eagle feathers … in the Society of In-          just for Native Americans
    “It gives me the opportunity to acknowl-          dian Psychologists is an article in response           students, but it’s a policy for
edge the people that I come from, to acknowl-         to the recommendation of the display of                Hispanic students, African
edge my grandfather, my great grandmother,            spiritual and cultural symbols of graduation           American students, Cauca-
it gives me the opportunity to acknowledge            regalia for American Indian students, it just          sian students, we have a grad-
my spirituality, acknowledge what I believe           talks about the historical aspect of assimila-         uation policy that we have in
in and just thanking the Creator for this op-         tion, of how the school systematically forced          place, which we try to hold to
portunity that he’s given me and thanking             Indians to forget about their language, forget         a more traditional graduation
him for giving me this honor,” Birdshead              about their culture and spirituality and it talks      ceremony where nobody is al-
said.                                                 about denying us our right to wear our eagle           lowed to deviate, not any cul-       Tvli Birdshead (right) poses with his brother Warren
    With the honor of showcasing his rega-            feather, it’s just going back to repeating his-        tural group, and some schools Birdshead, 16 (left) and his mother Taloa Birdshead at the
lia at graduation, Birdshead said he initially        tory. I think by spreading articles like this and      allow students to decorate Chickasaw Arts Academy.
wanted to wear his eagle feather.                     addressing the issue with schools like earlier         their caps and some schools                      have some of those agreements with the tribe
    “I didn’t know how the school would react         in the year would definitely help,” Birdshead          don’t allow them to. We just have that policy and we do have a full agreement that we al-
to that, then the Chickasaw Nation, I think it        said.                                                  for all students, at the same time, to be re- low our Native American students to do,” Li-
was new this year, they issued honor cords                And in educating schools, some schools             spectful of our Native American students and ticker explained.
for all the Chickasaw graduating seniors and          are taking that proactive step to communicate          their heritage and their beliefs, we do, in con-    Liticker said students don’t have to ask
those were sent in the mail and I got mine            and coordinate with respective tribes where a          junction with the tribes, we work very closely permission to wear regalia underneath their
and I asked our principal if I could wear it          majority of Native students are located.               with them to hammer what is called the spirit gown.
and he said no and the reason is because it               El Reno High School Principal Pat Litick-          charter where we recognize the importance           “That’s their choice as far as meeting the
would open the door for other organizations,          er said they have a strong Native American             of Native American values and culture and official dress, we tell our students you have
that the school doesn’t let them wear their           population, where Native Americans come                what that means to those students and fam- to be dressed formal, dress shoes, ties, dress
honor cords either, and so the honor cords            in second category of minorities to Hispan-            ilies. They wear the official feather on their shirts, all that, and for our Native students,
kind of just set the tone because I wanted to         ics. Home to a large majority of Cheyenne              cap to recognize that, we allow them to wear if they choose, their formal official dress is
wear my eagle feather initially and bead my           and Arapaho tribal families, El Reno High              full regalia under their gown, some of them their regalia,” Liticker said.
cap and the honor cords added to that,” Bird-         School makes it a priority to coordinate with          wore a medallion around their necks, we do                            BIRDSHEAD / pg. 12
High school student fights for right to wear Native regalia and an eagle feather during commencement - Cheyenne & Arapaho Tribes High school student fights for right to wear Native regalia and an eagle feather during commencement - Cheyenne & Arapaho Tribes
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