Comanche Nation Fair September Choctaw Labor Day Festival Schedule. Osage Nation to Preserve Ceremonial. Chickasaw Cultural Center Wins Awards

Transcription

1 Art Culture FOOD Entertainment Events Gaming Powwows Shopping NATIVE OKLAHOMA SEPTEMBER 2015 SEPTEMBER 2015 Choctaw Labor Day Festival Schedule Osage Nation to Preserve Ceremonial RoundHouse Chickasaw Cultural Center Wins Awards Comanche Nation Fair September 25-27

2 NATIVE OKLAHOMA SEPTEMBER T H A N N U A L CHEROKEE ART MARKET OCTOBER 1 0 & 1 1 One of the nation s most prestigious and largest intertribal Native American art markets CherokeeArtMarket.com (877) Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Tulsa I-44 Exit 240, Catoosa, OK Troy Jackson The Gift (sculpture) Shawna Cain Grandma s Gathering (basket)

3 NATIVE OKLAHOMA SEPTEMBER Contents: ON OUR COVER MARCOS ESTRADA COMANCHE 5 CULTURE Osage Nation to preserve ceremonial roundhouse 8 CCC WINS AWARDS 10 MEET THE AUTHOR Sarah Elisabeth Sawyer 11 RECOMMENDED READ The Executions 12 UKB CELEBRATION 13 NATIVE FILM FEST 14 CHOCTAW LABOR DAY Schedule of events, map 16 CHOCTAW GAMES 20 SPECIAL EXHIBIT Nine years of Art Market Best in Show 21 EVENTS 23 GAMING 24 ATTRACTIONS 26 SHOPPING 30 LODGING 31 TRIBAL DIRECTORY Native Oklahoma is a monthly publication of the Native American Times, Oklahoma s online Inter-Tribal news source. Content Native Oklahoma Magazine. For more information or to advertise, please call Adam Proctor at or Lisa Snell at You may also contact us via , info@nativeoklahoma.us. Native Oklahoma is available for FREE at tribal and Oklahoma welcome centers; hotels; travel plazas and online at Get your Like Us! Facebook.com/NativeOklahoma on Twitter Game FACE ON! Please Recycle This Magazine FALL INTO RELAXATION! LIMITED TIME Special! At 7 Clans First Council With four nearby locations and a new one on the way in Perry, featuring the hottest slots, table games,* live entertainment, great dining options and refreshing bars we are committed to providing you with the best service and a winning experience in the best casinos in Northern Oklahoma! N. HWY HWY $69+TAX PER ROOM PER NIGHT* Take advantage of our exclusive $ 69 room offer any Sunday Thursday and we ll set you up with a well-appointed room, FREE Wi-Fi, valet parking and more! If you join the Players Club or are already a member, get a complimentary breakfast! Make your reservations today by calling toll-free at or book online! FIRSTCOUNCILCASINOHOTEL.COM/HOTEL 8401 HWY CLANSCASINOS.COM N. HWY *Available in select locations, please see website for details. See Players Club for more information. Management reserves all rights. OPENING N HWY 77, NEWKIRK, OK CLANSCASINOS.COM *Blackout dates and restrictions apply. Subject to change. Management reserves all rights Clans Casinos Get your Game FACE ON!

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5 NATIVE OKLAHOMA SEPTEMBER CULTURE: Osage Nation to preserve ceremonial roundhouse Geneva HorseChief-Hamilton Osage Nation Communications HOMINY It is the first day of the annual Osage Hominy Ilonska (Ee-lon-shka) Dances and it s hot, Oklahoma month of June hot, with the promise of some rain in the dark clouds edging the skies. Alice Buffalohead, 39, walks through double doors into slightly cooler temperatures in the shade of an old round building known as an Osage Round House. Outside in the humidity, Osage people who have travelled short and long distances set-up camps, stir large pots over campfires, visit with old friends and new friends, and prepare for dancing. The Hominy Indian Village, where the Hominy Osage Round House is located, is tucked away in a small valley off the main road in the small town of Hominy Northwest of Tulsa. Like most small towns, if you blink you might miss the turn. But if you do make the turn it takes you to a secluded area with a large community building and an even larger dance arbor. The roundhouse is situated neatly between the larger structures. There are family homes surrounding the Osage dance grounds that include all three buildings. It s been a long time since I stood in here, Buffalohead says as her voice trails off till she finds a memory. Then smiling she recalls an ancient ceremony of the Osage, and says, I remember when they passed the drum in here. She remembers hand games, dinners, birthdays, hearing the Drum and dancing inside the roundhouse. More than twenty years have passed since Buffalohead last stood under the tall wooden beams angling towards the sky. The Osage roundhouse is fast approaching 100 years old. The ceiling has a large opening where a bell was once mounted and provided ventilation for a time when wood burning stoves were used. Now it opens up like a skylight with a lid. Buffalohead only steps a few feet inside the building before being swept away with memories. The Hominy Osage Round House has been on the National Register of Historic Places since 1979 and according to the National Register it was built in Today, it still stands relatively intact. The roof from the outside is sagging and the inside, though cooler than outside, has obvious signs of the disjointed stages of repair keeping it standing. There is an entire generation of Osage kids that have never been inside a roundhouse, much less, for any type of activity in the way that I was able to. I had the opportunity to be here for different events growing up as a child, said Buffalohead who remembers dancing inside the roundhouse as a teen. For many Osage people, especially Osages from the Hominy District, the circular building is a symbol of heritage, family,

6 6 NATIVE OKLAHOMA SEPTEMBER 2015 Osage culture and traditions. Despite centuries of oppression, disease, genocide and cultural loss, the Osage Nation is now a thriving sovereign Native Nation. The Hominy roundhouse was built nearly 100 years ago to strengthen the Osage people by helping to maintain Osage culture and community togetherness, and it did for a long time. Complete restoration of the historic building is now being done by the Osage Nation so future generations of Osage people will dance on the same grounds in the same manner as the generations before them. Leadership steps-up for preservation In the week before the Hominy Ilonska, Osage Nation Principal Chief Geoffrey Standing Bear ordered emergency repairs to the Round House when the roof looked to be on the verge of collapse. He then asked members of the Osage Nation Congress, like Buffalohead, for funding to restore the Round House. This is the last standing [Osage] roundhouse, said Standing Bear. Our intent is to completely restore it, as it was, to the way the people who remember it used it for our dances. Every year in June, the Osage Ilonska ceremonial dances are held and hundreds of Osage people and guests gather from all over the country to participate. The Ilonska, or Playground of the eldest son, has been part of Osage culture and history since the late 1800s. The Osage Ilonska Dances are divided into three districts typically during the month of June for four days at each district; Pawhuska, Hominy, and Grayhorse. Each district hosts four days of dancing, eating, and celebration. Each district maintains the same agenda and other similarities. They also celebrate their unique differences, like having a roundhouse. On July 22, Chief Standing Bear s efforts to save the structure were reinforced. Funding for an architectural study for proper rehabilitation of the roundhouse was approved unanimously by the Osage Congress during a Special Session the Chief had requested to address health, education and cultural matters of urgency. Preserving the roundhouse qualified as an urgent matter for Standing Bear. We re fortunate to have the last remaining roundhouse still standing, said Osage Nation Congressman John Maker, from Hominy. Maker was also invited by the Chief to look at what needs to be done to save the building. Osage Congressman Otto Hamilton and Congresswoman Angela Pratt were also invited by the Chief to visit the building in June. Assistant Principal Chief Raymond Red Corn also attended and fully supports preserving the building in the best manner possible. Maker also talked about another roundhouse in Hominy that was built in the late 1800s. He said it was built before statehood, before the Osage 1906 Act, and before the three Osage districts were established. [Osages] have been here a long time. We came down here in That s when we first started building our roundhouses. Congressmen Maker and Hamilton have stepped into the leadership of the traditional Osage as the elder generation has passed the responsibility to the next generations. Congresswoman Pratt is a traditional cook who grew up in Hominy in a traditional Osage family. As a Committee Cook, Pratt works with other highly respected traditional cooks for the Osage meals for the Drum Keeper, his committee, and the hundreds of guests who enjoy the Osage meals. Congresswoman Buffalohead is also a Committee Cook for the Hominy District. Grandma s roundhouse Janis Carpenter, an Osage citizen, works for the Osage Nation s Language Department as a language instructor and curriculum developer. Her family is from Hominy and growing up she heard firsthand accounts of the purpose of the building and how it came to be. My Aunt Marguerite [Matin-Waller] wrote the application for the roundhouse to be a historical site. I do know that it was first used in 1919, and Walter Matin was the Drum Keeper at the time and had been [the Drum Keeper] for three years, said Carpenter whose grandfather was Walter Matin. My Aunts Marguarite Waller and Lucille Roubedeaux were small children at the time. Growing up she heard it called, grandma s roundhouse. She said her grandmother Helen Pratt-Matin paid for the completion of the roundhouse to help support the drum keeper, her husband, Walter Matin. She also had it built to replace the first Hominy roundhouse that was smaller and in disrepair. L-R Bruce Cass, Osage Nation Properties and Land Acquisition Director; Assistant Principal Chief Raymond Red Corn; Congresswoman Angela Pratt; Principal Chief Geoffrey Standing Bear; Congresswoman Alice Buffalohead; Congressman John Maker, and Congressman Otto Hamilton

7 NATIVE OKLAHOMA SEPTEMBER There used to be a wood burning stove in it, she said. I do know it was used for the Ilonska Dances. But they also used it for other social events. I remember my aunt saying when the Osages went to Washington D.C. they would meet there to relay information to the community of Osages, to deliver a report. Complete rehabilitation I m so happy this administration is taking the steps necessary to do this and to take care of this not only for the Hominy people but also for all Osage people, said Buffalohead. She said saving the roundhouse and making it safe and functional again was important and needed for cultural preservation. The task of starting proper restoration has begun. The funds requested by Chief Standing Bear and approved by the Osage Congress in July will be used to do an architectural study to determine the best methods to restore the building. Recently, the other Osage Districts, Pawhuska and Grayhorse, had new dance arbors built to replace their deteriorating arbors and to accommodate a growing Osage Nation. The cost to replace the two arbors totaled more than $3 million. This roundhouse, it belongs to the whole tribe now and it s a symbol of our nation, that s how I see it, said Congressman Maker. The Chief has ordered engineers to come and look at it and save our roundhouse so it can be here for future generations to enjoy. The Nation will now begin bidding out structural analysis for the site. The unique shape of the building, its age, purpose, and the fact that it is a Registered Historical Site will all be factors for determining the most efficient way to restore the building. But, if the swiftness of taking-care-of-business the new administration is known for applies, the roundhouse will be fully functional again within two years. I appreciate this Executive administration s initiative to restore the roundhouse for the Osage people. I have a lot of memories in there and I was really taken back when the doors were open and we walked in there, Pratt said looking at the dance grounds and watching people prepare for the Ilonska. This is really a special time for us and being in [the roundhouse] reminded me of being in there as child and as a teen and all the older ones who have gone on. The Hominy people, we feel that this roundhouse is a symbol of our people, of our past, of our ancestors, all of our grandparents, all of our old people, and the elders who have gone on, said Maker,. when I see this old roundhouse it reminds me of them and those times. Osage Nation Communications interviewed Osage people who have family and cultural ties to the Hominy Village Roundhouse. Dates, times and names are subject to disclaimer due to oral history accounts. THE MUSCOGEE (CREEK) NATION George Tiger Principal Chief Louis Hicks Second Chief The Mvskoke Way Respecting the ways of our elders, our tradition and culture, the ways of our children and generations that will follow

8 8 NATIVE OKLAHOMA SEPTEMBER 2015 The Chickasaw Cultural Center in Sulphur has welcomed more than 365,000 visitors from around the world since opening five years ago. PLACES: Chickasaw Cultural Center wins awards SULPHUR Not too long ago, the Chickasaw Cultural Center was only a dream, fueled by vision of Chickasaws who wanted a place to revitalize, celebrate and share Chickasaw culture. Chickasaw people envisioned a place Chickasaws could call home and guests could appreciate the story of the Chickasaw people. Today, a cultural awakening has arisen at the Chickasaw Cultural Center. In the five years since the massive campus opened, more than 365,000 guests from across the globe have experienced the story of the unconquered and unconquerable Chickasaw Nation. Built on the dreams, imagination, determination and vision of Chickasaw citizens, the Chickasaw Cultural Center s serene 109-acre campus has hosted both international guests as well as local school children. Each aspect, from the trickling water features to the carefully planned café menu, was integrated into the Chickasaw Cultural Center because of its cultural significance. Chickasaw Nation Governor Bill Anoatubby said the Chickasaw Cultural Center is truly a center of our living culture, because it is built on the ideas, imagination and creativity of Chickasaw people from all walks of life. Our cultural center offers a unique venue for Chickasaws to immerse ourselves in our culture, he said. Beyond that, it offers a rare opportunity to help visitors from around the world learn more about our history and heritage. Grandparents, parents and children visit the Cultural Center and become immersed in the culture; learning the art of beading, basketry, Stomp Dance, Stickball and other culturally-significant activities. As guests are actively participating in these activities, they develop an appreciation of the history and heritage of the

9 NATIVE OKLAHOMA SEPTEMBER Chickasaw people. This appreciation of culture is nurtured by staff members, who range in age from years old, who learn skills from one another, which better serves and educates the guests. Many families have established new family traditions by attending annual Chickasaw Cultural Center s special events, including the month-long Christmas light drive-thru display, to culturally-centered celebrations such as the Three Sister s Celebration, Children s Festival and Fall Festival. Military veterans have found a place of honor at the Chickasaw Cultural Center with special observances such a Veteran s Day and Memorial Day and corresponding exhibits which highlight military service. Campus Grows The Chickasaw Cultural Center campus has also expanded since opening. Massive outdoor sculptures, such as The Arrival by Chickasaw artists Mike Larsen s and Joanna Underwood s southeastern pottery sculptures intermingle with beautiful water and rock features and native landscaping. The Apisa Art Gallery, opened in 2013, serves as a home of Chickasaw art, a place to appreciate the art and artists of the Chickasaw Nation. Hundreds of Native Americans have connected with their family heritage in the Holisso: The Center for the Study of Chickasaw Cultural and History. A giant video wall has been added to the Chikasha Poya exhibit center, to share stories of Chickasaw lives. Learning opportunities have expanded in the Chikasha Inchokka Traditional Village where energetic cultural instructors, dressed in 1700 s regalia, share activities such as Stickball games, cooking demonstrations, language lessons, corn husk doll and archery demonstrations. The village features traditional Chickasaw homes, a replica mound and cultural instructors demonstrating traditional crafts such as beadwork, basketry and pottery, tanning hides, bow making and flute making. World-Class Exhibits The Chickasaw Cultural Center has become a venue for world-class exhibits. More than 39,000 visitors have experienced the Dugout Canoes: Paddling through the Americas exhibit which is open until Sept. 27, This object-rich experience features American dugouts from ancient times to present. The exhibit centerpiece is a magnificent 400-year-old pine dugout canoe and paddle and also highlights artifacts from the world s largest archaeological find --ancient dugouts found together in a Florida lake. The special exhibit 1700 s Beadwork of Southeastern Tribes, features historical Southeastern tribal beadwork from pre- European contact, is open until November The beadwork exhibit features 200-year-old artifacts as well as Chickasaw and southeastern tribal beadwork from pre-european contact through today. Awards and Honors In the past five years, the Chickasaw Cultural Center has received numerous awards and honors, most recently receiving two RedBud Awards: Best Website and Outstanding Temporary Exhibit: Dugout Canoes: Paddling through the Americas. Open to all Oklahoma tourism entities, the RedBud Awards represent the highest honor given in the Oklahoma tourism industry. In 2012, the center was awarded a RedBud for Best New Attraction. The interactive nature of the Chickasaw Cultural Center is one reason editors of Metro Family Magazine selected the Chickasaw Cultural Center as one of the Best places to learn outside the classroom, in an article published Aug., Editors praised the Chickasaw Cultural Center s perfect combination of tribal history and modern technology allows kids to become totally immersed in the vibrant history and celebrate the ongoing culture of the Chickasaw Nation. Other awards, honors and accolades bestowed to the center include The Oklahoman Reader s Choice State Tourism Destination, TripAdvisor s 2014 and 2015 Certificate of Excellence, and a two-time Yelp People Love Us On Yelp recognition. The Chickasaw Cultural Center, located at 867 Cooper Memorial Drive, is open Monday-Saturday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday noon to 5 p.m. For more information, call (580) or visit www. chickasawculturalcenter.com. Dugout Canoes: Paddling through the Americas, a landmark exhibition hosted at the Chickasaw Cultural Center (CCC) will be on display through Sept. 27.

10 10 NATIVE OKLAHOMA SEPTEMBER 2015 meet the author: Sarah Elisabeth Sawyer BRANDON FRYE Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma DURANT - Sarah Elisabeth Sawyer, 29-year-old Choctaw author with four published titles under her belt, recently visited the Choctaw Nation to publicize her newest novel, The Executions, the first book in a series. She took the opportunity to reconnect with her tribal roots in Oklahoma. Sawyer stopped in to take part in the monthly Heritage Monday at the Choctaw Nation Tribal Complex, molded some clay at a traditional pottery class, and spent June 27 at the Choctaw Welcome Center in Colbert during her Meet the Artist event. Sawyer was born and raised in Texas and has been creatively writing since she was five. Her father was born in Mead, and her Choctaw heritage comes from her mother, Lynda Kay Sawyer. My mother is my biggest fan, my harshest critic, and my most enthusiastic cheerleader, Sawyer said. I dedicated my first novel to her and my great-aunt Evelyn. The Executions is dedicated to the two women who taught me the importance of preserving the past for the future. She said she had always wanted to write Choctaw stories, and when she did, one of them won a small competition. This was a jumping board for Sawyer s career and would lead her to meet other Choctaw artists and storytellers. Her first experience with other Native writers and storytellers was at the Five Tribes Story Conference in Tim Tingle and Greg Rodgers showed her what it meant to tell the traditional stories of a tribal people. At the same time, they showed the value of telling and writing our own stories, Sawyer said. I credit them for lighting that fire. Because of their work, I can connect the writing I do with the tradition of storytelling that is so much a part of our heritage. Sawyer sees being Choctaw as an honor, opportunity, and responsibility. She said she is a descendant of people who forged a path through their own pain and injustice to give her a heritage. She feels a responsibility to remember, preserve, and share their legacy of faith and endurance. Her Choctaw Tribune Series deals with times of injustice and bitter fights over cultural, racial, and legal issues. The Executions is book one in the series, with an expected three parts. Sawyer said, with The Executions, she followed her characters along on their journey through a Choctaw execution, whiskey running, a witch-hunt, and meeting an Irish mail-order bride before finding an end at a lynching across the Red River in Texas. She added, the heroine of the story Ruth Ann concludes her journey with the discovery of her place as a young Choctaw woman in an increasingly white Indian Territory. To learn more about Sawyer and her written work, visit her website sarahelisabethwrites.com/books/ Sawyer edited a volume of short stories about the Choctaw Trail of Tears titled Touch My Tears Sarah Elisabeth Sawyer recently visited the Choctaw Nation to sign and promote her latest book, The Executions.

11 NATIVE OKLAHOMA SEPTEMBER RECOMMENDED READING: The Executions EXTRA, EXTRA! Who would show up for their own execution? It s 1892, Indian Territory. A war is brewing in the Choctaw Nation as two political parties fight out issues of old and new ways. Caught in the middle is eighteen-yearold Ruth Ann, a Choctaw who doesn t want to see her family killed. In a small but booming pre-statehood town, her mixed blood family owns a controversial newspaper, the Choctaw Tribune. Ruth Ann wants to help spread the word about critical issues but there is danger for a female reporter on all fronts socially, politically, even physically. But what is truly worth dying for? This quest leads Ruth Ann and her brother Matthew, the stubborn editor of the fledgling Choctaw Tribune, to old Choctaw ways at the farm of a condemned murderer. It also brings them to head on clashes with leading townsmen who want their reports silenced no matter what. More killings are ahead. Who will survive to know the truth? Will truth survive? Among the many pleasures of Sarah Elisabeth s writing are her attention to character, language, and period detail. In The Executions, a story grounded in history and the complexities of pre-statehood Oklahoma, she brings to life, with great heart, the compelling mix of cultures, faith, and political intrigue in the old Choctaw Nation. An intriguing read. Rilla Askew, author of The Mercy Seat SARAH ELISABETH SAWYER is an award-winning Christian author and Choctaw storyteller of traditional and fictional tales based on the lives of her people. The Smithsonian s National Museum of the American Indian has honored her as a literary artist through its Artist Leadership Program for her work in preserving Trail of Tears stories. In 2015, First Peoples Fund awarded her an Artist in Business Leadership Fellowship. She writes from her hometown in East Texas, partnering with her mama, Lynda Kay Sawyer, in continued research for future novels. Learn more about their work in preserving Choctaw history at ChoctawSpirit.com. VOTED TOP 3, BEST NATIVE AMERICAN EXPERIENCE USA Today 10BEST Readers Choice C H E R O K E E V I L L A G E S KEELER DR, PARK HILL, OK (888) CHEROKEEHERITAGE.ORG, WOW. VISITC HEROKEENAT ION.COM

12 12 NATIVE OKLAHOMA SEPTEMBER th Annual Keetoowah Cherokee Celebration September TAHLEQUAH - The 65th Annual Keetoowah Cherokee Celebration begins Thursday, September 17 with the Miss and Junior Miss Keetoowah Cherokee pageant which will begin at 6 p.m. For more information regarding the pageant you may contact Ernestine Berry at (918) Friday, September 18 there will be a stomp dance beginning at dusk. On Saturday, September 19, there will be a kid s fishing derby, dignitary breakfast, parade, state of the nation ceremony, hog fry, gospel singing, children s activities, and turtle races. Craft and food vendors who would like to setup for the celebration are asked to contact Barbara Girty at (918) or (918) for an application or for more information. Once again a tent will be setup which will feature the UKB Tradition Keepers, who will demonstrate and sell their crafts. There will also be a health information tent and health screenings provided by a group of nurses from Florida Atlantic University. The United Keetoowah Band of Cherokee Indians in Oklahoma is a tribe steeped in tradition, and one that is committed in preserving the history, culture and language of its people. What are most important to the attendees of the celebration are not the events, the food or the games. People come to have fellowship and to be together as a tribe. For more information on the Keetoowah Cherokee Celebration, call (918) annual Cherokee Art Market brings collectors and artists together every year The Cherokee Art Market was begun with the hopes of bringing a premier Native American art show to Oklahoma and creating a venue for local artists. Ten years later, it has more than succeeded at those goals. The Oct market features 150 Native American artists from across North America at the Sequoyah Convention center located at Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Tulsa. More than 50 tribes are represented with award winning artwork available for purchase. Pieces include beadwork, pottery, painting, basketry, sculptures and textiles. Guests are invited to enjoy cultural and art demonstrations during the show.

13 NATIVE OKLAHOMA SEPTEMBER New Native film fest debuts in Tahlequah LENZY KREHBIEL-BURTON Cherokee TAHLEQUAH A new Native film festival has downtown Tahlequah busting out the red carpet for Labor Day weekend. In conjunction with the broadband channel Tribal TV, the Tribal Film Festival is set for Sept. 3-5 at the Dream Theater at 312 N. Muskogee Ave. As filmmakers, we know there is an unlimited amount of stories to tell, Tribal Film Festival Executive Director Celia Xavier said. Keep the stories alive is our motto, because it is through these stories that we remember who we really are. Films selected for screening will be divided into four categories: features, documentaries, student films and shorts, which are 20 minutes long or less. Along with a chance at a best of prize and potential distribution via Tribal TV, movies shown at the event will also be uploaded to the festival s social media accounts and included in a trailer reel shown at the Cherokee Heritage Center in nearby Park Hill during Cherokee National Holiday that same weekend. In an effort to encourage greater participation among younger filmmakers, tentative plans are in place for the Tribal Film Festival to launch an affiliated event in spring 2016 just for student filmmakers. The Tribal Film Festival is the fourth indigenous film festival in Oklahoma this year. In July, the Otoe-Missouria Tribe launched its own youth film festival, while the University of Oklahoma s College of Arts and Sciences has hosted Native Crossroads Film Festival and Symposium for the last three years at the Sam Noble Museum in Norman, Oklahoma. The oldest event of the bunch, the Red Fork Native American Film Festival, was launched in 2003 and is now hosted each spring in conjunction with Tulsa Community College. CCCad_3.6x4.8_Layout 1 4/8/15 3:07 PM Page 1 The Road to A Successful Career Begins at Cherokee Nation Cherokee Career Connections links people with jobs. Whether it s a career improving the health of Native Americans through our comprehensive health care systems, entertaining customers at the glamorous Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Tulsa or preserving Cherokee culture and history, CCC has you covered. Positions in areas as diverse as aerospace to environmental services are available here. Plus, you ll receive job search assistance every step of the way! Jobs. Training. Education. Personal Service. Call: (JOBS) Visit: cherokeecareerconnections.com

14 14 NATIVE OKLAHOMA SEPTEMBER 2015 Choctaw labor day festival events, sept. 4-7 FREE CONCERTS Friday, September 4 Chris Young Easton Corbin Saturday Neal McCoy Reba McEntire Sunday Jason Crabb Matt Maher Thursday, September 3 8:00 a.m.-4:30 p.m.-capitol Museum Opens 8:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m.-museum Gift Shop Hours 7:00 p.m.-princess Pageant, Amphitheater Friday, September 4 8:00 a.m.-3:00 p.m.-capitol Museum Hours 8:00 a.m.-3:00 p.m.-museum Gift Shop Hours 9:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m.-cca, Crafts for youth at playground 10:00 a.m.-arts and Crafts exhibits open 11:00 a.m.-choctaw social dance on Capitol lawn Noon-5:00 p.m.-quilt entries at Information Center Noon-6:00 p.m.-cdib/membership/ Photo ID open Noon-8:00 p.m.-healthy Living Expo, next to Council Chambers 2:00 p.m.-gourd Dancing on Capitol lawn 5:00 p.m.-registration for Chief Batton Physical Fitness Challenge, on Council Chambers lawn 6:00 p.m. Chief Batton Physical Fitness Challenge 6:00 p.m.-gourd Dancing on Capitol lawn 6:30 p.m.-sculpture unveiling at Heritage Garden in front of the Capitol Building 7:00 p.m.-stickball Tournament at Stickball Field 7:00 p.m.-pow Wow Grand Entry on Capital lawn 7:00 p.m.-fast-pitch Tournament at Red Warrior Park 7:00 p.m.- Easton Corbin, Amphitheater 9:00 p.m.- Chris Young, Amphitheater Saturday, September 5 6:30 a.m.-7:45 a.m.-5k registration, Capitol Museum 8:00 a.m.-5k Race begins and ends at Capitol Museum 8:00 a.m.-fast-pitch Tournament continues 8:00 a.m.-9:30 a.m.-3-on-3 Choctaw War Hoops Basketball registration 8:00 a.m.-8:00 p.m.-healthy Living Expo, next to Council Chambers 9:00 a.m.-3:00 p.m.-daycare & YAB, Crafts for youth at playground 9:00 a.m.-horse Shoe Tournament 9:00 a.m.-co-ed Volleyball Tournament 9:00 a.m.-quilt Show at Information Center 9:45 a.m.-terrapin Race Registration at playground 10:00 a.m.-3-on-3 Choctaw War Hoops Basketball Tournament 10:00 a.m.-11th Annual Choctaw Nation Art Show opens, second floor of Capitol Museum 10:00 a.m.-noon-buffalo Tours, load bus at Capitol Museum 10:30 a.m.-terrapin Races, playground 10:00 a.m.-2:15 p.m.-choctaw Village activities (see schedule at bottom of page) 10:00 a.m.-6:00 p.m.-capitol Museum Hours 10:00 a.m.-5:30 p.m.-museum Gift Shop Hours 10:00 a.m.-6:00 p.m.-cdib/ Membership/Photo ID open 4:00 p.m.-tough, Tough registration on Council Chambers lawn 5:00 p.m.-tough, Tough contest on Council Chambers lawn 7:00 p.m.- Neal McCoy, Amphitheater 8:00 p.m.-stickball Tournament at field north of carnival 9:00 p.m.- Reba, Amphitheater Sunday, September 6 7:00 a.m.-10:00 a.m.-national Day of Prayer & Worship, Chapel 8:00 a.m.-bow Shoot, Choctaw Village 8:00 a.m.-fast-pitch Tournament continues 8:30 a.m.-golf Tournament, Sycamore Springs Course, Wilburton 10:00 a.m.-worship Services at Chapel Noon-Gospel Singing begins at amphitheater Noon-Domino/Checker Tournament registration Noon-4:30 p.m.-capitol Museum Hours Noon-4:00 p.m.-museum Gift Shop Hours Noon-5:00 p.m.-healthy Living Expo, next to Council Chambers Noon-6:00 p.m.-cdib/membership/ Photo ID booth open 1:00 p.m.-domino/checker Tournament 1:30 p.m.-golf Tournament, Sycamore Springs Course, Wilburton 1:00 p.m.-2:00 p.m.-choctaw Village activities (see schedule) 1:30 p.m.-3:00 p.m.-choctaw Code Talker Association Board, Council Chambers 2:00 p.m.-4:00 p.m.-buffalo Tours, load bus at Capitol Museum 4:00 p.m.-choctaw Dancers, Capitol lawn 5:00 p.m.-stickball exhibition, Capitol lawn 7:00 p.m.-children s stickball exhibition, stickball field

15 NATIVE OKLAHOMA SEPTEMBER :00 p.m.- Jason Crabb, Amphitheater 8:00 p.m.-women s stickball exhibition, stickball field 9:00 p.m.-championship stickball game, stickball field 9:00 p.m.- Matt Maher, Amphitheater Monday, September 7 8:00 a.m.-10:00 a.m.-capitol Museum Hours 8:00 a.m.-10:00 a.m.-museum Gift Shop Hours 9:00 a.m.-noon-cdib/membership/ Photo ID booth open 10:00 a.m.-labor Day official ceremonies, amphitheater Posting of Flags-Choctaw Nation Color Guard The Lord s Prayer in Sign Language- Choctaw Royalty Storytelling-Tim Tingle Introduction of Tribal Council and Judges Swearing-In Ceremony State of the Nation Address by Chief Gary Batton Door Prize Drawings 11:30 a.m.-free lunch for everyone, cafeteria Noon-Pick up quilts from Quilt Show *Choctaw Village Activities * *Saturday * 10:00 am Choctaw Dancing 10:30 am Stickball Skills 10:30 am Choctaw Hymns 11:00 am Storytelling 11:30 am Rabbit Stick Throw 1:00 pm Stickball 1:45 pm Corn Game 2:15 pm Choctaw Dancing *Sunday * 1:00 pm Rabbit Stick Throw 1:30 pm Storytelling 2:00 pm Corn Game

16 16 NATIVE OKLAHOMA SEPTEMBER 2015 Corn kernels used in the early Choctaw Corn Game. Iti Fabvssa: Early Choctaw Games In the past, Iti Fabvssa explored activities Choctaw people used to pass the time, whether for entertainment or for competitive sport, including stickball and chunkey. However, there are other games that Choctaws have played. Below are a pair of examples of games that were played, and are still played today. Hidden Bullet One Choctaw pastime was Hidden Bullet, Naki Loma in Choctaw. Naki Loma is a game of guessing and wits, where a small object is hidden and individuals compete in rounds to find it. A cover such as a hat, moccasin, handkerchief, or sock is used to hide an object like a bullet, stone, or nut. The game is played with two or more players who are divided equally into two teams. Each team sits in a row and faces a member of the opposing team. The hider, chosen before the game begins, would lay out the covers (the amount chosen beforehand by the teams, typically four to seven covers were used) and then proceeds to hide the object under one of them. Hiding the object requires immense skill in order to conceal which cover it is under. The opposing team is allowed to watch as the hider goes from cover to cover in an attempt to conceal the object under one. After the object is hidden the player opposite the hider is allowed to guess where the object may be hidden. The guesser is given three chances to find the object. If they believe they know where the object is, then they can remove the cover. If they are correct the guesser s team gets four points. If they are wrong, the hider s team gets four points. There is also the option of lifting the cover in order to eliminate it. Up to two covers can be eliminated before the guesser must remove a cover (or make an official guess), but this yields fewer points. If correct on this attempt, removing the cover will score two points for the guesser s team. If the guesser lifted the cover with the object or removed the incorrect cover, then the hider s team would get two points. This ends the round. If the guesser deduces correctly, they become the hider in the new round. If the guesser deduces incorrectly, then the teammate next to them in line becomes the new guesser for the new round. This means one individual on one team could be the hider for the entire game. This continues until the players on one team are eliminated. The team with the most points wins the match. Corn Game Another game played by Choctaw People was the Corn Game, or Tvnchi Bvska in Choctaw. This game is played when two or more players attempt to score the most points by throwing corn kernels, similar to the game of dice. Corn kernels are either charred or painted black on one side, and the number of kernels varies. Older accounts of the game report seven or eight kernels were used. To score points, the players toss the kernels with their hand onto the ground, like throwing dice. The players receive points based on the number of nonblack kernels shown face up. The only exception to this rule is when all the kernels cast face up are black then players receive points for all of the kernels when this occurs. In the past, accounts report the game was also played with pieces of river cane, instead of corn kernels. Sources: Culin, Stewart. Games of the North American Indians. Courier Corporation, Swanton, John. Source Material for the Social and Ceremonial life of the Choctaw Indians. University of Alabama Press., 2001.

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18 18 NATIVE OKLAHOMA SEPTEMBER 2015 An n u a l Co m a n c h e Na t i o n Fa i r offers free events for all ages JOLENE SCHONCHIN Comanche Fun. Food. Family. That is the three words that sum up the 24th annual Comanche Nation Fair, Sept. 25, 26, and 27 at the Comanche Nation Complex, nine miles north of Lawton, Okla.. The 24th Annual Comanche Nation Fair has grown to what started as a celebration powwow in Craterville Park in Cache, Okla., to a full week of activities that celebrate the spirit of the Comanche people. This year s theme reflects the pride and rich culture of the Numunu with the title Comanche 24/7. Returning to the Comanche Nation Fair means coming home to the outof state tribal members. Many make the fair their annual vacation. Comanches from as far west as California, to as far east as Rhode Island travel to gather with family and friends to participate in traditional dances, congregate, and eat tribal delicacies such as kidney, Ta?oo (dried grounded meat) Indian corn, Frybread and meat pies. It s like a family reunion when you come to the Comanche Nation Fair, says tribal member Brian Pekah, who resides in Wisconsin. Free souvenirs given to visitors by tribal programs are the most coveted. Many items like umbrellas, radios, basketballs, flashlights, and fans are carried away by guests depicting the program emblem on each item. Activities for all ages fill the schedule of events throughout the weekend, and some begin before the official kick off of the fair. Some of the many activities include a bull buck out rodeo, parade, fun run, spirit walk, 3/3 basketball tournament, teen dance, art show, music festival, carnival, hot dog feed, tribal hymn singing, and much more. This is our opportunity to give back not only to our Comanche People, but to the community, said Wallace Coffey, Comanche Nation Chairman. It is a time to celebrate being Comanche. He added all events are free, including parking and camping. We even have a free carnival, so kids can ride all they want, said Coffey. Many non-indian visitors partake in the annual fair. Neighboring Ft. Sill brings soldiers, both American and international, to the fair so they can experience the excitement and uniqueness of the Native celebration. To many of the soldiers, it is the first time to actually see Native Americans and experience their culture, says Phillip Grey, former Director of Ft. Sill s International Soldier Program. Last year, almost 500 residents camped around the tribal headquarters. Local city mayors and state officials have paraded with the Comanche Nation, as well as visiting tribal and organizational princesses. I am inviting everyone to the 24th Annual Comanche Nation Fair, says current Comanche Nation Fair Princess, Kelsey Codynah, who will be giving up her title at the fair to pass it on to one of the two young ladies who are running for the Comanche Nation Princess. The Comanche Nation will vote on the Comanche Nation Princess during the Comanche Nation Fair. Running for the title are Camille Wetselline, and Shelby Mata. For more information, contact the Comanche Nation toll free at (877)

19 NATIVE OKLAHOMA SEPTEMBER Map courtesy

20 20 NATIVE OKLAHOMA SEPTEMBER 2015 Benjamin Harjo Jr. poses with his painting, Ahead of Their Time, which earned Best of Show at the 2014 Cherokee Art Market. Cherokee Art Market celebrates 10 years with special exhibit Cherokee Art Market: A Retrospective runs Aug Nov. 1 TULSA, Okla. Cherokee Nation is celebrating 10 years of the best of the Cherokee Art Market with a special exhibit at the Hardesty Arts Center, also known as AHHA, running Aug. 28 Nov. 1. Cherokee Art Market: A Retrospective will feature previous Best of Show winners from the annual competition, which has featured many of the best Native American artists in the country. Best of Show winners are: 2006 Marcus Amerman (Choctaw Nation) 2007 Sharon Irla (Cherokee Nation) 2008 Jackie Bread (Blackfeet Nation) 2009 Betty Willems (Oneida) 2010 Bill Glass (Cherokee Nation) 2011 Shawna Cain (Cherokee Nation) 2012 Orlando Dugi (Navajo Nation) & Ken Williams (Northern Arapaho) 2013 Alvin Marshall (Navajo Nation) 2014 Benjamin Harjo, Jr. (Absentee Shawnee/Seminole) The celebration of past winners leads up to the return of the Cherokee Art Market on Oct at Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Tulsa. More than 50 tribes are represented at the annual event that features artwork available for purchase. Pieces include beadwork, pottery, painting, basketry, sculptures and textiles. As part of the two-day event, there will be cultural demonstrations open to the public from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. each day. Cultural demonstrations include jewelry, stamp work technique, katsina doll making, pottery, painting, basket weaving and music. For more information about the Cherokee Art Market, visit The Arts & Humanities Council of Tulsa is the champion for area arts and culture. The Hardesty Arts Center (AHHA) is located at 101 East Archer Street in the Brady Arts District. Gallery hours are Thursday through Sunday from 1 5 p.m., First Fridays 1 9 p.m. More information about the Arts & Humanities Council of Tulsa and the Hardesty Arts Center may be found online: