Art
| Culture
| FOOD
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| NOVEMBER
NATIVE
OKLAHOMA
2014
NOVEMBER 2014
Veteran’s Day
Honoring our
Nation’s Heroes
CPN Opens
Fry Bread
Restaurant
Artist Just
Does What
He Loves
Elder
Spotlight:
Married
64 Years
NATIVE OKLAHOMA | NOVEMBER 2014
Mitchelene BigMan | Crow | Hidatsa | Gros Ventre | Northern Cheyenne
Mitchelene BigMan is the President and Founder of Native American Women Warriors Organization (NAWW),
the first ever recognized all Native American Women Color Guard. The purpose of NAWW is to bring recognition
to all women veterans, especially those of Native American descent, and their contribution to the military.
Mitchelene was awarded the Society of American Indian Government Employees (SAIGE) for her efforts
in being a voice for Native American Women Veterans.
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NATIVE OKLAHOMA | NOVEMBER 2014
Contents:
ON OUR COVER | PHILLIP COON | VIETNAM VETERAN | SEMINOLE NATION COLOR GUARD
4
5
7
9
NATIVE FOOD
CPN opens fry bread restaurant
UKB CULTURAL CLASSES
NATIVE ARTIST Troy Jackson just does what he loves
NATIVE HISTORY
Oklahoma Indians 1st Code Talkers
11
12
13
HONORING VETERANS
Chickasaw Cultural Center hosts veterans events
HONORING VETERANS
Cherokee Nation opens new veterans displays
HISTORICAL EXHIBIT
Ancient S.E. style canoes on display 14
ELDER SPOTLIGHT
Couple celebrates 64
years together
16 18
20
22
GAMING CENTERS LODGING
EVENTS CALENDAR
TRIBAL DIRECTORY
Native Oklahoma is a monthly publication of the Native American Times, Oklahoma’s online Inter-Tribal news source.
Content © Native American Times. For more information or to advertise, please call either Adam Proctor at 918-409-7252
or Lisa Snell at 918-708-5838. You may also contact us via email through [email protected] or [email protected]
Native Oklahoma is available for free at tribal and Oklahoma welcome centers; hotels; travel plazas and online at www.nativeoklahoma.us
4
NATIVE OKLAHOMA | NOVEMBER 2014
Citizen Potawatomi Nation opens
state’s first fry bread restaurant
By LENZY KREHBIEL-BURTON
Cherokee
CITIZEN POTAWATOMI NATION –
After more than a year of research and
kitchen experimenting, it’s now a little
easier to get a frybread fix in central
Oklahoma.
In early October, the Citizen Potawatomi
Nation opened FireLake Fry Bread Taco
near the intersection of Hardesty Road
and Gordon Cooper Drive on Shawnee’s
south side. Found in the tribe’s former
convenience store, the restaurant is on
the northern end of FireLake Discount
Foods and thought to be the only Nativecentric dining option in Oklahoma.
Despite the restaurant’s signage not
being up just yet, word of mouth and
an active presence on social media
have brought in more than double the
anticipated turnout for the frybread,
Indian tacos, corn soup and, thanks to
an avalanche of patron requests, meat
pies.
“Meat pies we added at the last second,”
FireLake Family Resort General Manager
Tracy Peltier said. “We used to have a
local Native woman come to the (CPN)
complex every week and sell meat pies.
By the time she’d get to the other end of
the building, she was completely out and
over time, built up a following. When
we opened this place up, people started
asking us right away if we were going to
have them.”
Drawing inspiration from the Denver-
based Tocabe restaurant, known
nationally for its Osage dishes, and the
tribe’s three Subway franchises, the
restaurant’s management team decided
to use a similar set-up where diners
can go through a line and have an
employee build an Indian taco to their
specifications.
At the request of the tribe’s chairman,
John “Rocky” Barrett, the restaurant also
offers dessert frybread options. Drawing
inspiration from one of the northern
Potawatomi tribes, patrons can also order
frybread covered either strawberries
and whipped cream or powdered sugar,
cinnamon and honey.
Head chef Preston Goombi, who is
an enrolled citizen of the Wichita and
Affiliated Tribes, is using traditional
Potawatomi recipes for all the dishes
coming out of his kitchen, albeit with
some minor tweaks to accommodate
portion controls. In an effort to stay true
to the tribe’s culinary traditions, the taco
meat options – chicken, ground beef and
ground bison – are not seasoned.
“We’re really striving for authenticity
here,” restaurant manager Tammy Tate
said. “The big thing is that we are not a
Mexican restaurant. Anything that has
to do with Mexican dishes, we’ve stayed
away from as much as possible. We have
picante sauce and jalapenos available on
the side that people have asked for as an
addition, but we don’t do taco seasoning
on the meat.”
“We had a lot of elders that were so very
interested in what recipes we were going
to use and exactly what we were going
to be doing,” Peltier added. “It blew my
mind. I think they thought we were
going to take it to the Hispanic side of
things where those spices would be, but
we have strived not to and both Preston
and Tammy have done a great job to
make sure the authenticity is there in the
dishes.”
Plans are in place to slowly include
more related items to the menu over
the course of the coming year, including
frybread nachos and additional bison
dishes, such as spare ribs and roasts that
could potentially be shredded on the
tacos.
The restaurant is open seven days a
week for dine-in and carry-out. Peltier
said they are considering an eventual
expansion in to catering once the
restaurant has had time to become
more established and figure out how to
best accommodate large orders without
sacrificing the food’s quality. It shares
a kitchen with the tribe’s new pizza
restaurant that opened Oct. 20.
“We’ve already had offers and people
calling in, wanting us to cater to their
offices,” Goombi said. “The first week
we were open, we sent out more than 30
pieces of frybread.”
“The big obstacle with that is keeping
it (the frybread) warm,” Tate said. “Once
we can figure that out, we should be
good to go. We don’t want to send out
cold frybread.”
NATIVE OKLAHOMA | NOVEMBER 2014
5
UKB’s John Hair
Museum offers
cultural classes
TAHLEQUAH – The United Keetoowah Band of
Cherokee Indians is offering cultural classes in November.
Participants will have an opportunity to learn about
Keetoowah Cherokee seasonal gatherings, harvesting,
using natural materials and how to make stickball sticks.
The Gathering and Harvesting series is a two part
class that begins on November 1, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Participants will meet at the John Hair Cultural Center
and Museum and travel to the field where they will learn
Captioned Telephone
(CapTel) ® Service
Talk, Listen & Read!
how to identify, gather, and prepare natural materials such
as buck brush for basket making. The second part of the
Gathering and Harvesting class will be held on November
8, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Participants will learn how to
prepare and use the natural materials to make their own
basket. Registration is $25 per person and includes both
parts as well as transportation to the gathering site.
The Stickball Stick Making Class will be held on
November 22, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Class will be held
outdoors, around an open fire where participants will learn
how to make a handcrafted stickball stick. Registration is
$40 per person.
Cultural classes are provided by the John Hair Cultural
Center & Museum. Advance registration is required.
UKB members receive a 50% discount (must present
UKB membership card).
No refunds will be issued
for cancellations received less than seven days prior
to program date. Registration fees help cover cost of
supplies, instruction and lunch. November classes are
open to the general public but designed for adults 18
years of age or older.
The JHCCM opened in October 2011 with a mission to
educate the public about the history, customs and traditions
of the Keetoowah Cherokee people. For more information
about the Keetoowah Cherokee culture or to register for
cultural classes, call 918-772-4389 or visit us at www.ukbnsn.gov.
If you have trouble reaching out to your
community and elders with a phone call, or
difficulty hearing on the phone - CapTel is the
phone for you! CapTel makes it possible to
hear and understand what the other callers
are saying. As they talk, the captioning service
transcribes everything they say into words that
appear on the CapTel display window.
For more information about CapTel:
www.oklahomarelay.com/captel.html
Oklahoma Relay Customer Service:
www.oklahomarelay.com/contact.html
501-246-8227
Telecommunications Equipment
Distribution Program:
www.oklahomarelay.com/tedp
866-309-1717
Please Don’t Hang Up! Campaign:
www.oklahomarelay.com/donthangup
6
NATIVE OKLAHOMA | NOVEMBER 2014
‘HalfBreed - Am I Red and White or Am I White and Red’ by Troy Jackson
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NATIVE OKLAHOMA | NOVEMBER 2014
‘Nothing special’
Troy Jackson just does what he loves
By DANA ATTOCKIE | Comanche
TAHLEQUAH – Troy Jackson often
carves mounds of clay into people he
knows.
“Everything that I do is either a member
of my family or they’re someone that I
have met,” Jackson, ceramicist, said of
his sculptures.
He creates people by using an image in
his head; no tangible drawing or picture,
only the occasional sketch for height or
width measurements. “Most of the time,
it just comes out; it just comes to me and
the end product is about what I see,” he
said.
Studying and creating art have been
constants in his life since childhood.
“I actually knew I was an artist as far back
as I can remember,” Jackson, Cherokee,
said. “I just knew it in some way. I was
always drawing and just copying things
out of books and just creating art.”
Jackson
earned
his
Associate
degree in art from Bacone College in
Muskogee, Bachelor of Arts degree
from Northeastern State University
in Tahlequah, and Master of Fine
Arts degree from the University of
Arkansas in Fayetteville. He has been
an art instructor at Markoma Christian
School and Sequoyah High School, and
an adjunct professor at Northeastern
State University. Today he’s an adjunct
professor at Bacone College teaching
sculpture I, figure drawing I, and art
fundamentals.
“I like to share what I know with
people,” Jackson said. “I tell students
that they have to make their career. They
can’t expect someone else to make it for
them. They have to work at it, nothing
comes easy, and they have to decide what
they want to do and don’t give up. The
main thing is not to give up.”
Jackson began drawing at a young age
and as a student at Bacone, he developed
an interest in painting. He liked some
of the Native American artwork being
created in the 60s and early 70s, plus the
Troy Jackson with his piece, ‘Acceptance Letter’
during the Cherokee Holiday Armory Art Show
artwork from his instructors also sparked
some interest in him. While attending
Northeastern he began making pottery
and “that was it.” He found the medium
he liked most. “I enjoy working with
my hands, so clay just fit me perfect,” he
said.
To date, his favorite sculpture is one
titled: “Halfbreed-Am I Red and White
or Am I White and Red.” He said the
sculpture is “an approach to subject
matter of people that are in my family …
my identity.”
“I was raised part Cherokee and part
European, so a lot of my work revolves
around being half red and half white,”
Jackson explained. “I’ve always been
interested in hybrid forms, which all
of my pieces, they take on these hybrid
forms, especially since I am a product of
both Cherokee and European, and so in
a way, that makes me a hybrid form.”
Jackson was awarded grand prize in the
16th annual Cherokee Homecoming Art
Show in 2011 for the sculpture. He has
won numerous awards for his work at
art competitions throughout Oklahoma
and in Santa Fe, N.M.
He remembers the first major piece he
won an award for; it’s a sculpture of a
Native American sitting on a pedestal and
looking up while holding a white puzzle
piece in one hand and a black puzzle
piece in the other hand. Everything was
made of black and white puzzle pieces,
Jackson said. The work is titled, “Putting
the Pieces together,” and Jackson won
grand prize in the pottery category for
it at the annual Trail of Tears Art Show
in 2011.
“It wasn’t just the winning, it was the
fact that I was being noticed for what I
was doing … to win an award, I think,
was just a confirmation that people were
understanding what I wanted to say,”
Jackson said. “It was a piece when I was
first trying to decide what it was like to
be Native American.”
“Putting the Pieces together,” was picked
up by the Museum of Arts and Design
in New York City for a show called
Changing Hands. The show traveled for
three and a half years throughout the
United States and Canada. Incorporated
in this piece is a white cross, a symbol
that Jackson began using very early in
8
NATIVE OKLAHOMA | NOVEMBER 2014
To date, his favorite sculpture is one titled: “Halfbreed-Am I Red and White or
Am I White and Red.” He said the sculpture is “an approach to subject matter of
people that are in my family … my identity.”
his sculptures. Although, he does not use it in each one.
Jackson said he wants to make sure everyone understands the
use of the cross is not for religious purposes, but for his own
personal faith.
“There are three things that I wanted to do,” Jackson said. “One
of the things that I wanted to do was, of course, be an artist. The
second thing that I wanted to do was go to Africa, and the third
thing I wanted to do was go down the Amazon River. Because
of this faith that I have, which is Christianity … I was allowed
to do all three of these things, and I know that it was because
of my faith.”
Jackson has helped with short-term mission work and made
four trips to Africa and one trip to South America. He always
found inspiration on the trips and has been able to learn how
people in some villages fire their pottery without gas or much
electricity.
“Every place I go, everything I do, has some type of influence
on me, especially their art,” Jackson said. “With missions work,
you get to go into the heart of the country. You go where very
few people get to go … you get to go into their homes and share
meals with them. It’s pretty cool.”
Jackson also spends some of his time as a volunteer. He has
served on the Cherokee Art Center Advisement Board; the
Cherokee Artists Association, which is now the Southeastern
Indian Artists Association; the Tahlequah Arts Guild; and the
University of Arkansas Ceramics Association. He was president
of the Cherokee Artists Association in 2009 and 2010.
His time is also devoted to his family. He said if there’s anything
more fun than creating art work, it would be being with his
grandkids. Jackson and his wife Carolyn have three children
and three grandchildren.
“I am big on family,” Jackson said. “I’m very indebted to
my wife. She agreed with this art adventure. She’s been very
supportive of it.”
He is currently working with mixed media, and he often opts
to spend more time working on his craft than being in front of
a computer trying to promote it.
“There’s nothing special about me,” Jackson said. “I’m just an
average country boy and I just found something that I love to
do, and it works out for me.”
Jackson’s work has been showcased in many group and
solo exhibitions, and can be viewed at the Spider Gallery in
Tahlequah or at https://sites.google.com/site/troyjacksonart/
home.
Sculptures by
Troy Jackson
Left: “Irony”
Right: “Phone”
NATIVE OKLAHOMA | NOVEMBER 2014
9
Comanche Code Talkers of the 4th Signal Company at Fort Benning, Georgia,
1941. Photo courtesy of Comanche National Museum.
Oklahoma Indians 1st Code Talkers
By William C. Meadows
© Oklahoma Historical Society
Oklahoma Indians have the distinction
of being the first American Indian code
talkers in both World Wars. Two forms
of American Indian Code Talking exist:
Type One or intentionally encoded native
languages, and Type Two or noncoded
native languages. While the former
served as a foreign and coded language
form usually with organized training, the
latter served only as a foreign language
and in impromptu situations. Among
Oklahoma Indians only the Choctaw
in World War I and the Comanche in
World War II are known to have served
as Type One code talkers.
The first code talkers were a group of
Choctaw in the 141st, 142d, and 143d
Infantry Regiments of the Thirty-sixth
Infantry Division in World War I.
During the Meuse-Argonne campaign
of 1918 in France, Germans broke Allied
communication codes, monitored radio
and telephone lines, and captured one of
every four runners between companies.
Needing a more secure means of
communications, an American army
officer overheard some Choctaw soldiers
conversing in their native language.
After an initial test and brief training
in telephone messages, a Choctaw was
placed in each post command. Coded
words were soon devised for military
terms foreign to the Choctaw language.
For instance, “little gun shoot fast”
meant machine gun. Choctaw messages
transmitted by field telephone and in
writing led to major successes in the
battles of St. Etienne and Forest Ferme,
contributing to the war’s end.
The original Choctaw Code Talkers
included Solomon Louis, Mitchell Bobb,
Ben Carterby, Robert Taylor, Jeff Nelson,
Pete Maytubby, James Edwards, and
Calvin Wilson. They were joined later by
Albert Billy, Victor Brown, Tobias Frazier,
Benjamin Hampton, Joseph Oklahombi,
Walter Veach, Benjamin Colbert,
George Davenport, Joseph Davenport,
Noel Johnson, and Otis Leader. Toward
the end of the war Oklahoma Cherokee,
Comanche, Cheyenne, and Osage also
served as code talkers.
In December 1940 the army recruited
the following seventeen Comanche to
become code talkers: Charles Chibitty,
Haddon Codynah, Robert Holder,
Forrest
Kassanavoid,
Wellington
Mihecoby, Perry Noyabad, Clifford
Otitivo, Simmons Parker, Melvin
Permansu, Elgin Red Elk, Roderick
Red Elk, Albert Nahquaddy Jr., Larry
Saupitty, Morris Tabbyetchy (Sunrise),
Anthony Tabbytite, Ralph Wahnee,
10
NATIVE OKLAHOMA | NOVEMBER 2014
During World War I and World War II, hundreds of American Indians joined
the United States armed forces and used words from their traditional tribal
languages as weapons. The United States military asked them to develop secret battle
communications based on their languages—and America’s enemies never deciphered
the coded messages they sent. “Code Talkers,” as they came to be known after
World War II, are twentieth-century American Indian warriors and heroes who
significantly aided the victories of the United States and its allies.
and Willie Yacheschi. Assigned to the
Fourth Infantry Division’s Fourth Signal
Company at Fort Benning, Georgia, they
received phone, radio, Morse code, and
semaphore training.
In August 1941 they were placed
under Lt. Hugh F. Foster to develop an
unbreakable Comanche-language code.
Foster provided approximately 250
specialized military terms for which the
Comanche developed coded equivalents.
Combined with standard Comanche,
coded terms such as tutsahkuna’ tawo’i’
(sewing machine gun [machine guns]),
wakaree’e (turtle [tanks]) and Po’sa
taiboo’ (Crazy White Man [Hitler])
were developed. By October 30, 1941,
the Comanche had completed their
training and conducted field exercises in
Louisiana soon thereafter.
Thirteen Comanche Code Talkers
landed at Utah Beach during the
Normandy
invasion
in
France.
Maintaining wire telephone lines and
sending secure messages via field
telephone and radio, they served in
France, Luxembourg, Belgium, and
Germany. Their service included
important battles at Cherbourg, St. Lo,
Paris, the Siegfried Line, the Huertgen
Forest, and Bastogne. Although several
were wounded in action, none were
killed. The Comanche code was never
broken.
Other World War II Oklahoma Indians
who used their languages on radios as
Type Two code talkers include: Schlicht
Billy, Andrew Perry, Davis Pickens,
and Forrester Baker (Choctaw) of K
Company, 180th Infantry Regiment,
Forty-fifth Infantry Division; John
Tsatoke, James Paddlety, and Leonard
Cozad (Kiowa) of the 689th Field
Artillery Battalion, Twentieth Corps;
Edmund Harjo (Seminole) and
Leslie Richards (Muscogee Creek) in
the Aleutian campaign; and Henry
Stoneroads and Enoch Jim (Pawnee) in
the Philippines.
During World War II most American
Indians enlisted for a complex
combination of traditional cultural
(warrior-based themes), acculturative
(boarding school), and economic
(unemployment) reasons, and out of
tribal and national patriotism. Their
desire to serve as a unit and their ability
to provide a unique form of military
communications provided additional
motivations for the Indian Code
Talkers.
Although the Oklahoma Indian Code
Talkers have been honored at tribal,
state, and national celebrations, the
U.S. military and government have
never formally recognized them or
their service. On November 3, 1989,
the French government and the State of
Oklahoma bestowed the Chevalier de
L’Order National du Merite (Knight of the
Order of National Merit), posthumously
to the World War I Choctaw and to
the three then-surviving World War
II Comanche Code Talkers (Chibitty,
Kassanavoid, and Roderick Red Elk) at
the Oklahoma State Capitol. Since that
time, efforts to identify and gain federal
recognition for all American Indian
Code Talkers have led to the proposal of
The Code Talkers Recognition Act (H.R.
4597/S.1035), was passed by the US
Senate in 2006. The Oklahoma Indian
Code Talkers have contributed to a
growing national awareness of American
Indian Code Talkers and the importance
of maintaining indigenous languages.
Choctaw Code Talkers pictured from left: Solomon Lewis, Mitchell Bobb,
James Edwards, Calvin Wilson, Joseph Davenport and Capt. E.H. Horner.
Photo Courtesy Oklahoma Historical Society
NATIVE OKLAHOMA | NOVEMBER 2014
11
Chickasaw
Cultural Center
to honor military
veterans Nov. 8-9
SULPHUR – Veterans will be honored Nov. 8-9 at the
Chickasaw Cultural Center as the tribe commemorates
Veterans Day, celebrated nationally on Nov. 11. Veterans
will be given free admission into the Chikasha Poya
Exhibit Hall at the Chickasaw Cultural Center, the
largest in the nation celebrating the culture, history and
traditions of a single Native American tribe. More than
300,000 visitors from around the world have ventured to
the center located on 109 acres just south of Sulphur at
867 Charles Cooper Memorial Road. Veterans also will
receive at 10 percent discount at the Aaimpa’ Café and
Aachompa’ Gift Shops on all works except consignment
items. Additionally, a special military collection will be
displayed in the Holisso Research Center for veterans
and their loved ones to enjoy. A special film concerning
the recovery by U.S. military personal of historical,
cultural and religious works of art will be shown at 3 p.m.
in the Anoli Theatre. The 2014 film is titled “Monuments
Men” and stars George Clooney, Bill Murray, Matt
Damon and many other noted actors. For information
concerning special Veterans Day activities, phone the
Chickasaw Cultural Center at (580) 622-7130, or visit
chickasawculturalcenter.com.
For years, the tobacco industry has promoted
a richer, more glamorous life through
smoking. Big Tobacco uses cool DJs, hot
girls and strong cowboys to hook our young
people on a product that kills 1-in-3 smokers.
Sadly, Big Tobacco recruits 5,000 Oklahoma
kids as “replacement smokers” every year.
An Oklahoma sunset over the
Chickasaw Cultural Center in Sulphur
12
NATIVE OKLAHOMA | NOVEMBER 2014
The Cherokee Nation Veterans Center displays historic newspapers.
New displays at Cherokee Vet Center
TAHLEQUAH – Cherokee Nation
officials are honoring Cherokee veterans
and bringing history to life through new
displays at the Cherokee Nation Veterans
Center.
Newly installed displays feature
Lieutenant Jack C. Montgomery and
Admiral Joseph J. Clark, who are
considered two of the most highly
decorated Cherokee citizens to have ever
served in the United States military.
“Cherokee citizens have a long history of
service,” said Cherokee Nation Principal
Chief Bill John Baker. “Cherokee Nation
has always honored and revered our
warriors for protecting our freedom. The
veterans center makes it possible for us
to show our eternal gratitude toward our
Cherokee veterans while providing them
with needed services, comradery and a
welcoming space.”
Cherokee Nation estimates there are
more than 4,000 Cherokee veterans.
The tribe is honoring those citizens and
their service by presenting many of their
stories, artifacts and memorabilia to the
public.
The $2 million Cherokee Nation
Veterans Center, which was tribally
funded, features 25 pieces of militarythemed artwork from American Indian
artists and 16 display cases showcasing
multiple Cherokee veterans’ military
regalia. There are a dozen other cases
displaying vintage wartime newspapers
and various memorabilia.
“Native Americans serve and defend
our country at higher rates than any
other ethnicity,” said Cherokee Nation
Deputy Chief S. Joe Crittenden, a U.S.
Navy veteran who served in Vietnam. “It
is important that we honor these brave
women and men for their sacrifices
and the important roles they serve in
securing and defending our liberties.”
One of the newest features honors
Cherokee citizen and Medal of Honor
recipient Lieutenant Jack C. Montgomery.
He is one of only eight Native Americans
in the 20th century bestowed with U.S.’s
highest military honor. Montgomery
was awarded the Medal of Honor for his
heroic actions during the Battle of Anzio
in World War II.
Montgomery’s artifacts and memorabilia
include several photographs, awards,
certificates and medals such as his
Purple Heart, Silver and Bronze Stars,
and Cherokee Medal of Patriotism.
The collection also consists of items
depicting Montgomery’s Medal of
Honor, including detailed narratives, his
certificate, a crystal plaque, a memorial
dedication shadow box and flag, and
photos of him with his medal.
Another new display honors Cherokee
citizen and Navy Cross recipient Admiral
Joseph James “Jocko” Clark. Clark was
the first Native American to graduate
from the U.S. Naval Academy and went
on to serve in World War I, World War II
and the Korean War.
The J.J. Clark collection includes
artifacts such as a plaque, dedication
photograph and hat from USS Yorktown,
which was the carrier he commanded
during WWII. The collection, which
is on loan from the Cherokee Heritage
Center, also includes a bronze bust of
Admiral Clark and several of his medals
and ribbons.
The 8,700-square-foot veterans center
includes Cherokee Nation veteran
assistance and benefit offices and a U.S.
Veterans Affairs readjustment counselor.
It houses a community room, kitchen
and “Wall of Honor” entryway.
The veterans center is located just east
of the W.W. Keeler Complex, 17675 S.
Muskogee Ave., in Tahlequah.
For more information, call 918-4535000 ext. 4166.
NATIVE OKLAHOMA | NOVEMBER 2014
13
Ancient canoes exhibit at Chickasaw Cultural Center
SULPHUR, Okla. – In spring 2000, a
group of Florida high school students
stumbled on the largest treasure trove of
ancient dugout canoes ever discovered.
It is believed the Eastside High School
students discovered 101 canoes. Some of
the vessels are fully intact. Many are mere
remnants. When radiocarbon dating
was completed, scientists estimated the
age of the vessels varied between 500 and
5,000 years old.
What emerged from the discovery is
“Dugout Canoes: Paddling through the
Americas,” a landmark exhibition hosted
by the Chickasaw Nation at its expansive
Cultural Center in Sulphur through May
6, 2015.
Dugout canoes were metaphorical
pickup trucks for Native Americans.
They transported food, family, tribal
members, warriors and trade goods. The
vessels made travel of great distances
possible for Native people.
While none of the 101 dugout canoes
discovered by the Gainesville, Florida,
students in drought-stricken Newnans
Lake 14 years ago will be displayed,
ancient vessels recovered from other
sites in America may be viewed, studied
and researched.
The exhibition tells how infinitely
important canoes were to Native
Americans; how they were crafted sans
modern tools and the exhaustive effort
it required to build one seaworthy and
with stability.
Unearthing the 101 dugout canoes from
Newnans Lake would have destroyed the
precious crafts. For hundreds of years, the
site was covered with ample amounts of
water and then exposed to the elements
during periods of drought. This see-saw
effect degraded the Southern hard pine
canoes. In order to fully save them, an
inordinately expensive process must be
undertaken.
Today, the dugout canoes are submerged
in about 5 feet of water, encased in a
protective layer of mud.
A magnificent dugout, almost 19 feet
This 400-year-old pine dugout canoe will be on display
through May 2015 at the Chickasaw Cultural Center as
part of “Dugout Canoes: Padding through the Americas.”
Cara Cowan Watts
Cherokee Nation
Tribal Council
District 13
Email Cara to get her
Cherokee Nation News
& Events emails or
scholarship emails!
[email protected]
long, will be on display. It was discovered
near Gainesville and is the show’s
centerpiece and dates to approximately
400 years ago. It is made of pine and
has a slightly raised bow and stern. A
paddle was discovered with it. Other
ancient examples of dugout canoes will
be available for viewing.
The exhibit, with various artifacts,
shows how Native Americans hunted
and fished from the vessels and how they
used them for other purposes.
Photos and short videos will also show
the high school students’ Newnans Lake
excavation and research, how vessels
contained in the exhibit were preserved
so they could be presented to the public
and methods used to construct them by
ancient people.
The Cultural Center is located at 867
Charles Cooper Memorial Rd, Sulphur,
and opens at 10 a.m. Monday through
Saturday and at noon on Sundays. It
closes daily at 5 p.m.
14
NATIVE OKLAHOMA | NOVEMBER 2014
Nathan Benton, full-blood Choctaw, and wife Aline Benton, full-blood Cherokee,
meet with Chief Gary Batton at the Wichita Cultural Meeting on Oct. 5.
Mr. and Mrs. Benton met in youth while at the Haskell Institute, and
Nathan’s father was an original enrollee.
Married 64 years: Choctaw /Cherokee
couple love, grow up, and spend life together
By BRANDON FRYE
Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma
DURANT – Nathan Benton, full-blood
Choctaw, and wife Aline Benton, fullblood Cherokee, met in youth while at
the Haskell Indian Institute, what was
then a high school and is now known
as Haskell Indian Nations University in
Lawrence, Kan. They have been together
ever since.
“We met at a church service on Sunday
night,” Mr. Benton said. “We were
walking out of the building and just
started a conversation, that’s where it
began.”
The two of them had attended separate
boarding schools during grade school.
Mrs. Benton was a member of the
Seneca Indian School, in Wyandotte,
Okla. Mr. Benton attended the Jones
Academy with the Choctaw Nation.
He recalled a story from third grade
where he and his cousin Jesse James
(not the outlaw) left the academy on
foot for Thanksgiving break, aiming to
make it all the way home to Talihina.
They walked a ways and ended up
hitching a ride on the back of a farmer’s
wagon. Mr. Benton found a dime in the
back, and the farmer let the two stay
the night and eat his wife’s cooking. The
next day, they made it into town on foot
and bought a loaf of bread to eat with
that dime, but it was molded and they
did without.
“It sounds like hardship, but we took
it in stride,” Mr. Benton said. The day
they made it home after a three-day
journey, Nathan was driven back and it
only took half a day. Only Nathan got
the ride, cousin Jesse stayed back.
In high school, Mr. Benton was
interested in mechanics and agriculture,
and Mrs. Benton took classes in home
economics and core subjects.
“I was a boxer back in those days, too,”
Mr. Benton said. “That was in ‘45. We
had a boxing program, so we boxed
around different towns in Oklahoma. I
had been boxing since when I weighed
65 pounds.”
NATIVE OKLAHOMA | NOVEMBER 2014
15
When asked what it took to stay together for so long, Mrs. Benton said,
“I would say you need love. That’s the key. Because when you love each other,
you have consideration for each other.
And we got married to stay married when we got married.”
In the summers, Mr. Benton would
harvest wheat with a group for a
contractor, a job which took them from
Texas up to the Canada/U.S. border. And
when he graduated from high school,
he went back to study mechanics as a
post-grad.
He was drafted into the Army for the
Korean War in 1950, but before he left,
he married the love of his life, Aline.
After two years of service, Mr. Benton
was honorably discharged after receiving
a knee injury. “My wife and I moved
back to Lawrence, Kansas,” he said.
“I went to work as a heavy equipment
operator, and when I would finish a
contract, I had to look for another job.”
After finishing a contract, the man
who trained Nathan in auto mechanics
talked him into taking a position at
Chilocco Indian Boarding School.
Mr. and Mrs. Benton worked until
retirement at the school. Mr. Benton
taught heavy machinery, and Mrs.
Benton fed the 1,200 students three
meals a day. To this day, Mr. Benton has
retired from four jobs.
They
had
five
children,
14
grandchildren,
and
12
greatgrandchildren, all descendants of Mr.
Benton’s father, Nathan Hale Benton
Sr., who was an original enrollee of the
Choctaw Nation.
The two celebrated their 64th wedding
anniversary on Oct. 10, 2014. When
asked what it took to stay together for
PEARY L. ROBERTSON
ATTORNEY AT LAW
(405) 382-7300
so long, Mrs. Benton said, “I would say
you need love. That’s the key. Because
when you love each other, you have
consideration for each other. And we
got married to stay married when we
got married.”
Mr. and Mrs. Benton agreed that their
faith played a large role. “The biggest
factor is we are both Christians and
have served the Lord all of these years,”
Mr. Benton said. “We just lived by
our Christian principles, and that was
always our guide.”
The two have been charter members
of the Hillcrest Bible Baptist Church in
Arkansas City, Kans., their local church
for 51 years. “The lord blesses us all, and
we kept close to him,” they said.
U.S. Department of the Interior
PERSONAL INJURY
PROBATE • SOCIAL SECURITY
DISABILITY • REAL ESTATE
STATEWIDE REPRESENTATION
1700 N. Milt Phillips Avenue, Seminole, Oklahoma
[email protected]
GRAPHICS & DESIGNS
Native American own and operated
505-310-7936
Facebook: “acrylicgd”
email: [email protected]
The Land Buy-Back Program for Tribal Nations,
created to implement part of the Cobell Settlement,
is offering fair market value to landowners for
voluntarily restoring fractional land interests to tribes.
All sales are voluntary, though landowners will only
have 45 days to accept offers.
Landowners are encouraged to contact the Trust
Beneficiary Call Center (TBCC) to learn about eligibility
and to ensure their contact information is current:
1(888)678-6836
More information is also available from your local
Fiduciary Trust Officer (FTO) at the Office of Special Trustee
for American Indians, or on the web at:
www.doi.gov/buybackprogram
16
NATIVE OKLAHOMA | NOVEMBER 2014
GAMING t
DOWNSTREAM CASINO RESORT
69300 East Nee Road
Quapaw, OK 74363
1-888-DWNSTRM (396-7876)
[email protected]
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
Creek Nation Casino Duck Creek
in Beggs features over 250 gaming
machines in a 5,000-square-foot
facility. Stop by to try your luck at
this casino, where you can play every
day of the week from 9am-7am.
On-site concessions are available
at Creek Nation Casino Duck Creek.
10085 Ferguson Rd, Beggs. 918-2673468 or 918-267-3469
t
t
t
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.
OSAGE CASINOS
951 W.36th St. N., Tulsa
Osage Casino, Tulsa is the closest
gaming facility to Downtown Tulsa.
The Casino is open 24/7 and offers
guests more than 1,000 state-ofthe-art Electronic Games, 11 Table
Games, an 8-table Poker Room, a
grill and an entertainment lounge
with a bar. www.osagecasinos.com
t
t
t
OSAGE CASINO HOMINY
39 Deer Ave.
(918) 885-2158
OSAGE CASINO PONCA CITY
64464, U.S. 60
(580) 765-2973
OSAGE CASINO SAND SPRINGS
301 Blackjack Dr.
(918) 699-7777
THUNDERBIRD CASINO
15700 Oklahoma 9, Norman
(405) 360-9270
At Thunderbird Casino, you’ll not
only find the friendliest dealers
and casino personnel, but some
of the hottest gaming action in the
state, dealing popular table games
like Blackjack and Poker, as well as
hundreds of both new and classic
gaming machines for hours of fun
and winning!
Our Shawnee location is located at
2051 S. Gordon Cooper Drive.
• Over250gamingmachines • LadiesNight–Mondays5–10pm
• Concessionson-site
• Men’sNight–Tuesdays5–10pm
10085 Ferguson Rd. Beggs, OK 74421 · 918-267-3468
NATIVE OKLAHOMA | NOVEMBER 2014
17
NATIVE OKLAHOMA | NOVEMBER 2014
18
LodgING t
t
t
CLAREMORE
Comfort Inn
1720 S. Lynn Riggs
(918) 343-3297
CUSHING
Best Western
508 E Main St
(918) 306-4299
DURANT
CHOCTAW LODGE
DURANT
800-590-5825
EUFAULA
BEST WESTERN INN
1300 Birkes Road
918-689-5553
CHOCTAW GRAND TOWER
Choctaw Casino Resort is excited
to announce that we are the only
casino resort in the region to be
recognized with the AAA FourDiamond rating. Four diamonds are
awarded to establishments that are
upscale in all areas. Not only do the
accommodations sparkle but the
customer service shines as well.
With our high levels of hospitality,
service and attention to detail, we’re
truly shining, just for you.
GLENPOOL
BEST WESTERN
14831 S Casper Street
918-322-5201
LOCUST GROVE
BEST WESTERN PLUS
LOCUST GROVE INN & SUITES
106 Holiday Lane
918-479-8082
MIAMI
BUFFALO RUN HOTEL
1366 U.S. 69
(918) 542-2900
NEWKIRK/PONCA CITY
CHOCTAW INN
DURANT
800-590-5825
FIRST COUNCIL HOTEL
12875 U.S. 77
580.448.3225 or
toll-free 877-232-9213.
t
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Just a short 10 minute drive east
of I-35, the First Council Hotel
rooms feature custom double
plush bedding, premium linens,
42” HD Cable TV, hair dryers, irons
and ironing boards. Luxury suites
are custom decorated and feature
Native artwork, one-of-a-kind special
made Pendleton blankets, king size
bed, leather sofas and chairs, coffee
makers, granite counter tops and
oversized soaking tubs. Full hot
breakfast buffet, complimentary
valet parking, bell service and WiFi
throughout the hotel are included.
Okmulgee
BEST WESTERN PLUS
3499 N WOOD DR
918-756-9200
DAYS INN
1221 S WOOD DR
918-758-0660
HOLIDAY INN EXPRESS
2780 N WOOD DR
918- 756-0100
POCOLA
CHOCTAW HOTEL
Interstate 540
800-590-5825
PONCA CITY
OSAGE CASINO HOTEL
64464, U.S. 60
(580) 765-2973
NATIVE OKLAHOMA | NOVEMBER 2014
QUAPAW
DOWNSTREAM CASINO RESORT
69300 E NEE ROAD
Four miles west of Joplin, MO off
I-44. Call 800 - 888-396-7876
Sophistication and style with Native
American influences await you in
each of the 374 luxurious guest
rooms and suites in the hotel at
Downstream Casino Resort.
SAND SPRINGS
Hampton Inn
7852 W. Parkway Blvd
(918) 245-8500
19
TAHLEQUAH
DAYS INN
701 Holiday Dr
(918) 456-7800
Tulsa
Quality Suites
3112 S. 79th E. Ave
(918) 858-9625
Tulsa
Clarion Inn
Airport
2201 N. 77 E. Ave.
(918) 835-9911
Hyatt Place
7037 S. Zurich Ave
(918) 491-4010
Comfort Suites
1737 S. 101st E. Ave
(918) 628-0900
Hilton Garden Inn
7728 E. Virgin Court
(918) 838-1444
Holiday Inn Express
3215 S. 79th E. Ave
(918) 665-4242
Hampton Inn
7852 W. Parkway Blvd
(918) 245-8500
WINNING HAS
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5591 W Rogers Blvd
(918) 699-7873
TAHLEQUAH
BEST WESTERN
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(918) 458-1818
COMFORT INN
101 Reasor St
(918) 431-0600
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Management reserves all rights. © 2014 7 Clans Casinos
Get your
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20
NATIVE OKLAHOMA | NOVEMBER 2014
NatiVE EVENTS CALENDAR
Powwow dates, times and
locations are subject to change.
Please call ahead or check online
in advance before making travel
plans. See www.nativeoklahoma.
us for more listings and updates
through the season.
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 pm-8:30
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
NOVEMBER 1
7th Annual Fall Antiques & Arts
Festival & Symposium: Featuring
Southeast
Basket
Weavers,
Museum of the Red River, Idabel,
9:00 – 4:00, featuring local artists
and craftsmen along with several
antique dealers. In conjunction
with the Festival, the Museum will
sponsor a symposium focused on
Southeastern Baskets, which will
include a lecture on historic and
contemporary basket weaving
on Friday evening (at 7:15). On
Saturday (from 9:00 – 4:00) there
will be traditional basket weaving
demonstrations. The public is
invited to join nationally recognized
weavers
from
Oklahoma,
Mississippi, and Louisiana. All
events will be held at The Mary
H. Herron Community Conference
Center and are free. More info:
Jeanette Bohanan, (580) 286-3616
Noon-5 p.m. – Choctaw College
Connection Recruitment Event at
Choctaw Casino Resort, Durant. For
more information call Southeastern
Oklahoma State University, (580)
745-2731.
NOVEMBER 3
3-5 p.m. – Native American Center
Open House and Reception,
Meet and Greet 2014-15 Miss
Indian SOSU at Center for Student
Success, Southeastern Oklahoma
State University, Durant. For more
information call 580-745-2731.
NOVEMBER 4
2-4 p.m. – Open House Native
American
Commons
Area
Reception at Henry G. Bennett
Memorial Library, Southeastern
Oklahoma State University, Durant.
For more information call 580-7452731.
NOVEMBER 5
1 p.m. – Native Symposium Insights
with Mr. Richard Green, Chickasaw
Historian and Author, Southeastern
Oklahoma State University, Durant.
For more information call 580-7452731.
NOVEMBER 6
Join in to attempt a World Record
Round Dance! Registration begins
at 11am on the Bacone College
campus in Muskogee. For more
information visit www.bacone.edu
Social Stickball on front lawn,
4pm at Southeastern Oklahoma
State University, Durant. For more
information call 580-745-2731.
NOVEMBER 7-8
Euchee/Yuchi Heritage Festival
at the Glenpool Creek Indian
Community Center, 13839 S.
Casper Street, Glenpool (HWY 75
& North 141st Street). Activities
begin Friday evening at 6:30
with a traditional dinner, Euchee
language play and bingo. Festival
opens Saturday at noon and
runs until midnight. Horse shoes;
gospel music; children’s bingo;
fancy dance exhibition; food
demonstration and Stomp Dance.
For more information call Sue, 918381-3793.
NOVEMBER 8
10:30 a.m. – Native American
Scholars Recognition Brunch,
Magnolia Room and
Choctaw Youth Stickball at halftime
of the Southeastern-Arkansas
Tech football game, Southeastern
Oklahoma State University, Durant.
For more information call 580-7452731.
NOVEMBER 9
American Legion Benefit Gourd
Dance, 2-9 pm, 1120 E. 8th Street,
Tulsa (west of Peoria). Donation
of $50 or more will display
8”x12”American Flag, in memory,
active, non-active, Veteran, provide
branch of service. Their names will
be read with acknowledgement
during dance. All proceeds benefit
American Legion Post 1’s Veterans
Programs. Office 918-584-4274.
Please mail donations to Post 1,
1120 E. 8th. St. Tulsa Ok 74120.
NATIVE OKLAHOMA | NOVEMBER 2014
21
Celebrate ‘Rock Your Mocs Day’ by making moccasins: As part of the celebration of Native American Heritage
Month and “Rock Your Mocs Day,” Cherokee Nation officials are hosting a Nov. 11 class for participants to
create their own pair of moccasins. The class will be held at the John Ross Museum, at 22366 S. 530 Rd. in
Park Hill, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. All materials will be provided to make traditional pucker-toe moccasins.
Attendees are asked to bring a sack lunch. Registration is $25 and limited to 25 people on a first-come, firstserved basis. For more info visit www.VisitCherokeeNation.com.
NOVEMBER 11
Annual Choctaw Veterans Day celebration
at Tvshka Homma begins at 11 a.m. Each
veteran receives a gift (a jacket/cap) and
there is a program honoring them with
Color Guard posting colors, gun salute,
Choctaw royalty signing the Lord’s Prayer
and guest speakers. This is followed by a
free lunch for all in attendance.
NOVEMBER 12
2 p.m. – Native American Student
Visitation, Campus-Wide Social Stickball,
Southeastern Oklahoma State University,
Durant. For more information call 580745-2731.
NOVEMBER 14
2 p.m. – Chickasaw Culture and
Storytelling, Henry G. Bennett Memorial
Library, followed by Social Stickball on
the front lawn, Southeastern Oklahoma
State University, Durant. For more
information call 580-745-2731.
NOVEMBER 14-16
Beavers Bend Annual Folk Festival &
Craft Show. Beavers Bend State Park
is the site of one of Oklahoma’s most
popular fall festivals. The Folk Festival &
Craft Show kicks off Friday, Nov. 14 and
runs through Nov. 16 at the Oklahoma
Forest Heritage Center. This is the
21st year for this popular free festival
which draws over 17,000 visitors to
southeastern Oklahoma, just in time
for the beautiful fall colors. For more
information, contact the Forest Heritage
Center Museum (580) 494-6497, email
[email protected] or visit www.
forestry.ok.gov/folk-festival.
NOVEMBER 15
World-wide Rock Your Mocs Day.
Founded in 2011 by Laguna Pueblo
citizen Jessica Atsye, Roc Your Mocs
Day is an effort to unite all tribes by its
individuals wearing moccasins on Nov.
15 and then sharing a photo on social
media. Use hashtag #RYM2014.
NOVEMBER 18
1 p.m, -- Round Reed Basket Making,
Magnolia
Room,
Southeastern
Oklahoma State University, Durant. For
more information call 580-745-2731.
NOVEMBER 19
1 p.m. – Gourd Dance, Dr. Joe Bohanon,
Southeastern Oklahoma State University,
Durant. For more information, contact
Chris Wesberry at 580-745-2376.
NOVEMBER 29-30
Choctaw Nation Powwow, Choctaw
Nation Event Center, Durant. Add some
wow to your weekend! Embrace the
sights, sounds and culture of the Native
American People with arts and crafts,
authentic food and a must-see dance
competition. Whether you come to
compete or to take it all in, it’s sure to
be a rewarding weekend. For more info
visit www.choctawcasinos.com.
NATIVE OKLAHOMA | NOVEMBER 2014
22
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 2014
23
Ernest Childers | Muscogee Creek
A first lieutenant with the 45th Infantry Division, Childers received the Medal of Honor for heroic action in 1943 when,
up against machine gun fire, he and eight men charged the enemy. Although suffering a broken foot in the assault,
Childers ordered covering fire and advanced up the hill, single-handedly killing two snipers,
silencing two machine gun nests, and capturing an enemy mortar observer. Childers walked on March 17, 2005.
24
NATIVE OKLAHOMA | NOVEMBER 2014
NATIVE OKLAHOMA | NOVEMBER 2014
25
NATIVE OKLAHOMA | NOVEMBER 2014
26
NatiVE 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
Caddo Nation Complex • Binger
405-656-2344
www.caddonation-nsn.gov
Cherokee Heritage Center
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
Chickasaw National Capitol
Building
411 W 9th • Tishomingo
580-371-9835
www.chickasaw.net
Choctaw Nation Museum
Council House Road • Tuskahoma
918-569-4465
Citizen Potawatomi Nation
Cultural Heritage Center
and Firelake Gifts
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
Coo-Y-Yah Museum
847 Hwy 69 and S 8th St • Pryor
918-825-2222
Creek Council House Museum
106 W 6th • Okmulgee
918-756-2324
www.tourokmulgee.com
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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
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
Fort Gibson Historic Site and
Interpretive Center
907 N Garrison Ave. • Fort Gibson
918-478-4088
www.okhistory.org
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
Kanza Museum
Kaw Tribal Complex • Kaw City
580-269-2552 or 866-404-5297
www.kawnation.com
Kiowa Tribal Museum
Hwy 9 W • Carnegie • 580-654-2300
Museum of the Great Plains
601 NW Ferris Ave. • Lawton
580-581-3460
www.museumgreatplains.org
Museum of the Red River
812 E Lincoln Rd • Idabel
580-286-3616
www.museumoftheredriver.org
NATIVE OKLAHOMA | NOVEMBER 2014
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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
Osage Tribal Museum, Library
and Archives
819 Grandview Ave. • Pawhuska
918-287-5441
www.osagetribe.com/museum
Permanent Art of the
Oklahoma State Capitol
2300 N Lincoln Blvd. • Oklahoma City
405-521-3356
www.ok.gov
Philbrook Museum of Art
2727 S Rockford Rd. • Tulsa
918-749-7941
www.philbrook.org
Red Earth Museum
6 Santa Fe Plaza
Oklahoma City
405-427-5228
www.redearth.org
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Southern Plains Museum
Tonkawa Tribal Museum
715 E Central Blvd. • Anadarko
405-247-6221
www.doi.gov/iacb/museums/
museum_s_plains.html
36 Cisco Dr. • Tonkawa
580-628-5301
www.tonkawatribe.com
Spiro Mounds
Archaeological Center
18154 1st St. • Spiro
918-962-2062
okhistory.org/outreach/museums/
spiromounds.html
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
Three Valley Museum
401 W. Main • Durant
580-920-1907
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Top of Oklahoma Historical
Society Museum
303 S. Main
Blackwell
580-363-0209
Washita Battlefield National
Historic Site
West of town, Cheyenne
580-497-2742
www.nps.gov/waba
Webbers Falls Historical
Museum
Commercial & Main, Webbers Falls
918-464-2728
Wheelock Academy
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
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
Sequoyah’s Cabin
Rt. 1 Box 141 • Sallisaw
918-775-2413
www.cherokeetourismok.com
Seminole Nation Museum
524 S Wewoka Ave, Wewoka
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LodgING t
NATIVE OKLAHOMA | NOVEMBER 2014
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CLAREMORE
Comfort Inn
1720 S. Lynn Riggs
(918) 343-3297
CUSHING
Best Western
508 E Main St
(918) 306-4299
DURANT
CHOCTAW LODGE
DURANT
800-590-5825
EUFAULA
BEST WESTERN INN
1300 Birkes Road
918-689-5553
CHOCTAW GRAND TOWER
Choctaw Casino Resort is excited
to announce that we are the only
casino resort in the region to be
recognized with the AAA FourDiamond rating. Four diamonds are
awarded to establishments that are
upscale in all areas. Not only do the
accommodations sparkle but the
customer service shines as well.
With our high levels of hospitality,
service and attention to detail, we’re
truly shining, just for you.
GLENPOOL
BEST WESTERN
14831 S Casper Street
918-322-5201
LOCUST GROVE
BEST WESTERN PLUS
LOCUST GROVE INN & SUITES
106 Holiday Lane
918-479-8082
MIAMI
BUFFALO RUN HOTEL
1366 U.S. 69
(918) 542-2900
NEWKIRK/PONCA CITY
CHOCTAW INN
DURANT
800-590-5825
FIRST COUNCIL HOTEL
12875 U.S. 77
580.448.3225 or
toll-free 877-232-9213.
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Just a short 10 minute drive east
of I-35, the First Council Hotel
rooms feature custom double
plush bedding, premium linens,
42” HD Cable TV, hair dryers, irons
and ironing boards. Luxury suites
are custom decorated and feature
Native artwork, one-of-a-kind special
made Pendleton blankets, king size
bed, leather sofas and chairs, coffee
makers, granite counter tops and
oversized soaking tubs. Full hot
breakfast buffet, complimentary
valet parking, bell service and WiFi
throughout the hotel are included.
Okmulgee
BEST WESTERN PLUS
3499 N WOOD DR
918-756-9200
DAYS INN
1221 S WOOD DR
918-758-0660
HOLIDAY INN EXPRESS
2780 N WOOD DR
918- 756-0100
POCOLA
CHOCTAW HOTEL
Interstate 540
800-590-5825
PONCA CITY
OSAGE CASINO HOTEL
64464, U.S. 60
(580) 765-2973
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NATIVE OKLAHOMA | NOVEMBER 2014
QUAPAW
DOWNSTREAM CASINO RESORT
69300 E NEE ROAD
Four miles west of Joplin, MO off
I-44. Call 800 - 888-396-7876
Sophistication and style with Native
American influences await you in
each of the 374 luxurious guest
rooms and suites in the hotel at
Downstream Casino Resort.
SAND SPRINGS
Hampton Inn
7852 W. Parkway Blvd
(918) 245-8500
Hampton Inn
7852 W. Parkway Blvd
(918) 245-8500
SKIATOOK
OSAGE CASINO HOTEL
5591 W Rogers Blvd
(918) 699-7873
TAHLEQUAH
BEST WESTERN
3296 S Muskogee
(918) 458-1818
COMFORT INN
101 Reasor St
(918) 431-0600
TAHLEQUAH
DAYS INN
701 Holiday Dr
(918) 456-7800
Tulsa
Quality Suites
3112 S. 79th E. Ave
(918) 858-9625
Tulsa
Clarion Inn
Airport
2201 N. 77 E. Ave.
(918) 835-9911
Hyatt Place
7037 S. Zurich Ave
(918) 491-4010
Comfort Suites
1737 S. 101st E. Ave
(918) 628-0900
Hilton Garden Inn
7728 E. Virgin Court
(918) 838-1444
Holiday Inn Express
3215 S. 79th E. Ave
(918) 665-4242
NATIVE OKLAHOMA | NOVEMBER 2014
30
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
read
NATIVE OKLAHOMA | NOVEMBER 2014
weetah
(SHAWNEE)
Ruthe Blalock Jones
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NATIVE OKLAHOMA | NOVEMBER 2014