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| NOVEMBER
NATIVE
OKLAHOMA| FOOD
2015
NOVEMBER 2015
LEARNING
TO STOMP
Glenpool Indian
Community group
passes culture on
to next generation
AARP Honors
Indian Elders
Choctaw
Code Talkers
Muscogee Language
Offered for Credit
NATIVE OKLAHOMA | NOVEMBER 2015
TOGETHER, WE ARE
OKLAHOMA
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NATIVE OKLAHOMA | NOVEMBER 2015
Contents:
ON OUR COVER | ‘Ga Sv Le Nv’ | BY MARYBETH TIMOTHY | CHEROKEE
5
ELDERS HONORED
AARP recognizes outstanding Indian elders
6
CULTURE
Indian community leaders teach Stomp Dance to area youth
8
COVER ARTIST
MaryBeth Timothy
www.nativeoklahoma.us
www.nativetimes.com
9
HISTORY
Choctaw Code Talkers help win WWI
11
RECOMMENDED READ
12
EDUCATION
Muscogee language offered for HS credit
14
NEWS
Like Us! Facebook.com/NativeOklahoma
Follow @nativeoklahoma on Twitter
20
EVENTS
23
GAMING
24 ATTRACTIONS
26 SHOPPING
30 LODGING
31 TRIBAL DIRECTORY
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NATIVE OKLAHOMA | NOVEMBER 2015
4
AARP Continues Tradition of
Recognizing Native Elders
OKLAHOMA CITY – One by one, as their names were
called and a short summary of their life read, they stood to
the applause of the assembled audience as a medallion was
hung around their neck. Artists and educators, ministers and
veterans, language preservationists and tribal leaders. Some
were well-known, others have lived quiet lives of dignity. All
were celebrated at the 7th Annual AARP Oklahoma Indian
Elder Honors held Oct. 6 in Oklahoma City.
“The common thread among these honorees is the wisdom
and impact they have had on their tribes, family and community,”
said AARP Oklahoma State President Joe Ann Vermillion.
“Tonight, in this place, as Oklahoma tribes and nations join
together in a spirit of harmony and peace, we reflect and give
thanks for the lives they have lived and the innumerable ways
they have passed on their legacies to future generations.”
Among this year’s 50 Indian Elder Honorees from 30
Oklahoma tribes and nations were:
• A 94-year-old “language warrior” who is helping keep a
native language from becoming extinct (Vada Foster Tiger
Nichwander, Euchee/Muscogee Creek)
• A full-blood Wichita who was a Russian linguist and
translator for the United States Army ( James “Bunny” Ross,
Wichita & Affiliated)
• A widow who showed great determination raising five
children who was named “Indian Parent of the Year” by the
National Indian Education Association (Freida Homeratha,
Otoe-Missouria)
• A founding member of the American Indian Law Students
Association ( John E. Echohawk, Pawnee)
• The last living great niece of Will Rogers who herself is a
noted storyteller and author that has been named a “Cherokee
Nation Treasure” (Doris “Coke” Lane Meyer, Cherokee)
Anderson, a citizen of the Cherokee Nation, has impacted
the health and well-being of thousands of Native Americans
and has been a voice for tribes, tribal health issues and advocacy
locally, regionally and nationally.
“Tom Anderson embodies the selfless devotion to the
wellbeing of others that was the hallmark of John Edwards’
life,” Vermillion said. “Tom’s leadership and vision has resulted
in local funding awards totaling millions of dollars that have
helped improve the quality of life for generations of Native
Americans.”
Vermillion said the AARP Oklahoma Indian Elder Honors,
which has recognized 350 elders from all 39-federally recognized
tribes and nations in Oklahoma since its inception in 2009, is
the largest gathering of its kind in the state and perhaps in the
nation.
“All Oklahomans are standing on the shoulders of people like
tonight’s honorees,” she said. “Whether they are well known or
exhibit the quiet devotion to family and community, collectively,
this year’s AARP Oklahoma Indian Elder Honorees represent
what is best about Native American people in Oklahoma: love
of family, dedication to culture and respect for all people.”
Vermillion noted that AARP Oklahoma continues to expand
its work on issues affecting Native Americans in the state,
particularly working to address health disparities, transportation
needs and cultural preservation. She invites anyone interested to
join the AARP Oklahoma Inter-Tribal Community Group by
sending an e-mail to: [email protected].
– More information about AARP Oklahoma’s Native American
outreach can be found on the AARP Oklahoma Indian Navigator
website via: www.aarp.org/okindiannavigator
• An environmental activist who was chosen to speak to the
United Nations Permanent Forum on indigenous issues (Casey
Camp-Horinek, Pawnee)
• A role model for young women whose selection as first
runner up in the 1949 Miss Oklahoma Pageant was a notable
accomplishment for Native Americans in that era (Dorothy
Burden, Thlopthlocco)
In addition, Citizen Pottawatomi Nation Chairman John
“Rocky” Barrett, Comanche Chairman Wallace Coffey,
Wyandotte Chief Billy Friend and Traditional Cheyenne &
Arapho Chief Allen Sutton were among those honored.
Tom Anderson, Director of the Oklahoma Area Tribal
Epidemiology Center of the Oklahoma City Area Inter Tribal
Health Board, was awarded the Dr. John Edwards Memorial
Leadership Award.
Muscogee (Creek) Honorees
NATIVE OKLAHOMA | NOVEMBER 2015
5
2015 AARP Oklahoma Indian Elder Honorees
Joan Aitson (Otoe-Missouria)
Chairman John “Rocky” Barrett (Citizen Potawatomi)
James Battese (Miami)
Linda Big Soldier (Iowa)
Annette Black (Peoria)
William “Bill” Bomboy (Chickasaw)
Dorothy Burden (Thlopthlocco)
Casey Camp-Horinek (Ponca)
Chairman Wallace Coffey (Comanche)
Delton Cox (Choctaw)
Sgt. First Class Norman W. Crowe, Jr. (ret.) (Cherokee)
Carol “Jane” Davis (Cherokee)
Irene Digby (Chickasaw)
John E. Echohawk (Pawnee)
Henry McNeer Ellick (Quapaw)
Parker Emhoolah (Kiowa)
Dr. John Farris (Cherokee)
Leona Fish (Muscogee Creek)
Nancy Fixico (Seminole)
Chief Billy Friend (Wyandotte)
Howard Hansen, Sr. (United Keetoowah)
Leon Hawzipta, Jr. (Comanche & Kiowa)
Ron Hayes (Chickasaw)
Charlie Hill (Seminole)
Freida Homeratha (Otoe-Missouria)
Elfreida Irving (Wichita & Affiliated)
Matilda King (Muscogee Creek)
John Wayne Kionut (Caddo)
Norma Kraus (Eastern Shawnee)
Brenda Leftwich (Kialegee)
Sheri Mashburn (Osage)
Doris “Coke” Lane Meyer (Cherokee)
Redena Blanchard Miller (Absentee Shawnee)
Diana Moppin (Alabama Quassarte)
Eva Munroe-Jones (Kaw & Otoe-Missouria)
Vada Foster Tiger Nichwander (Euchee/Muscogee
Creek)
Michael Reed (Chickasaw)
Mary Elizabeth Ricketts (Osage)
James “Bunny” Ross (Wichita & Affiliated)
Scott Secondine (Shawnee)
Delores “Sue” Simmons (Chickasaw)
Georgette “G.G.” Palmer-Smith (Kiowa & Choctaw)
Ollie Starr (Cherokee)
Traditional Chief Allen Sutton (Cheyenne & Arapaho)
Bonnie Thaxton (Delaware Tribe)
Dr. Pamela Jumper Thurman, Ph.D (Cherokee)
Barbara Childs Walton (Otoe-Missouria)
Dorothy Whitehorse-DeLaune (Kiowa)
Please visit online for more
information about each elder:
Click the “EVENTS” tab in the menu of
www.nativeoklahoma.us
Absentee Shawnee Redena Blanchard Miller & Reta
Marie Wilson-Harjo
Otoe-Missouria Honorees
Cherokee Honorees
All Photos Courtesy Oklahoma AARP
6
NATIVE OKLAHOMA | NOVEMBER 2015
CULTURE:
Community teaches, carries on
Stomp Dance tradition for youth
stomp dancing’s origins date back three
or four centuries. According to tradition,
a fasting man participating in a religious
ceremony fell into a trance and began
dancing while singing medicine songs.
Thinking it was a gift from the Creator,
other men participating in the ceremony
joined in and began dancing in unison.
The modern Muscogee (Creek) stomp
dance has changed a little over the last
few centuries, with women now being
allowed to join in. The day prior to the
dance, men fast and offer prayers. The
dance is in the evening after the men
break their fast.
Morgan Harjo (left) practices
traditional Creek stomp dancing
while keeping an eye on her
cousin, Roger Butler.
During a gap between songs,
George Coser addresses stomp
dance class attendees at the
Glenpool Creek Community
Center.
LENZY KREHBIEL-BURTON
Cherokee
GLENPOOL – Rattle rattle rattle
shake. Rattle rattle shake shake. Rattle
shake shake.
For the last three years, the echoes of
traditional Muscogee Creek songs and
shaker shells have bounced off of the
walls of the Glenpool Indian Community
Center each Wednesday night as a
multigenerational group, facilitated by
George Coser, convenes for stomp dance
practice.
A member of the Arbeka Ceremonial
Grounds, Coser grew up learning his
tribe’s language and traditions from
his grandmother. While he balks at
considering his role in the class as that of
a teacher, he sees the regular Wednesday
sessions as a teaching tool to ensure
future generations of Creeks keep the
old ways alive.
“If we don’t have our language, our
culture or our dances, we as a people
don’t have anything,” he said. “We cease
to exist.”
For the Muscogee (Creek) people,
The men begin walking in a single file
counterclockwise around a fire – or in this
case, four sticks forming an “X.” Women
take their places alternately between
the men, and are followed by children.
Although women are not allowed to
lead stomp dances or the singing, they
contribute to the accompaniment with
rattles strapped to their legs.
Traditionally, hollowed out turtle shells
filled with rocks were used, although
fiscal and environmental realities have
prompted many women to bring in a
modern shell substitute – tin cans.
With the Wednesday night sessions
simply held as practice, participants are
not asked to fast. Although start time is
listed as 6:30, Coser said things rarely
get started before 7 p.m. in order to give
attendees enough time to grab dinner
en route. The Community Center is in
an old building off of the northeastern
corner of U.S. Highway 75 and South
141st Street.
On any given week, the Glenpool class,
held in a former industrial facility with
pockets of insulation peeking through
7
NATIVE OKLAHOMA | NOVEMBER 2015
Traditionally, hollowed out turtle
shells filled with rocks were used,
although fiscal and environmental
realities have prompted many
women to bring in a modern shell
substitute – tin cans.
the walls, has participants from a mix of ceremonial grounds,
ranging in age from toddlers wobbling around the circle’s outer
fringes to elders helping lead the singing.
Jennifer Thompson, a Creek, Cherokee, Absentee Shawnee,
Sac and Fox and Euchee freshman at Sapulpa Junior High
School, is a member of the Polecat Ceremonial Grounds and
has been coming out to the weekly classes for about three
months, in part for the social aspect, but also for the spiritual
and cultural aspects as well.
Sapulpa High School senior Liseanne Yazzie ties
cans and padding to her legs for stomp dance
practice at the Glenpool Creek Community Center.
“I don’t want to be like some of the other kids who come out
here once or twice then quit coming,” she said. “I come out here
for the fun of it and to worship as well.”
LENZY KREHBIEL-BURTON
Native Oklahoma Photos
NATIVE OKLAHOMA | NOVEMBER 2015
8
COVER ARTIST:
Cherokee artist ready to ‘go pro’
MaryBeth Timothy stands near two of her original
pen and colored pencil pieces available at Certified
Native, a new art and gift gallery in Tahlequah.
BRITTNEY BENNETT
Cherokee Phoenix
MUSKOGEE – Cherokee Nation citizen MaryBeth
Timothy has been a professional artist for more than 15 years –
she just doesn’t get to be an artist full time. She hopes that will
change after getting a loan from Cherokee Nation to expand
her business into a full-time career.
“It’s been 15 years now that I’ve been doing this professionally,
but it’s funny because I’m still known as an up-and-coming
artist. So hopefully when I go back full time I’ll be able to
produce enough to be above that level,” Timothy said.
The Cherokee Arts Center in Tahlequah supplied the loan
that Timothy is using to expand her MoonHawk Art business.
With it she had plans to buy printing equipment that will put
her art on items such as tiles, T-shirts and coffee mugs.
“We (she and her husband) saw that as an opportunity to
grow our business to where I can go back to it full time, and it
will help pay for that,” she said.
The expansion idea came after being encouraged by artists
Jeanne Bridges and Cherokee National Treasure Traci Rabbit,
who sell their artwork on different items.
Timothy said she hopes to begin producing by the end of the
year and has talked with gift shops about featuring her art in
their spaces.
Her husband John, a Muscogee Creek artist, is also putting in
time for the endeavor.
“It is awesome to have such a great connection with my
husband,” she said. “We both love to create art. We both love to
travel and participate at art shows. And we are about to embark
on running a business together as well.”
She has previously displayed her work and placed in the
Cherokee Art Market, Southeastern Art Show and Market,
the Santa Fe Indian Art Market and at The Délégation
Amérindienne, or The Native American Delegation, in Paris.
She is also gift shop manager and exhibit coordinator for the
Five Civilized Tribes Museum in Muskogee, where her artwork
can be purchased.
Timothy first began drawing as a child but became
discouraged in junior high. She packed away her art supplies
out of frustration.
“My parents always bought me art supplies, books, paints,
pencils, etc., but I could never get it from my head to the paper
the way I wanted it to be,” she said. “It always seemed like it was
too cartoonish, and by about junior high age I packed it all up
and didn’t do anything for a while.”
Timothy didn’t discover her love for art again until she was
30 years old. It was then she met sculptor and eventual mentor
Betty Synar-Cramer.
Synar-Cramer challenged Timothy to create her own
sculptures. Timothy eventually created a bust of an older Native
American man. That day, Timothy said, Synar-Cramer told her
that art was her calling.
“It just went on from there,” Timothy said. “She wanted me
to start sketching again and I was real intimidated about that,
but I did. Then she introduced me to her daughter Addie, who
is a portrait artist. Addie had me do some sketches for her and
she showed me how to add depth to my ‘cartoonish’ drawings.
It was like turning on a light switch in my creative mind. From
that moment on, I saw everything differently and dove into my
art full force.”
Timothy mainly uses colored pencils, ink and acrylics to
create her art and has recently returned to sculpting.
“My subjects vary depending on commissions or projects or
even just my mood,” she said. “I love wildlife, mostly painting
and drawing birds, but I also do a lot of Native Americanthemed work as well.”
In addition to the Five Civilized Tribes Museum, Timothy’s
work is displayed for sale at Certified Native, a new art and gift
gallery located at 306 N. Muskogee in Tahlequah.
For information about Timothy, visit www.moonhawkart.
com. For information about Certified Native, visit www.
certifiednative.com.
– Reprinted with kind permission of the Cherokee Phoenix, www.
cherokeephoenix.org
NATIVE OKLAHOMA | NOVEMBER 2015
9
HISTORY:
Choctaw Indian Code Talkers
of World War I
PHILLIP ALLEN
Choctaw Code Talkers Association
In 1917, Choctaw Indians were not
citizens of the United States. The
language the Choctaws spoke was
considered obsolete. That same language
later helped bring about a successful end
to the first World War. Of more than
10,000 Native Americans serving in
WWI, a number of Choctaw soldiers
“confounded German eavesdroppers”.
When speaking of going into
battle, you can almost be assured that
communications is an important weapon.
It can be used to defeat your enemy, or
it can destroy you. During WWI, the
Germans were able to decipher all of
the allied forces’ coded communications.
Then something almost miraculous
happened.
A group of 19 young
Choctaw men appeared on the scene,
using their own language to transmit
messages that the Germans were never
able to decipher.
Native
Americans,
including
Choctaws, were not allowed to vote
until 1924 – although years before
this they volunteered to fight for what
they considered their country, land and
people.
According to tribal documents,
there were 19 Choctaw Code Talkers:
Tobias Frazier, Victor Brown, Joseph
Oklahombi, Otis Leader, Ben Hampton,
Albert Billy, Walter Veach, Ben Carterby,
James Edwards, Solomon Louis, Pete
Maytubby, Mitchell Bobb, Calvin
Wilson, Jeff Nelson, Joseph Davenport,
George Davenport, Noel Johnson,
Schlicht Billy and Robert Taylor. The
men listed here were part of the 36th
Division. Originally, only eight men
were recognized as Choctaw Code
Talkers, but as the success of using their
native language as a code was recognized,
others were quickly pressed into service.
Toward the end of the war, the
Germans had tapped radio and telephone
communications. Messengers were sent
out from one company to another. These
messengers had been dubbed runners.
One out of four runners were captured by
German troops. According to a memo
written by Colonel A.W. Bloor, the
Germans had decoded all transmitted
messages up to that point in the war.
While comparatively inactive at Vauxchampagne, it was remembered that
the regiment possessed a company of
NATIVE OKLAHOMA | NOVEMBER 2015
10
In 1917, Choctaw Indian were not citizens of the United States. The language
the Choctaws spoke was considered obsolete. However, that language
helped bring about a successful end to the first World War.
Indians. They spoke twenty-six different
language or dialects, only four or five
of which were ever written. There was
hardly one chance in a million that the
Germans would be able to translate
these dialects and the plan to have these
Indians transmit telephone messages was
adopted. The regiment was fortunate in
having two Indian officers who spoke
several of the dialects. Indians from
the Choctaw tribe were chosen and one
placed in each P.C.
The first use of the Indians was made
in ordering a delicate withdrawal of two
companies of the 2nd En. from Chufilly
to Chardoney on the night of October
26th. This movement was completed
without mishap, although it left the Third
Battalion, greatly depleted in previous
fighting, without support.
The Indians were used repeatedly on
the 27th in preparation for the assault
on Forest Farm. The enemy’s complete
surprise is evidence that he could not
decipher the messages.
After the withdrawal of the regiment
to Louppy-le-Petit, a number of Indians
were detailed for training in transmitting
messages over the telephone.
The instruction was carried on by the
Liaison Officer Lieutenant Black. It had
been found that the Indian’s vocabulary
of military terms was insufficient. The
Indian for “Big Gun” was used to
indicate artillery. “Little gun shoot fast”,
was substituted for machine gun and the
battalions were indicated by one, two
and three grains of corn. It was found
that the Indian tongues do not permit
verbatim translation, but at the end of
the short training period at Louppyle-Petit, the results were very gratifying
and it is believed, had the regiment gone
back into the line, fine results would have
been obtained. We were confident the
possibilities of the telephone had been
obtained without its hazards.
Choctaw Nation historian Charley
Jones has said in his information history
classes that Pushmataha, a Choctaw
chief who died in 1827, once predicted
that the “Choctaw war cry” would be
heard in foreign land. Pushmataha had
no idea how right he was.
One of the Choctaw Code Talkers
has frequently been called Oklahoma’s
greatest war hero of the first World War.
While in the Meuse-argonne campaign,
Joseph Oklahombi discovered a group of
250 German soldiers having a meal in a
cemetery.
The cemetery had high walls and only
one gate, so Oklahombi blocked the gate
and killed 79 of the German soldiers.
The rest of the Germans surrendered to
him.
According to Ben Carterby, Oklahombi
only captured two Germans. An officer
at the French detention camp saw
Oklahombi at a distance with the two
prisoners. When he arrived, however,
he had only one. “Where’s the other
prisoner, Oklahombi?”the officer asked.
Oklahombi simply replied, “I kill him.”
Before the officer could even breathe
or say anything, Oklahombi asked him,
“Want me to go back and kill him some
more?”
The history book, “World War I: The
Thirty Sixth Division” reports that on
October 6, 1918 the Thirty Sixth was
advanced to the front line and within
two days were part of a fresh attack on
the Germans’ strongholds. American
soldiers were unprotected, save for heavy
artillery dire from the 142nd Infantry,
when crossing a wide stretch of land.
The artillery fire kept the Germans
pinned down, enabling the Americans to
kill and/or capture the Germans in their
own trenched. During the fight, they
noticed something peculiar. An unusual
number of German communications
lines were uncovered.
The ease in locating these telephone
lines made Colonel Bloor suspicious
enough to believe they had been left
behind deliberately. Bloor felt the
Germans wanted the Americans to use
their lines so they could tap into them
and monitor conversations, learning of
plans and strategies the Allied forces
planned to use. By using the Choctaw
members of Company E to transmit
messages in their native tongue, the
tactic was immediately turned to the
American’s favor.
When the Choctaw tongue was spoken
over the field telephones, the Germans
stopped attacking the supply dumps
and counter attacking the American
troops. This is because they had no idea
what the Choctaws were saying and
couldn’t effectively spy o n the message
transmissions. A captured German
officer confessed that his intelligence
personnel “were completely confused
by the Indian language and gained no
benefit whatsoever from their wiretaps”.
The Germans didn’t have much to
research regarding Native American
languages. Since the Germans had been
successfully deciphering Americancoded messages, they had some idea of
how the Allies might code their secret
communications. Most Americans are
of an European origin. Choctaws, on
the other hand, aren’t, so the Germans
had no reference to translate the Native
language of the Choctaws.
“Within 24 hours after the Choctaw
language was pressed into service, the
tide of the battle had turned and in less
than 72 hours the Allies were on full
attack” (Germans”).
While more than one of the Choctaw
soldiers has claimed credit for the idea of
using the language they grew up speaking
to confuse their enemy, and Army officers
argue that the initiative was theirs, the
late Code Talker Victor Brown realized
what is really important about the story.
Brown’s daughter remembers that her
father was “quite pleased that they had
fooled the Germans.”
The Choctaw Nation today is very
proud of the story of the original Code
Talkers, and has a granite monument
at the entrance to their capitol grounds
that bears the engraved names of all 18
men who used their language to help
win World War I. The language is so
important to the tribe today that the
current administration has classes offered
in several states and offers free Choctaw
classes on the internet.
– choctawcodetalkersassociation.com
NATIVE OKLAHOMA | NOVEMBER 2015
11
RECOMMENDED READING:
Yuchi Folklore
Cultural Expression in a
Southeastern Native American
Community
In countless ways, the
Yuchi (Euchee) people
are unique among their
fellow Oklahomans and
Native peoples of North
America. Inheritors of
a language unrelated
to any other, the Yuchi
preserve a strong cultural
identity. In part because
they have not yet won
federal recognition as a
tribe, the Yuchi are largely
unknown among their
non-Native neighbors and
often misunderstood in
scholarship. Jason Baird
Jackson’s Yuchi Folklore,
the result of twenty years
of collaboration with Yuchi people and one of just a handful
of works considering their experience, brings Yuchi cultural
expression to light.
Yuchi Folklore examines expressive genres and customs that
have long been of special interest to Yuchi people themselves.
Beginning with an overview of Yuchi history and ethnography,
the book explores four categories of cultural expression:
verbal or spoken art, material culture, cultural performance,
and worldview. In describing oratory, food, architecture,
and dance, Jackson visits and revisits the themes of cultural
persistence and social interaction, initially between Yuchi and
other peoples east of the Mississippi and now in northeastern
Oklahoma. The Yuchi exist in a complex, shifting relationship
with the federally recognized Muscogee (Creek) Nation, with
which they were removed to Indian Territory in the 1830s.
Jackson shows how Yuchi cultural forms, values, customs,
and practices constantly combine as Yuchi people adapt to
new circumstances and everyday life. To be Yuchi today is, for
example, to successfully negotiate a world where commercial
rap and country music coexist with Native-language hymns
and doctoring songs. While centered on Yuchi community life,
this volume of essays also illustrates the discipline of folklore
studies and offers perspectives for advancing a broader
understanding of Woodlands peoples across the breadth of
the American South and East.
– Available from the University of Oklahoma Press, www.
oupress.com
Choctaw Nation
Veterans Day Celebration
November 11, 2015
Located at Council House Rd
Tuskahoma, OK
Begins at 10 a.m.
Includes lunch
800-522-6170
Faith
ChoctawNation.com
Family
Culture
NATIVE OKLAHOMA | NOVEMBER 2015
12
Language offered for high school credit
OKMULGEE – Hesci Estonko?
which means, “Hello, how are you?” in
the Mvskoke language.
In an attempt to preserve the language,
Beggs High School has added a new
class to their core curriculum.
Starting with the 2015 fall semester,
the Mvskoke language is now offered as
a world language credit.
Beggs High School Principal Chris
Howk spoke about the addition.
“As a way to offer another opportunity
in something different that they may not
have ever seen of or heard of,” Howk
said. “For me as a principal, opportunity
is what I’m all about.”
There is one section of the class offered
and it was closed early due to popularity,
with 23 students enrolled.
“This is new for everybody so as we
go, we’ll learn. We’ll come up with ideas.
Find out what works, what doesn’t work,”
Howk said. “I’m learning right along
with them, especially having a program
that I’ve never had.”
Muscogee (Creek) citizen and fluent
Mvskoke speaker Lanissa Jack-Melton
teaches the class.
“Muscogee (Creek) was my first
language,” Melton said. “ I had to take
speech classes to learn how to speak
English.”
Students do not have to be Muscogee
(Creek) citizens to enroll in the class.
“They’re not actually going to come
out fluent but it gives them knowledge
and ability to greet or to be able to
respectfully affiliate themselves with
other nationalities or the Muscogee
(Creek),” Melton said.
Along with the language, Melton also
teaches other aspects of the Mvskoke
culture.
“I teach them about where we come
from, our clans, our kinship; who we are
and where we’re at today,” Melton said.
Currently, Beggs and Glenpool High
Schools are the only public schools that
offer the Mvskoke language.
These schools have the only two
Muscogee (Creek) citizen, Lanissa
Jack-Melton teaches the Beggs High
School Mvskoke language class |
Courtesy Mvskoke Media
certified teachers.
Those seeking certification must
pass tests from the Mvskoke Language
Preservation Program and afterwards,
obtain further certification through the
state.
For more information on becoming
certified contact MLPP at: 918-7327724.
NATIVE OKLAHOMA | NOVEMBER 2015
13
NEVAQUAYA FINE ARTS
At the Riverwalk in Jenks, OK
Proprietor: Timothy Tate Nevaquaya
Southern Plains Art & Art Classes
Flute Performances & Flute Making Classes
For More Information Call: 918.699.9850
WWW.COMANCHEART.COM
GOURDS, ETC. ART STUDIO
CHRISTMAS OPEN HOUSE & ART SALE
December 5 – 6 | 10 am – 5 pm daily
Verna Bates, Cherokee artist, and two guest artists will offer
a wide variety of authentic Cherokee art for immediate purchase.
Gourd art, pottery, jewelry, beadwork, woven baskets, paintings, tree ornaments and much more!
You can begin and finish your Christmas shopping in this single stop!
9002 S. 4392 Rd., LOCUST GROVE | (918) 694-5274
From Locust Grove, go south on Hwy 82 toward Tahlequah. Turn west (right) at E580 Rd. Go exactly two miles.
Applications being accepted for 2016-2017 Miss
Greater Tulsa Indian Art Festival Princess
Deadline to submit applications is Nov. 30, 2015.
Download application from
www.tulsaindianartfestival.com
The new GTIAF Princess will be crowned at the
Premiere Night Benefit Gala, February 5, 2016.
Co-chairs of the Princess Committee
are Beverly Harjo and Alice Whitecloud.
For questions, e-mail [email protected].
NATIVE OKLAHOMA | NOVEMBER 2015
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Standing Bear powwow princess Judiki Moses, Osage Nation princess Alissa Hamilton, Pawnee Nation
princess Sky Seeing Leading Fox, Tonkawa Tribe princess Raven Hockert and Ponca Tribe princess
Lexia Kent line up with shawls at the back of the Hutchins Memorial Auditorium before the
Six Nations Domestic Violence Walk Oct. 16. Each shawl was placed on an empty chair to
symbolize a woman either missing or killed by an intimate partner.
Nations gather for walk,
remember lives lost
LENZY KREHBIEL-BURTON
Cherokee
PONCA CITY – Hanging from lamp posts and trees, the red
dresses fluttered in the breeze this one October afternoon.
Scattered across War Memorial Park, the dresses sent a
clear message to attendees of the Fourth Annual Six Nations
Domestic Violence Walk on Oct. 16: the area’s missing
women and victims of intimate partner violence would not be
forgotten.
“We are seeking justice for these ladies,” Osage Nation
Domestic Violence administrator LaVina Clark said. “We need
to remember them.”
According to a study released Sept. 16 by the Violence Policy
Center, Oklahoma has the sixth highest rate nationwide of
male-on-female homicide, trailing only South Carolina, Alaska,
New Mexico, Louisiana and Nevada. The state ranked third the
year before that.
As of its most recent annual report, issued late last year,
the Oklahoma Domestic Violence Fatality Review Board, part
of the Oklahoma Attorney General’s Office, attributed 100
deaths statewide in 2013 to domestic violence, including 10
NATIVE OKLAHOMA | NOVEMBER 2015
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perpetrators.
Nationally, American Indians are more than twice as likely
to experience sexual assault crimes compared to any other
race, and one in three Native women reports having been
raped during her lifetime. The numbers are almost as high
for Native men, with an estimated one in four experiencing
some form of sexual violence at some point.
“When we see something going on, we have to speak
up,” the Rev. Jim White said. “It’s up to us. We have to say
something and do something.
“It’s a load and a burden we have to carry, but God blessed
us with strong backs. It takes all of us to break this vicious
cycle.”
The federal government handles most criminal cases that
take place on Indian land involving a non-Native. According to
the Indian Law Resource Center, non-Natives are responsible
for 88 percent of all crimes committed against Native women.
Figures from a 2010 Government Accountability Office report
showed that federal prosecutors declined to pursue two-thirds
of sexual abuse cases from Indian Country between 2005 and
2009.
“As we all know, sometimes the FBI and the U.S. Attorney’s
Office have bigger fish to fry,” Osage and Otoe-Missouria
attorney Wilson Pipestem said. “The sooner you intervene, the
less likely the violence is to escalate.”
The keynote speaker at the walk, Pipestem was among the
advocates who helped lobby Congressional support for the
expanded tribal provisions of the Violence Against Women
Act.
Under the terms of VAWA’s 2013 reauthorization, as of
March 7, tribes may exercise special criminal jurisdiction over
non-Natives who violate a protective order or commit an act of
domestic or dating violence against a tribal citizen within the
tribe’s jurisdictional area.
The expanded tribal provisions do not extend to crimes
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Contact information for tribal domestic violence
programs in north-central Oklahoma:
Kaw Nation: 580-362-1098
Osage Nation: 866-897-4747
Otoe-Missouria Tribe: 580-723-4466 ext. 132
Pawnee Nation: 918-399-3310 or 855-810-4144
Ponca Tribe of Oklahoma: 580-761-3144
Tonkawa Tribe: 580-628-7028
committed by a stranger or child abuse cases that do not
involve a violated protective order.
So far, only a handful of tribes nationwide have implemented
the special domestic violence criminal jurisdiction provisions
under VAWA. No arrests under those provisions have been
made in Oklahoma as of mid-September.
The Kaw Nation, Otoe-Missouria Tribe, Osage Nation,
Pawnee Nation, Ponca Tribe and Tonkawa Tribe co-sponsored
the October walk in conjunction with Domestic Violence
Awareness Month. Ponca City is within the jurisdictional areas
of the Osage Nation and the Ponca Tribe of Oklahoma. The
other four co-host tribes are all headquartered within 40 miles
of the Kay County community.
Although the area’s tribal domestic violence programs
regularly coordinate efforts thanks to their geographic proximity,
the annual walk carries an additional special significance.
Janett Reyna, one of the coordinators of the first Six Nations
Walk in 2012, was stabbed to death in August 2013 by her
boyfriend, Luis Octavio Frias, in front of two of the couple’s
three children. A former police officer, Reyna was the domestic
violence coordinator for the Ponca Tribe of Oklahoma and had
a protective order out against Frias at the time of her death.
More than two years later, her assailant is still on the loose.
A first-degree murder warrant is still out for Frias’ arrest and
bond is set at $5 million. He stands about 5 feet, 11 inches
and weighs around 200 pounds. Any one with information on
his whereabouts is asked to call the Oklahoma State Bureau of
Investigation at 1-800-522-8017.
With the Ponca Tribe prominently displaying her photograph,
Reyna was among the victims called out by name Oct. 16 and
remembered with a memorial song.
“Unless we come to an understanding of domestic violence’s
roots…the necessary change needed to transform our society
will not happen,” Ponca Tribe Domestic Violence Coordinator
Rebecca Monhatwa said.
The Ponca Tribe’s domestic violence program remembered its former coordinator, Janett Reyna, at the walk.
In August 2013, Reyna was killed in front of two of her three children. Photos by Lenzy Krehbiel-Burton
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NATIVE OKLAHOMA | NOVEMBER 2015
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Muscogee (Creek) Nation adopts
Independent Press Act
LENZY KREHBIEL-BURTON
Cherokee
OKMULGEE – Another Oklahoma tribe is giving its media
professionals more room to operate without interference or
prior restraint.
Adopted earlier this month by its legislature by a 14-0 margin,
the Muscogee (Creek) Nation’s Independent Press Act moves
the tribe’s media department, Mvskoke Media, out of the
executive branch and places it on par with the tax commission
and other independent statutory agencies.
Under the law, despite providing the bulk of its through
appropriations, the Muscogee (Creek) government will be
explicitly prohibited from influencing the Mvskoke Media staff
in their professional capacities.
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Rebecca Landsberry, a Muscogee (Creek) Nation citizen and the
interim executive director of the Native American Journalists
Association, worked with members of the Muscogee (Creek)
Nation National Council on drafting the legislation. The
organization offers technical support for journalists and tribal
governments considering enacting sunshine laws, including
template legislation, a legal hotline and legal resource room.
“If you look at the big picture and see how it’s going to do
great things long term, it’s going to provide an independent
voice that journalism is supposed to provide in any good
democracy,” Landsberry said. “It’s just enabling us to tell our
own stories without that interference.”
However, when that statutory lack of interference kicks in is
still undetermined. As per the legislation, the editorial board
must be in place by Jan. 1, 2016. Sterling Cosper, the editor
of the Muscogee Nation News, said he and his staff are still
trying to determine what, if any impact, the new law will have
on their operations until the editorial board members are
confirmed and able to start enacting policies.
The department includes the tribe’s newspaper, a weekly
television show aired by a Tulsa broadcast channel, a weekly
radio show on an Okmulgee AM station and a graphic design
and printing division.
“It’s really profound,” he said. “We made history today, but
we’re still trying to figure out what this means for us.”
The law also calls for the creation of a three-person editorial
board to oversee the tribe’s media department.
Muskogee man guides youth
through religion, athletics
All three board members are subject to confirmation, with one
nominee each from the executive branch, legislative branch
and Mvskoke Media. Of the three board members, one must
have a background in tribal law and at least one must have
journalism experience. The third seat may go to someone
with a background in journalism, graphic design or printing.
Muscogee (Creek) Nation citizens must occupy at least two of
the three positions.
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CATHY SPAULDING
Courtesy The Muskogee Phoenix
MUSKOGEE (AP) – Signs touting school activities plaster Jerrod
Adair’s door at Alice Robertson Junior High.
Right in the middle is a sign that sums up why Adair does what
he does. It reads “Our Children Are Sacred.”
The two Oklahoma tribes with an Independent Press Act
already on the books, the Cherokee and Osage nations, also
use editorial boards.
Adair, 41, is AR’s interventionist for Indian education and the
sponsor of several character-oriented school clubs. He also is
youth pastor at The Bridge at Christ Church in Muskogee.
The Cherokee Phoenix’s editorial board has five members and
under the terms of its Independent Press Act, at least three
must have experience in publication management. Of the five
seats, Cherokee Nation citizens must occupy at least four. The
fifth member, selected by the rest of the editorial board and
subject to confirmation by the Tribal Council, must be a citizen
of a federally-recognized tribe.
He told the Mukogee Phoenix he sees a mission in guiding
youth, particularly Native youth. He traces it to his upbringing
in the cultures of Wichita, Pawnee and United Keetoowah
Band of Cherokee Indians.
Under the Osage Nation’s Independent Press Act, at least two
of its three editorial board members must be Osage and at
least five years of professional journalism experience.
He said the woman he called grandma was a founding member
of Fife Memorial United Methodist Church.
“Spirituality has always been part of the Native American
culture, and education has always been part of the Native
American culture,” he said. “Those two things are what make
up who I am, first a spiritual man and second, an educated
Indian man. I want to make sure young Indian kids have those
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NATIVE OKLAHOMA | NOVEMBER 2015
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same opportunities.”
Jerrod Adair came from a diverse Native family.
His father was full-blood Keetoowah. His mother was half white
with Wichita and Pawnee background. He recalled joining in
the customs and traditions from both sides of his family.
Adair said there is a “distinctive difference” between the
Keetoowah Indians on his dad’s side and the Plains tribes on
his mother’s side.
“The Cherokees had stomp dances, and the Plains Indian tribes
had powwows, or ceremonial dances,” he said. “So, there’s
two different areas on that side.”
However, he also grew to appreciate the similarities among
the tribes.
“They have the same respect for elders,” Adair said. “There’s
the same maternal respect you give to your mother’s clan.
Something unique to Native culture is that when you are
related to someone, you’re family. It doesn’t matter how far
removed you were, you’re just family.”
As a result, Adair said his family “is very large and extended.”
He said this deep sense of family and tradition helped him as
an adult.
“Understanding where my people come from and as a
sovereign nation helps me to guide young native people in our
Indian ways – in keeping our cultural ways, in having a vision
for our future as a government and having a vision for the
future of our people,” he said.
After graduating from college, Adair became a home missionary
with the Assembly of God. He helped the denomination
“pioneer” a Chi Alpha ministry in 1998-99.
“One of my visions was to help that ministry on the athletic
side, to reach athletes,” he said, adding that he had been an
All-State baseball player at Fort Gibson in 1992, and played in
college as well.
“I was granted the opportunity to work with the baseball
team and lead Bible studies, pray before games, pray for
injured athletes,” he said of his University of Missouri ministry.
“That door opened up two other opportunities to work with
the gymnastics program and volleyball team doing the same
thing.”
Adair said his duties also included ministering to athletes’
families when the player got hurt or was away from home.
“Even to the simplest thing of my wife cooking a home-cooked
meal for one of those athletes,” he said. “One of the players
who used to come eat mashed potatoes at my house was Ian
Kinsler.”
Kinsler went on to play for the Texas Rangers and Detroit
Tigers.
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Adair was at the University of Missouri for five years. He said
he saw it grow from zero to more than 100 members.
“We had a large international student ministry, a large athletic
ministry,” he said.
Adair returned to Muskogee with a desire to start a Native
American church. However, a job offer from Muskogee Public
Schools led him in a different direction.
As AR Indian education interventionist, Adair tracks grades,
attendance and behavior of its Native American students.
“I work closely with non-Native students in those areas,” he
said. “I seek ways to enrich our students’ lives.”
Part of his work involves character education, he said.
“I helped start some initiatives and continue some initiatives,”
he said, listing the Rougher ROAD and summer character camp
as some examples.
Adair also sponsors several programs at AR, including, Students
Working Against Tobacco and 2 Much 2 Lose, a program
seeking to decrease underage drinking.
“My recent addition to my duties, which takes place after
school is the 21st Century program, an after-school program
that starts the first of November,” he said.
He said he found some of his extra duties, while others “found
me.”
Most of the duties focus on character.
“I believe that’s a vital part of a student’s education,” he said.
“If we’re planning to change a culture, it’s going to start with
character.”
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New EPA grant accelerates Quapaw Tribe’s
Tar Creek Superfund clean-up
SEAN HARRISON
QUAPAW – No group of people was hurt worse by the
environmental tragedy of Tar Creek than the Quapaw Tribe
of Oklahoma. And until now no group has done more to
clean up the mess left behind from decades of lead and zinc
mining. Recent events have greatly accelerated the clean-up
process and delivered a realization, for the first time, that this
40-square-miles of devastation can be restored and put to
good use.
“Generations of Quapaw people and other tribes in this region
have suffered under the burden of the Tar Creek Superfund
site,” said Quapaw Chairman John Berrey. “We are the biggest
stakeholders in what happens here. So it’s fitting, I think, that
we are leading the way in finally getting this historic mess
NATIVE OKLAHOMA | NOVEMBER 2015
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cleaned up.”
The Environmental Protection Agency recently awarded the
Tribe’s Environmental Department its largest remediation
grant to date, and the Quapaw’s construction, roads and
environmental services division is jumping on this important
work and jump-starting the local economy along with it.
Chris Roper, Director of the Quapaw Services Authority, which
operates the clean-up projects, said QSA now has 30 full-time
employees all hired from the local area.
“And we have another 30 contract dump truck drivers who
will stay busy all winter when they are normally very short
on work,” Roper said. “This is a huge boost to the region’s
economy especially around the town of Quapaw.”
The new EPA grant is for an area known as Distal 13, about
a 100 acre site with some particularly complicated hazards.
“There are numerous mine shafts and vent shafts, and highly
concentrated mining waste, “ Environmental Director Tim
Kent said. “It will take about a year to complete.”
The Distal 13 grant is worth $9.5 million. The largest previous
Quapaw/EPA grant was for a 40-acre site known as the Catholic
40 site, worth $2.4 million. The Tribe has been awarded 5
EPA clean-up grants at Tar Creek, and the state of Oklahoma
has awarded two clean-up grants. The grants have led to
remediation work in 11 different areas of Tar Creek, with a
total worth more than $13 million.
“We are proud of what we’re doing at Tar Creek,” Chairman
Berrey said. “We can make this land useable again, and beautiful
again. I don’t have words to describe how passionate we are
about it, and how grateful we are to have the opportunity to
make things right here.”
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Osage Housing Assistance
addresses long waiting list
Geneva HorseChief-Hamilton
PAWHUSKA – The Osage Nation has been working aggressively
to address several housing assistance program needs to
improve services and shorten the time people wait for a
response. After careful review and some restructuring, a new
tribally funded program has determined the need to address
a lengthy waiting list is inevitable. The new program, Osage
Nation Housing Assistance Program (ONHAP) is putting a hold
on new applications until funds are exhausted or until the list
has been completely addressed.
Osage Nation Tribal Works Housing Program Coordinator, Clint
Hill said, “Regretfully, due to budgetary constraints the Osage
Nation Housing Service will not be accepting new applications
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at this time.” The decision was made to focus on the existing
waiting list of eligible applicants with the budget that was
approved for this service. Hill went on to say, “We will just
have to get through as Nov many on the waiting list as we
can with the funds we have. If we can get through our current
waiting list and still have funds available, we will gladly accept
more applications.”
ONHAP is a unique approach by the Nation to support the
housing needs of Osage constituents who are not eligible for
federally funded housing assistance, for example Osages who
exceed federal income guidelines or live on restricted land.
The program is exclusively for qualifying enrolled Osages.
According to the program website, “The Osage Nation
Housing Assistance Program provides assistance with home
improvements and is open to enrolled Osage Nation members
who own their own home, and do not qualify for other Osage
Nation Housing Program Services.”
The Osage Nation Tribal Works Housing Program is located at
86 County Road 5400, Hominy, OK 74035, or call 1-(800)-4908771, for more information.
https://www.osagenation-nsn.gov/what-we-do/housing
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UKB Indian Child Welfare
seeks tribal foster families
TAHLEQUAH (AP) - The United Keetoowah Band Indian Child
Welfare is seeking tribal foster families to provide care giving
and a temporary home for Keetoowah Cherokee children who
have been removed from their homes.
A child’s time in a foster home could be as brief as 48 hours or
as long as a year before they are returned to their families or
parental rights have been terminated.
If possible Keetoowah Cherokee children are placed in a
Keetoowah home with Keetoowah foster parents. In most
cases, these individuals understand and appreciate the culture
and give the child a more normal living environment.
The main goal of the UKB Indian Child Welfare is reunification
of families and to provide resources such as parenting classes,
anger management and family counseling.
If you are 21 years or older, have adequate living quarters in
your home, your home meets basic fire, safety and sanitary
standards, be physically and emotionally capable of caring
for children and have no substance abuse problems, you are
eligible to be a foster parent. You can be single, married with
children, work outside the home, an elder, or the child’s family
member.
You must be able to pass a background check and have no
NATIVE OKLAHOMA | NOVEMBER 2015
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record of abusing or neglecting children, have stable home
and solid parenting skills.
UKB Indian Child Welfare provides assistance with tribal foster
families. Foster parents are paid monthly depending on the
age of the child and can assist with clothing, grocery and
cleaning supply expenses.
There are three types of guardianships: 1) Regular; the guardian
is to see that the protected person is properly trained and
educated and has the opportunity to learn a trade, occupation
or profession and to report the condition of the protected
person to the court at regular intervals 2) Limited; The court
may, upon request or upon its own decision, limit the power
of any guardian to act on behalf of the protected person, and
3) Temporary; In emergency situations, the court can, without
hearing, appoint a temporary guardian for a specified period
of time.
If selected as a tribal foster parent you will be required to
attend training sessions for a total of 27 hours of class time.
Training is available free of charge through the Bridge Family
Resource Center. There are also some classes done online that
are available. For more information on this class go to: http://
www.okbridgefamilies.com
The UKB Indian Child Welfare is here to insure that every child
of UKB Indians in Oklahoma is given the opportunity to live
in a safe and healthy environment and to be raised with an
understanding and appreciation of their tribal culture.
For more information or to contact UKB Indian Child Welfare
please call Susan Alexander, BSW, ICW Advocate at 918-8221955.
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Outreach encourages tribal kinship
TAHLEQUAH (AP) - There are 300,000 citizens of the Cherokee
Nation, and while its capital Tahlequah can claim the residence
of many, the tribal membership is actually scattered through
the Nation’s 14-county jurisdiction, across Oklahoma and
throughout the U.S.
Working to establish and maintain connections between the
Nation and far-flung Cherokee citizens is Community and
Cultural Outreach, which has been energetic in its organization
of art events, film screenings, guest speaking engagements,
along with full immersion in the Cherokee National Holiday in
September.
“When I first came into office, there seemed to be a major
disconnect,” said Principal Chief Bill John Baker. “Whether in
Texas or California, people were wanting more information
about how to contact and learn more about the Cherokee
Nation.”
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Baker spoke while returning from a swing through southern
California arranged by CNCCO. On Oct. 17, Baker, Secretary
of State Chuck Hoskin Jr., and other Cherokees visited fellow
citizens at the Chumash Indian Museum on Thousand Oaks,
then traveled to the Admiral Baker Recreation Area in San
Diego on Oct. 18.
The “Community Event and Potluck” events featured
traditional music, food, storytelling, art and games. Attendees
were invited to submit applications for tribal IDs.
“These have gone from about 50 or 60 people up to about
300, and they are getting organized,” Baker said. “They
always want more information. We explain that we have our
quarterly magazine Anadisgoi, that they can get a free oneyear subscription to the Cherokee Phoenix, and they can go
online to osiyo.tv to view a monthly 30-minute TV program
about Cherokees around the country. Part of Outreach is being
sensitive to what Cherokees outside the 14 counties were
asking and yearning for.”
Describing the SoCal gatherings, Baker called them big family
picnics.
“We show up at 10-11 a.m., and the beauty of it is, nobody
leaves,” he said. “Everybody stays till the last dog dies. We keep
calling them family picnics because Cherokees are unique. You
can’t be a citizen unless you are a ‘cousin.’ We have a finite
roll that ties citizenship to the Dawes Rolls, which makes us all
pretty close cousins.”
Leading to the tribe’s National Holiday on Sept. 5, guests
from Cherokee communities beyond Oklahoma were invited
by Community and Cultural Outreach to be steeped in tribal
culture.
“We went out to Camp Heat O’ Hills,” Baker said. “They learned
leadership, organization, culture and activities to repurpose in
their home communities. It culminated in the National Holiday
with traditional games, the powwow and the parade.”
Through activities and events like those planned by CNCCO,
the Nation can spread cultural knowledge and identity among
its citizens.
“From the Cherokee perspective, it means you are no less
a citizen or cousin because your family moved to California
for economic reasons, or was part of a federal government
relocation program. Keeping every generation connected to
the Cherokee Nation is important to us. Those who are not
here with the government, we can take the government to
them.”
*******
Visit www.nativeoklahoma.us for more news and
events each day and follow us on Twitter @
NativeOklahoma and Facebook/NativeOklahoma
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EVENTS
NATIVE OKLAHOMA | NOVEMBER 2015
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EVERY TUESDAY
A Taste of Native Oklahoma Lunches. 11 am-2 pm. Featuring
Indian Tacos & More. Jacobson House Native Art Center, 609
Chautauqua Ave., Norman
EVERY WEDNESDAY
Every Wednesday: Powwow Singing & Drumming, 6:30 pm8:30 pm. Hosted by OU SNAG. Jacobson House Native Art
Center, 609 Chautauqua Ave., Norman
EVERY 1st FRIDAY: Indian Taco Sales – from 4:00 – 8:00 pm at
Angie Smith Memorial UMC, 400 S. W. 31st Street, Oklahoma
City
Flute circle, 7:00pm-9:00pm. Jacobson House Native Art
Center, 609 Chautauqua Ave., Norman
EVERY 2nd SATURDAY
Indian Taco Sales - from 11-2:30pm at OK Choctaw Tribal
Alliance, 5320 S. Youngs Blvd, Oklahoma City www.okchoctaws.
org
EVERY 3rd SATURDAY: All you can Eat Breakfast SALE – from
8- to 11:00 am at Angie Smith Memorial UMC, 400 S.W. 31st
Street, Oklahoma City
THROUGH FEBRUARY 28, 2016
Collision & Creation: Indigenous Arts of the Americas 18902015 - a showcase of ethnographic arts created by Native
peoples of the Americas, Sam Noble Museum of Natural
History, Norman.
The Sam Noble Oklahoma Museum of Natural History is located
on the University of Oklahoma Norman campus at J. Willis
Stovall Road and Chautauqua Avenue. For accommodations
on the basis of disability, call (405) 325-4712 or visit
SamNobleMuseum.ou.edu.
NOVEMBER 5 – 6
Native American Symposium: Native Leadership: Past, Present,
and Future will be held in the Glen D. Johnson Student Union at
Southeastern Oklahoma State University. The symposium is in
conjunction with the Native November celebration throughout
the entire month.
The two-day event begins at 1 p.m. Thursday (Nov. 5) with
stickball on the front lawn of Morrison Hall (weather permitting).
That will be followed by the Native American Film Presentation
at 2 p.m. in the Henry G. Bennett Memorial Library.
An exhibit of Native American art from the Southeastern
collections will be held in the Visual and Performing Arts
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Centre Gallery through November 20. The exhibit is the Hogan
and Keithley Native American Collection.
For a complete list of Native November events, please visit
http://www.se.edu/dept/native-american-center/2015-native
NOVEMBER 6 – 7
Euchee\Yuchi Heritage Festival, Glenpool Creek Indian
Community Center, 13839 S. Casper St., Glenpool. Open
Friday 6pm – 11pm and features a traditional dinner, Euchee
language play, bingo and silent auction. Doors open at noon on
Saturday and guests may enjoy playing horse shoes, cultural
demonstrations, children’s bingo, raffles, a Stomp Dance and
bid in the silent auction. Also raffles, 50/50, cake plates and
more. Stomp Dance starts at 7:30 – bring your own chair. Info
call Sue, 918-381-3793.
NOVEMBER 7
Native Culture Make and Take, 1pm- 3pm, American Indian
Resource Center, Zarrow Regional Library, 2224 W. 51st St.,
Tulsa. Pottery Making, Corn Husk Dolls, Beading on a Loom.
More information call 918-549-7472.
NOVEMBER 7
Hats Off to Will! Will Rogers Birthday Celebration, Claremore
Conference Center, 1400 W. Country Club Drive, Claremore
(behind Walmart, next door to Holiday Inn Express).
This year’s event commemorates Will Rogers and honors the
early ranchers and founding families of Rogers County.
1pm luncheon and silent auction, plus enjoy special
performances by Jana Jae, the “Queen of Country Fiddle,”
Barbara McAlister, reknowned opera singer, and Becky Hobbs,
Cherokee singer/song writer.
NOVEMBER 8
Tulsa Indian Club presents Native Arts & Crafts Fair, 12pm-5pm,
Muskogee (Creek) Nation Elderly Center, 2975 Celia Berryhill
Road, Okmulgee. Gifts, food, cake walk & bingo! More info,
call Beverly at 918-946-5531.
NOVEMBER 11
Choctaw Nation Veteran’s Day Celebration, 10 am, Council
House Road, Tuskahoma. For more information call 800-5226170 or visit choctawnation.com
NOVEMBER 13 – 15
Beavers Bend Folk Festival & Crafts Show, Beavers Bend State
Park. Featuring turn-of-the-century arts and crafts, exhibitors
will be demonstrating candle making, woodturning, soap
making, knife making, quilting and more. Herbalists will share
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NATIVE OKLAHOMA | NOVEMBER 2015
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information and instrument makers and quilters will display
their work. Crafters will offer a wide variety of handmade items
for sale, including soaps, wreaths, jewelry, pottery and wood
products. Additionally, a children’s area includes storytelling, a
petting zoo and interactive puppet shows.
Festival hours are from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Friday and
Saturday and from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. on Sunday. There is
no charge to attend the festival. For more information, contact
the Forest Heritage Center Museum (580) 494-6497, email
[email protected] or visit www.forestry.ok.gov/folkfestival, where a list of exhibits and activities is available.
NOVEMBER 14
Oklahoma State University Native American Student Association
Powwow, Payne County Expo Center, Stillwater. Gourd Dancing
begins at noon, Grand Entry at 6:30pm. Golden Age; Adult;
Junior and Tiny Tot contests. Drum contest: 1st $750; 2nd $500
and 3rd $300. More info call 405-744-0401 or email veronica.
[email protected]
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DECEMBER 5-6
Christmas Open House at Gourds Etc., 9002 S 4392 Rd, Locust
Grove. Gourds, clay work, pottery, beadwork, baskets and
more for gift=giving! 918-694-5274 for directions or visit www.
gourdsetc.net for map and more information.
DECEMBER 12
Native American Christmas Market. Held at the Sapulpa Elks
Lodge, 24 S Poplar St., Sapulpa, the Native American Christmas
Market welcomes Native American artists each creating
completely unique arts & crafts. Come shop and meet the
Native American artists and craftsmen who create authentic,
one-of-a-kind artwork, crafts, food and clothing. This show is
one of the most anticipated American Indian family-oriented
holiday shopping and dining experiences around. Other items
will include Mary Kay, Scentsy, Origami Owl, Tastefully Simple
and Jamberry Nail products. Phone 918-998-4549.
NATIVE OKLAHOMA | NOVEMBER 2015
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COMANCHE NATION CASINO
402 Southeast Interstate Drive
LAWTON, OK 73501
877-900-7594
comanchenationentertainment.com
At Comanche Nation Casino, a large, modern casino in
Lawton, Oklahoma, we have a large variety of the hottest
and loosest slots. Choose from over 700 machines.
Play the way you like to play from the following
denominations: penny, nickel, dime, quarter, $.50, $1,
$2, $5, $10, and $25. We’re open 24/7, 365 days a year.
Enjoy delicious casual dining at the Mustang Sports Grill
inside the casino. Monthly events and promotions are
always popular. It is conveniently located just off the
freeway in Lawton, Oklahoma.
DOWNSTREAM CASINO RESORT
69300 East Nee Road
QUAPAW, OK 74363
1-888-DWNSTRM (396-7876)
www.downstreamcasino.com
Join in and be part of the FUN and EXCITEMENT! From
the newest gaming machines on the market, traditional
table games and the most stylish poker room in
Oklahoma, Downstream Casino Resort’s vast gaming
floor offers fun and excitement for everyone.
DUCK CREEK CASINO
10085 Ferguson Rd,
BEGGS, OK 74421
918-267-3468
www.duckcreekcasino.com
Duck Creek Casino provides the ultimate, small casino,
gaming experience with over 12,500 feet of dining
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and gaming entertainment with 300 high tech gaming
machines providing 24 hour a day fun! We offer a wide
variety of both classic and popular games to keep your
luck rolling through the night. Located conveniently off
of US highway 75, just minutes South of Tulsa, where
you will be just steps away from parking to your lucky
machine. Stop by and find your special game that fits
your winning style.
GOLDEN PONY CASINO
109095 Okemah St, Okemah
(918) 560-6199
The Golden Pony Casino in Okemah, run by the
Thlopthlocco Tribal Town of the Muscogee (Creek)
Nation, offers a variety of entertainment options in one
venue. With a wide variety of slot machines and new
ones being added all the time, you’ll play games for
hours and never get bored.
7 CLANS FIRST COUNCIL
CASINO HOTEL
12875 N. HWY 77, NEWKIRK, OK
(877) 7-CLANS-0 or (877) 725-2670
www.sevenclanscasino.com
Paradise Casino opened in May 2000, followed by First
Council Casino Hotel in March 2008. Each is home
to exciting gaming, dining, and entertainment. First
Council is located in Newkirk, OK, just south of the
Kansas/Oklahoma border, 30 minutes north of Ponca
City.
Native Owned Small Business?
You should be advertising in Native Oklahoma Magazine.
Ask for our special introductory ad rates!
Contact Adam: 918-409-7252 • [email protected]
NATIVE OKLAHOMA | NOVEMBER 2015
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NATIVE OKLAHOMA | NOVEMBER 2015
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ATTRACTIONS
Artesian Hotel
1001 W 1st St • Sulphur
855-455-5255
www.artesianhotel.com
Bigheart Museum
616 W Main • Barnsdall
918-847-2397
Caddo Heritage Museum
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1899 N Gordon Cooper • Shawnee
405-878-5830
www.potawatomi.org/culture
Comanche National Museum and
Cultural Center
701 NW Ferris Ave. • Lawton
580-353-0404
www.comanchemuseum.com
Caddo Nation Complex • Binger
405-656-2344
www.caddonation-nsn.gov
Coo-Y-Yah Museum
Cherokee Heritage Center
Creek Council House Museum
21192 S Keeler Drive • Tahlequah
918-456-6007
www.cherokeeheritage.org
Cherokee Strip Museum
90114th St • Alva
580-327-2030
www.alvaok.net/alvachamber
Cheyenne Cultural Center
2250 NE Route 66 • Clinton
580-232-6224
www.clintonokla.org
Chickasaw Council House Museum
209 N Fisher Ave • Tishomingo
580-371-3351
www.chickasaw.net
Chickasaw Nation Visitor Center
520 E Arlington • Ada
580-436-2603
www.chickasaw.net
847 Hwy 69 and S 8th St • Pryor
918-825-2222
106 W 6th • Okmulgee
918-756-2324
www.tourokmulgee.com
Delaware County Historical Society
& Mariee Wallace Museum
538 Krause St • Jay
918-253-4345 or 866-253-4345
Delaware Tribal Museum
Hwy 281 N • Anadarko
405-247-2448
Five Civilized Tribes Museum
1101 Honor Heights Dr • Muskogee
918-683-1701 or 877-587-4237
www.fivetribes.org
Fred Jones Jr.
Museum of Art
555 Elm Ave. • Norman
405-325-3272
www.ou.edu/fjjma
Chickasaw National Capitol
Building
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907 N Garrison Ave. • Fort Gibson
918-478-4088
www.okhistory.org
Fort Sill Historic Landmark and
Museum
437 Quanah Rd. • Fort Sill
580-442-5123
http://sill-www.army.mil/museum
Fort Washita Historic Site and
Museum
3348 State Rd 199 • Durant
580-924-6502
Gardner Mission and Museum
Hwy 70 E • Broken Bow
580-584-6588
Gilcrease Museum
1400 Gilcrease Museum Rd. • Tulsa
918-596-2700 or 888-655-2278
www.gilcrease.org
Indian Memorial Museum
402 E 2nd St. • Broken Bow
580-584-6531
John Hair Museum
18627 W Keetoowah Circle
Tahlequah • 918-772-4389
www.keetoowahcherokee.org
Jacobson House Native Art Center
609 Chautauqua • Norman
405-366-1667
www.jacobsonhouse.com
Kaw Tribal Complex • Kaw City
580-269-2552 or 866-404-5297
www.kawnation.com
Choctaw Nation Museum
Council House Road • Tuskahoma
918-569-4465
Kiowa Tribal Museum
Hwy 9 W • Carnegie • 580-654-2300
Choctaw Nation Capitol
Tuskahoma
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Fort Gibson Historic Site and
Interpretive Center
Kanza Museum
411 W 9th • Tishomingo
580-371-9835
www.chickasaw.net
Citizen Potawatomi Nation
Cultural Heritage Center
and Firelake Gifts
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Museum of the Great Plains
601 NW Ferris Ave. • Lawton
580-581-3460
NATIVE OKLAHOMA | NOVEMBER 2015
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attractionS
www.museumgreatplains.org
Sequoyah’s Cabin
Three Valley Museum
Museum of the Red River
Rt. 1 Box 141 • Sallisaw
918-775-2413
www.cherokeetourismok.com
401 W. Main • Durant
580-920-1907
Southern Plains Museum
Tonkawa Tribal Museum
812 E Lincoln Rd • Idabel
580-286-3616
www.museumoftheredriver.org
National Cowboy and Western
Heritage Museum
1700 NE 63rd • Oklahoma City
405-478-2250
www.nationalcowboymuseum.org
Oklahoma History Center
2401 N Laird Ave. • Oklahoma City
405-522-5248
www.okhistorycenter.org
715 E Central Blvd. • Anadarko
405-247-6221
www.doi.gov/iacb/museums/museum_s_
plains.html
Spiro Mounds
Archaeological Center
18154 1st St. • Spiro
918-962-2062
okhistory.org/outreach/museums/
spiromounds.html
Osage Tribal Museum, Library and
Archives
6 Santa Fe Plaza
Oklahoma City
405-427-5228
www.redearth.org
Sam Noble Oklahoma
Museum of Natural History
2401 Chautauqua Ave. • Norman
405-325-4712
www.snomnh.ou.edu
Seminole Nation Museum
524 S Wewoka • Wewoka
405-257-5580
www.theseminolenationmuseum.org
Washita Battlefield National
Historic Site
Commercial & Main, Webbers Falls
918-464-2728
2300 N Lincoln Blvd. • Oklahoma City
405-521-3356
www.ok.gov
Red Earth Museum
303 S. Main
Blackwell
580-363-0209
Webbers Falls Historical
Museum
Permanent Art of the
Oklahoma State Capitol
2727 S Rockford Rd. • Tulsa
918-749-7941
www.philbrook.org
Top of Oklahoma Historical Society
Museum
West of town, Cheyenne
580-497-2742
www.nps.gov/waba
819 Grandview Ave. • Pawhuska
918-287-5441
www.osagetribe.com/museum
Philbrook Museum of Art
36 Cisco Dr. • Tonkawa
580-628-5301
www.tonkawatribe.com
Wheelock Academy
Standing Bear Museum
Ponca City
Standing Bear Park, Museum and
Education Center
601 Standing Bear Pkwy • Ponca City
580-762-1514
www.standingbearpark.com
Tahlonteeskee Cherokee
Courthouse Museum
Rt. 2 Box 37-1 • Gore
918-489-5663
Talbot Research Library and
Museum
500 S. Colcord Ave. • Colcord
918-326-4532
www.talbotlibrary.com
Rt. 2 Box 257-A8 • Garvin
580-746-2139
www.choctawnation.com
Woolaroc Ranch, Museum
and Wildlife Preserve
1925 Woolaroc Ranch Rd.
Bartlesville
918-336-0307 or 888-966-5276
www.woolaroc.org
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as blouses, skirts, ribbon shirts, dresses,
jackets, vests, coats, buckskin dresses,
moccasins and leggings, Cherokee
dresses. Many items decorated with
Seminole patchwork and Osage ribbon
work. Brochure available with stamped
self-addressed business-size envelope.
Bedré Chocolate
37 N Colbert Rd
Davis, OK 73030
Toll Free: 800-367-5390
Bedre is an American Indian company
that produces fine chocolate in the heart
of Oklahoma. This manufacturing facility
is owned and operated by the Chickasaw
Nation.
Bedre offers temptations
to satisfy any sweet tooth, including
gourmet chocolates, gift baskets and
other traditional candies. While on site,
guests may step into the viewing gallery
and see chocolate being made before
their eyes. Chocolate is produced and
packaged Monday through Friday, 9am3pm. If your group consist of more
than eight guests, an appointment is
required.
The Branded Bear
148 E Lake Dr
Medicine Park, OK 73557
Phone: 580-529-3656
The Branded Bear in Medicine Park
specializes in authentic, handmade
Native American jewelry, pottery and
artifacts. This one-of-a-kind shop has
something for everyone. Located along
a charming sidewalk in scenic downtown
Medicine Park, this store features Native
American art and jewelry representing
about 20 different tribes, including some
from Oklahoma.
Buffalo Sun
122 N Main
Miami, OK 74354
Phone: 918-542-8870
The only Indian design clothing store and
gift shop in the Tri State area. Traditional
and contemporary Indian fashions such
The Cedar Chest
521 Kihekah St
Pawhuska, OK 74056
Phone: 918-287-9129
The Cedar Chest in Pawhuska carries
beautiful handmade Native American
jewelry and traditional regalia pieces.
Browse through turquoise bracelets and
earrings as well as hand beaded barrettes
and moccasins. The Cedar Chest also
offers candles, silver jewelry, Pendleton
items, shawls, canes, head dresses and
much more. Native American artists also
display their work for sale.
Certified Native | Native Oklahoma
306 N Muskogee Ave.
Tahlequah, OK 74464
Phone: 918-708-5838
Native Oklahoma Magazine’s office now
houses Tahlequah’s newest art gallery
and gift shop! The gallery features
Oklahoma Native artists profiled in
Native Oklahoma Magazine and upand-coming local talents. Come by
for Native pottery, decorative gourds,
jewelry, giclee prints, art tiles, paintings
and Bedré chocolates - plus pick up the
latest issue of Native Oklahoma.
Cha Tullis Gallery
108 W Main
Hominy, OK 74035
Phone: 918-885-4717
Stop by and browse our collection
of artwork, crafts, jewelry, literature
and music, located in the heart of the
Osage Indian Nation Reservation. Items
feature Native American, cowboy and
nature-themed artwork and gifts. From
Indian fry bread to incense, talking
sticks to pottery, Kokopelli to wolves,
Native American flute music to silver
and turquoise jewelry, the selection is
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extensive. As our journey continues we
will add new creations to our collection.
Cherokee Gallery & Gift Shop
777 W Cherokee St
Catoosa, OK 74015
Phone: 918-384-6723
Located inside the Hard Rock Casino, the
Cherokee Gallery & Gift Shop offers a
variety of items make by Cherokee Tribal
members. Browse traditional Cherokee
items like baskets, pottery, beaded
items, knives and pipes. Other items
include Pendleton products, jewelry,
art, books and apparel.
Cherokee Nation Gift Shop
17725 S Muskogee Ave
Tahlequah, OK 74464
Phone: 918-456-2793
Toll Free: 800-256-2123
Located next to the Cherokee Nation
Headquarters in Tahlequah, the
Cherokee Nation Gift Shop offers a
variety of items made by Cherokee Tribal
members. Browse rows of traditional
Cherokee baskets, pottery, beaded
items, knives and pipes. Other items
include Pendleton products, jewelry,
art, books and apparel.
Cherokee Trading Post & Boot Outlet
23107 N Frontage Rd
Clinton, OK 73601
Phone: 580-323-0001
Toll Free: 888-572-0001
This family-owned gift shop was
established in 1967 on historic Route 66.
The Cherokee Trading Post & Boot Outlet
in Clinton offers Indian jewelry, hand
beaded jewelry, moccasins, artifacts,
pottery, art, rattlesnake products, leather
jackets and Western items, as well as
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NATIVE OKLAHOMA | NOVEMBER 2015
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Oklahoma and Route 66 souvenirs. Find
a wide variety of cowboy boots for every
occasion including a number of different
brands at their boot outlet.
Cherokee Trading Post & Travel Mart
301 S Walbaum Rd
Calumet, OK 73014
Phone: 405-884-2502
The Cherokee Trading Post & Travel
Mart in Calumet is conveniently located
right off the highway and stocked full
of unique American Indian clothing,
decor, accessories and more. Stop in to
look through their extensive selection
of moccasins, Pendleton items and
turquoise jewelry. You’ll find leather
handbags, one-of-a-kind hats, hand
beaded items, books on Native American
culture and even high quality cowboy
boots. There’s something for everyone
including children at this Route 66 staple
that opened in 1963.
Choctaw Nation Museum Gift Shop
Tuskhoma
(918) 569-4465.
Located on the first floor of the historic
Choctaw Nation Museum in Tuskahoma
the Choctaw gift shop features many
wonderful handcrafted Choctaw Items.
Those looking for unique one of a kind
holiday gifts can find it here. We have
beaded and gourd tree ornaments
and also beadwork from over 20 local
artist, baby moccasins, artwork, deer
horn handle knives, stickball silverwork,
modern Choctaw jewelry, Pendleton
blankets and items too numerous to
mention. In December receive a free
ornament with any purchase. The
gift shop is open from 8 to 4 Monday
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through Friday. The gift shop will also do
mail orders. Please call (918) 569-4465.
Citizen Potawatomi Nation Cultural
Heritage Center & FireLake Gifts
1899 S Gordon Cooper Dr
Shawnee, OK 74801
Phone: 405-878-5830
Toll Free: 800-880-9880
A primary goal of the Citizen Potawatomi
Museum is to preserve and interpret
artifacts relevant to indigenous Great
Lakes cultures with an emphasis on the
Anishinabe Potawatomi. The museum
also seeks to facilitate an understanding of
history, heritage, values, art, philosophy,
crafts, medicines, societal structure
and language -- but not merely in an
historical sense. The Citizen Potawatomi
are living, dynamic people with a bright
future. The museum emphasizes the
direct connection between ancestors
and the Citizen Potawatomi people of
today. The theme, therefore, is not ‘Who
We Were,’ but ‘Who We Are.’
The Citizen Potawatomi Museum also
features the nation’s museum research
library, archives, family research center,
veteran’s wall of honor, tribal heritage
project and long room events center.
FireLake Gifts is also located inside
the museum, offering unique Native
American made jewelry, ceremonial
items, traditional native attire, a vast
array of Pendleton blankets, jackets,
clothing, bags and more. FireLake Gifts
is open Mon-Fri, 8:30am-5:30pm and
Sat, 10am-3pm. For FireLake Gifts call
405-275-3119 or visit www.firelakegifts.
com for more information.
Drysdales
10127 E 71st St
Tulsa, OK 74133
Phone: 918-252-7917
Stop into Drysdales in Tulsa to shop an
enormous selection of Western wear
and more. Browse through the selection
of men’s, women’s and kids’ boots; from
simple to flashy and leather to ostrich,
you’re guaranteed to find a style you
love. Check out the wide selection
of Wrangler jeans, as well as many
other classic brands. Drysdales also
offers men’s, women’s and kids’ shirts,
outerwear and accessories. Top off your
outfit in timeless style with a straw or
felt cowboy hat and you’re ready to go.
Fancy Dancer Leather Designs
302 W Alabama
Anadarko, OK 73005
Phone: 405-247-7030
Custom made beaded buckskin presses,
moccasins and leggings. Also a wide
variety of Czech cut beads and beading
supplies, shell and other natural material
earrings, and other beaded items.
We are located attached to a private
residence, but shoppers are welcome at
all times. Call before coming to be sure
we are in.
Gourds Etc.
9002 S 439-2
Locust Grove, OK 74352
Phone: 918-479-8739
Gourds, Etc is an art studio and gallery
that offers authentic handmade
Cherokee art for immediate purchase
including one-of-a-kind Cherokee gourd
masks, gourd art, paintings, jewelry,
tree ornaments, decorative mugs and
more. Periodic gourd art workshops
are offered. All gourds used for art are
grown in a garden located on studio
property. Visitors are welcome to view
the garden area to better understand
the process of making gourd art.
Gourds, Etc also hosts an annual
Christmas Art Show during the first
Saturday and Sunday in December
with guest American Indian artists
offering extraordinary art and gift
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NATIVE OKLAHOMA | NOVEMBER 2015
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ideas in every price range. Gourds,
Etc can accommodate small tours by
appointment. Gourds, Etc is privately
owned and operated by artist, Verna
Bates, a registered member of the
Cherokee Nation, Oklahoma.
Indian Art Oklahoma
4716 N MacArthur Blvd
Oklahoma City, OK 73122
Phone: 405-495-1800
Indian Art Oklahoma features a variety
of handcrafted jewelry and authentic,
handmade American Indian items. This
store carries turquoise jewelry, pottery,
artwork, sculpture, beadwork, artifacts,
flutes, decorative items, music, movies,
books, gift cards and much more. Indian
Art Oklahoma has been making custom
design jewelry since 1979 in Oklahoma
City.
Indian Trading Post & Art
825 S Walbaum Rd
Calumet, OK 73014
Phone: 405-884-5599
At Indian Trading Post & Art in Calumet,
you can shop for all kinds of Native
American themed apparel, knick knacks
and other memorabilia. This great stop
just off I-40 is the perfect chance to pick
up a pair of moccasins or hand beaded
jewelry. The store also carries Native
American art from a large number of
tribes including pottery and other great
pieces.
Inter-Tribal Designs
1520 N Portland
Oklahoma City, OK 73107
Phone: 405-943-7935
Inter-Tribal Designs in Oklahoma City
features hard-to-find Native American
food items, kachinas, jewelry, beadwork,
clothing, pottery and beading and craft
supplies.
Jane Osti Pottery Studio
402 S. Muskogee
Tahlequah, OK 74464
Phone:(918) 456-1900
A Cherokee National Treasure, Jane’s
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work has been exhibited in museums
across the country and she has won
awards for her work in numerous juried
art shows. Her pottery is rich in earth
colors of natural clay and rich in history of
designs and patterns, bringing full circle
ancient traditions in a contemporary
world.
Laughing Lizard Trading Post
205 E Lake Dr
Medicine Park, OK 73557
Phone: 580-574-1318
The Laughing Lizard Trading Post in the
quaint town of Medicine Park specializes
in nature inspired and Native American
themed gifts and collectibles. Find the
perfect handmade item for someone
special as a gift or pick yourself out some
new unique accessories that cannot
be found anywhere else. Conveniently
located with other boutiques and
specialty stores in the historic town of
Medicine Park, make Laughing Lizard a
stop during your trip to Medicine Park
and the Wichita Mountains Wildlife
Refuge.
Lyons Indian Store
111 S Detroit Ave
Tulsa, OK 74120
Phone: 918-582-6372
Lyon’s Indian Store has been located in
downtown Tulsa since 1916. Offering
one of the largest selections of American
Indian goods and Oklahoma souvenirs
in Tulsa, Lyon’s Indian Store has been a
Tulsa fixture for over 90 years. Located
in the city’s vibrant Blue Dome District,
Lyon’s Indian Store features silver
and turquoise Indian jewelry, t-shirts,
moccasins, Native American art, rugs,
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pottery, bronze statues, Pendleton
blankets, crafts, beads, feathers, gifts
and more.
McKee’s Indian Store & Susan Peters
Gallery
116 W Main St
Anadarko, OK 73005
Phone: 405-247-7151
Toll Free: 800-972-7653
McKee’s Indian Store in Anadarko is a
retail store offering Indian art and crafts,
beads, fringe and more for making crafts
and regalia. Other items for purchase
include Pendleton blankets and purses,
turquoise and silver jewelry, original
Indian art, prints and sculpture. Some
artifacts on display but not for sale.
While you’re there, browse art from
Susan Peters Gallery.
Oklahoma Indian Arts & Crafts
Cooperative
801 E Central Blvd
Anadarko, OK 73005
Phone: 405-247-3486
The Oklahoma Indian Arts & Crafts
Cooperative, founded in 1955, is an
independent arts and crafts business
owned and operated by Native American
artists and craftspeople. The sales shop
is located in the Southern Plains Indian
Museum.
Oklahoma Native Art & Jewelry
2225 Exchange Ave.
Oklahoma City, OK 73108
Phone: 405-604-9800
Known as one of Oklahoma City’s
premier American Indian galleries and
shops, Oklahoma Native Art & Jewelry
is located in the Historic Stockyards
District near Cattlemen’s Steakhouse.
It features rare works of over 68 wellknown American Indian artists and
craftsmen, as well as authentic American
Indian and Western artworks including
sculpture, jewelry, Kachinas, Cherokee
baskets, dream catchers, pottery and
paintings.
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NATIVE OKLAHOMA | NOVEMBER 2015
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Native American Art
317 S Main St
Tulsa, OK 74103
Art gallery specializing in Native
American art featuring paintings,
sculptures, pottery, prints and much
more.
Nevaquaya Fine Arts
500 Riverwalk Trace, Ste. 120
Jenks, OK
Phone: 580-291-9572
Nevaquaya Fine Arts represents
American Indian arts and artists that
express the uniqueness of Native culture
in traditional and contemporary forms.
Osage Trading Post
153 John Dahl Avenue
Pawhuska, OK 74056
Phone: 918-287-4544
An authorized Pendleton dealer and
Native American owned, we are located
on the Osage Reservation.
Osage
Trading Company carries traditional
regalia, supplies and beadwork. Stop
by and browse through everything from
moccasins, otter hides and turquoise
jewelry to sweet grass, fringe and ribbon.
We carry a large selection of American
broadcloth, hide and beads. Other items
include corn, blue corn, blue cornmeal
and frybread mix. Come shop our large
selection of ropes, roping gloves and
other roping supplies. Additionally,
we sell fireworks at a discounted price
throughout the year. Come in on a
Friday and enjoy a delicious, hot Osage
meatpie with a strawberry pop. We are
open Monday through Saturday.
Osage Tribal Museum
819 Grandview Ave
Pawhuska, OK 74056
Phone: 918.287.5441
The Osage Tribal Museum is the oldest
tribally owned museum in the United
States. Originally constructed in 1872 as a
chapel, schoolhouse, and dormitory, the
Osage Tribal Council was instrumental in
establishing the museum in 1938.
The adaptive reuse of the building to a
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museum was funded as a Public Works
Administration (WPA) project and
carried out by the CCC. At the time of its
opening in 1938, it was the only museum
in the world owned by an American
Indian tribe. After a year of expansion
and remodeling funded by the Bureau
of Indian Affairs, the museum was
reopened on September 30, 1967. Once
again, in 1994, the museum reopened
after several months of additional
renovations.
On October 15, 1987 the Osage Tribal
Museum was placed on the National
Register Historic Places and on May 2,
2008 the museum celebrated its 70th
anniversary.
Rabbit Gallery
231 S Taylor
Pryor, OK 74362
Phone: 918-825-3716
Toll Free: 800-613-3716
Original art, paintings, prints and gift
items by internationally-known Native
American artists Bill and Traci Rabbit.
Father and daughter are enrolled citizens
of the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma
and enjoyed creating their art together.
Ron Allen Studios
221 E Cedar St
Wewoka, OK 74884
Phone: 405-380-6942
Ron Allen Studios in Wewoka offers a
wide selection of unique works that are
accessible to art collectors both novice
and expert. Over the years, renowned
artist Ron Allen’s works have been shown
in various galleries and museums across
the country, including the Carol LaRoche
Gallery in Santa Fe and the Seminole
Nation Museum in Wewoka. Ron Allen
Studios features fine art, sculpture,
paintings, collage and assemblage,
along with assorted junk and artifacts of
the rusty metal type.
Southwest Collectibles
135 W First St, Arcadia, OK 73007
Phone: 405-396-2202
Offers a wide variety of authentic Native
American and Southwestern art. Includes
jewelry, prints, wall hangings, handmade
flutes, peace pipes, handcrafted knifes,
drums, Kachina dolls, furs and hides.
Supernaw’s Oklahoma Indian Supply
213 East Rogers Blvd.
Skiatook, OK 74070
Phone: 888-720-1967
Beads and beading supplies, jewelry,
hackles, spikes and fluffs, skins, blankets,
sage and cedar - Supernaw’s is the place
to find it.
Tiger Gallery
2110 E Shawnee
Muskogee, OK 74403
Tiger Gallery in Muskogee is a family
owned and operated business. The
gallery features reprints of the work
of Jerome and Dana Tiger, widely
considered major influences in the
development of contemporary Indian
art, as well as the works of the rest of
the Tiger family.
Tribes 131 Fine Art, Jewelry & Gifts
131 24th Ave NW
Norman, OK 73069
Phone: 405-329-4442
Tribes 131 Fine Art, Gifts & Jewelry is
one of Oklahoma’s premier galleries
containing American Indian and
Southwest-inspired fine arts. Tribes
131 features everything from historical
artwork to abstract pieces, including
a variety of non-native and gift items.
This Norman gallery offers a full line
of jewelry, pottery, baskets, kachinas,
textiles, prints, bronzes, clay and
alabaster sculptures, masks, beadwork
and a large variety of made in Oklahoma
gift items. Historical works vary and
often sell quickly. Tribes 131 also has
works by other artists on consignment
and the largest inventory of Doc Tate
Nevaquaya and Mirac Creepingbear
originals for sale.
*Not all listings are Native American
owned
Lodging
Casino Hotel
Devol
www.indigoskycasino.com
Spa
Golf on Site
Meeting Space
Restaurant
Laundry
Microwave
Hair Dryer
Coffee Maker
Hot Tub
(O = Outdoor; I = Indoor)
Swimming Pool
Business Center
Fitness Room
Breakfast
Wi-Fi
Rooms
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OKLAHOMA Tribal Directory
Absentee-Shawnee Tribe
2025 South Gordon Cooper Shawnee Oklahoma 74801
Phone: 405.275.4030
Alabama-Quassarte
Tribal Town
101 E. Broadway
Wetumka, Ok. 74883
Phone: 405 452-3987
Apache Tribe of Oklahoma
511 East Colorado Drive
Anadarko, Okla.
405-247-9493
Caddo Nation of Oklahoma Hwys. 281 & 152 Intersection
Binger, Okla.
405-656-2344
Cherokee Nation
South of Tahlequah, Hwy. 62
Tahlequah, Okla.
918-453-5000
Cheyenne-Arapaho Tribes
100 Red Moon Circle
Concho, Okla.
405-262-0345
Chickasaw Nation
124 East 14th Street
Ada, Okla.
(580) 436-2603
Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma 529 N. 16th St., Durant, Okla.
800-522-6170
Citizen Potawatomi Nation
1601 Gordon Cooper Drive
Shawnee, Okla.
405-275-3121
Comanche Nation
584 NW Bingo Rd.
Lawton, Okla.
877-492-4988
Delaware (Lenape) Tribe
of Indians
5100 East Tuxedo Blvd.
Bartlesville, Okla.
918- 337-6550
Delaware Nation
31064 State Highway 281
Anadarko, Okla.
405-247-2448
Eastern Shawnee Tribe of
Oklahoma
127 Oneida St.
Seneca, Missouri
918-666-2435
Fort Sill Apache Tribe
Route 2, Box 121
Apache, Okla.
580-588-2298
Iowa Tribe of Oklahoma
RR 1, Box 721
Perkins, OK
405-547-2402
Kaw Nation of Oklahoma
698 Grandview Drive
Kaw City, Okla.
580-269-2552
Kialegee Tribal Town
623 East Hwy. 9
Wetumka, Okla.
405-452-3262
Kickapoo Tribe of Oklahoma
P.O. Box 70
McLoud, Okla.
405-964-7053
Kiowa Indian Tribe of
Oklahoma
Hwy. 9, West of Carnegie
Carnegie, Okla.
580-654-2300
Miami Tribe of Oklahoma
202 S. Eight Tribes Trail
Miami, Okla.
918-542-1445
Sac and Fox Nation
920883 S. Hwy 99
Stroud, Okla.
918-968-3526
Modoc Tribe of Oklahoma
418 G Street Miami, Okla.
918-542-1190
Seminole Nation of Oklahoma
Junction Hwys. 270 and 56
P. O. Box 1498, Wewoka, Okla.
405-257-7200
Muscogee (Creek) Nation
Hwy. 75 and Loop 56
Okmulgee, Okla.
800-482-1979
Osage Nation
813 Grandview
Pawhuska, Okla.
918-287-5555
Ottawa Tribe of Oklahoma
13 S. 69 A
Miami, Okla.
918-540-1536
Otoe-Missouria Tribe
8151 Hwy 177
Red Rock, Okla.
877-692-6863
Pawnee Nation of Oklahoma
Pawnee, Okla.
918-762-3621
Peoria Tribe of Indians of
Oklahoma
118 S. Eight Tribes Trail
Miami, Okla.
918-540-2535
Seneca-Cayuga Nation
R2301 E. Steve Owens Blvd.
Miami, Okla.
918-542-6609
Shawnee Tribe
29 S. Hwy. 69A
Miami, Okla.
918-542-2441
Thlopthlocco Tribal Town 09095 Okemah Street
Okemah, Okla.
918-560-6198.
Tonkawa Tribe of Indians
1 Rush Buffalo Road
Tonkawa, Okla.
580-628-2561
United Keetoowah Band of
Cherokee Indians
PO Box 746
Tahlequah, Okla.
918-431-1818
Ponca Tribe
20 White Eagle Drive
Ponca City, Okla.
580-762-8104
Wichita and Affiliated Tribes
[Wichita, Keechi, Waco,
Tawakonie]
Hwy. 281, Anadarko, Okla.
405-247-2425
Quapaw Tribe of Indians
5681 S. 630 Rd.
Quapaw,Okla.
918-542-1853
Wyandotte Nation
64700 E. Highway 60
Wyandotte, Okla.
918-678-2297
NATIVE OKLAHOMA | NOVEMBER 2015