The Lifetime Legacy crew consist of Naomi Franklin, Resource Technician, Melanie Jones, Community Coordinator, Todd Baughman, Program Manager and Veronica Boatright, Data Analyst

“Going lean,” and “Get fit,” have become popular phrases around the Choctaw Nation and the United States in recent times. People everywhere are becoming aware of the risks and dangers of poor health.

In light of that fact, the federal government has teamed up with the Choctaw Nation to provide a cardiovascular disease prevention grant known as Lifetime Legacy. This grant, in the fourth year of a five-year cycle, is charged with combating cardiovascular complications in Native Americans.

Lifetime Legacy is the continuation of a program named Core Capacity. This program was committed to “building partnerships, doing community action surveys, community needs assessments, seeing what the community was ready for and where they were ready, as far as change [and] getting healthy,” explained Program Manager Todd Baughman.

Heart issues are very common among Native Americans, but many of the risk factors that cause these problems can be avoided by implementing small and simple lifestyle practices. Some risk factors include obesity, sedentary lifestyle and smoking.

“Besides it being a hereditary disease, all of them [risk factors] are changeable. You can alter those risk factors. All of them can be changed by you, and Lifetime Legacy is trying to promote people to do that,” declared Baughman. Through various mediums and programs, Lifetime Legacy is on a mission to “change the risk factors to try and decrease that prevalence,” continued Baughman.

One of the ways that Lifetime Legacy has begun to aid Choctaw Nation is by providing the communities with education on heart disease and ways to improve their health through health fairs and presentations.

The Lifetime Legacy team, made up of four employees, has traveled to places such as Jones Academy, employee health fairs, community center health fairs and Outreach at the Beach. They have handed out healthy recipe cards as a well as taught classes in Jones academy, the Talihina Lions Club as well as all the schools within the 10.5 counties of Choctaw Nation.

“Instead of just reaching out to adults, like they did in the past, we are starting with children. Because if you start at an earlier age, it can help prevention when they get older,” said Data Analyst, Veronica Boatright as she explained the recent focus on a younger generation.

Focusing on the children has been a successful endeavor thus far for the crew. We “got a really good response from kids… they get so excited and so enthused,” mentioned Community Coordinator Melanie Jones as she remembered the presentations at Jones academy.

Along with the presentation of information at various locations, Baughman and his team have plans for various Choctaw entities, one being the Choctaw Travel Plazas. We are “providing the option for people to pick the healthier choice,” said Baughman. It is his hope that the plazas will place healthier alternatives in the more visible and high-traffic areas, encouraging the patrons to substitute a healthy snack for sweets on occasion.

Even in the smallest ways, by just changing the position of merchandise, the Legacy crew helps to aid Choctaws to longer, healthier lives. We are helping them have that option, and hopefully they will take it, continued Baughman.

Along with the changes in Travel Plazas, Lifetime Legacy is working with administration all across the Choctaw Nation. They have been collaborating with administration of the hospital to provide incentives for employees to exercise and eat healthy, as well as encouraging the vending machines to be stocked with healthy alternatives.

Perhaps one of the largest and most complicated projects up the sleeves of the Legacy crew would be the healthy cooking videos titled “Cooking with the Council,” currently featuring Councilman Anthony Dillard and Assistant Chief Gary Batton. These videos allow prominent members of the Choctaw community to demonstrate how to prepare meals and snacks that will taste great and help the body. Messages of moderation and small steps fill the videos in an effort to give viewers paths to a gradual and permanent lifestyle change.

Lifetime Legacy does not use an elaborate set, but uses a common kitchen as the studio to simulate the average Choctaw’s situation. They use everyday ingredients that will be found around a common home. It is their hope that with this simple approach, more people with be inclined to use the information provided.

Along with the cooking videos, they have also produced exercising videos with the help of the Hugo Wellness Center.

Lifetime Legacy does all the production in-house, from the shooting to the editing. It is their hope to create a multitude of videos featuring more of the council and Chief Pyle that will be displayed in the waiting rooms of various locations of Choctaw services.

They are in the process of making commercials for various Choctaw programs, and ideally, they would be able to produce DVDs that would contain videos divided by Choctaw commercials to be viewed around the nation. . “Instead of watching cable television, we can highlight our own programs,” Said Boatright.

The production of these videos is a considerable task for the team. To go along with their other duties, they must spend many hours researching healthy recipes, modifying other recipes to make them healthy, scheduling video shoots, shooting and editing video as well as distributing the finished product.

Since the activation of the Going Lean initiative, Lifetime Legacy has been given a broader range of resources and connections. According to Baughman, Going Lean is a task force that has about 20 or 30 Choctaw programs that allows everybody to network. “Whenever we became part of Going Lean, that opened up the doors,” mentioned Baughman.

Where they used to have to work relatively alone, they can now work with many other departments because the task force unites them in a common goal, which is to make healthier Choctaws. Occasionally they work in areas that seem unrelated to heart health, but in reality, any sort of obesity prevention and active lifestyle encouraging effort will help prevent heart problems. With that fact in place, they are able to branch out from strictly heart issues.

This cooperation is notably beneficial to the Legacy team, as well as the programs with which they have teamed. “We need to realize that we are all in the same family, we all work for the Choctaw Nation and we can all come together for the greater good of the people we serve,” declared Baughman as he explained how when any program promotes health, it helps meet the goal of Lifetime Legacy.

As a program, you can’t do it all on your own, so you try to find other programs that are trying to reach the same goals you are, said Boatright as she explained how this cooperation among programs has aided Lifetime Legacy. “Now that [the issue] is tribal wide everybody is on board… you feel like you have more support,” she continued.

Working closely with other departments among the tribe, Lifetime Legacy has made strides in creative ways to make a healthier Choctaw Nation. The team as a whole attributes much of this success to Joe Bray, the Director of Behavioral Health and Kari Hearod, the Deputy Director of Behavioral Health, who oversees their operation and allows them many resources, along with flexibility to experiment with new and innovative ways of accomplishing an age-old goal.

If you have any question for Lifetime Legacy and how they can aid you in preventing cardiovascular disease, call 918-426-5700.

Choctaw and Chickasaw Tribes urge OK Water Board to reject Sardis Lake deal

For more information please contact:
Judy Allen, Executive Director of Public Relations
judy.allen@choctawnation.com
580-924-8280 ext. 2249
529 N. 16th
Durant, OK 74701

DURANT, Okla. (June 10, 2010) - The Choctaw Nation has urged the Oklahoma Water Resources Board to reject a proposal to transfer Sardis Lake water holding rights to Oklahoma City and offered to pay the $5.2 million debt the State of Oklahoma owes the federal government by July 1.

The tribe, along with the Chickasaw Nation, made the offer in order to buy time for all involved to resolve the dispute over potential use of the lake’s water.

On Monday, the Oklahoma City Water Utilities Trust unanimously voted to sign a contract with the state to buy the water storage rights.

“Using the debt owed by the state to the federal government as an excuse to make a deal that ignores the two tribes’ historic water rights and the environmental and economic interests of all of Southeastern Oklahoma just doesn’t make sense,” said Chief Gregory E. Pyle of the Choctaw Nation.

The State of Oklahoma and the Oklahoma City Water Utilities Trust have been talking about the trust buying the water storage rights, but on May 20 the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, which constructed the reservoir and dam, warned the governor, legislative leaders and state water officials that the Corps has not been asked for approval of any transfer of storage rights. The Corps said any such approval would be necessary by both the federal government and a U.S. District Court judge who ordered the state to repay the debt.

The Oklahoma Water Resources Board is taking up the issue at a special meeting called for Friday.

The tribes have offered to pay the immediate debt so that a long-range solution can be reached after comprehensive water and environmental studies have been completed, evaluated by experts and reviewed by the public.

“It is wholly premature for the Oklahoma City Water Utilities Trust and the state to be engaged in these kinds of negotiations when no one has all the necessary information to make the right long-term decisions,” Chief Pyle said. “Further, it is essential before any decisions are made that the Choctaw and Chickasaw tribes, which have historical rights to the water, and representatives of the Southeastern Oklahoma community are a part of any such discussions relating to the future of Sardis Lake.”

The tribal leaders call upon the Water Board and the state to delay any action regarding Sardis until all the studies have been completed and all those affected by any potential transfer of water from Sardis are a part of the decision-making process.

News from the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma

For more information please contact:
Office of Public Relations
lcopeland@choctawnation.com
580-924-8280 ext. 2111
529 N. 16th
Durant, OK 74701

DURANT, Okla. (April 12, 2010) – Choctaw Chief Gregory E. Pyle signs a contract with OG&E as Assistant Chief Gary Batton looks on. The contract, which goes into effect at the end of April, allows the Choctaw Nation to get all its energy from wind power. Using wind power will cost the Choctaw Nation about $15,000 more per year. “We’re investing in the protection of our future and our resources and that’s something you can’t put a price tag on,” said Assistant Chief Gary Batton.

Choctaw Students Awarded for Academic Excellence

For more information please contact:
Office of Public Relations
lcopeland@choctawnation.com
580-924-8280 ext. 2111
529 N. 16th
Durant, OK 74701

DURANT, Okla. (March 17, 2010) – Choctaw Chief Gregory E. Pyle and Assistant Chief Gary Batton handed out certificates and Wal-Mart gift cards to 60 Durant Intermediate School students on Friday, March 12, as part of the Choctaw Nation program Success Through Academic Recognition (STAR). The STAR program was initiated in the fall of 2007 and is an education incentive program that rewards Choctaw students in grades 2-12 with gift cards for showing excellence in their schoolwork and attendance.

Chief Pyle said he was proud of the students at DIS and he thanked them as he shook their hands and handed out their personalized certificates and gifts cards.

“You all are doing so well coming to class and making great grades. We appreciate each and every one of you. You are our future. Thank you for making this such a great program,” he told the students.

According to Seth Fairchild, STAR program coordinator, “The program encourages the academic success of Choctaws by providing them with an incentive to strive for the highest possible level of achievement. This is an exciting addition to the education services that the Choctaw Nation is able to offer the youth of our tribe.”

Currently, the program serves eligible Choctaw students attending an accredited school within the state of Oklahoma and has approximately 9,800 students participating from 560 individual schools. The plan is to expand the program in the near future to eligible Choctaw students nation-wide.

“We have seen a steady increase in the number of awards we’ve given since the inception of the program. One of our goals is to increase the number of new student awards given as well,” said Fairchild. “We want to help provide goals and direction for our Choctaw students, as well as increase their retention and graduation rates.”

According to Chief Pyle, the Choctaw Nation awards scholarships to students embarking on their collegiate career but there was also a need to recognize the younger members of the tribe for the hard work they put into their academics.

“This program started out in just the 10-½ counties and we were amazed at the success of the students,” said Chief Pyle. “I’m particularly proud of the STAR program because I believe it instills in the students a desire to do the very best they can and that starts at an early age. Our hope is that by starting young they’ll be more successful in their studies throughout school and as they continue their higher education.”

In total, more than 200 Choctaw students in the Durant School system earned awards this semester.

The Durant Intermediate School students who were recognized were:

Douglas Anderson
Emilie Ansiel
Harrison Bates
Guy Carey
Lila Creason
Sarah Dalrymple
Brandon Davis
Alissa French
Shayla Harper
Keagan Hines
Kristen Hobbs
Brittney Ingram
Jon Michael Kennedy
Nicholas Kuykendall
Cassidy McCann
Cheyenne McGee
Skyler McKaughan
Madyson Mullens
Raeni Robinson
Jonathan Shepherd
Desimber Wynn
Destinee (Sevedge) Lewis
Daurah Amos
Brayden Bentley
Katrina Bills
Tyler Campbell
Jaden Crites
Hayden Hamill
Hunter Hamilton
Sydney Hampton
Michael Harp
Tre Harper
Brenna Hibbs
Tezla Johnson
Alyssa Matthews
Madilyn Scott
Maradeth Shelton
Paul Shepherd
Peyton Stephens
Jatelyn Wallace
Alaytra Williams
DeMario Gray
Travis Nichols
Megan Aplin
Lacey Elrod
Christina Gomes
Logan Hibbs
Jacob McLarry
Christian Potter
Hannah Robinson
Tyler Stovall
Ciera Taylor
Jordan Williams
Sydney Youngblood
Alexis Mosley
Jesse Odell
Harley Shelton

News from the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma

For more information please contact:
Judy Allen, Executive Director of Public Relations
judy.allen@choctawnation.com
580-924-8280 ext. 2249
529 N. 16th
Durant, OK 74701

DURANT, Okla. (February 10, 2010) – Amid frigid temperatures and bright lights filling the sky over Durant were crowds of people who came Tuesday evening to witness the grand opening and ribbon-cutting for the new Choctaw Casino Resort.

Master of Ceremonies Jody House opened the ceremony by welcoming guests and with introductions of dignitaries in attendance before giving the floor to the leader of the Choctaw Nation, Chief Gregory E. Pyle.

“Welcome everyone and thank you for coming out to share in this momentous occasion with us,” said Chief Pyle.

Durant Mayor Jerry Tomlinson also spoke during the ceremony and he, along with members of the Durant Industrial Authority, presented Chief Pyle and Assistant Chief Gary Batton with a Native American sculpture on behalf of the citizens of Durant to show their appreciation for all the Choctaw Nation has done for the area.

“We continue to hear one resounding praise - the Choctaw Nation has put Durant, Oklahoma, on the international map,” said Mayor Tomlinson.

The ceremony continued outside with a ribbon-cutting by Chief Pyle, Assistant Chief Batton, and Executive Director over Gaming Janie Dillard, along with two of the Choctaw Nation Little Miss Princesses and a host of state, local and tribal dignitaries. It was followed with a lighting of the flames on the Towers and Fire Rings sculpture located in front of the casino’s grand outer entryway.

The ceremony marked the end of 22 months of coordination, building, and hard work put into the $300 million resort, and marked the beginning of fun, excitement, and new opportunities at the expansive casino and 12-story, amenity-filled hotel.

A spectacular fireworks show awed visitors crowded out on the hotel lawn, closing out the ceremony, but the real excitement was waiting inside on the gaming floor.

“Everyone make your way back inside and let’s see who the real winners are tonight!” said House while thanking the crowd. “Good luck and let’s have a great night!”

While thousands of guests trotted the floors, trying their luck for the first time at the new casino, the nearly 1,900 employees on staff have been working feverishly for months to make sure the night went off without a hitch.

Dillard said the opening wouldn’t have been possible without the dedication and hard work of the staff. “A huge thanks goes to our employees who put so much into making this casino a success,“ she said.

The casino sprawls over 110,000 square feet of carpeted gaming area and features 3,001 slot machines, 36 Black Jack tables, 30 Poker tables and two Roulette tables for the enjoyment of guests aged 18 and older. Four premium lounges are also positioned around the casino for guests wanting to relax or take a break from gaming.

“This is great,” said Jennifer Pearson of Durant, a guest enjoying the casino for the first time. “I can’t believe this is in Durant. It feels like I’m in (Las) Vegas.”

Circling the casino on the ground floor is a flowing “Red River” of tiles lined with a variety of restaurants and shops and is welcome to guests of all ages. Nine restaurants ranging from a steakhouse and a cafe to a stop-and-go food court provide variety for those wanting to grab a bite to eat.

The hotel boasts 204,000 square feet filled with 330 guest rooms, 12 suites, two executive suites and a business center. It also features a fitness center, indoor and outdoor pool, a spa, amphitheater and escalators connecting a 1,700-slot parking garage for the enjoyment and convenience of its guests.

With the new casino came more than 1,000 new jobs and a $25 million annual payroll to employees, providing an economic boost to the area.

The unemployment rate for Bryan County is 5 percent compared to the 6.5 percent average for the state of Oklahoma. Across the Red River, Grayson County, Texas, has an unemployment rate of 8.3 percent, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

“The great thing is that the unemployment rate in Bryan County is one of the lowest in the entire state,” said Chief Pyle. “We’re really proud of that.”

Additionally, the casinos mean growth within the Choctaw Nation. Money from gaming funds many programs for the Choctaw Nation’s tribal members.

“Head starts, daycares, scholarships, medical clinics - it all comes out of gaming so it’s very important to us that this goes well,” said Chief Pyle.

“We’ve sent about 7,000 kids through Career Development and we spend about $10 million a year on scholarships, “ he continued. “About 90 percent of those funds come from our casinos. We built our own hospital and five clinics and put in millions of dollars a year to keep and buy medicine for our elderly. We spent $7 million last year feeding and housing our elderly. It all comes out of our casinos. The list goes on and on.”

“We are all about helping our people,” continued Chief Pyle. “What we stand for is loyalty and we’re loyal to our people.”

The casino’s grand opening activities began Tuesday and run through Sunday, Feb. 14. Drawings for $1,000 will be held hourly from noon until 9 p.m. on Wednesday and Thursday, Feb. 10-11, with a $10,000 giveaway at 11 p.m. each night and hourly drawings for $10,000 from noon to 9 p.m. will be held Friday-Sunday. Also, a Lexus car will be given away each night over the weekend.

Choctaw Nation Employee Invited to Attend State of Union Address

For more information please contact:
Judy Allen, Executive Director of Public Relations
judy.allen@choctawnation.com
580-924-8280 ext. 2249
529 N. 16th
Durant, OK 74702

DURANT, Okla. (January 27, 2010) – Deborah Powell is on a trip of a lifetime. The Choctaw Nation Housing Authority employee is in Washington, D.C., and is set to be seated next to Michelle Obama tonight as the President of the United States gives his first State of the Union address of the year.

“We are very excited for Debbie and honored that one of our employees has been invited to attend such a prestigious event,” said Chief Gregory E. Pyle.

The invitation was extended to Debbie because she is an example of how federal stimulus funds have retained and provided jobs in rural America. The Housing Authority has received two awards totaling over $8 million through the Native American Housing Block Grants program. The grants are targeted primarily toward building additional Independent Living Homes for senior citizens in five sites across Southeastern Oklahoma – approximately 19 in Poteau, 15 in Hugo, 15 in Durant, 12 in Talihina and nine in Idabel. The construction plans were a perfect fit for Recovery Act allocations.

As Development Specialist, Debbie tracks how the stimulus funds are being spent. She tracks bids and advertisements for bids as well as following the contracts and their completion dates.

Moving to Oklahoma from her home state of Arizona, Debbie and her husband, Billy, live in Fort Towson. A former railroad dispatcher, she began working for the Housing Authority in 2007 but as funding ended for her position in Maintenance, Modernization and Rehabilitation (MMR), she was able to move to the Development Program.

“Debbie’s position at the Housing Authority in Hugo is funded 100 percent with stimulus funds,” said Duane Winship, Deputy Director of the Housing Authority.

“As a result of the Recovery Act, construction continues in the Choctaw Nation,” said Russell Sossamon, Executive Director of Choctaw Housing. “We are able to continue Chief Pyle’s vision of achieving self-sufficient lifestyles for Choctaw tribal members by providing employment opportunities throughout Southeastern Oklahoma as well as helping many of our elders have a much higher-quality of life.”

President Obama’s State of the Union speech will be broadcast live tonight at 8 p.m. CST.

Choctaw Nation to Participate in National Rulemaking Committee for No Child Left Behind

For more information please contact:
Judy Allen, Executive Director of Public Relations
Judy.allen@choctawnation.com
580-924-8280 ext. 2249
529 N. 16th
Durant, OK 74701

DURANT, Okla. (January 18, 2010) – The Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma was recently honored when a Tribal representative was appointed by the U.S. Secretary of the Interior to participate in the No Child Left Behind School Facilities and Construction Negotiated Rulemaking Committee. Joy Culbreath, Executive Education Director for the Choctaw Nation, has joined with 21 other Tribal representatives who will work together for the next two years to prepare and submit reports regarding BIA-funded school facilities. When asked for comment, Mrs. Culbreath replied, “I am honored to serve on this committee and my hope is that we will develop policies that will positively impact the lives of American Indian children in all parts of the United States.”

“I would like to see every child have the same opportunity to learn,” she said.

The No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 directed the Department of the Interior (DOI) to improve education in Indian country, review the process for prioritizing repair an replacement of Indian education facilities, and ensure that Indian people are involved in review of the DOI’s prioritizing process.

The committee has the task of preparing a catalog of BIA-funded school facilities and issuing a report concerning school replacement and new construction needs. A formula will be developed for the equitable distribution of funds to address those needs. The committee will also determine major and minor renovation needs.

Albuquerque served as the location for the first meetings, which began on January 5, featuring introductions, committee rulemaking and organization, and initial information.

A graduate of Southeastern Oklahoma State University, Culbreath began her career in education at her Alma Mater in 1967. She worked with a variety of programs during her 27 ears at Southeastern including several federal TRIO programs such as Upward Bound, in business education and as an advisor in the counseling center.

Culbreath retired from Southeastern but not from education. Soon after leaving Southeastern, she began building an adult education program for the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma. One of the most successful programs instituted by the tribe, it has grown from 19 students earning GEDs in 1993-94 to over 100 graduates annually. Culbreath was appointed executive director over all the Choctaw Nation’s educational programs in 1997.

“Joy is accepting this challenge in the same manner she has many other tasks, with a determination to ensure that no child is ever left behind,” said Chief Gregory E. Pyle. “She has spearheading many of our greatest accomplishments such as constructing a state-of-the-art elementary school on the grounds of Jones Academy, developing an exemplary language program, and devising numerous top-quality programs to serve all ages, from early childhood through higher education and adult education.

“The committee is lucky to have Joy on board,” he said.

Chief Pyle Signs ‘National Mentoring Month’ Proclamation

For more information please contact:
Judy Allen, Executive Director of Public Relations
judy.allen@choctawnation.com
580-924-8280 ext. 2249
529 N. 16th
Durant, OK 74702

DURANT, Okla. (January 12, 2010) -– Today, Chief Gregory E. Pyle signed a proclamation declaring January 2010 as “National Mentoring Month” for the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma. Earlier this month, President Barack Obama signed the National Mentoring Month Proclamation for the United States. The proclamation states that “the future of the Choctaw Nation rests on the hopes and dreams of its children and youth. Mentors offer valuable encouragement, motivation and hope for our youth by providing a consistent role model.v

“Research has shown mentored youth are 52% less likely to skip a day of school, 46% less likely to start using drugs and 27% less likely to start drinking. Relationships with caring mentors offer youth valuable encouragement, motivation and support to guide them toward making positive choices.

“Collaborative mentor programs that are supported by the entire community (i.e. the local chamber, local law enforcement, service clubs, local media organizations, etc.) are more visible and therefore more successful. National Mentoring Month provides an opportunity to recognize and commend the efforts of these programs and raise community awareness of the importance of mentoring.”

According to Chief Pyle, “The Choctaw Nation has several ongoing mentoring programs in place. At the Jones Academy, we have the “Learn and Serve” program that puts youth in leadership roles. They volunteer for “Adopt a Highway,” visit nursing homes and serve as ‘Big Brothers-Big Sisters’ to the younger children.

“We also offer peer advisors on campuses across the state to mentor Choctaw students as they adjust to life on college campus. Additionally, our Summer Youth Work Program assists in finding summer jobs and opportunities for youth aged 14-21,” said Chief Pyle.

By designating a specific month to highlight the need for mentors in the community, Chief Pyle hopes more adults will step forward to be a positive role model for a child.

Choctaw Casino RV Park Wins Awards

For more information please contact:
Judy Allen, Executive Director of Public Relations
judy.allen@choctawnation.com
580-924-8280 ext. 2249
529 N. 16th
Durant, OK 74733

DURANT, Okla. (January 4, 2010) – After being in business only a short six months, the Choctaw Casino Resort RV Park has proven itself to be among the “best of the best.” The Choctaw Nation-owned Kampgrounds of America franchise is the proud recipient of two of KOA Inc.’s top customer service awards for 2009 - the President’s Award and the Founder’s Award.

Both awards are based on customer satisfaction surveys and camper feedback. Annual surveys are sent to more than 250,000 KOA guests to measure their experience while staying at a particular campground.

“We are very proud of the staff at our KOA park,” said Chief Gregory E. Pyle. “To win such prestigious awards in our first year of operation is remarkable and evidence of the care and hard work put into providing an excellent camping ground for RVers rolling into the Durant area.”

For a campground to be awarded the Founder’s award, it must score high in all areas of customer service, campground facilities and overall value.

To receive the President’s Award the campground must not only score highly on its annual camper surveys, but must also receive excellent scores on the campground facilities review - a meticulous quality-assurance inspection performed by KOA Inc.

“We’re proud to rank so high among our guests,” said RV park manager Charlie Tyree. “In fact, out of all the 480-plus KOAs across the country, our campground ranked first in five categories – physical facilities, amenities, recreation, first impression and store appearance.”

The Choctaw Casino RV Park, which opened its gates to campers in June of 2009, has five employees who keep the grounds, inside and out, in tip-top shape for guests.

Currently, the campground, which received the highest customer service rating among KOA campgrounds in the state of Oklahoma, has 77 pull-through slots, with each site including a barbeque grill and a picnic table. Of those, 28 are premium sites, which also provide free wi-fi internet, cable and a covered picnic area.

The park has served more than 3,860 guests and 13 motor home clubs since opening, all of whom have enjoyed amenities such as a heated, saltwater swimming pool, a game room, computer lab, playground, dog park and fire pit, as well as a close proximity to the Choctaw Casino and Resort.

“This park is a great amenity to the casino. A lot of the guests to the casino have an interest in RVs, so the two go hand-in-hand. They can come up, sleep in their own RV, their own bed and still enjoy all the amenities and facilities that are offered here and at the casino, ” said Tyree.

Tyree continued, “We plan to keep expanding in the future to accommodate our guests. Soon, we’ll start on phase two of the park. The master plan includes 152 campsites and possibly future RV parks at the other casino sites in the Choctaw Nation.”

Tyree traveled to Houston in November to accept the awards on behalf of the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma and says his goal is to win both awards every year and to score the highest among his guests of any other KOA.

“To me, these awards mean that we’re doing what we’re supposed to be doing – taking care of our customers and making sure they have an enjoyable experience here so that they’ll want to come back to visit us,” said Tyree.

The Choctaw Nation Makes Holiday Donations

For more information please contact:
Judy Allen, Executive Director of Public Relations
judy.allen@choctawnation.com
580-924-8280 ext. 2249
529 N. 16th
Durant, OK 74733

DURANT, Okla. (December 28, 2009) – The Choctaw Nation recently held food and coat drives among its employees to benefit families in need this season.

The food drive began this year at the annual Labor Day festivities and continued through Halloween parties, culminating at the annual Choctaw Nation employee awards banquet.

On behalf of the Choctaw Nation, Chief Gregory E. Pyle donated approximately 4,000 pounds of the non-perishable food items to the Bryan County chapter of Families Feeding Families during a fundraiser for the organization held on Dec. 21 at the Choctaw Event Center.

Also donated to Families Feeding Families by the Choctaw Nation were two sets of Lynyrd Skynyrd concert tickets, which were auctioned off, fetching $705 for the organization.

Additionally, one pallet of food items from the employee food drive has been designated for donation to the Salvation Army.

Of the 300 coats collected during the coat drive, 200 were donated to Choctaw youth through the Choctaw Outreach Services and the remaining coats are being distributed on a case-by-case basis.

In addition to the food and coat drives, the Choctaw Nation purchased, wrapped and donated Christmas toys and presents for over 3,100 low-income Choctaw children throughout the 10-and-a-half counties in the Choctaw Nation.

“The employees of the Choctaw Nation are a special group of people, “ said Chief Pyle. “Not only did they donate food and coats for families in southeastern Oklahoma, they gave many, many hours of their time this holiday season to ensure others would also have a good Christmas.”

News from the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma

For more information please contact:
Judy Allen, Executive Director of Public Relations
judy.allen@choctawnation.com
580-924-8280 ext. 2249
529 N. 16th
Durant, OK 74733

TUSHKA HOMMA, Okla. (December 21, 2009) - Choctaw history was made at the December monthly Tribal Council meeting with the swearing in of four new judges to form a Court of General Jurisdiction for the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma. The Native American court system became defunct when the Dawes commission eradicated tribal courts.

Sworn into office were Pat Phelps as Chief Appellate Judge, Mitch Leonard and Marion Fry as Appellate Judges, and Steven Parker as District Judge. The four judges will have staggered four-year terms, but their immediate terms will start at two, three or four years. The four men, two tribal members and two non-tribal members, were appointed by Chief Gregory E. Pyle and approved by the Choctaw Nation Tribal Council.

“These men are vitally interested in the success and well-being of the Choctaw Nation and its people and will be a valuable addition to the tribal court,” said Chief Pyle.

The appellate judges have been asked to create a new code system for the Choctaw Nation court. Currently, the court is using the Court of Federal Regulations (CFR) Court Rules until a new code system has been created and approved.

The new court has jurisdiction in the 10-½ counties within Choctaw Nation’s boundaries. The United States Supreme Court is the only court with jurisdiction over the Choctaw Nation Court of General Jurisdiction.

Judges David Burrage, Fredrick Bobb and Mitch Mullen preside over the current tribal court, which handles disputes for Chief Pyle and the Tribal Council, election disputes, guardianship, and divorces. With the new court, trust issues, civil disputes, probate and misdemeanor criminal cases will be able to be heard in the Court of General Jurisdiction. The appellate judges will handle disputes against the Tribal judges rulings and will also make decision on sentencing or restitution.

For Further Information Contact:

Jo McDaniel
Program Director
Choctaw Scholarship Advisement Program
P: (800) 522-6170 - X - 2547
E: jomcdaniel@choctawnation.com

Choctaw Scholarship Advisement Program

Choctaws Launch Online Scholarship Database

Customized database gives CNO Scholars Online access to thousands of transportable scholarships.

CNO students are eligible for each scholarship

December, 2009 – The Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma (CNO) has always believed strongly in education and was the first American Indian tribe to establish schools in Oklahoma. This August, the CNO will announce another Oklahoma Indian education “first,” according to Gregory E. Pyle, Chief of the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma.

The CNO is offering its students – and their parents – free online access to a unique Web based database of scholarship, loan, grant, award, and internship funding opportunities that has been custom-designed for CNO members. “Through a unique partnership arrangement with Reference Service Press, the nation’s leader in researching financial aid opportunities for diversity candidates, we firmly believe we are offering Choctaw students free access to the best possible scholarship database,” says Chief Pyle. “The database is customized for CNO students and parents. It will access thousands of transportable scholarships a student can take to any school. And CNO students are eligible for every scholarship in the database. I strongly urge all CNO college-bound students, graduate students, and their parents to take advantage of this program,” Chief Pyle adds.

Join the Scholarship Advisement Program, Then Email SAP for Free Database Access

Beginning in December 2009, CNO members can get free access to the Choctaw Scholarship Database on the CNO’s Scholarship Advisement Program (SAP) Internet Web site located at www.choctawnation-sap.com. To access the database, students or parents must first be enrolled in the CNO’s Scholarship Advisement Program. To enroll in SAP, just click the “Apply Online” link at SAP’s Web site. Enrollment in SAP is free to CNO members. To access the Scholarship Database students or parents enrolled in SAP should email the Scholarship Advisement Program at scholarshipdatabase@choctawnation.com for further instructions. CNO students and parents will use their own self-generated SAP program username and password to also access the scholarship database.

Why Scholarships Are Needed

The Choctaw Scholarship Advisement Program was created in late 2006 to help overcome consistently high Native American college dropout rates. SAP has two primary goals: Prepare students for college and, once enrolled, keep students on track for a college degree.

A recent (2008) report from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) underscores the drop-out rate problem and the role that financial pressures play on the drop-out rate for Native American students. At the same time, NCES’ report, Status and Trends in Education of American Indians, lists both good news and bad news for Native Americans seeking college degrees.

The good news is that 44 percent of American Indians age 25 or older had attended some college in 2007. Further, an encouraging trend has emerged: Indian enrollment in college has been increasing over time. In fact, Native American higher education enrollment has more than doubled in the past 30 years, according to the study.

But the bad news lies in the report’s second finding. Even though 44 percent had attempted college, only nine percent of American Indians age 25 or older had earned a bachelor’s degree as their highest level of educational attainment. While there are many reasons for the high dropout rate, lack of money continues to be one of the big contributors. In Oklahoma one of every three Native Americans lives below the poverty level, compared to one in six people in the state’s general population, says Oklahoma Indian Legal Services. And no matter what a student or family’s financial position, rising college costs (increasing at 5 to 8 percent a year, according to the non-profit CollegeBoard.com) means finding money for college is more important than ever.

“Helping students and parents find money for college is the most common – and pressing – request made of our program,” says SAP program Director Jo McDaniel. “It’s a question we deal with on a daily basis.” The scholarship database will go a long way toward helping our members meet their higher education financial needs, says McDaniel.

“The desire to attend college – and earn a degree – is strong among CNO’s top student scholars,” says Chief Pyle. “The proof lies in the growth in enrollment in our Scholarship Advisement Program.” In less than two years, the CNO’s Scholarship Advisement Program has enrolled nearly 2,000 students and parents and gets well over 1,000 visits a month to its web site.

Best Possible Scholarship Database Ingredients

A number of features make the Choctaw’s Scholarship database much different – and better – than anything else, according to SAP Director Jo McDaniel.

• Unique Partnership with Reference Professionals – The engine powering the CNO’s scholarship database is provided by Reference Service Press (RSP), a California-based business born in 1975 from an idea of reference librarian Dr. Gail Schlachter (Ph.D./Library Science). Schlachter, who admits to being driven by a passion to identify and fill information needs, found just such an opportunity over 30 years ago for a largely ignored diversity segment: college-bound women.
  

Working nights and weekends for two years – and using the resources of the University of California library system – Schlachter collected and published the first reference book of its kind: The Directory of Financial Aids for Women. It was a collection of highly detailed descriptions of hundreds of funding programs representing millions of dollars – all set aside specifically for women. “The letters and comments I got told me the book changed women’s lives,” says Schlachter. It also created a business – Reference Service Press.

Over the next 30 plus years, Schlachter expanded upon her original idea. By hiring other reference librarians, RSP kept adding diversity and other specialized titles to its unique list of offerings. The company now publishes more than 25 financial aid directories for a wide variety of diversity and specialized segments of the population, including Financial Aid for Native Americans. RSP’s massive database of scholarships, loans, grants, awards, and internships has now grown to over 40,000 records and identifies billions of dollars in financial aid. This is the database that, through a unique arrangement, the CNO has tapped and RSP has customized for CNO college-bound students and parents.

• Expertly Researched - Results Not Found Anywhere Else – The great majority of the listings in this database are not found anywhere else. These scholarships have been identified and verified by reference librarians using trained research skills. These scholarships aren’t found browsing the Web or on so-called free Internet scholarship sites. They’re found by people who know what they’re seeking – and how to find it.

• No Spam Business Model – One hundred percent of RSP’s revenue comes from providing access to the best researched financial aid database for its specialized categories. RSP never sells personal information it collects from users. That information is used solely to make user searches more relevant. Compare RSP to the business model of so-called “Free” scholarship Web sites, where invasive pages-long questionnaires of personal preference information must be filled out before free access is granted. In that business model, “free access” to a database of (often marginal) opportunities means users must “opt-in” to allow their name and information to be sold to marketers anxious to fill inboxes and mailboxes with soup-to-nuts offers.

• Transportable Scholarships – The vast majority (more than 90 percent) of the scholarships listed in the Choctaw Scholarship Database are completely transportable. The funds can be used at any college or university.

• Uniform – Logical Arrangement of Information Fields – Each record in the Choctaw Scholarship Database provides the right actionable information. The field list for each record is as follows:

• Program Title – Popular and official titles of scholarship, loan, grant, award, or internship
• Sponsoring Organization – Name, address and phone number, toll-free number, fax number, e-mail address and Web site
• Summary – Identifies the major program requirements
• Eligibility – Qualifications required of applicants plus information on application procedures and the selection process
• Financial Data – Financial details of the program, including funds offered, expenses for which funds may and may not be applied, and cash-related benefits supplied (e.g. room and board).
• Duration – Period for which support is provided, renewal prospects
• Additional Information – Any unusual (generally nonmonetary) benefits, features, restrictions, or limitations associated with the program
• Number awarded – Total number of recipients each year or other specified period
• Deadline – The month by which applications must be submitted.
• Subject focus: Fields of study supported by the program
• Where you can go: Where the money can be spent

• Online links: To information about and applications for the funding program

• Profile-based Query Structure – A database finds opportunities that suit you best when the database knows what you’re seeking. That’s why the Choctaw Scholarship Database first asks each user to fill out an online questionnaire. Completing the questionnaire helps target funding opportunities that match student and parent plans. By answering the questions, students and parents customize and narrow search criteria to create their own best-match list of scholarships, loans, grants, awards, and internships. The more questions students answer (some questions are required, but others are optional), the more precise and focused results will be. As students go through the questionnaire, they may not be exactly sure how to best respond. That’s why each question has a link to a page of tips to help students and parents best answer each question. Once the questionnaire is completed, students and parents can view their completed profile and edit or change any responses any time they wish.

• Summary Search Results – A well filled-out questionnaire produces between 50 and 100 records that best mach the student’s profile. Search results are first displayed in a summary table that lets students quickly view key information to determine if they want to know more about the opportunity. The summary table lets students and parents read a brief overview of each opportunity, the award amount and the deadline for application. The title of the opportunity is a clickable link to the program’s complete report. A “save” button lets students or parents put any opportunity in a “favorites” list which students and parents may review any time.

Custom Designed for CNO Members: Database Identifies Free Money, Loans, and Internships Too

The CNO’s funding database doesn’t just list scholarships. The database is also rich in information on available awards, grants, loans, and internships. The database is updated constantly by RSP’s staff of reference librarians. With search rules custom designed specifically for the Choctaw Nation, the database of tens of thousands of funding opportunities will only produce opportunities for which CNO members are eligible and will automatically delete opportunities not available for CNO students.

Greatest Amount of Listings – Always Most Current Information

RSP’s reference books have long set the standard for financial aid reference books in U.S. libraries. But directly accessing the RSP online database is actually better than using a book. That’s because RSP edits/updates most of its more than 25 reference books on a two-year cycle. New opportunities posted after a book’s publication must necessarily wait for the next edition. But, not so with the CNO’s Scholarship Database, which is updated continually by Reference Service Press. As a result, CNO users searching the online database are assured of finding up-to-the-minute information on all types of funding opportunities available to them.

Scholarship Database Pic 1 Through a unique partnership arrangement with Reference Service Press, the nation’s leader in researching financial aid opportunities for diversity candidates, the CNO is offering its students – and their parents – free Web access to a unique Web based database of scholarship, loan, grant, award, and internship funding opportunities that has been custom-designed for CNO members.

Scholarship Database Pic 2 A database finds opportunities that suit you best when the database knows what you’re seeking. That’s why the Choctaw Scholarship Database first asks each user to fill out an online questionnaire. Completing the questionnaire helps target funding opportunities that match student and parent plans.

Scholarship Database Pic 3 As students go through the questionnaire they may not know how to respond. That’s why each question has links to a page of tips that help students and parents best answer each question.

Scholarship Database Pic 4 Once the questionnaire is completed, students and parents can view their completed profile and edit or change any responses any time they wish.

Scholarship Database Pic 5 A well filled-out questionnaire usually results in 50-100 opportunities that best match the student’s profile. Search results are first displayed in a summary table that lets students quickly view key information to determine if they want to know more about the opportunity.

Scholarship Database Pic 6 In the summary page the title of the opportunity is also a link to the complete record which lists all information available.

New Web site Features Improved Navigation, Enriched Content and New sections for Parents and College Preparation. Also Blog, Facebook and Twitter

The Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma (CNO) Scholarship Advisement Program (SAP) has unveiled a major upgrade of its Internet Web site and online presence at www.choctawnation-sap.com. The update is much more than a cosmetic facelift according to SAP staff. It’s a major communication boost that meets the needs of SAP’s dramatic growth over the past three years. In addition to its enriched content, SAP’s new Web site also provides access to a trio of new social media communication tools including a Web log (blog) at http://choctawsap.blogspot.com as well as a Facebook page and Twitter.

The new Web site nearly triples the content of SAP’s original site and includes a new section for college preparation and a new section strictly for parents. College Preparation features nine separate pages dealing with topics ranging from college entrance test preparation to tips on college selection. A new Parents section offers link-filled pages on resources, finances, planning and a page titled “Free Money,” that helps parents access and use SAP’s custom-built online scholarship database.

SAP was formed in 2006 to fight discouragingly high college dropout rates in the Choctaw Nation (a problem common to Native Americans). SAP’s mission: Focus on college preparation and retention for Choctaw students. From its beginning in 2006, SAP has grown to more than 3,000 enrolled student members and nearly as many actively involved parents. The combination of students, parents and others interested in SAP has led to dramatic increases in the progam’s Web traffic.

In the two years since it first launched its Web site, SAP’s web traffic has increased by 180 percent in visits and more than 85 percent in page views and visitation time. Today SAP’s Web site receives more than 3,000 visits per month. An average visitor spends nearly eight minutes on the site browsing five different pages. The growth in SAP’s online newsletter has been equally dramatic. Nearly 13,000 now receive SAP News, the bi-weekly online newsletter of the Scholarship Advisement Program.

SAP’s revised website can be found at the same URL address: www.choctawnation-sap.com. In addition to the new sections for college preparation and parents, the new SAP Web site includes a long list of other new pages, listings and updated or expanded topics:

• Staff
• Peer Advisors
• College Partners
• FAQs
• Favorite Web links
• Other Choctaw Youth Programs
• ACT Test Preparation, Schedules, and Workshops
• College Selection Guide
• College Planning Timeline
• College Counseling
• Internships
• Summer programs
• Resume Building
• Online Newsletter Signup
• News Archive
• Facebook, Twitter, and blog links
• Videos
• Calendar
• How to donate to SAP
• Friends of SAP
• Contact SAP

Halito,

I’m delighted to welcome you to our newly designed website for the Choctaw Nation. You will find all the most popular features of our old site and many new ones, including an easy-to-use rolling calendar of events so you can quickly see what activities or deadlines could be coming each day of the month. And on our home page we will always have the latest news about the tribe and the applications for assistance so we can do our best to quickly serve tribal members’ needs.

Some things may be in different places than they previously were. However, we have tried to use all of the most relevant content from the old site. We have also tried to more logically order information and make the site more graphically appealing and user friendly. As the world becomes more digitally oriented each day, we want to be on the forefront of those changes. I hope you will make our website the first place you go to when you have a question relating to the Nation.

It takes a while to get accustomed to anything new and this website is no different. But I want to know what you like and what you don’t like about what we’ve done to choctawnation.com. If you have praise, suggestions or criticisms, please pass them along to our Web Director Vonna Shults at vonna@choctawnation.com. I promise you every comment will be read. As much as we like what we’ve done, we’re open to changing it even more to make it better.

Yakoke

Chief Gregory Pyle

News from the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma

For more information please contact: Judy Allen, Executive Director of Public Relations judy.allen@choctawnation.com 580-924-8280 ext. 2249 529 N. 16th Durant, OK 74701

June 14, 2010

Choctaw Chief speaks to Congressional Committee on importance of Self-Governance

Choctaw Chief Gregory E. Pyle was invited last week to testify in front of the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Natural Resources on legislation dealing with Tribal Self-Governance. His testimony requested that Congress pass HR 4347, which would create consistency between the Title IV Self-Governance initiative in the Department of Interior and the Title V Self-Governance initiative in the Department of Health and Human Services.

According to Chief Pyle and others who spoke in favor of passing HR 4347, Title IV and Title V have two different sets of administrative requirements. The legislation, which was introduced by US Congressman Dan Boren (OK-Dist. 2), would minimize some of the existing administrative burdens and advance Self-Governance opportunities within other Interior agencies.

“Self-Governance is about Tribal empowerment, accountability, responsibility and self-sufficiency,” said Chief Pyle. There are 260 Tribes under Self-Governance today.

“Self-Governance works because it places management responsibility in the hands of those who care most about seeing Tribal programs succeed and services to citizens improved – the Tribal government itself,” said Chief Pyle.

The entire health delivery system of the Choctaw Nation has been managed by the Tribe since 1985 thanks to Self-Governance. This includes a hospital, eight clinics, two substance abuse in-patient centers and a wide range of preventative programs including nutrition counseling and a diabetes wellness center.

News from the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma

For more information please contact:
Office of Public Relations
lcopeland@choctawnation.com
580-924-8280 ext. 2111
529 N. 16th
Durant, OK 74701

DURANT, Okla. (April 12, 2010) – Choctaw Chief Gregory E. Pyle signs a contract with OG&E as Assistant Chief Gary Batton looks on. The contract, which goes into effect at the end of April, allows the Choctaw Nation to get all its energy from wind power. Using wind power will cost the Choctaw Nation about $15,000 more per year. “We’re investing in the protection of our future and our resources and that’s something you can’t put a price tag on,” said Assistant Chief Gary Batton.

TUSHKA HOMMA, Okla. – Attention Choctaw artists! The deadline is getting close for the 7th Annual Choctaw Indian Art Show being held during the Labor Day Festival at Tushka Homma. With prizes being awarded and the opportunity to have more than 20,000 people view the displays, registered Choctaw artists are encouraged to participate and show off their artwork.

Applications to participate in the show must be postmarked by July 31 to be accepted. To request an application, contact Valarie Robison in the Choctaw Historic Preservation Department by phone, 800-522-6170, ext. 2377, or email, vrobison@choctawnation.com.

The categories for the show are: Paintings, Basketry, Graphics, Cultural, Sculpture, Jewelry, and Pottery.

Prizes will be awarded in each category in the following denominations: 1st place - $400; 2nd place - $200; 3rd place - $100; and Heritage Award - $500. A Best in Show award will also be chosen from all the categories with a prize in the amount of $1,200.

For a $10 entry fee, artists may enter up to three pieces of art in any category.

The Art Show will begin at 10 a.m. on Sept. 4 on the second floor of the Choctaw Nation Capitol Museum.

The Choctaw Nation Youth Outreach Program is getting prepared for the 2nd Annual Project Sole-Mates: we began this project one year ago and it was a great success. This project provided shoes for our Youth Outreach kids so that they could start the school year in a stylish fashion.

It’s hard to believe that it is already getting close to that time of year again when parents began to start shopping for school clothes and supplies. As many of you know the economy is still struggling and it makes it that much harder for our parents to start getting children ready for school. Once again we have decided to do this project and help our Youth Outreach kids get ready for another great school year.
>Through the generosity of donations from individuals, Sole-Mates provides new shoes for children in our program who would otherwise not be able to purchase a new pair of school shoes. It not only puts a smile on their faces but also helps build their confidence. Last year, we made several children excited about starting school when they saw that they had a new pair of shoes to start the school year.

Project Sole-Mates is not a federal or tribal funded program; it is solely funded by individual donations. Many of the donations are made by getting a shoe size from the Youth Outreach Program for a specific boy or girl, and then return the purchased shoes to the Youth Outreach office. There have also been monetary gifts that Youth Outreach staff can use to purchase shoes for the children in the Youth Outreach Program.

Donations can be sent to:

CHOCTAW NATION OUTREACH
PO BOX 88
HUGO, OK 74743
Or dropped off at
219 N. Broadway in Hugo, OK
For more information, call Choctaw Nation Outreach about Sole mates at (580) 326-8304

For more information please contact:
bmoss@choctawnation.com
580-924-8280 ext. 2588
529 N. 16th
Durant, OK 74702

Aug. 5, 2010

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Preserving Choctaw heritage through buffalo herd

Story by Bret Moss, Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma

DURANT, Okla. – The Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma (CNO) has been building a reputation for its efforts to preserve its native heritage. An exemplar form of this heritage preservation comes in the form of raising massive wild beasts. That’s right, buffalo.

These staples of Choctaw history can be found roaming the meadows and pastureland at the CNO ranch in Tushkahoma, one of the four working ranches of the CNO.

The Tushkahoma ranch is 2,930 acres of native pastureland and natural landscape with a pond about every quarter of a mile, said Jack Pate, the Executive Director of Special Programs, as he explained the landscape. These conditions provide the buffalo with ample room and resources to thrive.

“We have 37 mother cows, three bulls, and 21 calves in our buffalo herd,” stated Pate. “They are primarily for heritage reasons,” he continued. The herd is kept to a manageable number due to expenses. At one time the CNO had in excess of 150 head of bison/buffalo.

The CNO ranching operation is a completely self-sufficient business endeavor with almost all of its revenue coming from the beef cattle operations. The cattle make enough profit to sustain the buffalo herd.

Besides heritage reasons, the buffalo are also used for breeding purposes. Other breeders may utilize the Choctaw herd to aid their own herd production by the purchase of bulls and heifers. As of now, CNO is the only tribe of the five major tribes to have a buffalo herd.


“These are true North American Bison, typically called Bison,” said Pate. They are tested annually for brucellosis/tuberculosis and certified disease free by the Federal Veterinarian Services.

A small piece of land at the ranch is being fenced off in respect to the Labor Day festivities, which are fast approaching. Buffalo tours will be set up from 2 to 4 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday during the festivities. A bus will take groups out into the pasture where the buffalo have been moved and visitors will be able to observe the buffalo in a natural state as they go about their daily activities. The herd will be put into the tour area the night before the tours begin and will remain there for the two-day period.

While the tours are completely safe for the public, there are precautions to be taken while visiting the buffalo. Visitors are prohibited from trying to touch (pet) the buffalo, get close to the fences where buffalo are being kept, or conduct any activity that would make the buffalo feel threatened.

These buffalo are not intentionally mean, but “people have to remember that these are wild animals,” stated Pate. He continued by saying that he recommends people stay on the bus during the tours. Patrons will not be allowed to get close or walk among the animals.

In addition to the buffalo, the Tushkahoma ranch is home for three Longhorn show steers, 20 beef cattle, and four Paint colts. The ranch sported over 330 Mustangs at one point, but due to economic reasons has decided to narrow its horse population and focus on the beef cattle.

This very successful ranching operation is being used as a model for other ranching operations, and due to this success, CNO will be able to maintain the valuable history that lies within the buffalo herd.

For more information please contact:
Scholarship Advisement Program
580-924-8280
529 N. 16th
Durant, OK 74702

Aug. 5, 2010

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Choctaw Scholarship Advisement Program Sets Date for Third Annual Ivy League & Friends

DURANT, Okla. – The Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma (CNO) Scholarship Advisement Program (SAP) has set Nov. 6, 2010, as the date for its third annual Ivy League & Friends Choctaw Student Recruitment. The praise and feedback SAP received from past Ivy League & Friends sessions ensure the 2010 gathering of students, parents and the nation’s top colleges will be an occasion CNO scholars from across the country will not want to miss.

Ivy League and Friends began in 2008 when Harvard University visited Durant to meet with nearly 200 Choctaw students and parents. The interest and response to the Harvard session prompted SAP to expand its 2009 event to include not only Harvard, but Yale, Dartmouth, Columbia, Penn, Johns Hopkins, Cal/Berkeley and Phillips Academy as well. More than 300 CNO scholars and parents from nine different states attended Ivy League and Friends 2009, proving beyond a doubt that the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma’s college-bound students and parents are eager for information about, and the chance to meet, America’s top schools.

In 2009’s post event survey more than 95% of respondents said they would be extremely likely to recommend attending Ivy League and Friends to a fellow CNO scholar. The highly positive feedback from last year also provided constructive recommendations that will make this year’s Ivy League and Friends even better. Additions and improvements for 2010 include an impressive list:

More Schools - It’s anticipated this year’s Ivy League and Friends will more than double the number of the 2009 attending colleges. SAP expects 20 or more of the nation’s top colleges will attend. Schools and programs already scheduled to participate include Columbia, Johns Hopkins, Cal/Berkeley, Purdue and College Horizons. Harvard, Yale, and Princeton are among the group of selective institutions that have also been invited.
More Time and More Break-out Sessions – Ivy League and Friends 2010 will be a full day, not just an evening affair. Students and parents will have time to learn more about each school and attend their choice of numerous special breakout sessions scheduled throughout the day. Sessions are planned for each college and university and much more time for one-on-one question and answer opportunities will be provided.
Special Presentations - Breakout sessions will also highlight special presentations on a variety of college preparation topics. Look for sessions covering Financial Aid, College Test Preparation, Resume Building and more.
Added Graduate Student Emphasis – Ivy League and Friends 2010 has more information and emphasis for graduate students. The event will include graduate student breakout sessions and many colleges will bring graduate student recruiters.
Held at the Choctaw Casino Resort – Ivy League and Friends 2010 will be held at the new Choctaw Casino Resort in Durant, Oklahoma. The new Resort Hotel features over 300 well-appointed rooms and luxury suites complete with exclusive amenities. The Resort Hotel offers a business center, fitness center, retail outlets, shuttle service and, of course, access to Oklahoma’s finest casino and entertainment experience.

Browse SAP’s website www.choctawnation-sap.com/ivy.shtml for more information and updates. Also, be sure to check out SAP’s Facebook, Twitter, online newsletter, and blog for the latest Ivy League & Friends news.

Labor Day Map

2010 Labor Day Brochure

TUSHKA HOMMA, Okla. – Each year, the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma conducts its Labor Day Festival and Pow Wow at Tushka Homma. The Labor Day Festival offers many activities that appeal to all ages and personalities. Whether it’s sports, quilting, learning more about Choctaw traditions or experiencing awesome performances, Tushka Homma is the place to be on Labor Day weekend!

The 2010 Labor Day Festival has many exciting activities and events in store for its visitors this year. The festival begins Thursday, Sept. 2, with the Choctaw Nation Princess Pageant held at 7 p.m. at the amphitheater. The Choctaw Princess Pageant district winners will all compete in this pageant for the title of Little Miss, Junior Miss or Miss Choctaw Nation.

A ribbon cutting will celebrate the opening of the new arts and crafts facility on Friday morning. Construction of this new building started on the day after Labor Day last year. Festivalgoers will be able to enjoy the new air-conditioned facility while viewing all of the wonderful arts and crafts. Many hand-made Native American items will be on display.

“This facility is a huge asset,” said Executive Director of Cultural Resources Sue Folsom. Vendors will no longer be set up outside; everyone will be inside this “beautiful facility.” The building will also house the Outreach Program, Community Health Representatives, Security and the Labor Day Office.

“We have heard many great comments about how proud the people are of this new addition to the Tushka Homma grounds,” exclaimed Sue.

“We have several special events during this Labor Day Festival,” said Chief Gregory E. Pyle. “On Friday, I will have the honor of unveiling a ‘Heroes of the Past’ statue at 6 p.m. in front of the Choctaw Capitol building along with the Council and the statue’s creator, John Gooden. This statue’s face is that of Joseph Oklahombi, one of the most well known of the Choctaw warriors of World War I. He has his arrow aimed toward the future.”

Gooden has also done some sculpting for Choctaw Nation in the past with his larger-than-life statue of Choctaw Medal of Honor winner Tony Burris of Blanchard.

The annual Choctaw Nation Pow Wow will follow the unveiling. Hundreds of dancers travel from around the United States to compete in the inter-tribal pow wow. This year’s emcee is Tim Tallchief. Head gourd dancer is Darrell Wildcat, head man dancer is Cecil Gray, head woman dancer is Rebecca Roberts, southern drum is Thunderhill and northern drum is Dry Creek. The splendor of the dancers on the Capitol lawn is an awe-inspiring experience.

A Red Warrior memorial will be revealed at the softball field at noon on Saturday. This monument was constructed to honor deceased ball players of Tushka Homma. “It’s meant to be a dedication to honor all people who have played at Tushka Homma,” commented Director of Choctaw Higher Education Larry Wade. “We are paying our respect. The memorial is just something people can look at and appreciate.” “Tushka” means Warrior and “Homma” means Red in the Choctaw language.

A great way to begin any day of the festival is by visiting the Choctaw Nation Museum. The museum holds many historical artifacts and information about the Choctaw culture and past, including actual objects that were carried across the Trail of Tears and interactive exhibits. The hours of operation throughout the festival are Friday 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., Sunday noon to 5 p.m., and Monday 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.

For individuals who want to become an official member of the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma, there will be the opportunity to do so. A CDIB/membership booth will be set up inside an air-conditioned building along the road to the cafeteria, across from the carnival rides. The booth will be open to the public starting Friday from noon to 8 p.m., Saturday 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., Sunday noon to 7 p.m., and Monday 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. All first-time applicants need to provide an original state-issued birth certificate and copies of documentation tracing to their ancestor on the Dawes role to obtain a CDIB.

Each year, the Labor Day Festival consists of several concerts by well-known talented performers, and this year is no exception. On Friday evening starting at 5:30, country music singer Jimmy Wayne will be performing at the amphitheater. Following Jimmy, Stoney LaRue will go on at 7 and Travis Tritt at 9. On Saturday night at 7, Neal McCoy will perform followed by Vince Gill at 9. And last but not least, there will be performances by The Crabb Family at 7:30 p.m. on Sunday followed by Casting Crowns at 9. As always, these concerts are free of charge.

Many sporting events and competitions will take place at the festival as well. The annual Chief Pyle Physical Fitness Challenge for youth ages 8 to 18 is a popular event. The kids compete in several obstacles and activities that test their physical fitness and athletic abilities. For the adults, there is a fast-pitch softball tournament, a 5K race, a 3-on-3 Choctaw War Hoops basketball tournament, horseshoe tournament, co-ed volleyball tournament and the Tough-Tough Choctaw contest.

Throughout the entire festival, there will be carnival rides, courtesy of Chief Gregory E. Pyle and the Tribal Council. There will also be numerous specialty acts, including magician Russell Turner, Robinson’s Racing Pigs, Superplay, rock climbing, mechanical bull rides, pony rides and Inca flute players. There is also a Choctaw Art Show in the museum, quilting and gospel singing, along with many other fun activities and information booths. The Choctaw Village will hold several activities including Choctaw dancing, stickball skills, banaha making, storytelling, silver smithing and the making of primitive weapons. There will also be activities for children held including a corn game and pottery.

The Labor Day Festival promises to be an exciting and fun-filled time. Opportunities to learn more about the Choctaw tribe will surround all who attend. The Choctaw Nation shows great pride for its military warriors, sports heroes and Christian leaders by showing them the honor and respect they rightly deserve.

News from the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma

For more information please contact:
judy.allen@choctawnation.com
580-924-8280 ext. 2249
529 N. 16th
Durant, OK 74702

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Aug. 11, 2010

Assistant Secretary of Indian Affairs visits Sardis Lake

Story and photos by Judy Allen, Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma

Assistant Secretary of Indian Affairs Larry Echo Hawk and Senior Advisor to the President on Indian Affairs Kim Tee Hee visited the Choctaw Nation August 10th for a first-hand view of Sardis Lake. The Assistant Secretary said he felt very grateful to be in Southeast Oklahoma and have an opportunity to do a site visit of Sardis Lake, especially since there had been dialogue concerning the lake with the Choctaw and Chickasaw Nations in the past few months.

Echo Hawk reiterated the request in a June 11 letter to the Oklahoma Water Resources Board that any final action of the proposed transfer of water be deferred pending consultations with appropriate federal officials as well as both tribes.


“I am very pleased to show Assistant Secretary Echo Hawk and Ms. Tee Hee the beauty of Sardis Lake and reaffirm the tribe’s interests during this important visit,” said Choctaw Chief Gregory E. Pyle. “It is the sincere commitment of the tribal nations to protect water of Oklahoma. This is a Tribal Trust issue and we appreciate the Assistant Secretary’s help and involvement in this aspect. We have experienced a good relationship with the Bureau of Indian Affairs and the Department of Interior in the past and look forward to continued association.”


Chief Pyle also commented on his appreciation of Ms. Tee Hee’s visit. A member of the Cherokee Nation, Tee Hee serves in the White House under the appointment of President Obama as his Senior Advisor on Native American issues. “Kim Tee Hee’s service in the White House has been a tremendous benefit to Indian Country. Tribes across the United States are appreciative of her efforts as a liaison, and the Council and I are thrilled to host her in our Nation. We feel confident that she will carry our message of commitment back to Washington, D.C. I know from working with her on past issues, she has been a great asset.”

During the visit to Sardis Lake, Echo Hawk and Tee Hee learned of the proximity of Choctaw Capitol at Tushka Homma (Choctaw for Red Warrior) to Sardis Lake. The historic seat of government for the Choctaw Nation is home to the Council House Museum, constructed in 1884 and is located only about a mile or so from the lake. This two-story red brick building has been in continuous ownership and use of the tribe since it was erected. Current uses for the Council House include the museum and a Tribal Court.

“Tribal Nations and the Federal Government enjoy a government-to-government relationship and being this close to the Choctaws’ Capitol is a very appropriate closing to the afternoon’s tour of this area,” said Echo Hawk. His first visit to this part of Oklahoma, Echo Hawk admired the beauty of the hills and the water around Sardis.

The Choctaw Tribal Council were on the shores of the lake to greet the team of people from Washington, D.C. As representatives for the twelve districts inside the boundaries, as well as the Choctaws living across the globe, the Council presented a united front in their request for assistance from the Federal officials in protecting Sardis Lake. -30-

Sisters honor mother by continuing hat donation project

Story by Chrissy Dill, Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma

DURANT, Okla. – A couple of years ago, Elizabeth Adams and her sister, Esther Paris, were a part of a nation-wide group of individuals who made and sent winter hats to underprivileged children across the nation. The few hats that Elizabeth and Esther made were sent to the Choctaw Nation Head Start. Brenda Ivie and Rebecca Hawkins of the Choctaw Nation Head Start sent Elizabeth their appreciation with a thank-you letter and pictures of the Choctaw children enjoying their new hats. Although the organization Elizabeth and her sister were a part of was no longer making hats, she asked Rebecca and Brenda if they could still send them. Rebecca and Brenda excitingly accepted the kind offer, and the 310 Hats Project began.
/>
/> “Throughout our conversations, I mentioned that we have 310 kids that we’re funded to serve here at the Choctaw Nation,” said Brenda. “She took it upon herself to start this project to make hats for all of our children.” When Elizabeth asked Brenda if she could make the 310 hats for all of the Head Start, she was concerned. “She’ll be knitting her fingers to the bone!” said Brenda. “It’s a big project.”
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/> Though the feat of hand-making 310 hats sounds tiring, Elizabeth had the motivation she needed to accomplish it. During her first year of making hats for children, she had the help of her mother. When her mother passed away, Elizabeth continued her contribution. “She said it was a good memory of her mother and she just wanted to keep doing it because her mother was the instigator of her participation in the project,” said Brenda. “It’s a way for her to honor her mother.”
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/> With the combination of the inspiration of her mother, the help of many people who were more than happy to contribute and her own determination, Elizabeth met her goal of 310 hats in less than a year. “We kept count of how many hats were coming in with each shipment,” said Brenda. “Our last shipment came in about three weeks ago, and that gave us hats for all of our kids this year.”
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/> The shipments of hats came from Elizabeth who resides in Massachusetts, but the hats came to her from across the nation. Esther sent hats to Elizabeth from Rhode Island. There were shipments of hats made by the 8 to 10-year-old children at her church to Elizabeth from her friend in California. Elizabeth returned home from running errands one morning and found a bag of hats on her doorstep. The shipment of hats that brought Elizabeth to her goal of 310 came from Kalamazoo, Mich., straight to Durant.
/>
/> The shipments arrived at the Head Start “really fast,” said Brenda. “Probably less than a month between shipments.” When all of the courteous individuals participating started working and getting together it didn’t take them long to make 310 hats. “From the time she decided she wanted to make hats for all of our kids, it was less than a year until she completed it.” The least amount of hats that came to the Head Start was about 85; usually there were about 100 hats in one shipment. “They came in really quickly,” Brenda said.
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/> Brenda and Rebecca will give the kids of the Choctaw Nation Head Start their hats in “late November or early December. Definitely before Christmas,” said Brenda. “It’s going to be a big surprise to the kids when they get them.”
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Elizabeth Adams and Esther Paris have shown how big their hearts are by providing the kids of the Choctaw Nation with their winter hats. All of these individuals have made a huge effort to show they care and their participation and hard work is greatly appreciated by the children. “We appreciate so much their willingness to get involved in a project like this for children who aren’t even from their part of the country,” said Brenda. “It’s just a kindness that you don’t see very often in this day and time.”
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/> A blog of the 310 Hats Project’s progress can be found at 310-Hats.blogspot.com.

OKLAHOMA CITY – After several years of unsuccessful attempts to establish government-to-government negotiations with the state to resolve water issues, the Chickasaw and Choctaw Nations filed legal action today in U.S. District Court in Oklahoma City to protect the tribes’ water resources.

“Citizens of the Chickasaw Nation, like all Oklahomans, have a vital interest in maintaining the conditions necessary to ensure a strong economy and a thriving natural environment for our children and grandchildren,” said Bill Anoatubby, Governor of the Chickasaw Nation. “Because sustainable management of our water resources is imperative for the progress and prosperity of all Oklahomans, we have worked diligently to establish a working relationship with the state on this issue. Unfortunately, our efforts have been unsuccessful, leaving us no realistic alternative to legal action.”

Tribal efforts to establish negotiations regarding management of water resources can be traced back at least a decade. Three years ago the Chickasaw Nation sent a letter to then Oklahoma Governor Brad Henry and Oklahoma Water Resources Board Executive Director Duane Smith. That letter, dated June 10, 2008, expressed support for Oklahoma’s effort to update the water plan but also communicated the critical concern that the effort had excluded government-to-government dialogue between the state and tribes. Without such dialogue, the Nation said, the State’s water planning would be inadequate and flawed.

Offering no meaningful response, the State never took steps to engage substantively with the Nations on the subject.

Stephen Greetham, counsel for the Chickasaw Nation, said today’s action was filed to protect tribal water rights against one-sided action by the state of Oklahoma.

“The Chickasaw and Choctaw Nations hold treaties with the United States that secure prior and paramount rights to the ownership and management of water resources throughout their territory,” said Greetham. “This action seeks declaratory and injunctive relief to bar unilateral state action on water resource management issues. The Nations’ treaties secured them a permanent homeland, and without the sustainable and long-term management of its water resources, that homeland will be undermined.”

Recent formation of a state joint legislative water committee based on the presumption of the supremacy of state law on this issue is yet another indication of disregard for tribal rights and demonstrates a commitment by the state to take unilateral action.

“A lack of any real progress on the initiation of meaningful government-to-government talks on these matters, leads us to believe further inaction would simply mean the deepening of our present challenges,” said Choctaw Chief Gregory E. Pyle. “Therefore, we have concluded that we must act now to protect the Nations’ rights by taking our case to the federal courthouse.

“The Choctaw Nation is committed to protecting and preserving the sustainability of water in Southeast Oklahoma and the rest of the state. We will continue to seek a resolution that works for all of us, and I have faith that through the Court, we can reach a decision that is fair, meaningful, and serves the best interest of all Oklahomans.”

Michael Burrage, lead counsel for the Chickasaw and Choctaw Nations on this action, said the suit is carefully structured to avoid disruption to the public.

“We haven’t gone out looking for a fight on all this. We’re using the courts to protect our water, period. The Nations have been working for a solution for a long time now, but they can’t do that alone. Given that the State couldn’t figure out a way to the table, we had to make our way to the courthouse,” said Burrage.

When asked why the Nations had filed this complaint in the federal court system, Choctaw Nation attorney Bob Rabon responded, “For decades, the Tribal Nations have been in the wilderness waving their message that ‘State and Oklahoma City – you are making decisions about our property. We need to be considered.’ This message from the tribes has been ignored. The Nations have decided to come out of the wilderness and protect their rights.”

View the complaint as filed and other pertinent documents at: www.waterfuture.tv.

Native American Public Telecommunications, Inc. (NAPT) proudly announces the release of a new documentary that examines the pivotal role that Choctaw soldiers played in helping shape an earlier end of World War I.

In 1918, not yet citizens of the United States, Choctaw members of the American Expeditionary Forces were asked by the government to use their Native language as a powerful tool against the German Forces in World War I, setting a precedent for code talking as an effective military weapon and establishing them as America’s Original Code Talkers.

Co-produced by Red-Horse Native Productions, Inc., Valhalla Motion Pictures and Native American Public Telecommunications, Inc. (NAPT), Choctaw Code Talkers will transport viewers back to World War I for an intimate and engaging look into the lives of these brave men, their families, their dreams and their patriotism to a country who would remember them as heroes, but not until after their death.

Please click the link below to check air-dates and times in your market.

Choctaw Code Talkers Air Dates

“The government had sworn them to secrecy about what they did,” said Evangeline Wilson, relative of Code Talkers Mitchell Bobb and James Edwards, Sr.

Choctaw Code Talkers is a follow-up to the award-winning documentary True Whispers: The Story of the Navajo Code Talkers, a PBS nationally broadcast documentary produced by Valerie Red-Horse, President, of Red-Horse Native Productions, Inc. with Gale Anne Hurd, CEO, of Valhalla Motion Pictures.

“By launching the original concept of code talking for secure military communications, these brave Choctaw men laid the foundation for all other battlefield code talkers, including the Navajo, who were so instrumental in World War II. Even though it is overdue, nearly 100 years since their service, I am honored to be a part of bringing this important American story to the screen,” Red-Horse said.

In World War I, by 1918, the German Forces had deciphered the Allied Forces’ radio codes, tapped into their phone lines and captured messenger runners in order to anticipate the Allied strategies. The Allied Forces were desperate to attain secure communications and requested Choctaw soldiers to use their language to transmit messages in the field and from the trenches.

“If you don’t have secure communications, it will end in stalemate or defeat,” stated Matt Reed, Curator of the American Indian and Military History Collections at the Oklahoma Museum of History.

“This is an important story of heroic men whose wartime contributions helped to change the course of world history. Their Code was created while the men risked their lives fighting in Northern France during the fiercest and bloodiest battles of World War I. The Choctaw American Indian soldiers outwitted their German opponents, turning the tide of the War and ensuring the Allied victory,” said Hurd.

Native American Public Telecommunications (NAPT) shares Native stories with the world through support of the creation, promotion and distribution of Native media. Founded in 1977, through various media—public television, public radio and the Internet—NAPT brings awareness of Indian and Alaska Native issues. NAPT operates the AIROS Native Network, a 24/7 Internet radio station that features music, news, interviews, documentaries and audio theater. AIROS also features downloadable podcasts with Native filmmakers, musicians and Tribal leaders. VisionMaker Video is the premier source for quality Native American educational and home videos. All aspects of our programs encourage the involvement of young people to learn more about careers in the media—to be the next generation of storytellers. NAPT is located at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. NAPT offers student employment, internships and fellowships. Reaching the general public and the global market is the ultimate goal for the dissemination of Native-produced media.

Additional Information Regarding Choctaw Code Talkers:
Run time: 56:40

Broadcast feed dates/times:
NOLA Code SD: CCTK 00 KI
Release/Feed Date SD: Saturday, October 23, 2010, at 1900-2000ET/SD07;
National Educational Telecommunications Association (NETA)
Credits: Co-produced by Red-Horse Native Productions, Inc., Valhalla Motion Pictures and Native American Pub Telecommunications, Inc. (NAPT).

Funding for Choctaw Code Talkers: Major funding provided by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. Additional funding provided by the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma.

Press Kit available online at: nativetelecom.org/choctawcodetalkers

About Valerie Red-Horse (Cherokee), Producer/Director/Writer
Valerie Red-Horse, who is of Cherokee ancestry, is the owner/founder of Red-Horse Native Productions, Inc. which has become the pre-eminent collaborator with American Indian Tribal Nations to bring important Native stories accurately and respectfully to the screen. Red-Horse’s body of work spans over two decades of film and television content creation and production; always proving insightful, sensitive and unique perspectives for both the historical and contemporary indigenous story.
From the Company’s premiere feature film—Naturally Native, an official Sundance Festival selection which Red-Horse wrote, produced, co-directed, starred in and distributed, to Pop Hunter’s Dew Drop Inn, a PBS/NAPT short about an American Indian owned legendary night club—Red-Horse consistently brings unique access, community-based insight and a depth of creative experience to any production. Perhaps best known for her award-winning True Whispers: The Story of the Navajo Code Talkers, a PBS nationally broadcast documentary produced with Gale Anne Hurd of Valhalla Motion Pictures, Red-Horse is currently in pre-production as director/producer for the feature film Standing Bear, depicting the first American Indian Human Rights Trial in the United States. Red-Horse’s collaborations have included projects funded by or working with the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation, the Navajo Nation, the Powhatan Renape Nation, the Chumash Band of Mission Indians, the Viejas Band of Kumeyaay, the Choctaw Nation and the Ponca Tribe of Nebraska.

Gale Anne Hurd, Producer/Writer
Over the course of her career, Gale Anne Hurd has produced more than two-dozen feature films that have generated billions of dollars in revenue, and earned Oscar nominations and scores of awards. She has further distinguished herself by championing paradigm-shifting technological innovations, carving out a pre-eminent position within the previously all-male ranks of epicscaled film production. As the chairman of her own production entity, Valhalla Motion Pictures, Hurd continually develops a broad range of projects, highlights include: The Incredible Hulk, Armageddon, The Ghost and the Darkness, the Terminator Trilogy, The Abyss, Aliens and the Sundance Audience Award-winning drama—The Waterdance. Hurd is currently the Executive Producer of the upcoming AMC series, The Walking Dead, based on the best-selling graphic novels by Robert Kirkman, and written and directed by Frank Darabont (The Shawshank Redemption).

Distributed by: VisionMaker Video, a service of NAPT
1800 N. 33rd Street; Lincoln, NE 68503
visionmaker.org | 1-877-868-2250
Educational Version Available September 23, 2010; retail price $225.00
Home Version Available October 23, 2010; retail price $29.95

State of the Nation Address

Cooler temperatures over the weekend brought out huge crowds to enjoy all that the Choctaw Nation Labor Day Festival has to offer. A highlight of the festival every year is Chief Gregory E. Pyle’s State of the Nation address as thousands gather on Monday on the Capitol grounds at Tuskahoma.

“This year’s Labor Day theme is ‘Heroes of the Past.’ Certainly Brother Bertram Bobb is one of our past, and current, heroes,” said Chief Pyle of a special presentation made to Tribal Chaplain Bertram Bobb, recognizing him for a lifetime of achievements. “Many of our past heroes were members of our military and we will always honor their service to our country.

“We have a great relationship with the military. The Choctaw Nation provides support to our troops in many ways. We continue to send care packages to our troops stationed overseas, whether they are Indian or non-Indian,” said Chief Pyle. “We will provide a deployment send-off when the Oklahoma National Guard leaves for Afghanistan in January.

“We also provide help with Wounded Warrior flights. This is where we fly wounded troops to various locations around the country for medical care or to rejoin them with their families. Recently, on one of these flights, the control tower in Houston learned that a wounded warrior was on the flight and asked if they could speak to him. Our pilot, a veteran himself, gave the microphone to the soldier and told the controller to go ahead. The controller started talking to him. He thanked the soldier for his service and wished him a speedy recovery. He then said that anyone else on that frequency who wanted to say anything could go ahead. One after another, they kept talking. One pilot would get on then another. They continued lining up, all wishing the soldier well and thanking him for his service and sacrifice. We are so proud that the Choctaw Nation is able to help in this effort.

“We have to support our neighbors,” Chief Pyle said. “A recent flood in Arkansas took the lives of 19 people. Several of our forestry staff volunteered to go to Arkansas to offer aid.

“Our Going Green program continues – ‘sustaining our people, our traditions, our earth.’ The Choctaw have always been protectors of the environment, especially water. This is extremely important,” Chief Pyle stressed. “You are probably aware that others are interested in acquiring the water from Sardis Lake and some have even made a monetary investment toward that. By treaty, the tribe’s water has never been given up. This is still our water, and we will fight for the protection of this natural resource for all of southeastern Oklahoma, even though it may take years to resolve.

“One of Choctaw Nation’s most successful programs is the STAR program,” he informed the audience. “This program, Success Through Academic Recognition, rewards Choctaw students who make good grades or have perfect attendance. Through our STAR program, we have seen a significant increase in our students’ grades and school attendance. We are happy to announce that this program is now going nationwide.

“The Choctaw Nation continues to grow and prosper. Some of the new construction recently completed includes a new arts and crafts building at Tuskahoma, a new Child Development Center in Durant, new Social Services building and Wellness Center in Hugo, new scoreboards at ballfields here at the capitol grounds and a new Red Warrior statue in front of the capitol building.

Plans for future construction include new community centers and child development centers as well as a new amphitheater at Tuskahoma. The new amphitheater will be twice this size.

“Our tribal vision is ‘to achieve healthy, successful, productive and self-sufficient lifestyles for a proud nation of Choctaws.’ This continues to be our goal – to better serve you … the Choctaw people. Our continued economic development will create more jobs, more revenue and ultimately more services for our tribal members. Road projects will improve access to health care, schools and jobs. I want all of our families to achieve our vision of healthy, successful and self-sufficient Choctaws.

“I want to take a moment to recognize our Tribal Council who take their responsibility to the Choctaw people very seriously,” Chief Pyle said. “They continually look out for the needs of our people and we appreciate their service to the Nation. We also want to remember one of our Councilmen who passed away just last month. Hap Ward was a good friend of mine and a friend to all Choctaws. He loved his people and spent his time serving him. Although Hap can never be replaced in our hearts, a special election will be held Oct. 30 for the District 1 Council position.

“In closing, I want to emphasize that the Choctaw Nation continues to be strong. As we honor our heroes of the past, we remember our heritage and continue our traditions. Our strength and our continued growth will sustain our future generations to follow. And we will remain a proud Nation of Choctaws!”

Paintings

1st Place: Two Princesses Standing by Kevin Hardin
2nd. Place: “Lone Choctaw-1700’s Hidden behind the beauty of the forest with brother turtle” by Janie Semple Umstead
3rd. Place: Cattle Drive by Vickie Earthman Tipton
Honorable Mention: The woman who posed as Pocahontas by Kevin Hardin
Heritage Award: Code Talker by Dylan Cavin

Graphics

1st Place: God’s Girl by Melanie Yost
2nd Place: Choctaw Greeting by Gwen Coleman Lester
3rd Place: Jenny by Carol Ayers
Honorable Mention: No Award
Heritage Award: God’s Girl by Melanie Yost

Sculpture

1st Place: We lost but we gained by Lyman Choate
2nd Place: The Hunter’s by Lyman Choate
3rd Place: Walk On by Yvonne Huser
Honorable Mention: No Award

Heritage Award: Ancient Traveler by Lyman Choate

Pottery

1st Place: Yaklush-Storage Vessel by Edmon Perkins
2nd Place: Nuni-Fish by Verna Todd
3rd Place: Okfuchush-Duck by Verna Todd

Honorable Mention: Owl Vase by Edmon Perkins
Heritage Award: Yaklush-Reproduction of 1830 Storage Vessel

Basketry

1st Place: Choctaw X Basket by Lizabeth B. Mitchell
2nd Place: Friendship Basket by Lizabeth B. Mitchell
3rd Place: Choctaw Elbow Basket by Susan Locke Charlesworth
Honorable Mention: No Award
Heritage Award: Choctaw Pouch by Lizabeth B. Mitchell

Cultural

1st Place: Timikachi-Beating of the Drum by John H. Johnson White
2nd Place: Shoboti-Shutik / The Heaven’s Smoke by John H. Johnson White
3rd Place: Jarvis Johnson, Sr.
Honorable Mention: Gourd Vessel with Turtle Lid by Cathy Nyman
Heritage Award: Beadwork by Shirley Lowman

Jewelry

1st Place: Repousse Spirit Horse by Theresa Renegar
2nd Place: Nishkin-The Eye by Robert Proctor
3rd Place: Favorite Colors by Theresa Renegar
Honorable Mention: “Tuklo hoshonti” Two Shadows by Erin Proctor Herb
Heritage award: Stickball Jewelry by Jerry Lowman

Best of Show

Pisatuntema by Dylan Cavin

On Monday, October 25 and Tuesday, October 26th at 8:00 p.m. each night there will be chilling stories of Choctaw lore and also stories told about the Oklahoma Presbyterian College where the Choctaw Nation now has their administration offices.

Tim Tingle, Greg Rodgers and Olin Williams well share the stories with those who are brave enough to venture into the old building at night.

Free Tickets may be reserved by calling 800.522.6170 Et. 2347 or by emailing vonna@choctawnation.com

The Choctaw Nation will honor its veterans with a ceremony on Nov. 11 at Tushka Homma. The ceremony will begin at 11 a.m.

“We look forward every year to having this special opportunity to thank our veterans,” said Chief Gregory E. Pyle. “As I look at their faces, young and old, I am reminded of the sacrifices made so that we can enjoy our freedom.”

Maj. Gen. Leroy Sisco is keynote speaker. Sisco is currently retired after a 42-year career with the military. General Sisco’s military experience spans command positions from company to Deputy Commander 49th Armored Division and Commander of the Texas State Guard. His commands included the 231st Engineer Company, the 386th Engineer Battalion, and 111th Area Support Group which required a lot of his time in Germany working the 21st TAACOM. He has served in a variety of joint and combined assignments that included major staff positions with the 71st troop command. In his civilian career he is the CEO and president of Military Warriors Support Foundation.

The State of Texas has honored him twice with a joint resolution on the House floor from the Senate and House for his duty and dedication to the State of Texas and his country.

Capt. Teri Scroggins is scheduled to present the Tvshka Chunkash (Heart of a Warrior) scholarship. She began her tour at IKD-M as a Ground Military Intelligence Analyst covering the 15 countries of West African Region and would be the first Army Element Officer-In-Charge for IKD-M. Currently, she is a dynamic targeting officer. The Tvshka Chunkash Scholarship is a $1,000 scholarship offered through the Choctaw Nation Scholarship Advisement Program. Tribal members who are enrolled in SAP and are attending an accredited college or university were eligible to apply. The award is given on behalf of the veterans of the Afghan and Iraq wars. Capt. Scroggins is responsible for starting this scholarship and a major contributor for the award.

Cara Caldwell, a Texas Tech Junior from Ovilla, Texas, was selected as this year’s scholarship recipient. Staff will be on hand at 10 a.m. on the Capitol Grounds near the War Memorial to present all Choctaw veterans with a token of gratitude from the Choctaw Nation. A free lunch will be provided.

The inaugural DRUM Award for patriotism is being awarded Nov. 1 to the Choctaw Code Talkers of World I for their contribution to freedom, liberty, peace and security.

A decade ago, news of the Choctaw Code Talkers was beginning to spread around the country. “Who were they?” many asked. Everyone had heard of the Navajo Code Talkers in World War II but the small group of Choctaw who first used their language to win a war was an enigma.

Many Choctaws volunteered their service to the United States at a time when some Native Americans weren’t considered citizens of the country they swore to protect. Their language was being banished. Often, talking to each other in Choctaw had to be done secretly.

Some of these Choctaw men were heard speaking their Native language in the midst of battlefields in France, prompting an officer not to punish but to grasp an opportunity he felt would make a difference in a war where the enemy seemed to have the upper hand.

Nineteen soldiers, members of the 36th Infantry Division, were trained to use their Choctaw words as “code.” They were placed strategically on front lines and at command posts so that messages could be transmitted without being understood by the enemy. The Germans had been tapping the Army’s phone lines, but when the Choctaws were put on the phones and talked in their Native speech, the Germans couldn’t effectively spy on the transmissions. The project was so successful, the U.S. Army recruited Native Americans before the beginning of World II to perform the same duties the Choctaws did in World War I.

“The Choctaw Nation is proud of the legacy of its Code Talkers,” said Chief Gregory E. Pyle. “They were sworn to secrecy and many of them kept the secret of their participation until they died. They are the epitome of valiant patriotism. It is fitting that the very first DRUM Award for patriotism honor the Code Talkers of World I.

“Legislation has also been passed in both the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate that includes awarding a gold medal to our Choctaw warriors and other Indian Code Talkers in subsequent wars,” Chief Pyle said. “We dedicated a monument last month on our capitol grounds honoring Tushka Homma, or red warrior. The face of the warrior is that of Joseph Oklahombi, one of the World War I Code Talkers,” he said. “Oklahombi was awarded the Silver Star for his bravery in service to our country. His face is symbolic of all Choctaw warriors including those on the line today.”

There are bits of information passed down through families and newspapers about the private lives of some of the Choctaw Code Talkers.

James Edwards was a member of the Choctaw language “relay team” for messages. He also helped develop the code. “Twice big group” in Choctaw was used for battalion, “eight group” was a squad, “scalps” referred to casualties, “fast shooting gun” meant machine gun and “big gun” was field artillery.

Walter Veach was put in charge of creating an all-Indian company in the 36th division. Prior to the war, Veach served in the National Guard on the border between the United States and Mexico. His company had a major hand in stopping the Pancho Villa invasion of Texas.

Otis Leader, one of the most notable heroes of World War I, was 34 when he joined the Army. He and his Swiss employer, a rancher from Allen, Okla., went on a cattle-buying trip to Fort Worth. While there, the Swiss accent of the rancher combined with Leader’s tall, dark looks resulted in them being taken for a German spy and his Spaniard companion. This mistaken identity infuriated Leader so much he immediately went to the nearest recruiting office and signed up.

Solomon Louis was actually underage when he entered the armed services. The young man from Bryan County attended Armstrong Academy and followed his older friends to enlist. He pretended to be 18 so he, too, could join. Victor Brown received a citation from President Wilson after being wounded and gassed with mustard gas. Tobias Frazier was among the Choctaw men who helped break the Hindenberg line in 1918.

The other members of the World War I Choctaw Code Talkers were Robert Taylor, Jeff Nelson, Calvin Wilson, Mitchell Bobb, Pete Maytubby, Ben Carterby, Albert Billy, Ben Hampton, Joe Davenport, George Davenport, Noel Johnson and Ben Colbert.

Every Code Talker played a significant role in turning the outcome of the war, ensuring our freedom today.

The Drum Awards brings together citizens of Native American nations with a national awards program recognizing individuals and tribes for their accomplishments and contributions to society. The Awards are designed to build prestige for Native Americans and to promote a healthy sense of worth through first-class treatment of one another.

Be sure to check out the live webcast of the DRUM awards on November 1 at 7:00 p.m.

link to DRUM Awards Webcast

(News9.com Video)[]

DURANT, Okla. - Thomas Williston is sworn into office by tribal judge David Burrage on Nov. 29 at the tribal complex in Durant. Williston was elected to fill the vacancy left when District 1 Councilman Hap Ward passed away Aug. 3. A special election was held Oct. 30 and required a run-off between Williston and Matilda Paxton. He received 51.6 percent of the votes in the Nov. 20 run-off.

Williston will fulfill the remainder of this term, which runs until the next regular election in July 2011.

Welcome to the water policy section of the Choctaw Nation website. The future of water resources in our region of Southeast Oklahoma is of critical importance to the Choctaw people. We take very seriously our responsibility to protect the natural environment– the plants, animals and fish – that depend on our abundant, clean, fresh water. We are fully committed to protecting this resource for future generations as well as for today’s recreation opportunities and economic development of Southeast Oklahoma. I hope you find the information here helpful and inspiring. By all of us working together, we hope to develop the scientific plans and programs needed to protect our future and our water in a way that will benefit all Oklahomans.

Online Presence Helps Members Learn How Child Care Assistance Program Benefits Native American Families

DURANT, OK - The Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma (CNO) Child Care Assistance Program (CCA) has launched a new Internet Web site at www.cncca.org. “We hope Native Americans will view us online to discover how our program works and to see if it can help with their family child care needs,” says Program Director, Marilyn Williams. The Choctaw Nation Child Care Assistance Program is funded by a federal grant through the US Department of Health & Human Services and Administration for Children & Families for the purpose of assisting eligible families with their day care expense.

CCA helps low-income, Native American families with their child care costs for children under the age of 13 years who reside in the CNO’s 10 ½ county service area of southeastern Oklahoma. “We currently provide assistance for just under 1,000 children and contract with 143 day care centers and homes for their care. The majority of the providers are licensed by the Oklahoma Department of Health and Human Services, but in some cases a relative of the child could be paid for their care,” says Williams.

To qualify for Choctaw Child Care Assistance parents or guardians of the children must be working, going to school, or in an educational training program, and therefore have a need for their child to attend a day care. Eligibility is based on the parents’ income, the number in the household, and their work schedule. Parents are required to pay a certain portion (co-payment) of their child care expense for each child. The Program will pay the balance of the costs to their day care provider. In some cases, CCA may be able to pay for child care while parents or guardians search for a job. Applicants should ask about the Job Search program to see if they qualify.

Native American families who qualify for the CCA program are encouraged to visit the new web site at www.cncca.org or contact CCA at Choctaw Tribal headquarters at 580-924-8280 to learn how CCA can assist their family.

This event is open to the public. You may bring electronic waste to events center on January 22. Please see flyer for details.

E-Waste Recycling Day in Durant on January 22

The Livestock show scheduled for February 5 and 6, 2011 has been cancelled. There are no plans to reschedule the show at this time. For more information please contact Jones Academy at (918) 297-2518

Capture the Spirit of the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma and share your heritage with tribal members around the world.
Winning entries will be used in the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma’s 2012 Calendar.

PHOTOGRAPHY SPECIFICATIONS:
Digital images are preferred but not required.
High resolution 300 dpi RGB JPG files are preferred.
To be considered for a top inside calendar page, images need to be at least 2 to 5 mb JPG files in horizontal format.

All photos must be received by July 1, 2011.
All photos must be accompanied by photographer’s contact information including name, address, phone number and e-mail address.
The subject(s) of the photos must be identified.

All photos will become the property of the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma.
Watch future Choctaw publications and web sites: Even if you don’t win this calendar contest, your image may be used in future publications!

A Grand Prize of $150 will be awarded to the person submitting the cover photo.
Individual $50 prizes will also be awarded each person whose photo is chosen for calendar pages.

E-mail entries to lisareed@choctawnation.com or
mail to Lisa Reed, PO Box 1210, Durant, OK 74702

Tribal Services in Hugo have never been easier for tribal members to access. A ribboncutting on Jan. 13 marked the opening of the new 24,300-sq.-ft. Tribal Services facility and the new 10,000-sq.-ft. Wellness Center in Hugo. The two buildings were added near the Choctaw Community Center, Head Start and Clinic in Hugo. With new landscaping and a walking track around a picturesque pond with a water fountain, the Tribal Services campus is a beautiful area off Hwy. 70 on the west side of the city.

The master plan is to eventually have all of the Choctaw Nation’s Hugo tribal operations situated in a central location, allowing easy accessibility and ample parking for the Choctaw people. The facilities were funded by separate HUD Indian Community Development Block Grant funds in the amount of $1.6 million each and tribal funds.

The two-story Tribal Services facility has 58 offices, housing staff of several programs including Guest Services, Social Services, Children and Family Services, Agriculture, WIC, Law Enforcement and Outreach’s Vocational Rehabilitation, Victims Assistance, Youth Outreach, Project Empower, Empower 2 Dream, Injury Prevention, Hokli Nittak, Chahta Inchukka, Transit, CHIPRA, Choctaw Support for Pregnant and Parenting Teens, Community-based Social Work, Elder Advocacy and Faith-based Counseling.

Offices are open 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday. For information, call 580-326-8304 or 877-285-6893. The center provides some of the finest workout equipment in southeastern Oklahoma as well as a basketball court. Wellness Center staff have activities scheduled Monday through Saturday with something for everyone including a wide array of exercise classes as well as classes in self-defense, senior nutrition and ballroom dancing. An after-school program is held four days a month with a different age group each day.

The Wellness Center is open 6 a.m.-8 p.m. Monday-Friday, 8 a.m.-2 p.m. on Saturdays.for Choctaw Nation tribal members and employees. For more information, call 580-326-9422.

By LARISSA COPELAND
Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma

DURANT, Okla. – The Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma proudly celebrates its recently opened recycling center in Durant, taking another step towards green living and being good stewards of the land and environment. The recycling center, designed to save energy and help offset the amount of waste ending up in landfills each year, was funded through an Energy Efficiency Community Block Grant from the Department of Energy.

The 30,350-sq.-ft. facility has four full-time employees and receives newspaper, office paper, shredded paper, magazines, catalogs, plastics #1, 2 and 5, aluminum cans, steel cans, cell phones, printer cartridges and cardboard for recycling.


Since opening for business on Dec. 1, the Choctaw Nation has collected more than 700 printer cartridges, 2,700 pounds of aluminum cans, and nearly 135,000 pounds of plastic bottles, various paper and cardboard to be recycled. At an E-Waste event held in January, the Choctaw Nation collected almost 37,000 pounds of electronic material waste.

Chief Gregory E. Pyle is proud of the facility given that, prior to its opening, there was no public facility within the 10-1/2 county area that allowed for businesses and individuals to drop off items to be recycled.

“The Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma is a large entity and it is encouraging to know that we have employees who care about our environment. They have devoted many hours to finding solutions, from handing out ‘green’ cups to reduce the use of styrofoam to opening this fantastic facility,” said Chief Pyle. “It fulfills a need in the Durant area, giving everyone an opportunity to recycle.”

The facility, located at 3108 Enterprise Drive in Durant, is open to the public for dropping off items from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday.

By BRET MOSS
Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma

DURANT, Okla. – The Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma (CNO) will be repatriating 124 of their ancestor’s remains this coming spring. This is a great success in more ways than one, and for more tribes than just the Choctaw Nation.


The remains of ancestors are sacred to many Native American tribes, and the Choctaw Tribe is no exception. These 124 remains are believed to be around 500 years old, based on cultural material and records from the past, and hold great significance to members of several tribes from the Southeastern United States.

The people of the Choctaw Nation have long believed that the deceased will become one with the earth. “It is a traditional Choctaw belief that when people die, their spirits take a journey to the Land of Souls, and part of that is their body going back into the ground,” explains Dr. Ian Thompson, Choctaw Tribal Archaeologist.

These remains were taken from their place of burial decades ago during two separate excavations, one in the 1950s and the other in the 1960s. This was a time when archaeologists were looking to amass large quantities of Native American remains for their collections. These remains were taken without the consultation of the tribes to which they belong. Most consider this desecration a tragedy of the severest kind.

Now that the Choctaw Nation has reacquired their ancestor’s remains, they plan to rebury them. This is done out of respect to the individuals who have passed away, as well as the family that originally laid them to rest in the earth centuries ago, said Thompson.

Other than sheer respect for the departed, the Choctaw belief is that “where they were buried, the soil around them is part of them,” mentions Terry Cole, Tribal Historic Preservation Officer.

Cole went on to explain that, when a body starts to deteriorate, the physical body is absorbed into the ground around the grave. This makes the area around the grave sacred.

The remains are not only important to the Choctaw people, but are significant to numerous other tribes. The remains are believed to be those of the Taensa tribe, who lived in the area at that time. They are identified as such by the material culture, location, early written records and the way that the burials were put in the ground, said Thompson.

“They are one of tribes who lived near the Choctaw, and for a time they lived among the Choctaw and they intermixed,” therefore some of today’s Choctaw people have Taensa lineage, continued Thompson.


The Taensa also lived near and intermixed with the Alabama and the Chitimacha at different times, therefore, those same tribes of today can also trace their linage back to the group being repatriated. Today, several tribes have affiliation with these remains, such as the Jena Band of Choctaw Indians, the Alabama-Coushatta and several others. This reburial act of respect is for more than just the Choctaw Nation, but is a great success for multiple tribes.

The return of these remains is a significant and spiritual event for Choctaw Nation that has been guided by a NAGPRA Advisory Board, made up of distinguished Choctaw people from various walks of life.


Similarly, the reburial is a very spiritual process and will be handled with great care by all involved. Several Choctaw spiritual and religious advisors will direct the reburial, and out of respect for the departed, no large equipment will be used to put the remains back into the ground.

Individuals working on the reburial will hand dig every grave with a shovel in order to keep the process as respectful and traditional as possible. The remains will be placed in the most precise way as can be determined to match how they originally came from the earth.

This may seem like a great deal of work, but to those involved, it is worth every bit of work. “It is not something great that we do, it is something great that we are allowed to do. Its a privilege to get to honor the ancestors,” said Thompson as he described his feelings toward the repatriation.

Cole followed by mentioning that the ancestors have handed down responsibilities to the generation of today and one of those responsibilities is to take care of those who have passed away. “It is our responsibility and our job.”

This great honor is not just for the Choctaw Nation, but for all the tribes to which the remains are affiliated. The Choctaw Nation Department of Historic Preservation has invited those certain tribes to partake in this event as well.

The process of obtaining the remains was not completed by just a dedicated few, but by a dedicated many. The Coalition of Southeast Tribes, which includes a number of Native Tribes, has been working to improve the process that tribes must use to obtain remains.

This process is dictated by the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA), which is a federal law passed in 1990.

The road that led to this particular reburial began when the tribe was first consulted in 2002 when a federal institution, the Natchez Trace Parkway, under requirements of NAGPRA, went through their collection of human remains and found that particular remains could be traced to the Choctaw Nation.

Since then, the research compiled about these remains had lead to the conclusion that they are of Choctaw affiliation. The Choctaw Nation filed a Repatriation Claim in 2009 and in turn, the institution published an Intent to Repatriate to a national publication - the Federal Register.

In working with the Natchez Trace Parkway, the Choctaw Nation requested a Ground Penetrating Radar survey of the original burial site to better understand how the remains were buried and subsequently removed. The Natchez Trace Parkway then took a thorough inventory of their collection and found that some of the collection had been dispersed to other locations. The Choctaw Nation had them assemble the collection as a whole.

Cameron H. Sholly, Superintendent of the Natchez Trace Parkway, and Christina Smith, Cultural Resource Manager for the Natchez Trace Parkway, who have been working very closely with Choctaw Nation through the repatriation process, will be at the Choctaw tribal headquarters on Feb. 23 in Durant to sign the Repatriation Agreement. This document officially transfers the custody of the remains to the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma.

Within Choctaw Nation, this work is of such a sensitive and important nature, a NAGPRA Advisory Board has been assembled within the tribe to give the Historic Preservation Department direction on how to proceed with repatriations and reburials. This is a group of ten members, including tribal elders, traditional people and tribal council members.

A great deal of effort has been poured into this endeavor; individuals throughout the Choctaw Nation and many others who have handled various aspects of the repatriation. Through this work, the Department of Historic Preservation has made progress that will help with future repatriation.

“Through this, we are building positive relations with the National Park Service in the Southeast, and those relationships will make it much easier to repatriate other ancestors who need to be brought back to their homes, ” said Thompson.

Thompson went on to tell, that in times past, that burial sites like this one have been subject to grave looters and other malicious activity. He stressed that to disturb the reburial site, and those like it, would be to commit a federal offense.

The 2011 festival will be held September 1 - 5 at Tushka Homma, Oklahoma.

Labor Day Pow Wow Information

Area RV Parks and Lodging

Schedule of Events

5K Run Brochure

Please note that schedule may change at a later date.

Entertainers will be:

Friday 6:00 pm - Neal McCoy
8:00 pm - .38 Special
10:00 pm - Clay Walker

Saturday 6:00 pm - Ronnie Milsap
8:00 pm - Jamey Johnson
10:00 pm - Gary Allen

Sunday 7:00 - The Kingsmen 9:00 pm - Third Day

KXII.com First News Choctaw Days at the Smithsonian Part I and II

Chief Gregory E. Pyle is unopposed in this year’s election, according to Choctaw Nation Election Board officials. This is the third term in a row that Chief Pyle has been the only one to file, something that has never happened in the history of the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma.

Also, unopposed in the 2011 election are Councilman Kenny Bryant, District 3; Councilman Perry Thompson, District 8; and Councilman Thomas Williston, District 1.

Several candidates have filed in District 5, the seat to be filled after the death of Councilperson Charlotte Jackson in January. They are Michael B. Jordan, Leland L. Sockey, Carolyn Thompson Harris, Ronald Perry, Norma Nunn Anderson, and Louisa Terrell Gonzalez.

Five have filed in District 2: Incumbent Mike Amos, Ivan Battiest, Jeffery Jefferson, Tony Messenger, and Austin Battiest.

Incumbent Bob Pate and Daniel E. McFarland have filed for the District 11 seat.

Election day is July 9. Polls will be open 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.

District 2 voting precincts are the Choctaw Community Center, Stigler; the Kinta Community Center, Kinta; the County Barn, Keota, and the Choctaw Community Center, Spiro.

District 11 voting precincts include the Choctaw Nation Health Center, McAlester; City Hall, Hartshorne, and Kiowa High School, Kiowa.

Runoff elections, if needed, will be July 30.

KXII article on Choctaw Days

This is an important meeting about filing claims in the $760 million Keepseagle Native American Farmer Case.

Get Free Legal Help in Filing a Claim

July 19-21 9:00 a.m. - 5:00p.m. Choctaw Nation Complex 529 N 16th in Durant, OK

The $760 million settlement with the US Department of Agriculture has received final approval. Please come to a meeting with the Keepseagle Class Counsel to submit your claim to share in that settlement. At the meeting you can receive assistance competing your claim form.

THE CLAIMS DEADLINE IS DECEMBER 27, 2011.

For more information, please all 888.233.5506 or visit www.IndianFarmClass.com

by Lisa Reed, BISKINIK Editor

Starting the school year off on the right foot is more of a challenge for some students simply because of their economic situation. A group of individuals with the Choctaw Nation decided two years ago to boost the morale of students by holding fundraisers so young people on the Youth Outreach Program can enter the classroom wearing a new pair of shoes each August.

SOLEMATES is in its third year, and the shoe purchases are totally supported through donations. The first fundraiser is set for Friday, July 29th, with donations being accepted at locations across the Choctaw Nation. Volunteers will be at each of the Choctaw Travel Plazas and each of the Choctaw Casinos to accept any and all donations. Donation sites will be open from 7 a.m.-7 p.m.

The SOLEMATES volunteers have a list of the sizes and types of shoes needed by the 121 youth who are on the program, so they are ready to head to the store and buy footwear that is suited for each individual as soon as donations start coming in. “We start purchasing shoes and delivering them to the students during the two weeks following the fundraiser so they can have their shoes when school begins,” said Director Randy Hammons.

SOLEMATES workers hope to follow the past two years’ successful history and bring in enough donations that they can once again give donations of shoes to some of the needy children on other programs in the Choctaw Nation and in the community after serving the Outreach Program participants.

“We will accept monetary donations or new shoes of any size that can be worn year-round,” said Hammons. “Providing a pair of shoes to these students gives them a sense of pride – they love to wear a great new pair of tennis shoes into the classroom on the first day of school, and we love being able to assist them.”

“It is amazing how such a small thing as a single pair of shoes can bring a big smile to these kids,” said Chief Gregory E. Pyle. “This is an important effort that will improve the self-esteem of many of the young people to be able to wear brand-new, nice shoes that they could not otherwise afford. It touches my heart to know that people will join us in contributing to this worthy cause.”

A second round of fundraising for SOLEMATES will take place at the Tribal Headquarters in Durant and at the Choctaw Nation Hospital in Talihina on Monday, Aug. 8.

If a Choctaw family in the 10 ½-county area of the Choctaw Nation thinks they qualify for the Outreach Program, they may call 580-326-8304 or 877-285-6893.

Part Two of the Choctaw Days recap on KXII

“The Cherokee Word for Water” Indian Film-Training Program

The Cherokee Word for Water is a feature length movie being filmed in the Tahlequah area in September. We are currently seeking paid participants for our Indian Film-Training Program. This is a real hands-on work program where the participants will be trained by the heads of each department in which they work. By the end of the program, participants will have real work experience that will extend beyond the film world, with credit in the film. Once completed, participants can be added to Oklahoma state crew production list for future films shot in the state. Participants should be ready for long hours (a minimum of 10 to 16 hours days) and able to work 6 days a week. Lunch will be provided during shoot weeks. Participants do not have to live in Tahlequah but must be responsible for their securing and covering their own housing.

Applicants must be at least 18 years of age, have a valid Oklahoma state driver’s license, a clean driving record and agree to commit to the full four weeks of filming, including necessary pre-production time. The rate of pay is $600/week.

If interested in applying for The Cherokee Word for Water Indian Film-Training Program, please email the following information to outreach@cw4w.com no later than August 3, 2011. Please feel free to include your resume or other relevant information about your skills and interest in this project.

Name:

Phone:

Email:

Address:

Tribal Affiliation:

Date available to start:

Do you have any scheduling conflicts?

Please describe your past work experience.

Please list any special skills you have.

Why are you interested in this program?

What areas of movie making most interest you?

Do you have a car? If so, what make/model?

Follow this link to VOTE!!

DURANT, OKLAHOMA – VH1 has announced nominees and opened voting for The 2011 Do Something Awards. On this year’s list is the Tornado Relief Concert which was hosted at Choctaw Casino Resort and featured Oklahoma natives Reba McEntire and Blake Shelton.

The public is invited to vote by visiting www.vh1.com http://www.vh1.com by August 14, at 9 a.m. The homepage has a direct link to the awards and visitors can click through to the voting page. The Tornado Relief Concert is listed in the “Concert” category.

Since 1996, DoSomething.org has honored the nation’s best world-changers. The Do Something Award is the premier national award for social action. Nominees and winners represent the pivotal “do-ers” in their field, cause or issue.

“We are up against some stiff competition so we’re asking fans to visit vh1.com and vote for the Tornado Relief Concert,” said Janie Dillard, executive director of gaming for Choctaw Casinos. “This is an opportunity for us to keep the Atoka County devastation top of mind and continue offering support.”

Held on May 25 and 26 at Choctaw Casino Resort, the Tornado Relief Concert was co-headlined by Oklahoma natives Reba McEntire and Blake Shelton. The two sold-out shows raised $500,000 for victims of tornadoes in Atoka County, Oklahoma.

The Do Something Awards will be taped at the Hollywood Palladium in Los Angeles and premiere Thursday, August 18, at 8 p.m. CST on VH1. Emmy and Golden Globe winner Jane Lynch will host the star-studded telecast for a second year.

To vote for the Tornado Relief Concert hosted at Choctaw Casino Resort, visit www.vh1.com http://www.vh1.com or www.choctawcasinos.com http://www.choctawcasinos.com . Information also can be found on Choctaw Casino Resort’s Facebook page (Choctaw Casino Resort – Durant, OK).

The Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma’s Color Guard is an esteemed group of Military Choctaw Members who assist the Nation by posting colors at Tribal events and community Organizations, rendering military funeral honors, Pow-Wows, marching in Parades and Trail of Tears Walks. Events are scattered throughout the United States so we would love to have members located across the Nation.

Requirements are as follows:

Able Bodied and Dependable Able to march at least 4 miles Able to perform prolonged standing Have dependable transportation to travel long distances Arrive early at scheduled time for events Have telephone number to be contacted NO alcohol beverage will be consumed prior and during any events

For more information regarding benefits and details of service, please contact:

Herbert Jesse P.O. Box 156 Haworth, OK. 74740 580.212.0227

or

Jason Burwick Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma 800-522-6170 ext. 2160

By LARISSA COPELAND Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma

“When the police kicked in my door I thought they had the wrong house,” tells Jesse “Red Eagle” Robbins, a 25-year-old Choctaw from Oklahoma City. That wasn’t the case though and it was in fact Robbins that the police were after.

He was 20 years old at the time and had been on the wrong path for several years prior to that. “I got a felony drug charge, my first criminal charge ever, for dealing drugs,” said Robbins. “I was given five years of probation and 100 hours of community service. But by the time I got busted I’d already ‘woken up’ and finding my Choctaw culture is what saved me.”

The charge was for something old that he had done (at age of 18) but it didn’t matter in the eyes of the law. “I still got it and I’m going to use it for good,” said Robbins.

He does this by reaching out to the youth who may be on the same negative, confused path he went down as a young teen. “I travel to middle schools around south Oklahoma City to speak to the kids about anti-gang and anti-drug activity,” he says. “I speak to them from experience. When I was their age, I was so lost. I try to get to them in middle school. You have to catch them young or it’ll be too late.”

Robbins knows this first-hand. He began to go down the wrong path around the age of 15. “I’ve never drank alcohol and I’ve never smoked or done drugs in my life because I’ve seen what it’s done to our people. I didn’t want that. What I did though was get involved in gang activity.

“I was confused about what a warrior was,” he said, explaining the attraction he felt. “Gangs provide a false sense of belonging for kids. But they don’t protect – they destroy. They provide a false sense of identity. I thought I was being different but I was conforming. Gangs take you outside your culture. I’m Choctaw but I was with mostly Hispanics. They were my clan. I was striving for a tribe, an identity, a warrior role. A gang provided that, or so I thought.”

It was around the same age when Robbins was looking to gangs for acceptance, he was also turning to a more creative outlet for his thoughts – writing poetry.

“When I first started visiting the schools I’d read my poetry but the kids couldn’t really relate to that so I turned to music,” he says, “and I can’t sing or play guitar…so I guess you could say hip-hop chose me.”

Robbins has had much success spreading his message and connecting to the kids through his music. “I represent a bridge,” he says. “I do music to connect generations. I take the elders’ message and put it in a form the youth relate to and understand. They don’t speak the same ‘language’ anymore. I get to play coyote, be a trickster. The Choctaw culture is so dope (cool). When kids hear it in the music, they hear how cool the culture is.”

He thinks that it’s someone like himself who is best suited for reaching this group of kids too. “They want to hear me say it, not some 50-year-old they can’t relate to.”

Another thing he tries to impress upon the youth he visits with is the power of an education, as his father did to him. His father, Dr. Rockey Robbins, is an associate professor at the University of Oklahoma in the educational psychology department. His focus is in multicultural counseling and according to Robbins, he has always instilled in him the importance of education. “Education is a ladder. My dad taught me that early on,” he says. “I tell that to the kids too. I say to them ‘go to college.’ Some kids never hear that word at home.”

This is something Robbins took to heart himself. After graduating from Little Axe High School in 2004, he enrolled in Oklahoma City Community College. He plans to transfer to OU in Norman in Fall 2011.

Beyond setting the groundwork for his culture and education, his father has been at his side during his hard times. “I’m lucky because my dad stands by me,” said Robbins. “But I did come from a broken home. I think that’s another reason the kids can connect to me. Not all these kids have a great home life either. I get that. I want my music to be a positive message in the ears of those kids with their headphones on, their heads bobbing up and down, while their parents might be in the other room fighting.”

Robbins never had a relationship with his mother. He was born in Durant but soon moved to the Kickapoo Reservation in Kansas where his father was a teacher at the time. He lived there until he was about five years old, and even spent a short period of time in foster care, until coming back to live with his father. He considers Oklahoma City and Norman home. His siblings are Tiffany York, Seth Fairchild and Cheyenne Murray; two of these three he didn’t even know until he reached adulthood.

“My family life was part of where my rebellion started,” he admits, “but my culture is what set me straight.”

He considers himself fortunate for being raised by a father who immersed him in the tribal-cultural ways of the Choctaw at an early age. And those roots stayed strong. His Choctaw name, “Onse Homma” or “Red Eagle” was given to him during an old Choctaw traditional naming ceremony; a ceremony that Robbins fears is being lost through the generations. “My grandfather gave it to me when I was five years old,” he said. “He walked out into the woods and when he came back he told me that was my name.”

From the time he was a young child the ways of the Choctaw always had deep meaning to him. Though he took a slight detour from these ways during his late teen years, he soon realized the greatest limiting factor to his connection to his tribe was himself. “Now, I do what I can to keep our old ways and our ceremonies alive. I want our people to speak our language. I speak Choctaw, play stickball, go to the stomp dances.”

Robbins was also part of the Choctaw Nation stickball team that played in the 2010 Stickball World Series in Mississippi.

Today, Robbins considers himself an advocate for Native Americans everywhere and he uses his music to get his point across. “Native Americans need a voice,” he explains. “I’ve been backed into a corner. I am a warrior and I will fight for our culture. Peace and love scare people but a warrior is peaceful. Music is a form of protest and I use it to be an activist for the tribe.”

Robbins considers himself a modern day storyteller. “Music is breath to me,” he says. “This is more than a hobby. Every song is catered to Native Americans. It’s an opportunity for me to reach kids, to tell them you can get through hard times, to turn to the old ways. It’s my opportunity to give the youth a voice, to just lend a hand to this generation and help revive a youth appreciation of our culture,” he says.

In addition to visiting middle schools and visiting with youth, his music has created many other unique opportunities for him. Most recently and according to Robbins, one of the most interesting, was being invited in February to present in New York City at Columbia University’s prestigious 28th Annual Cross-Cultural Winter psychology roundtable, themed “Privileging Indigenous Voices.”

A Native American professor at Columbia heard his music and enjoyed the message it sent, leading to his invitation to the university. He led the youth plenary session, opening the meeting by leading the group with a Choctaw snake dance. He then performed half his presentation by reading his poetry and half by performing his hip-hop music. A large photo slide show was projected on the wall behind him during his presentation, displaying numerous images of Choctaw people during various stages of history. He received a standing ovation from the students and faculty in the audience.

In addition to radio airplay on numerous radio stations, Robbins performs his music live whenever possible. He was also honored to have been offered a position to play at the Gathering of Nations Pow Wow in Albuquerque, N.M., in April but was unable to attend this year. He performed on May 14 at Jones Academy and was joined by fellow Choctaw hip-hop artist Chris Taylor and Anthony “DJ Pyro” Mnic’opa, a Dakota/Seminole. Together they make up the group “Native Nation.”

Robbins has put out several mix tapes over the years. He recently released a mix tape in New York entitled 1491 and is currently in the final stages of another album. He’s also in the beginning phase of producing a poetry album. His music can be heard on his Youtube page, onsehomma21, or his Facebook page, www.facebook.com/JesseRobbins405.

Just a few of his Native American themed songs include “Seventh Generation,” “We got that Swag,” Women,” “Ain’t Your Mascot,” among many, many more.

As heard in the lyrics to “Seventh Generation,” it’s easy to know he walks the talk when he says his music encourages his people to stay connected to who they are:

“Keep the shells Keep the songs Keep on stomping all night long Keep the dance Keep the drum Keep the language on your tongue,”

He takes that to heart and lives it. By being someone the kids can relate to, Robbins plans to continue using his music to inspire and encourage the youth to soar above negative influences.

But he doesn’t want people to think that because his subject matter is serious that his music is all somber and solemn though. “Humor is a huge part of my music,” he says, “and it just might make you dance!”

By CHRISSY DILL Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma

DURANT, Okla. – About eight years ago, Chief Gregory E. Pyle of the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma made the decision to provide financial assistance for the drug court in Bryan County. The court wasn’t receiving the adequate amount of funding from the state to sustain its services for its participants or employees, so it sought the tribe’s assistance.

According to Choctaw Nation Tribal Management Executive Director Shannon McDaniel, who’s been employed by the tribe for 24 years, today the tribe makes yearly donations to aid in maintaining the drug court programs of Bryan, McCurtain, Pittsburg, Atoka and LeFlore counties. “Drug courts are funded by the state,” said McDaniel, “but just not enough funding comes through, so that’s the reason we jumped in and started helping.”

The purpose of a drug court is to enlist a participant with non-violent drug offenses in an 18- to 24-month program and provides counseling, drug testing, jobs and assigns daily activities that require completion, all in efforts to keep them from entering a correctional system. Currently, there are roughly 90 participants in Bryan County’s drug court, and average 60-90 participants in the other counties where the, with a large percentage of Native Americans, providing another motive for the Choctaw Nation to make their aid available.

At the time the individual receives a drug court sentence, they’re also given a state sentence to a penal institution, which they don’t have to abide by unless they aren’t able to maintain their position in the drug court, according to McDaniel. “If they don’t meet drug court rules, they immediately go into a correctional facility,” he explained.

The Tribal Management Department’s main responsibility is helping families of the Choctaw Nation in as many ways possible, which explains its involvement with the drug court assistance program.

“Our thought on it is if we can keep these people out of the prison system, it not only saves money for the state, but it gives them the help and assistance they need to change their life so drugs and alcohol will no longer be a part of their life,” McDaniel explained. “We want to help these people become more productive in society and not make them a burden of the state.”

Each drug court is overseen by a number of board members. “Each board is made up of people in the community who deal with issues relating to drugs, alcohol, mental health, law enforcement,” said McDaniel.

The drug court board and district attorneys make decisions relating to the individual’s acceptance into the drug court program and their graduation from the program. “This program encompasses everyone in the community to make it work,” McDaniel added. “It goes in full circle.”

According to McDaniel, without the financial support of the Choctaw Nation these drug courts probably would not be able to function and would have to scale down the number of participants they attend to. “The tribe gives them the subsidy to take care of their employees,” he said.

Not only has the Choctaw Nation provided assistance for the area’s drug courts in times when the state could not meet its payment schedules to the county they have given funds in the interim period. “We’ve done that for almost all counties,” said McDaniel.

“The Choctaw Nation has made a tremendous impact,” said drug court judge Farrell Hatch. “Any assistance we’ve asked for, they’ve helped us with.”

Newly appointed Choctaw Nation DARE officer, Isaac James has begun his principal tasks for his new duty, which is to educate young minds on the dangers of drugs and alcohol, as well as teach them how to avoid situations that could produce encounters with such substances.

“I can not tell you how excited I am,” said James as he spoke about beginning his Drug Abuse Resistance Education (DARE) classes, which kicked off in August. He will be covering five schools in the 10.5 counties over a nine-week period. He will travel to a different school each day of the week; making a five-school circuit that he will repeat each week.

During the nine weeks, he will be in fifth grade classrooms for 45-minute sessions, beginning with an introductory course to DARE, telling of its beginnings, purpose and goals. Following this, each class will focus on various aspects of how to keep safe from drugs, alcohol, firearms and other dangerous matters.

DARE is a program that began in 1983 Los Angeles, as a result of the efforts of the late LAPD Police Chief Daryl Gates who wanted to prevent the youth from getting involved with drugs and other destructive habits.

Now DARE is a functioning program in all 50 states of the United States as well as in 43 countries worldwide. In elementary schools, the fifth grade classes are privileged with partaking in the DARE program and taught how to avoid substance abuse and the peer pressure that leads to it.

Upon accepting the call to become the DARE officer, James was required to attend a two-week training located on the Natchez Trace Park in Wilderesville Tenn. James described the first week as being filled with classes and information. He would have to be in class until the late afternoon and then proceed to group activities and lesson planning in the evening, making for quite intensive training.

The second week of training was more hands-on. James and those participating were able to present and actually go to a school to do their inaugural DARE lesson. Once he finished this week, he came back to Southeastern Oklahoma, very excited to begin his new job. “Its quite an accomplishment,” mentioned James.

He went on to say that the training gave a greater spark to the interest he already had in the program. It made him realize the true impact he can have in his new position, mentioning that what he will be doing over the next few years can have a real effect on the lives of the youth and he stressed how much an education can detour a child from making a negative decision.

James is excited about that fact, and has an overarching goal for his work in DARE to make it happen. “I would like to see more kids get involved,” said James as he described how he will make it a point to reach as many youth as possible.

Reminiscing on his time in elementary school, he tells that he was not presented with this kind of education, and did not know the severity of the misuse of certain substances and the effects of peer pressure. In his position, he hopes to lend this knowledge to the widest audience possible so they will be able to know how to avoid dangerous situations early.

James spent his elementary years in Hartshorne School, and later moved on to Wilburton for high school, where he played football and baseball. He graduated in 2003 and went to work outside of law enforcement for a couple of years. In October of 2005 he became a reserve officer in Wilburton while he worked for the Oklahoma Department of Transportation. In July of 2006 he earned his status as a full time police officer for the Latimer County Sheriff’s Department.

His decision to enter law enforcement came about due to his family’s close association with the profession. Two of James’ older brothers were officers, placing him around law enforcement since a young age. Spending time around it all, “I knew it’s what I wanted,” described James.

In February of 2009, James joined the ranks of the Choctaw Nation Public Safety Department where he patrolled the areas of Wilburton, Talihina and Tushkahoma for the Choctaw Nation. He was notified of the opening for this position via his connection with tribal officer, John Hobbs. “I have always heard good things about the tribe, so I decided to apply,” said James.

With the tribe, aside from doing his usual patrol duties, he was assigned to serve as tribal sentinel at the monthly tribal council meeting. Upon his move to DARE officer, he has been helping with outreach activities, such as speaking at the annual event, Outreach at the Beach. He will continue to do various presentations in addition to his usual classes.

Along with his new title, James has also received another considerable change in his work environment. He is now the driver of the award winning tribal police Camaro, a car the demands attention wherever it goes. “You are the center of attention wherever you go… everybody wants a picture,” mentioned James. This particular car won an award for being the most outstanding car at the Oklahoma DARE Officer Association Car Show.

Being a police officer is highly important to James, but being a father is a duty that he claims above his profession. James is the proud husband of Jaclynne James, whom he met while in high school, and is the father of four children; three girls and a boy.

James holds much anticipation for the upcoming school year and his duties therein. James hopes to spread much knowledge and detour many away from negative situations in his time as the Choctaw Nation DARE Officer.

The 2nd Annual Inter-Tribal Storytelling, organized by the OK Choctaw Tribal Alliance, will be held Aug. 13 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at 5310 S. Youngs Blvd. in Oklahoma City. All Indian storytellers are invited to attend and share traditions, tales and childhood memories. A taco sale will also be held. For more information, please call Stella Long at 405-949-2147.

Chief Gregory E. Pyle and Assistant Chief Gary Batton are proud to announce that beginning Aug. 15 the Choctaw Nation Wellness Centers in Durant and Hugo will be open free of charge to all active duty military, reservist and National Guard members and their dependents. Service members do not have to be Native American to take advantage of this offer.

To join the Wellness Center, the service member or his/her dependents will need to present a valid military or dependent ID card in order to be issued an access card to the facility. The only cost the member will incur is a one-time $10 fee when issued the access card.

Anyone with questions can contact the staff at the Choctaw Nation Wellness Center in Durant at 580-931-8643.

Official Election Results

Indian country can be a grand place, full of history and culture, but like any other place in this world, it is not without faults. According to Choctaw Nation Project SAFE Director Lari Ann Brister, Oklahoma’s instances of dating abuse is three times higher than the national average, and 17 percent of American Indian and Alaska Native women are stalked in their lifetime, compared to 8.2 percent of white women, 6.5 percent of African-American women, and 4.5 percent of Asian/Pacific Islander women, showing that Native American women are at least 2 times more likely to be stalked than any other race.

With these facts evident, the Department of Justice Office on Violence Against Women made the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma the stewards of a grant in 2006 to provide awareness on the issues of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault and stalking in Southeastern Oklahoma, as well as make provisions for victims of these crimes.

Project SAFE is the program that has been enacted to meet these goals. The “SAFE” is an acronym for “Striving for an Abuse Free Environment.”

Director Brister, whose office is in Durant, is in charge of the bulk of the happenings of the program. Her overarching orders hail from Washington D.C., but she is given freedom to implement plans how she deems necessary.

Along with Brister, two coordinators aid with the grant’s activities. Karen Lyons in Talihina and Davania Rowell in Broken Bow tackle the events and actions in their areas. “Their main job is to implement programs within our communities that bring awareness,” said Brister. While accomplishing their goals, Brister allows much room for creativity. She tells that they are free to do what they feel brings awareness. This flexibility comes from them determining the unmet needs in the areas they serve. If there are higher instances of dating abuse in a particular county, they will focus on dating abuse prevention.

“Our program is not necessarily geared towards Choctaws, it’s for everyone,” said Brister as she explained that even though Project SAFE focuses on the Choctaw area, they are not Choctaw exclusive and desire for awareness to spread to everyone.

To combat the issue of dating violence, Project SAFE is dealing heavily with schools by providing Safe Dates Curriculum. This is a set of teachings for children in grades 5 – 12 that teaches how to spot the signs of an abusive relationship, what to do if involved in one and how to avoid them. Evidence on a national level has shown that it is effective at reducing the occurrences of dating violence in school students.

In schools, Project SAFE has also begun to place flyers in bathrooms with a bit of information about abusive relationships with tear-offs at the bottom containing numbers to call for advice and assistance. Initially there were only slightly over 100, but after a period of time, they realized that a great majority of the tear-offs were gone, indicating that there were a multitude of individuals seeking this kind of assistance. “To us, it means that we have a lot of work to do,” mentioned Brister.

The Project SAFE trio is not the only group spreading the information within the schools though. “We do a lot of work with our YAB [Youth Advisory Board], especially for the teen dating violence,” emphasized Brister.

There is a teen conference every year which 300-400 potential advocates of awareness attend. Project SAFE teaches these students the latest information and send them to the school districts to help spread the awareness and prevention. “They are awesome about participating,” declared Brister as she praised the YAB students for their help in forwarding the cause.

Past elementary and high schools, Project SAFE focuses a considerable amount on college campuses because, according to Brister, stalking is a major problem plaguing this sector of the population. In an effort to reduce the occurrence of this act, Project SAFE travels to many of the area campuses, usually in correlation with freshman orientation, to spread knowledge about what to do if stalked and how to avoid the situation altogether.

The outreach education and assistance of Project SAFE stretches far beyond students and campuses. To combat the likes of domestic violence and sexual assault, Project SAFE is present for community gatherings around the area such as health fairs and Durant’s annual event, Magnolia Festival, to spread awareness.

Project SAFE also does a great deal to prepare communities to deal with cases of assault. They provide training for law enforcement on how to deal with sensitive cases such as these and offer CLEET training.

The will also help local services such as crisis centers when budgets are tight. They will help purchase resources, as well as pay for the necessary actions to keep the workers certified to deal with these types of issues.

Through this work, there have been moments that Brister and her team view as beacons of success, instances that they have seen where their actions have made a noticeable positive impact.

Brister mentions that through the Safe Date Curriculum, there has been a growing want for more interaction with the students. Brister mentioned that they have received calls form various school administrators requesting that Project SAFE present information at their schools. “This is a testament,” said Brister as she spoke of how the requests were evidence that the presentations were effective.

Making funding available for Sexual Assault Nurse Examiners (SANE) at the Talihina hospital is another huge success for the organization. These SANE certified individuals are RNs who can perform sexual assault exams, and due to a low number of them in the state, many victims are hindered from receiving these types of exams.

“In Oklahoma, there are only a few,” said Brister, and “If there is a victim in McCurtain County, she might have to drive two or three hours just to get the examination,” she continued. However, as Project SAFE helps certify more of these nurses, that problem will become lessened.

Taking it a step further than just getting RNs trained to be SANE certified, a special room has even be set up at the hospital just for the exams. Besides just getting the exam, the victims will also be provided with information on what to do next, along with more advocacy than normally can be provided.

“This is a major accomplishment of what we have done,” declared Brister. That is a first to us, to be a tribe and to be able to reach out to not only Native Americans, but also anyone who has been a victim of sexual assault, she continued.

Project SAFE has also been responsible for producing a set of materials filled with information that can aid victims in their time of need called a victim’s resource envelope. Officers can hand this compilation of resources and information to victims immediately after the crime is reported. It contains numbers of who to call, services available, what to expect in the court system and various other bits of helpful information.

Project SAFE has been responsible for the publication of a few thousand of these documents, but has had requests for many more. Because victims often are under too much stress to remember all the procedures instructed by the police, this acts as a quick reference.

Due to these actions and services provided by Project SAFE, the program was given awards for making a difference by the Oklahoma Coalition Against Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault, a National Coalition.

This recognition is a perk of the job, but not the main reward for Brister and her co-workers. She made known that getting the information out, preventing these types of crimes and minimizing the trauma is priority number one for her and the Project SAFE team.

Sport of stickball bringing together tribes, communities By LISA REED Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma

The centuries-old game of stickball has always been the Choctaw national sport. Once used to settle disputes, it is played today strictly as a sport and is fast growing in popularity. All ages are picking up sticks to play the game of their ancestors.

Last year, the OK Choctaws team played in its first World Series of Stickball in Philadelphia, Miss., with 35 players. This year, 63 men followed Chief Gregory E. Pyle onto the field July 8, ready to meet the opposition, Nukoachi. The players, many with painted faces, raised their sticks in the air, yelling challenges and displaying no fear of the more experienced team as the beat of the drums and shouts from the crowds added to the intensity.

Cultural Services Executive Director Sue Folsom explained, “It’s more of a sports game now and played more for fun but we still take pride in the games and want to win. I am extremely proud of how they played.”

Each team is comprised of 30 players on the field, normally divided into 10 on defense, 10 on offense and 10 centers or “shooters.” After the opening ceremony, all but the 60 players leave the field and the game begins with four 15-minute quarters on the clock. It is usually played on a 100-yard football field with a tall pole (“fabvssa”) set as a goal post on each end.

The score at the end of the first hard-fought quarter of the late-night game was in favor of Nukoachi, 4 to 2. The OK Choctaws dominated the entire second and third quarters, tying it 4-4 and holding Nukoachi scoreless. The Mississippi team caught the Oklahoma team off guard in the last quarter, overloading their defense to stop the OK Choctaws’ control of the game. Nukoachi scored 2 more points, winning the game 6-4.

The game is very physical and very fast-paced. Few fouls for roughness are called and an injury has to be pretty serious for the game to stop. There are not any pads or helmets in the game of stickball but players are banned from hitting each other with sticks, tripping or pulling hair. Anyone on the sideline needs to stay there, well out of the way both for safety and to not be a distraction to the players who are giving everything they have to win the game.

The coaches made it a point to play every member on the team – first-year players and veterans – to build experience and confidence.

“We played tough and we earned the respect of the Mississippi Choctaw,” Folsom said.

“I could hear people in the stands cheering for our team, the Oklahoma Choctaws. We are bridging the gap, re-establishing a relationship with the Mississippi Choctaw through the games and other cultural activities. We gain their trust by showing we care about what we are doing,” said Folsom.

The team was so well-received in Mississippi, the game so exciting that Chief Pyle and Folsom discussed ways to build on that momentum back in Oklahoma.

“We will be having stickball camps next year for the youth of the Choctaw Nation, just like we hold football, softball and basketball camps every summer,” Chief Pyle said.

“These young boys and girls will acquire knowledge of the game and its cultural significance and we will eventually see it handed down more through the generations.

“The whole community turns out every night to watch the world series tournament in Philadelphia,” Chief Pyle added. “I see small children who are just beginning to walk picking up the sticks their mom or dad just laid down. They learn that passion early.”

The OK Choctaws meet to practice once a week and they are not only sharpening their skills, they are also learning the history of stickball, known as “ishtaboli” or “kapucha” in the Choctaw language.

Les Williston, defense coach for OK Choctaws, is teaching players to make their own stickballs and sticks, something that will also play a major part in the youth summer camps.

“Stickball is enjoying a major resurgence,” said Dr. Ian Thompson, tribal Historic Preservation Department assistant director. “This ancient and passionate game is bringing more excitement to more Choctaw communities than it has at any time in the past 100 years.”

Biskinik E-News readers – We have changed how we get the news to you! Instead of sending several stories every two weeks we are publishing them as they happen. Watch for the link on Facebook or log on to www.choctawnation/news-room for the latest news from the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma. Each month’s Biskinik is also available in pdf version.

Goodbye Halito, My name is Kristie McGuire I have held the Miss Choctaw title for a year and now I am here tonight to place this crown on the next girl who will be an ambassador for the great Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma.

I don’t know where to start other than thanking all of you for being here tonight. Whether it is for support, helping with the pageant, or just to watch the events take place tonight. I need to thank Chief Pyle, Asst. Chief Batton and all the tribal council for their wonderful hard work they do for the great people of the Choctaw Nation. These guys do so much for their people, such as allowing us the opportunity to conduct a pageant and putting together this great festival we host every year, and I would like to stand up and give them a round of applause. I also need to personally thank Faye and Elaine. Both of you have helped me in ways I couldn’t imagine and I’ll never forget what you have done for me, so thank you!

This year has been a wonderful, fun filled learning experience. Especially with Elaine and Faye being the pageant coordinators. Let me tell you that there is never a dull moment when being around those two. They are a hoot to be around and they have taught me how to have fun and enjoy life. I am truly going to miss you both. I have learned so much from the two of you and it has been a pleasure being able to travel with you and get to know you both a little more. Mahala, you are like a little sister to me and I love you and your family so much. You all have truly touched my heart and although we are saying farewell tonight this is not goodbye. Rachel I hope that I have been a role model for your beautiful children and can continue to be there although our princess year has come to an end. Nikki this year has been so much fun and I was so fortunate that I was able to share some of the best memories of my life with you and Dayla. Many memories have been made throughout this previous year. I’ll never forget the time Rachel, Mahala, and I were in California driving through the mountains to see the giant sequoia and red wood trees and we almost ran out of gas! We had no cell service and nothing to eat but an orange, but due to God we made it to the gas station in the nick of time! Or when I got into a vehicle accident with Faye, Elaine, and Connie. I will never forget the time that Elaine lost the truck keys and we had to call someone and wait forever on the corner for the extra set to arrive. I have met so many wonderful people with this title and visited so many beautiful places while traveling, I just hope that this next girl can enjoy this whole year as I have. I have learned many valuable assets that I will carry with me throughout my life.

Since I was a child, this has been a goal of mine that I had always wished to achieve. It took many many times before I finally won. I didn’t give up on what I wanted and neither should you. If you see something you want, work for it. Don’t get discouraged if at first you don’t succeed. There are other opportunities and just keep your mind set that you will achieve all that you have worked for. I would like to thank everyone for their encouragement and support. So now I say farewell and I wish the best of luck to the next princess.

Student School and Activity Fund Application

Students must be a member of the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma before applying for this program.

Please read directions carefully as approximately half of the applications submitted are incorrect or incomplete. Applications that cannot be processed are logged in and destroyed. The deadline for submission of complete applications is August 1, 2012.

Chief Pyle sworn in for fourth term

Delivers State of the Nation to capacity crowd

Chief Gregory E. Pyle greeted a huge crowd as he stepped to the podium on Sept. 5 at Tushka Homma. The amphitheater was filled to capacity and hundreds more stood on the Capitol grounds for the closing ceremony of the annual Labor Day Festival, listening as Pyle gave the State of the Nation address on the day that marked the beginning of his fourth term as Chief of the Choctaw Nation.

“This year’s Labor Day theme is ‘Building and Sustaining our Heritage Through the Legacy of Those Who Came Before,’ he said. “We are a proud nation of Choctaws and we have a mighty legacy to live up to. Our ancestors were brave and strong and determined, and they survived many hardships to become the great tribe we are today. It is our responsibility to sustain our heritage in such a way to honor those who came before us, and to continue this legacy by teaching our children their heritage. “Our Going Green program continues – ‘sustaining our people, our traditions, our earth.’ The Choctaw Nation has always been a protector of the environment, especially water, and we continue in that role today,” Chief Pyle emphasized. “By treaty with the federal government, the tribe’s water has never been given up. This is still our water and we will continue to fight for the protection of this natural resource in southeastern Oklahoma. Our interest is in a solution that is beneficial to our region and all of Oklahoma.

“Speaking of treaties, it was my honor and privilege recently to see some of the original treaties between the Choctaws and the U.S. government. During Choctaw Days at the Smithsonian, Assistant Chief Gary Batton and I were allowed to access a vault in the National Archives in Washington, D.C., where these treaties are kept. They were in a small room with extremely tight security. When we entered the National Archives building, we were met by a host, one of only four people with a key to this secure room holding the treaties.

“We were allowed to see several treaties, but the most impressive was the Treaty of Dancing Rabbit Creek, dated Sept. 27, 1830. This is the first removal treaty and ceded about 11 million acres in Mississippi in exchange for 15 million acres in Indian Territory. Shortly after this treaty was signed, the Choctaws began the first Trail of Tears in the fall of 1831.

“We saw several other treaties, but none compared to viewing the Treaty of Dancing Rabbit Creek. Thousands of Choctaws died along the Trail of Tears as a result of this treaty and the ensuing removal.

“Today the Choctaw Nation continues to grow and prosper. Our tribal vision is ‘to achieve healthy, successful, productive and self-sufficient lifestyles for a proud nation of Choctaws.’ This continues to be our goal – to better serve you – the Choctaw people. Our continued economic development will create more jobs, more revenue and ultimately more services for our tribal members. Road projects will improve access to health care, schools and jobs. “For example, here at Tushka Homma roads on our Capitol grounds were recently paved. We will continue to provide for our Choctaw people,” Chief Pyle said. “I want all of our families to achieve our vision of healthy, successful and self-sufficient Choctaws. “I want to take a moment to recognize our Tribal Council. These 12 people have made a commitment to serve the Choctaw people and we appreciate their service to the Nation. We are especially pleased to introduce two new Council members – Ron Perry and Tony Messenger. We welcome them to the Council and look forward to working with them.

“We also want to remember one of our Council members who passed away this year. Charlotte Jackson was an incredible lady who will long be remembered for her devotion to all Choctaws. She loved her people and served them well for many years.

“We also want to take a moment to honor members of our military and their service to our country,” Chief Pyle said, asking all veterans to stand and be recognized. Several generations of warriors rose to their feet, representing World War II, Korea, Vietnam, Desert Storm and Operation Iraqi Freedom.

“We have a great relationship with the military and the Choctaw Nation provides support to our troops in many ways. We continue to send care packages to our troops stationed overseas. We also provide help with Veterans Airlift Command flights that assist our wounded warriors to visit family or for medical treatment.

“In closing,” he said, “I want to emphasize that the Choctaw Nation continues to be strong. As we honor our culture and the legacy of our ancestors, we remember our heritage and continue our traditions. Our strength and our continued growth will sustain our future generations to follow. And we will remain a proud Nation of Choctaws!”

Photo 1: Chief Gregory E. Pyle, with wife Patti by his side, is sworn into office during the Labor Day ceremony by Tribal Judge Mitch Mullen.

Photo 2: Tribal Judge Fred Bobb swears in the Tribal Councilmen during the Labor Day ceremony, from left, District 1 Thomas Williston, District 5 Ronald Perry, District 11 Bob Pate, District 8 Perry Thompson, District 3 Kenny Bryant, and District 2 Tony Messenger.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE October 25, 2011

Saving Money, Staying Warm: Winter Energy Efficiency Tips from Energy Star

WASHINGTON – The average family spends $2,200 a year on energy bills, nearly half of which goes to heating and cooling. With winter approaching and Americans heading indoors, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Energy Star program is offering easy energy saving tips that increase household efficiency while helping Americans save money and stay warm.

EPA recommends taking the following steps this winter:

Maintain your heating equipment. Dirt and neglect are the top causes of heating system failure. If your heating equipment is more than 10 years old, now is a good time to schedule a pre-season checkup with a licensed contractor to make sure your system is operating at peak performance. Check your system’s air filter every month and when it is dirty, change it. At a minimum, change it every three months. Use a programmable thermostat. Control your home’s temperature while you’re away or asleep by using one of the pre-programmed settings. When used properly, programmable thermostats can save up to $180 every year in energy costs. Seal air leaks in your home. If rooms are too hot/cold or you have noticed humidity or excessive dust problems you should consider taking action to seal air leaks. Sealing air leaks with caulk, spray foam, or weather stripping will have a significant impact on improving your comfort and reducing energy bills. If you are adding insulation to your home, be sure to seal air leaks first, to ensure you get the best performance from your insulation. Utilize the Energy Star website. Use Energy Star’s Home Energy Yardstick to compare your home’s energy use to similar homes across the country and see how your home measures up. Energy Star’s Home Energy Advisor can give recommendations for energy-saving home improvements for typical homes in your area. Look for Energy Star qualified products. Whether you are replacing light bulbs or appliances in your home, Energy Star qualified products can help you save energy and reduce energy bills. The label can be found on more than 60 types of products ranging from heating and cooling equipment to compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs).

Energy Star was introduced by EPA in 1992 as a market-based partnership to reduce greenhouse gas emissions through energy-efficiency. Energy Star offers businesses and consumers energy-efficient solutions to decrease energy consumption, save money, and help protect the environment. More than 20,000 organizations are Energy Star partners, committed to improving energy-efficiency in homes, products, and businesses.

Information on cutting energy costs this winter: http://www.energystar.gov/heatingtips Information on other ways to save energy year round: http://www.energystar.gov/changetheworld

A life of honor and commitment

By LARISSA COPELAND Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma

Honor. Courage. Commitment. These are the values on which the U.S. Navy was founded and built. Frank Watson, a Choctaw born in 1924 on his family’s 160-acre government allotted farm land near Lone Grove, has lived these values from day one, so it seems fitting, almost destined, that he would someday become a sailor. Through his actions, Watson has built an honorable life – a life spent in service to his family, his community, his country and his tribe.

He came from a large family, the fifth of six children, and was raised on very modest means, the entire family working the farm to get by. This meant hard work but everyone pitched in.

“It was a lot of fun,” says Watson, “but it was also a lot of hard work. But we did what we had to to survive.”

Unlike his siblings, Watson chose not to attend an Indian school when given the option by his father. Instead he attended a local public school, walking two miles daily to the two-room school. A “good choice” he was told by his father.

It was during his school days that he developed a love for baseball, which he played often. It was this love of playing the sport that indirectly led to his joining of the Navy in 1943.

“I was a good baseball player,” he says proudly.

In the early 1940s, a minor baseball league was established in Oklahoma and Texas, one team forming in Ardmore. Watson, with confidence and high hopes, tried out for the team, along with many other men his age. He made it past the first day of try-outs and was one of only three players asked to return for a second go-round. At the end of the day though, he was told he didn’t make it, which he took hard.

“They said I was good but not good enough,” he says. “That made me angry because I knew I was a good player. After that, I joined the Navy to prove to myself I was just as good as someone else.”

Watson enlisted and was sent to San Diego for boot camp. During his training and for six years of his time in service, he played on the Navy’s baseball team.

“We had some great professional baseball players on our team and I played right beside them. I knew then I was a good enough player.”

Baseball aside, over the next 20 years the Navy provided Watson, and later his family, with many worldwide adventures, beginning with his first assignment during World War II along the coastal waters around Australia, New Zealand and New Guinea. There, he worked on an auxiliary repair ship, the USS Dobbin.

“My job,” he explains, “was to work on ships that could be repaired and send them back to war, or if not, send them back home. During the war years, I was on various ships all over the Pacific waters.”

When the war ended, Watson returned to the United States and was assigned to the Naval Training Center in San Diego for the next three years.

Following the Korean conflict, Watson was assigned to numerous bases and ships around the world. He served on nine different ships during his tenure with the Navy and spent time in Texas, Oklahoma, California, Washington, and many other states, along with a stint at the Iwakuni, Japan, Marine Air Base.

“The Navy was good to me,” he says. And Watson did his best to serve the Navy as well, giving back by volunteering in each of the communities he and his family, which included three sons, were assigned. They were very involved with community activities at each base, stressing his pride in his Choctaw heritage in particular. This earned him numerous awards, recognition and commendations for his actions.

After 20 years of service to his country, Watson decided it was time to come home. He and his family relocated to Dallas, Texas.

His transition from military to civilian included many changes but one thing that remained consistent was his desire to stay involved in his community. He began volunteering with the Bureau of Indian Affairs, helping to welcome Native Americans being brought into the city during the BIA’s Native American urban relocation initiative. He felt the program was a good idea in theory, but in practice, saw many flaws. One flaw was the lack of preparation for those being relocated.

“I saw a need so I recruited some people to help me,” he says. “We’d take those new to the area around to get acquainted with things…shopping, doctors, schools, bus stops, places to go in an emergency. Things like that.”

This group of volunteers became known as the American Indian Center (A.I.C.) of Dallas and Watson was elected chairman. The group lacked funds to operate effectively so Watson journeyed to Washington, D.C., to request funds from the BIA, thus setting in motion the major growth of the A.I.C. in Dallas. Eventually, the group would start up a Head Start program, JOM social services, programs for adult education, and numerous other services for the Indians in the area.

The group also traveled to Livingston, Texas, by request, to establish an intertribal pow wow, one that is still put on today and has grown to one of the largest pow wows in the country.

Pow wow dancing was another passion for Watson, one he also passed on to his sons, Glen, David and John.

In 1977, Watson and his family moved from Dallas to Durant, where he still resides today, and he went to work for the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma in the industrial development department.

Along with repeating the role he had with the A.I.C. by going to Washington, D.C., to request funds for programs for the tribe, which he did many times successfully, Watson was also appointed to be a part of the Choctaw Nation Constitution of 1983 Commission. The task of the commission was to revise and establish a constitution that meets the current needs of the entire tribe. A group of six spent close to three weeks drafting the document.

“It’s a good feeling to have been asked to be on the commission,” he says. “It’s a piece of history and I’m deeply grateful and proud to have been a part of it.

Watson, also a grandfather of five, has impacted and affected changed for the better in so many ways during his life. Whether through his family by instilling values and a deep appreciation of their heritage, or his community through his volunteering, or his country through his two decades of honorable service, or his tribe through programs he helped to get funded or, most of all, helping to establish a constitution. His actions – his commitment – has created a lasting impact. This impact, made through his long life of honorable deeds and selfless service, will continue to shape and guide the tribe for years to come.

War on the waves

World War II Naval veteran recounts battles at sea

By BRET MOSS Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma

Outside the city of Marietta, Okla., lies the residence of U.S. Navy veteran Sylvester Alfred Wells, a man who has seen many important pieces of American naval history.

Wells, who is known as S.A. to most, boasts nine battle stars, each representing a naval battle in which he served his country during World War II in the Asiatic and Pacific arena.

Wells was born in 1925 near Marietta and attended Tahlequah Indian School from the first to sixth grade and then moved with his family because his stepfather worked on the railroad, which required relocation. They later moved back to Marietta in 1939.

Wells’ biological father was full-blood Choctaw, making him half Choctaw of which he is very proud.

On June 23, 1943, 17-year-old Wells enlisted in the Navy. “I went in on what they call a Minority Cruise in the Navy. You go in when you’re 17 and you get out when you’re 21,” he said. He went to boot camp in San Diego, and from there, went to torpedo school in Newport, R.I.

In a rather clever move, Wells chose to enlist in the Navy to avoid being drafted into the Army.

Upon completing his torpedo training, Wells was sent to Recife, Brazil, to a repair ship called the Melville. The Melville repaired a wide variety of naval equipment. It contained a machine shop that allowed for repairs to whatever was needed. “They could do just about anything and repairs for other ships,” recalls Wells.

After a year with the Melville, he travelled to Brooklyn, N.Y., where he boarded the Melvin, a Fletcher-class destroyer. This was the second ship of the U.S. Navy to be named after John T. Melvin.

“It was a new ship… we had to take it on a shakedown cruise,” said Wells. Shakedown cruise refers to a sort of trial run for the ship and crew. They would test the guns and other functions of the destroyer to make sure operations went smoothly and familiarize themselves with the workings of the ship, he explained.

The Melvin’s shakedown cruise took place in February of 1944, in Bermuda. After the shakedown, they traveled with the battleship Iowa through the Panama Canal to Pearl Harbor where Wells and the Melvin’s crew got their first assignment in the Marshall Islands.

This assignment was part of the United States’ efforts to take back ground on the Pacific front. The Melvin would go from island to island, fighting to relieve them of Japanese control. “Just about every engagement they had, we were in,” stated Wells.

For these engagements, Wells’ battle station was the portside depth charges on K-Guns. He would fire 300-pound canisters of TNT to certain depths in order to sink submerged submarines that opposed the American efforts.

Wells’ job was to set the depth at which the canister would explode to make the most efficient impact to the submarine. Each certain depth was calculated by sonar and then relayed to Wells as he competed his duty.

Wells was also charged with loading the canisters after they were fired. When it came time to reload, about three or four men would load the 300-pound cylinder that had an approximate two-foot diameter and three-foot length.

Other than manning the K-Guns and depth charge canisters, Wells was also assigned to do maintenance on torpedoes.

Over the course of his tour in the Pacific, Wells recalls engaging about six submarines. “In Saipan, we caught one on the surface and we were going to ram it,” declared Wells. This was not an unusual approach to sinking surfaced submarines at the time. The Melvin was equipped with a cutting bow, which was a large piece of steel designed to ram subs without hurting the ship.

The crew had fired a shot at the sub before attempting to ram it, and when they got to where the sub was, it had already submerged. Wells is unsure whether or not the shot made contact and sank it, or if the sub submerged to avoid the ship because it was in the blackness of night.

Among the most notable events in his travels, Wells took part in the largest naval battle in World War II and what is said to be the largest naval battle in history. “We escorted the 25th Army Division into Leyte Gulf for that invasion,” said Wells.

While in Leyte Gulf, the Melvin got an assist for sinking a Japanese battleship and destroyer and fired nine torpedoes, according to Wells. “They were firing at us and they were hitting all around, but they didn’t hit us,” mentioned Wells as he told of how the Japanese radar systems were sub par to its American counterpart at the time.

The crew of the Melvin also used a witty tactic to avoid shots from the enemy. The crew in the firing room would burn oil to create a large amount of smoke to construct the illusion that the ship was on fire, making the Japanese suspect they had disabled the vessel. This would also provide a smoke shield, making it hard for the Japanese to see the Allied Forces. “She [the enemy ship] thought we had been hit, but we were making smoke,” exclaimed Wells.

Wells and the Melvin were involved in numerous other World War II naval battles in the effort to win the Pacific for Allied Forces. Out of all these conflicts, “what scared me most out there was the weather,” stated Wells as he recalled how nature was sometimes a more menacing foe than the opposing force. Traveling through several typhoons and over the 7-mile-deep Mariana Trench, the deepest place on Earth, did not sit well with him. “I didn’t know it at the time and I’m glad I didn’t,” said Wells with a laugh.

During the patrols in the Pacific, the crew of the Melvin went 62 days without seeing land. At one point during the patrol, the aircraft carrier Saratoga lost a man overboard. Because of this, three destroyers containing about 900 men were sent back to rescue the fallen naval seaman.

Eventually the Melvin found the individual and rescued him safely. This was a dangerous task according to Wells. “There we were with searchlights and if there had been any submarines out there, they could have sunk us,” because they would have seen the searchlights, said Wells.

He traveled to Iwa Jima and Okinawa, and towards the end of the war, he was within 70 miles of Tokyo. They fired upon the enemy, but by that time they didn’t have enough resources to fight back. Not long after that, Japan surrendered on Sept. 2, 1945.

After Japan’s surrender the Melvin was ordered to patrol an area near Japan to clear out underwater minefields. The crew would cut the cables that the mines were anchored to, they would float to the top and then the crew would shoot them to make a huge explosion.

In February of 1946, Wells was discharged from the Navy in Norman. He went on to work in the oil field and did a variety of jobs there. He became very adept at repairing machinery and fixing various things. He traveled to the ends of the country working for the oilrigs and even worked on some offshore rigs.

Wells now resides in Marietta and has a wife and two daughters, Tanis and Leslie. He is proud to have served his country in its time of need and is humble about the great service he has given for every American citizen.

Three generations of veterans from the James family take part in the gourd dance at the pow wow during the Choctaw Nation Labor Day Festival. Patriarch Harry James of Talihina, center, his son, Michael James of Tahlequah, right, and grandson Chad Murphy, currently residing in Fort Carson, Colo., regularly participate in intertribal pow wow dancing, as do many of Harry’s grandchildren. Teaching his children and grandchildren tribal dances has always been very important to Harry.

For tribe and country, three generations deep in tradition

By LARISSA COPELAND Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma

“In Indian ways, as grandparents, you’re the teachers,” says Harry James of Talihina. “If you don’t teach them (the grandchildren), who will?”

A man of few words, Harry and his wife, Carol, of 54 years, have tried to pass on what they know of the tribal ways to their 12 children, 26 grandchildren and 26 great-grandchildren. This was done through their actions.

Harry Clyde James was born in 1927 near Talihina, the oldest child of Cleo Patrick Johnson James and Aaron James, both full-blooded Choctaws. Along with his seven brothers and sisters, he was raised on a farm in Talihina and attended school there.

“We were mostly self-sufficient on our farm, raising almost everything we ate,” he says.

During his school days, Harry was very active in sports. “I really like sports. We didn’t have a lot of students so we all had to play to have enough for the team. That’s what you do in a small school,” he says. “I played all the sports offered, football, basketball, baseball, and ran track.” Outside of school, Harry also spent time boxing at a local club.

At the age of 19, before his school days were over, Harry decided to enlist in the U.S. Army.

“Everybody in this part of the country is pretty patriotic,” he says, including his parents. “They let me do what I was supposed to do. If they didn’t feel it was right, I’m sure they wouldn’t have let me do it. I think Indians feel different about joining the service than others do.”

Harry went to Fort Bragg, N.C., for basic training. There he was asked if he spoke any foreign languages and he said he did. “English,” he says with a laugh, knowing it wasn’t the answer they were looking for, “Choctaw is my first language.”

Upon completion of basic training he was soon shipped overseas. As an infantryman assigned to the 11th Airborne, he served his country in World War II during an occupation mission of Hokkaido, one of the northern islands of Japan.

After the war, he entered the Army Reserves, returned to Talihina and reentered school graduating in 1949.

In 1950, Harry was again called back to active service with the Army, this time for the Korean War.

Uncomfortable speaking about his experiences during the wars, he says he felt lucky that he made it home uninjured. “I try to forget about all that,” he says.

He received two Battle Stars for his service during the wars.

Never one to try to sway his children or grandchildren’s decisions, his actions, his honorable service, has made a lasting influence on some of their choices on joining the military themselves.

Harry has several who followed his footsteps into service in the armed forces – son Michael served in the Marine Corps and son Thomas was in the U.S. Army. His grandchildren also continued the path with granddaughter Kristi Durant and grandson Chad Murphy both enlisting in the Army. Chad and his wife, Jeri, have both been deployed to Iraq, Chad twice and Jeri once. Chad is currently stationed at Fort Carson, Colo.

Harry said Chad called him from Iraq when he got his CIB (Combat Infantry Badge). “He was excited,” says Harry. “He wanted me to know.”

Growing up in the James household, Michael says his father’s service wasn’t much of a topic for discussion. “My dad didn’t talk much about the military when we were kids,” says Michael. “Sometimes he’d bring up the training, the way they were taught to think, but nothing about actual things that happened to him. He grew up in a different time, a time when they didn’t really talk about the things that they experienced. It’s worked for him though, to keep it in. When we were growing up and something happened, his saying was, ‘Shake it off. Tomorrow is a new day’.”

Though Harry was humble about his service, it is one of the reasons Michael decided to serve his country. “It’s because of my dad and my uncles,” he says. “Talihina’s got a lot of veterans. It’s a very patriotic area.”

Once, Harry told Michael about Joseph Oklahombi, one of the Choctaw Code Talkers, though Michael didn’t know that about Oklahombi at the time. “He compared him to Sgt. York. That’s all he said about it though.” (Note: At the Battle of Mont Blanc Ridge Oklahombi reportedly captured more men than York did during the Battle at Argonne Forest, both similar battles. Oklahombi was awarded the Silver Star for his actions; however, York was awarded the Medal of Honor.)

Michael, who today is a nurse at the W. W. Hastings Indian Hospital in Tahlequah, joined the Marine Corps in 1979. Since he was only 17 he needed a parent’s signature to enlist. Harry reluctantly signed the papers allowing him to join. Michael sensed that it troubled his dad that he was signing up but he never tried to talk him out of it, only offering advice. Michael remembers his dad telling him, “Nobody wins in war.” Harry took the day off of work when Michael shipped off for his training.

After attending boot camp in San Diego, he was stationed at Camp Pendleton where he worked in the communications field and completed two extended overseas training missions. His first deployment was to Japan and the Philippines, conducting numerous training missions on different islands, at one point spending over 30 days on a small Filipino island. His second trip over focused on helicopter operations in Japan, and he also spent time in Korea.

“I learned a lot from those trips, about how people are around the world,” says Michael.

Michael returned back to Oklahoma and he began nursing school after receiving an honorable discharge from the Marine Corps in 1983.

Though military service throughout family lineages isn’t too uncommon, the James family stands out for many other reasons as well. Three generations deep in the armed forces, the family is also steeped in the traditions and culture of their tribes. “As Indians, we do a lot of things out of respect,” says Michael. “I learned a lot about respect from dancing; my parents made sure of that.”

“I started war dancing in 1957 at a pow wow in Binger, Okla.,” says Harry. “Carol was dancing long before that though.”

According to Carol, being raised among many different tribes, immersed in the cultures, is where she found her love of dancing. “I grew up with the dancing,” she says, “the culture, just learning it. I’m still learning. You never stop.”

Together, Harry and Carol raised their children engaged in the tribal dance cultures, taking them to pow wows, and continuing the tradition with their grandchildren. As a family, they attended and danced at pow wows and social gatherings.

“Carol and I always took our kids with us everywhere we went,” including pow wows and Choctaw social gatherings, says Harry. “That’s how they learned, they just got out there and danced. Now, we take our grandchildren when we can.”

Along with intertribal dancing at pow wows, Harry and Carol also took their family to meet with other families in Talihina as part of the Indian Club for Choctaw social dancing and other traditionally native activities. “I remember my older friends playing games of stickball with the other kids, too,” says Michael.

This is something Michael is grateful for. “I’m glad mom and dad recognized how important our culture is and that we needed to participate in it and know it,” says Michael. “We were always around the dancing.”

It was at a pow wow in Talihina where Harry began gourd dancing. Gourd dancing is believed to have been started by the Kiowa tribe and revived in Carnegie, Okla., in the mid-1950s.

During the gourd dances, they sing and dance, usually holding in one hand a fan of feathers, in the other a gourd rattle, usually a metal can or salt shaker rattle.

“It’s very spiritual,” says Michael. “Like a prayer in movement, the positive vibration, the drumming. It’s like singing a hymn in church. I feel a connection to earth and sky, like it’s all interwoven during the gourd dancing.”

Michael says his dad has no pain when he dances.

Both Harry and Michael have been asked to be the head gourd dancer at the Choctaw Nation Labor Day pow wow, with Michael performing the duty this year. “I was very honored to get to be the head gourd dancer at the pow wow,” says Michael. “It’s like we came full circle with my dad being able to be there after he’d been the head dancer before. It was awesome to be able to have my nephew, Chad, there too,” who, with his family, was visiting Oklahoma while on leave from the military.

Speaking on his nephew, Michael says he’s a lot like Harry. “He’s an impressive young man,” he says. “His mannerisms are like my dad’s.”

Chad’s young daughters also took part in the pow wow dancing.

With the children grown and not being one to keep still for long, Harry has stayed busy over the years working in the art and trade of silversmithing. Harry retired from the Choctaw Nation Health Care Center in Talihina in 1982 after 28 years, with 33 years total in civil service. In 1980, knowing his retirement was soon approaching, Harry sought out a skilled hobby to keep him busy during his retirement. He was taught to be a silversmith by fellow Choctaw silversmith Jerry Lowman. “He’s been at it ever since,” says Carol.

What started as a hobby has turned into a small side business. Harry sells his jewelry pieces at art shows, fairs, festivals and pow wows. He focuses on jewelry and often incorporates symbols of Choctaw culture.

The Choctaw social dancing still has a place at the James’ family get-togethers during the holidays. Michael usually plays the role of Santa Claus at the family Christmas gathering, much to the delight of the children and leads some of the social dances. “He comes in and does a war dance,” says Carol. “The kids just love it.”

“It’s good to see that it’s moving forward with this generation too,” says Michael. “Our parents taught us that our culture, like anything good, will endure.”

News from the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma

For more information please contact: 580-924-8280 ext. 2249 PO Box 1210 Durant, OK 74701

Nov. 12, 2011

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Chickasaw and Choctaw Nations file amended water complaint

In the Chickasaw and Choctaw Nations’ ongoing effort to protect regional water resources and tribal rights, lawyers for the tribes have filed an amended complaint in the Sardis Lake lawsuit proceeding before Judge West in federal court. Lawyers for the Nations said the amended complaint was necessary to address a request by defendants to delay negotiations and set aside the federal court lawsuit so that they could file a separate action in state court.

Tribal attorneys assert that the federal court already has jurisdiction over the issues and a separate state court action would serve only to delay resolution.

“Judge West, pretty wisely, made clear last week that he sees the negotiating table as the parties’ best path to resolution. We agree and have said that for years,” said Mike Burrage, attorney for the Chickasaw and Choctaw Nations. “We believe this request would only complicate the process unproductively since the federal court has jurisdiction over these questions already. We think further delay would be a mistake, So we filed an amended complaint to clarify our position on that point and the main issues.”

The amendment underscores the inherent federal nature of the issues to be resolved.

According to tribal attorneys, federal courts alone are responsible for the interpretation of treaties between the federal government and Indian nations which serve as the basis for the tribal claims.

Tribal attorneys also assert that a portion of the Atoka pipeline was constructed in trespass of tribal trust lands, though the Nations have made no claim that would require the shutting down or otherwise change ownership of that pipeline.

“We are committed to resolving the matters already before the court. We’re looking for a resolution that works for all of us,” said Burrage. “But we are also committed to taking the actions necessary to protect our right to work it out in federal court.”

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Students earning a Choctaw Language minor are, in no particular order, Kandace Folsom, Nicholas Charleston, Justin Fite, Kristin Pate, Anjanette Williston and Caleb Taylor. They are being congratulated by Chief Gregory E. Pyle (far left), School of Choctaw Language Director Jim Parrish (second from left) and Assistant Chief Gary Batton (far right).

Students first to complete Choctaw Language and Culture minor at SE

By CHRISSY DILL Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma

In collaboration with the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma, Southeastern Oklahoma State University’s English, Humanities and Languages Department offers a minor in Choctaw Language and Culture and recently produced its first six students to officially hold the minor.

To receive a minor in the Choctaw language at SE, the student is required to obtain 18 hours. Choctaw language courses offered include Choctaw Language and Culture 1, 2, 3 and 4, Intermediate Conversational Choctaw and Advanced Conversational Choctaw.

The following students, who earned their undergraduate degrees prior to earning their Choctaw minor, are the first to receive recognition for successfully completing the Choctaw Language and Culture minor at SE. They completed 18-21 hours in Choctaw courses to meet the minor requirements and were approved by the English, Humanities and Languages Department: Nicholas Charleston, Justin Fite, Kandace Folsom, Kristin Pate, Caleb Taylor and Anjanette Williston.

“Since these students had already received their bachelor’s degrees, Southeastern recognized their completion of the Choctaw Language and Culture minor with a notation on their transcript during this fall semester,” said Kristie Luke, Associate Dean for Admissions and Records/Registrar at SE.

“The minor became available fall 2011,” said SE Native American Center for Student Success Director Chris Wesberry. “Southeastern is the only university right now that Choctaw Nation has an agreement with for the minor,” he added.

“As Language Director, I look forward to future students receiving their minor,” said School of Choctaw Language Director Jim Parrish. “This partnership with SE helps us to prepare teachers to teach in the Choctaw Language School.”

The Choctaw Nation Language Department offers language classes over the Internet as well and will continue to expand those classes to meet the needs of those who are interested in enrolling, according to Choctaw Nation’s website. In addition to learning how to read and write the native language, students will also learn about the history and culture of the tribe through the classes.

The School of Choctaw Language encourages anyone who is interested in learning more about the Choctaw language and culture to visit choctawschool.com, where lessons are available, according to Parrish. “All words and phrases have audio, which is spoken by a first-language speaker.”

Distance learning through One-Net is now in approximately 40 high schools within the Choctaw Nation and in three colleges, Carl Albert Jr. College, East Central University and Eastern Oklahoma State College. In addition to courses at SE, the program is also being taught in 40 different community classes in various locations in Oklahoma, Texas, Kansas and California as well as 14 head starts.

If you are a student and interested in earning a minor in Choctaw Language and Culture at SE, contact Chris Wesberry at 580-745-2376 or email at cwesberry@se.edu.

Shannon McDaniel, executive director of Tribal Management, and Randy Hammons, executive director of Outreach Services, display the food available from the Thanksgiving food vouchers distributed by the Choctaw Nation to needy Choctaw families. Christmas food vouchers will be distributed next month as well.

Choctaw Nation distributes more than 3,000 food vouchers to needy Choctaws

By LARISSA COPELAND Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma

Choctaw Nation Outreach Services gave out 3,021 food vouchers this month ensuring no Choctaw family goes without a warm meal for Thanksgiving. The vouchers, which were made available to needy Choctaw families in the 10-½ county service area, included a turkey, two cans each of corn and green beans, a can of yams, cranberry sauce, a box of tea bags, a bag of sugar, dinner rolls and a 10-inch frozen pie.

“Our first year, we handed out about four food baskets,” says Betty Jackson from the Choctaw Nation Outreach Services Program, “and it has evolved to where it is today. We began this program about eight years ago after hearing tribal members say the meal they ate at the Choctaw Nation Thanksgiving dinners would be the only one they had for the holiday.”

To receive a voucher for the food, tribal members completed an application that included income verification. The vouchers were made available for pick-up at their local Choctaw Nation Community Center and could be redeemed at certain local grocery stores. Outreach Services employees went shopping for and made deliveries to those who were homebound and unable to pick up their food.

Those receiving a Thanksgiving voucher are automatically qualified for the Christmas vouchers that will be distributed in early December. It’s not too late to apply for a Christmas voucher, however. The deadline to apply is Dec. 2 and applications can be picked up at the Choctaw Nation complex in Durant or at any Choctaw Nation Community Center.

Choctaw Nation’s Recycling Center staff shows off the awards won for the tribe’s environmental preservation efforts. The staff includes, back row from left, Lance Clinton, Justin Tillery, Terry Garner, Chris Stover, and kneeling, Cyndi Houser, Tamera Couch and Tracy Horst.

Choctaw Nation wins multiple awards for environmental preservation efforts

By BRET MOSS Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma

In an effort to protect the land and environment dear to its heart, the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma (CNO) has taken tremendous strides to increase the amount of recycling occurring in Southeastern Oklahoma.

As a result of these actions, the staff of the recycling center has recently been awarded three notable awards, two by Keep Oklahoma Beautiful, a statewide nonprofit organization dedicated to environmental improvement.

At the 21st annual Environmental Excellence Awards Celebration held on Nov. 10, in Oklahoma City, CNO won in the state/tribal category of environmental excellence, which granted consideration for the “Best of the Environmentally Best” award, which CNO also took home.

On a separate occasion, CNO also was awarded the Recycling Government of the Year at the America Recycles Day event held in Tulsa on Nov. 15, 2011.

These awards are the first awards that CNO recycling has won. According to Director of Project Management, Tracy Horst, the credit for winning these awards can be attributed to the new recycling facility located near the Choctaw Casino and Resort in Durant.

December 2011 marks the first full year of operation for the new recycling facility. The facility and the functions within are the only one of its kind in the Southeastern Oklahoma area.

The large facility boasts the ability to recycle large amounts of paper, plastics, cardboard, and even electronics. It will soon be able to process styrofoam, making it one of only two known facilities in the state that has that capability.

The recycling facility came about by efforts from the Going Green Team, who was inspired to help the environment on a larger scale. They teamed up with the Grants Department, and in 2009 were awarded an Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant (EECBG), which pays for the facility as well as many other recycling activities and events.

This recycling initiative employs five personnel; three driver/collectors, Terry Garner, Chris Stover and Justin Tillery; one administrative assistant, Tamera Couch, who also does occasional driving and collecting; and coordinator, Cyndi Houser.

The drivers/collectors duties are to travel across the 10.5 counties of the Choctaw Nation to replace the receptacles, called “roll offs.” When one gets full, they will be called and take an empty one to replace it, and in turn, take the full roll off back to the facility where the contents are emptied and sorted. The facility sees about 1.5 full roll offs each day on average.

Once the material is sorted, it is placed in one of two bailers and compacted into squares, each weighing anywhere from 700 pounds to just a little over a half ton, stacked on pallets and made ready to be transported to other facilities that purchase them and use the material to make other usable products.

Horst explains that much of the paper products will be shipped to paper mills and reformed into a downgraded version of its original state. She went on to say that once a paper product goes through this process, it loses some of its durability, and thus cannot be reformed back into the same object, but is still valuable in other forms.

Getting the most out of a resource is a top priority because what is reused not only subtracts from waste, but also offsets the usage of new resources, therefore postponing the need to gather fresh supply.

The environment is not the only beneficiary of these actions; the bottom line is also reaping the benefits as well. Horst makes mention that businesses, namely the Casino and Resort in Durant, save money on their trash bill by recycling a large portion of their waste. Since the volume of disposed matter is subtracted from the dumpsters at no cost, it leaves more room for non-recyclable materials.

Horst, who is responsible for communicating with city governments and other entities, as well as grant regulation and personnel, is making a strong effort to encourage this type of relationship with businesses and recycling.

She has used her knowledge to help the cities of Wilburton and McAlester begin a similar program, and also has teamed up with the City of Durant to maximize the amount of recycling in the area.

Over time, she hopes to have many more roll offs at various Choctaw locations and she is also pushing for other businesses to join the effort as well. “If they have a place where they can keep it [recyclables] separate from the trash dumpster, we can go around once or twice a week and pick up their cardboard or shredded paper,” said Horst as she spoke of the mutually beneficial relationship between business and recycling.

The practices and facility that won the recent awards are fairly new and only in the first stages. At the current time, Durant is the only hub of the operation and where most of the action takes place, but it is the hope of the staff that this initiative spreads to other locations across Choctaw Nation.

In the short time between March and June, the number of roll offs have increased from three to 26, and numerous new and creative ways have been employed to help recycle since 2009.

Crayon recycling is a prime example of the innovation to this endeavor. At Choctaw head starts, large cylinders have been decorated like giant crayons and used as receptacles for which children dispose used crayons. These small pieces are then used to create new crayons without using fresh resources.

The recycling crew has also teamed up with the Choctaw Nation Outreach Program to help with annual toy and coat drives, which help usable items stay in homes and out of landfills.

The recognition for the many efforts CNO is making, along with the recent awards is just a sidebar to the real results of the actions. The environment that the people of the Choctaw Nation care so deeply for is being preserved and protected through this initiative. The Choctaw Nation is, and plans to continue “Making Southeastern Oklahoma cleaner and greener,” the motto of the recycling effort.

Choctaw Nation donates $1 million to Dean McGee Eye Institute

Dean McGee Eye Institute Ophthalmologists and Choctaw Nation celebrate 10-year partnership

Oklahoma City – The Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma has contributed $1 million to the Dean McGee Eye Institute Capital Campaign, putting the Institute within $2 million of its $46 million campaign goal. The capital campaign has provided funds for completion of the new, five-story, 78,000-square-foot, world-class research and clinical facility that was dedicated on September 30 and for renovation of the existing 70,000-square-foot building constructed in 1975.

“We are extremely grateful to the Choctaw Nation for this very generous gift. Our ophthalmologists, led by Dr. Stephen Fransen, have enjoyed a long and meaningful relationship with Choctaw leaders since 2001 in working together to preserve vision for the Choctaw people through the Diabetic Retinopathy Outreach Program clinic in Talihina,” said Dr. Gregory Skuta, President and CEO of the Dean McGee Eye Institute and Edward L. Gaylord Professor and Chair of the OU College of Medicine’s Department of Ophthalmology. “This gift helps to expand our clinical and research capabilities in treating and preventing vision loss from diabetes and other disorders in the hundreds of tribal members who visit our doctors both in Oklahoma City and in Talihina.”

Dr. Fransen and other Dean McGee Eye Institute ophthalmologists have treated over 3,000 tribal members at the two clinics, performing nearly 600 retinal laser procedures in the Talihina clinic alone.

“Encouraging American Indians to seek vision care is a major health goal of the Choctaw Nation, especially considering the high risk of diabetic retinopathy in this population,” said Chief Gregory E. Pyle of the Choctaw Nation. “The Dean McGee Eye Institute has proactively dedicated itself to working with us to help diagnose and treat retinal problems earlier in the disease process and thereby achieve better outcomes.”

The newly-expanded Dean McGee Eye Institute facility, which adjoins the original facility, doubles the space for research laboratories, expands clinical capacity by 40 percent, and consolidates all of the clinical care, vision research, teaching, and administrative functions into one location.

The Institute’s clinical and surgical teams provide more than 150,000 patient visits (both adult and children) in addition to 7,000 surgical procedures each year. Dean McGee Eye Institute physicians and scientists are internationally respected and hold numerous leadership positions in major professional and scientific organizations. The residency and fellowship training programs at the Institute, which are affiliated with the University of Oklahoma College of Medicine’s Department of Ophthalmology, are highly competitive and attract top candidates from throughout the country.

About Dean McGee Eye Institute

The Dean McGee Eye Institute is one of the largest and most respected eye institutes in the United States and houses the Department of Ophthalmology for the University of Oklahoma College of Medicine. Its research and training programs are among the most highly regarded in the country. More than half of the Institute’s ophthalmologists are listed in The Best Doctors in America; its Director of Vision Research is a Past President of the International Society for Eye Research; two members of the faculty are recent or current directors of the American Board of Ophthalmology; two serve on the Board of Trustees of the American Academy of Ophthalmology; and one recently served as president of the American Glaucoma Society.

About Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma

The Choctaw Nation is the third largest tribe in the United States, governed under the leadership of Chief Gregory E. Pyle since 1997. Under the constitution of 1983, the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma is a three-branch government – legislative, judicial and executive. Making up the 10 ½ counties of the southeast corner of the state, the Capitol of the tribe is at Tushka Homma, located in Pushmataha County, where the tribal council makes legislative decisions and the judicial branch holds court.
The administrative headquarters are in Durant (Bryan County), and 17 community centers scattered in the various counties house field offices for the many programs and services so that the tribal members are served with convenience. A new hospital and clinics have been constructed over the past several years, and 5,000 new jobs have been created since 1997 through economic and program development.

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CONTACT INFORMATION: Jones Academy Administration: (888)767-2518 (918)297-2518 Jones Academy Agriculture: (918)297-7373

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ELIGIBILITY:

This show is open to all 4-H and FFA members who are 9 to 19 years of age at the time of the show and have a Certificate Degree of Indian Blood (CDIB). There are NO Boundary Guidelines again this year, so participants DO NOT have to live or go to school within the 10.5 counties of the Choctaw Nation.

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TULSA – The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Tulsa District and the Choctaw and Chickasaw Nations recently entered into an agreement to develop the first phase of Choctaw and Chickasaw Nations Regional Water Plan.

This science-based regional water plan will assess the water resources of the Nations’ treaty territory, an area that roughly covers the 22 counties of southeastern and south central Oklahoma.

The plan is designed to develop strategies for the sustainable management of the region’s water resources by considering current and future water needs as well as the condition and adequacy of infrastructure throughout the region.

The $180,000 cost of the study is federally authorized through the Planning Assistance to States and Tribes program and will be shared equally between the Corps of Engineers and the two Nations.

“We are proud to partner for the first time with the Chickasaw and Choctaw Nations,” said Col. Michael Teague, Tulsa District commander. “Our goals of environmental stewardship and sustainability are very closely aligned and we look forward to a continued partnership.”

The first phase of the study will focus on developing methods to evaluate in-stream flows and infrastructure.

A panel of scientists selected by the Nations natural resources committee from federal agencies, academia and other highly qualified individuals will conduct the study of in-stream flow.

“It is envisioned that the recommended methodology will be used to establish minimum stream flow levels necessary for highly valued water supply and hydropower,” said Cynthia Kitchens, tribal liaison and project manager for the Corps of Engineers. “But just as important, these flows will help sustain natural resources, cultural, and recreational needs that are also extremely important to the Nations and the region for economic as well as other reasons.”

The infrastructure assessment methodology will be developed to determine data gathering procedures that will help regionalize and prioritize improvements to aging infrastructures.

“This can be challenging when you consider gathering data from tribes, municipalities, counties, rural water districts, and others who employ a multitude of consultants,” Kitchens said. “This phase of the study will identify how to gather data and what data should be obtained. The results will have broad reaching impacts within the region and the Nations.”

The first phase of the study is expected to be completed in summer 2012.

Charlie Tyree, right, manager of the Durant/Choctaw Casino KOA, is congratulated on his top service scores by Dr. Kevin Freiberg, one of the nation’s top customer service experts. Freiberg was a speaker at the KOA International Convention in November in Las Vegas.

Durant Choctaw Casino KOA receives top service scores

The Choctaw Casino KOA Campground in Durant was recently recognized for receiving the top customer service scores in the 488-park Kampgrounds of America system in North America.

The Choctaw Casino KOA, owned and operated by the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma, is managed by Charlie Tyree.

Tyree was recognized as receiving one of the top three customer service scores in the KOA system during the annual Kampgrounds of America International Convention last month in Las Vegas, Nev.

Each year, more than 200,000 KOA campers provide extensive feedback surveys regarding their stays at each KOA campground. Those scores provide the basis for KOA’s annual President’s and Founder’s Awards. The Choctaw Casino KOA received both of those honors for its performance in 2011.

Kampgrounds of America, founded on the banks of the Yellowstone River in Billings, Montana in 1962, is now the world’s largest system of open-to-the-public family campgrounds. KOA has 475 locations in the United States and Canada.

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Last week, Congressman Dan Boren secured language in the Omnibus Appropriations bill that would reinstate Jones Academy, a Choctaw Nation school in Hartshorne, Oklahoma, to the Bureau of Indian Education (BIA) school system. This change will mean that Jones Academy is eligible for more federal funding. The bill passed the House by a bipartisan vote of 296 to 121.

In 1953, during a period of Tribal termination, many Native American schools, including Jones Academy, were removed from the Bureau of Indian Education school system. H.R. 2055 would allow the school to once again be a part of the BIE system, and receive the support this designation affords.

“Restoring Jones Academy to the BIA has been a priority of mine,” said Boren. “In the 1950s, our government instituted a program terminating tribes. It was repealed in 1970, but a consequence that still lingers today is the removal of Jones Academy from the Bureau of Indian Education. Allowing this school to again be a part of this program is an important step in keeping the promises we have made as a nation to our tribes”

“It is imperative to support Native American education,” continued Boren. “Tribal students have a dropout rate higher than any other racial or ethnic group in America. As a result, many of their languages and cultural traditions are beginning to disappear. Schools like Jones Academy, which teach tribal languages and craftsmanship, are working to reverse this trend.”

“Reinstating the Academic Program at Jones Academy will ensure that our students receive a complete academic education in a culturally rich setting,” said Choctaw Nation Chief Gregory E. Pyle.

Established in 1891 by the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma, the school is located on a 540 acre campus five miles northeast of Hartshorne, In the past, the school has enrolled students from 29 different tribes. Students come from parts of Oklahoma, Texas, Mississippi, New Mexico, Nevada, South Dakota, and several other states. Each student is a member of a federally recognized Indian tribe.

Choctaw Nation to host E-Waste collection events

The Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma will be hosting two electronic waste (e-waste) collections this January in an effort to reduce the amount of reusable raw materials placed in landfills.

The first collection will be from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 14, at the Choctaw Nation Recycling Center, located at 3408 Wes Watkins Blvd. in Durant (north of the Choctaw Casino and Resort, off Enterprise Drive).

The second will be at the Choctaw Village Shopping Center at 1421 SE Washington in Idabel from 9 a.m. through 1 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 21.

Each collection will allow those seeking to dispose of electronic waste to do so in an environmentally safe fashion. E-Waste is the most rapidly growing segment of the municipal waste stream. It is produced when electronic products from homes, schools, and businesses become obsolete or no longer functional and need to be discarded.

E-Waste contains many valuable, recoverable resources such as aluminum, copper, gold, silver, plastics and ferrous metals, all of which require considerable energy to process and manufacture. Recycling old, unwanted electronics conserves natural resources, helps to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and pollution, and saves energy and raw material resources. Recycling also prevents the toxic chemicals found in electronic components (mercury, lead, cadmium, beryllium and chromium) from leaching into our soil when land filled.

In observance with these facts, the Choctaw Nation encourages everyone to take part in this environmentally conscious effort. “We are certainly happy to provide an opportunity for people to dispose of this type of waste. It is important that we not only advocate going green, but also facilitate the necessary actions to make a real difference, and that is what we are doing here,” said Chief Gregory E. Pyle.

Acceptable items for recycling include computers, laptops, fax machines, washers, dryers, gaming equipment, cell phones, hard drives ($20 fee to wipe memory), television sets, fitness equipment, auto batteries and anything else that runs on electricity.

To put things in perspective, Choctaw Nation Recycling would like everyone to remember that, “Recycling one million laptops saves the energy equivalent to the electricity used by 3,657 homes in the United States in a year. For every one million cell phones recycled 35,274 pounds of copper, 772 of silver, 75 of gold, and 33 of palladium can be recovered.”

For any questions about the E-Waste Collections, call 580.775.4231, or email thorst@choctawnation.com.

Adult Education program creating better opportunities for tribal members

By CHRISSY DILL Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma

The Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma is home to over 6,000 employees whose goal is to provide Choctaw members with helpful programs and departments that work to meet their various needs. The Adult Education program gives members the opportunity to further their education by earning their GED credentials.

The purpose of the Adult Education program is to improve educational and employment opportunities to any adult that possesses a CDIB card. “The program provides an opportunity for those adults who did not complete high school to acquire the basic educational and/or learning skills for functioning effectively in today’s changing world,” explained Adult Education Director Neal Hawkins.

The program began in 1993 when Joy Culbreath was asked by the Choctaw Nation to help build an adult education program, according to Hawkins. “She began the program as its only employee, doing everything from teaching GED classes to doing clerical work,” he said.

Since then, the program has gained more valuable help, now having three full-time employees and three part-time employees.

With the beneficial work these employees provide, Adult Education has gained much success throughout the years. “Since Chief Pyle took office in 1997, we have had over 1,000 students attain their GED diplomas through our program,” said Hawkins. “In the last three years, we have averaged between 140 to 150 students each year earn their GED credentials.”

According to Hawkins, GED classes are currently offered in Durant year-round and classes are offered every 13 weeks, alternated between McAlester, Poteau, Stigler, Wilburton, Hugo and Broken Bow; these classes are taught by Vicky Alford, Beth Lawless and Charles Thompson.

“We also have our Distance Learning classes taught by Martha Childs, which repeat every nine weeks at six of our community centers,” continued Hawkins. These centers include Atoka, Coalgate, Talihina, Smithville, Bethel and Wright City.

The Adult Education program received recognition two years ago for becoming the official GED test site for Bryan and Atoka counties. “This allows us to test our students immediately after concluding GED classes,” said Hawkins, explaining that, in the past, students would on occasion have to wait a month or two before they were able to find a test site that would be able to administer the GED test.

Now, Hawkins and his employees are allowed by the State Department of Education Lifelong Learning Program to travel throughout the Choctaw Nation and administer the test at several Choctaw Nation community centers and at the Eastern Oklahoma State College McAlester campus.

It is Hawkins responsibility as director to provide guidance to employees when questions or problems present themselves. He also performs clerical work, scheduling of tests, advertises upcoming classes, as well as many other jobs.

Hawkins acknowledged his employees as the motivation and real hard work behind the program. “The real contributions are made by the teachers that work day-to-day, teaching the students and providing counseling and tutoring to the students when needed,” said Hawkins.

“The teachers are the employees that make the program a success,” Hawkins continued. “If it wasn’t for their desire and care to see the students succeed, the program wouldn’t be what it is today.”

The Adult Education program has brought the Choctaw community opportunity to grow and excel even more than it already has and provides tribal members the chance to become more successful in their professional career. “When our students achieve their educational goals, they become more successful in acquiring better jobs and promotions, which enables them to increase their personal incomes, improving the lives of those students and their families,” said Hawkins. “Hopefully the children and other family members will realize the importance of an education and become role models for future generations.

“If our department can improve the life on one family, then we have been successful,” said Hawkins, “but if we can improve the lives of 140 to 150 students each year, then those families can make the Choctaw Nation a place where hope, pride and success are an everyday occurrence.”

If you are interested in enrolling in GED classes, you may contact Neal Hawkins at 580-924-8280, ext. 2319, or Kathy Springfield at ext. 2122.

Carmen holds her dessert of the day, brownies made with black beans. By rinsing and pureeing the beans, their taste is disguised while their benefits for helping maintain healthy blood sugar remain in full. She also prepared pot roast and biscuits containing sweet potatoes, creating a full meal with a short preparation time of only 45 minutes.

What’s Cookin’ with Carmen?

By BRET MOSS Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma

The Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma (CNO) Food Distribution has made many efforts in recent years to improve the health of its members and employees. From cooking videos and health brochures, to health fairs and 5k runs, CNO is highly invested in the well being of its people.

One of the most effective assets CNO has in this initiative is a highly energetic woman with a love for her profession named Carmen Robertson, who is most known for her work doing an event at the four food distribution centers around the Choctaw Nation called Cooking with Carmen.

Cooking with Carmen is a four-hour educational event, occurring from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., eight times each month, twice at each distribution center. There are distribution centers in Antlers, Durant, McAlester and Poteau.

At these events, Carmen will take a common recipe she has modified to include healthy alternatives to substitute for some of the unhealthy original ingredients and demonstrate how to prepare it to perfection. She will sometimes even cook her original recipes she has concocted with creativity and experimentation.

She always cooks a full meal, including side dishes and desserts. All the meals have low/no sugar content and are fat free. She uses recipes likely to expand the palette of those attending without using hard to find or expensive ingredients.

By showing her audience, which usually consists of about 30 or 40 people, how to prepare the common commodities they already have in a healthy way, she hopes to make eating healthy an everyday occurrence for the Choctaw people.

When developing and preparing meals at her cooking events, Carmen sticks to three main points. She wants all meals to be quick, easy and inexpensive. She believes if she sticks to these criteria, people will be more apt to attempt these recipes on their own.

Carmen believes just teaching healthy cooking and eating habits is not enough. “A lot of them will not try a recipe if they haven’t tasted it. So I have been trying to introduce different types of food and ways to prepare it,” said Carmen as she explained the importance of tasting a new recipe.

While she is cooking, she is also taking questions from the audience and educating them on the nutritional aspects and the effects different foods have on the body. It has become common for her to take mailing and email addresses so she can modify recipes by request.

Three of the four distribution centers are equipped with a full kitchen allowing her to simulate a common setting for the average audience member. The ingredients and utensils used on the set are those most familiar to the largest portion of the audience.

Carmen not only teaches at the Cooking with Carmen events, but plays a role in the Cooking with Council videos produced by the Lifetime Legacy staff, the Going Lean Team, health events at the wellness centers and after-school specials.

She deems working with the kids at the schools and the younger generation of the utmost importance. She knows if she can spark healthy lifestyles in them, those ways will be instilled for a lifetime and hopefully passed on to generations to come.

“In order to stop the childhood obesity, we’ve got to hit these young mothers, and that’s what I’m trying to do,” said Carmen as she explained how health issues in children are a serious problem she would like to see subside in the near future. By teaching young parents to prepare foods with a knowledge of the effects each dish has on a person, particularly the children, she hopes to stop bad habits before they even begin.

Carmen is not only equipped with the knowledge of recipes and nutrition, her expertise is reinforced with experience. She grew up in the small town of Opal, Wyo. with a large family. She mentioned the winter the snow would make it hard for people to get groceries and they would have just one bag for a long period of time.

She and her family would make bread and other dishes from scratch, can food and grow produce. At her young age, she learned how to create meals with various ingredients and be creative with her combinations.

She graduated from Kimmerer High School in 1989 and moved to Oklahoma in 1999. She worked as a phlebotomist, drawing blood and working in a lab when she first arrived. She eventually went to work for the OSU Extension Office in Atoka. “We would go into the homes and I would teach low income families basic nutrition and different life skills,” said Carmen as she explained her beginnings in the art of food demonstration.

Many of the commodities she used to cook came from the CNO distribution center, which is how she got her connection to Lisa Mullens, director of Choctaw Nation Food Distribution. After 3.5 years with OSU, Lisa offered Carmen the job, and she began her work in 2007.

While she worked at the OSU office, Carmen struggled with a weight issue herself, weighing 325 pounds. As she taught people how to prepare nutritional meals, she made a commitment to practice what she preached, and in 15 months, she had lost 150 pounds.

She is sure this aspect of her life has helped her encourage, relate to, and better teach others about healthy choices. “It’s hard for somebody who has a weight issue to listen to somebody that never has… but when people know that I have been there, and done it, they want to know how I did it,” Carmen exclaimed.

Carmen has also recently earned her bachelor’s degree in Science, Nutrition and Dietetics from Kaplan University. What she learned through life experiences and her collegiate education combined with her general love for cooking and creativity in the kitchen make her well qualified to give health advice to anyone seeking a healthier way of life.

She teaches many things to those around her, one of which is the 28-Day Rule. It has been proven that a person can break a bad habit or create a new one after 28 consecutive days of committing an action. Carmen gives an example, saying if you ride your bike every day for 28 days in a row, it will become habit and therefore make it easier to ride daily.

The act of “eat less, more often,” she deems most important of all her advice. If you consume a small amount of calories on a usual basis, you keep your metabolism working regularly while keeping the over-eating and splurging at bay. She keeps a small amount of food on hand wherever she is to practice this act.

She also teaches that everyone eats with their eyes first. If food is made more appealing to the eyes, it is more likely the viewer will desire it. This is particularly true for children. This is something she practices with her 10-year-old daughter, Jeannie. The two will cook healthy dinners using different foods in creative and colorful designs to make healthy eating fun.

The act of eating in proportion to one’s activities for the day is also something she stresses. Carmen and Jeannie are regulars at a tae kwon do gym in Atoka. Carmen eats more whole grain carbohydrates for energy if she knows they will be doing a highly strenuous activity along with protein after, but a lighter meal if the exercise is of a lower difficulty.

Since finishing her education, Carmen now has more time to share her skills in the kitchen and plans to finish a cookbook, which is already under way, as well as increase her involvement in the education of healthy living. It is her hope to spread her knowledge and love of healthy lifestyles to not just Choctaw members, but to everyone she meets.

Complete Information to conference

The Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma will be hosting the 11th Annual “To Bridge A Gap” Conference, in collaboration with the National Forest Service.

This conference is designed to strengthen Government-to-Government relationships between federal/state agencies, and federally-recognized Tribes with interests in our Forests. The Forest Service and Tribal Governments have a desire and obligation to establish Government-to-Government relationships where there are mutual interests in managing the cultural and natural resources of the Forests. In November of 2009, President Obama issued a White House Memorandum on Tribal Relations.

The To Bridge A Gap Conference is a wonderful opportunity to discuss tribal relations and cultural preservation issues, and participate with others whom are dedicated to improving this relationship.

The Choctaw Nation SWAT team in front of the new Public Safety office before another intense day of training.

To better protect and serve: Choctaw Nation Public Safety gets upgrades in the new year

By BRET MOSS Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma

Great strides have recently been made for the Choctaw Nation Public Safety Department. With new equipment, facilities and access to quicker information, Public Safety is better prepared than ever to serve and protect the people of the Choctaw Nation.

To kick off 2012, the administration of the Public Safety moved into the former Durant Head Start building, which has been renovated to make excellent office space for those housed at the Tribal Headquarters.

“We are extremely excited,” declared Executive Director of Public Safety John Hobbs, whose office is in the new facility. The older space was cramped with not enough storage space, but now “we can feel comfortable and not have to share desks,” he continued.

The new offices are not the only aspect adding excitement to the new year, Tribal Police now have access to the Oklahoma Law Enforcement Telecommunication System (OLETS). This is a system that has, until now, been predominantly available to state agencies.

OLETS will allow officers to contact Choctaw Nation 24-hour dispatch who can quickly check information on vehicle tags, drivers licenses, warrants, check for stolen items and criminal histories, along with many facts that will be helpful to officers in the field.

“In the past, we had to rely on the local law enforcement agencies,” stated Hobbs as he recalled the process prior to OLETS. The Choctaw officers would have to dial the local dispatch via cell phone and have them search the OLETS data, putting extra work on the local law enforcement, and adding time to traffic stops.

With the system in place, the Choctaw Police can be reliant on the Choctaw dispatch, giving them more speed and safety in situations, as well as relieving the local dispatch from extra duties.

Choctaw Public Safety Dispatch has 12 certified operators who are the only personnel who may access OLETS. They are housed in the Casino and Resort in Durant and are supervised by the Choctaw Nation Security division of the Public Safety Department led by Scott Harper.

With OLETS access in place, Hobbs and the rest of Public Safety have now set their sights on a radio system for officers out of range of the dispatch. Officers stationed outside radio range of dispatch still need to use cell phones to call for OLETS information.

From a safety standpoint, ”If we have an officer wounded, it is easier for him to key a radio and call for help than to start trying to dial a number,” stated Hobbs as he discussed the benefits of a nationwide radio.

Officers within range of local law enforcement can already radio the closest department if they are in immediate need. When help is needed, a cross-deputization agreement allows local police to interact in Choctaw Nation affairs and vice-versa. “They are right there beside us to help us and back us up,” said Hobbs.

Even with local support on standby, the Choctaw Nation officers need to have a quick connection to other Choctaw police, and because of this, the Public Safety Department is working on an innovative way to get them connected.

Conventional radio requires many repeater towers to relay signals over large areas such as the 10.5 counties of the Choctaw Nation. This hardware would be physically and financially unfeasible. For this reason, the Public Safety is working to set up an IP radio system.

This system will broadcast over the Internet, which will allow signal to travel much further and be broadcast at the nearest repeater to the recipient. The radio system will first be in place in the hotspots, such as hospitals, casinos and schools.

Public Safety is not only improving its ability to protect and serve, but also helping others. One way will be some members of public safety participating in the Polar Plunge, which is to be held Feb. 4, 2012, at the Oasis located in the Durant resort. The Polar Plunge is an event where individuals jump into water during one of the coldest months of the year to raise money for Special Olympics.

The Choctaw Nation DARE officer is also increasing his impact with the Choctaw people by taking on more schools to finish out the year. Latimer County was without a DARE officer to finish the school year, but Tribal DARE officer Isaac James stepped in to make sure the children received their full education on such an important subject. He now covers Clayton, Haileyville, Red Oak, Buffalo Valley, Wilburton and Panola.

Other notable facts about the Public Safety Department include the Bike Patrol at the Durant, Grant and Pocola casinos. These are security personnel who are certified by International Police Mountain Bike Association (IPMBA), an organization that trains bike police all over the world.

These security guards patrol the large parking lots of the casinos to make sure patrons are not only safe inside the building, but outside as well. “It’s not a second-rate course… it’s the exact same course any police officer goes to,” said Hobbs as he explained how the security officers receive the same training as the police.

IPMBA teaches how to use the bike as a defensive weapon, stop the bike without putting feet down, maneuver in extremely tight areas and even how to crash properly.

One of the most exciting, but little known aspects of Choctaw Nation Public Safety is the SWAT team. It is comprised of 10 men - four firearms instructors, two are defensive tactics instructors and two certified snipers.

Though they have not had to respond to a call to date, they stand prepared for any situation that has escalated beyond the equipment and training of a standard law enforcement agency. These men are 10 of the 31 tribal police officers, who are always ready to assemble in case of an emergency.

They received their basic SWAT training at Sothern Methodist University in Dallas a little over a year ago and have been regularly training ever since. They are constantly being trained to use special equipment, weapons and tactics

Hobbs acts not only as the executive director of the department, but the SWAT team commander. “I do everything they do,” said Hobbs as he spoke of the intense training the team undergoes. He has two team leaders under his command in case the team needs to split during a mission.

This team is relatively new, but is constantly bettering themselves. They are equipped with everything they need to deal with high-risk situations, such as thermal and night vision, gas masks and suppressed fully automatic weapons.

One of the greatest assets the team has is its knowledge of Choctaw Nation facilities. “They know our buildings, where outside agencies won’t,” added Harper. This will allow them to plan their moves in a quick and efficient manner.

An opportunity to discuss county issues arose during a luncheon for sheriffs departments and drug courts held by the Choctaw Nation. Pictured are Justin Humphrees, Councilman Anthony Dillard, Judge Richard Branan, Chief Gregory E. Pyle, Councilman James Frazier and Billy Stephens, senior director of Choctaw Nation’s Children and Family Services. Humphrees and Branan work with the Atoka County Drug Court.

Choctaw Nation holds appreciation luncheon for sheriffs departments, district drug courts

By LISA REED Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma

The Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma held a luncheon Jan. 24 in Durant for representatives from all of the sheriffs departments and district drug courts in southeast Oklahoma in appreciation of all that they do.

“I admire them for their hard work,” Chief Gregory E. Pyle said. “What they face is so different from 20 or 30 years ago. Kids, especially, are having problems we never dreamed of when I was young. Our partnership with the county law enforcement and drug courts is longstanding and valuable in making southeast Oklahoma a safer place to live.”

The Choctaw Nation makes an annual donation of $5,000 to each of the entities to assist in their efforts.

With the donation, the sheriffs departments are able to purchase additional equipment such as light bars or walkie-talkies for the officers that can be very important in ensuring their safety while on the job.

Sheriffs departments benefitting include those in Bryan, Pittsburg, Pushmataha, McCurtain, LeFlore, Latimer, Hughes, Haskell, Atoka, Coal and Choctaw counties.

Drug courts in seven counties – Bryan, Pushmataha, Atoka, Choctaw, Poteau and McCurtain – also received a donation. The help with supplemental funding allows many of them to purchase much-needed office equipment and has also made the difference in being able to hire personnel.

This is the first year the tribe has held a luncheon for the agents.

“It was an informative meeting,” Chief Pyle said. “We had the opportunity to visit with several of the men and women, one-on-one, about issues in their county. They have a positive impact on our daily lives of which we are often unaware.”

The men lead the Walk Dance in closing a traditional Choctaw event. Pictured are Eugene Taylor, Chief Gregory E. Pyle, Assistant Chief Gary Batton, Seth Fairchild, Nate Cox, Randy Hammons, Presley Byington and Roger Amerman.

Choctaw Nation to hold Heritage Monday

Traditional dance classes open to the public Feb. 6

By LISA REED Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma

The Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma celebrates its heritage in many ways and as the year 2012 begins there has been a revival in all ages to learn more of the traditional ways.

“Employees have embraced this cultural awakening by having Heritage Mondays on the first Monday of each month,” said Chief Gregory E. Pyle. “I’ve enjoyed watching the flurry of activities since we started our day of culture. Facilities throughout the Choctaw Nation have had a lot of fun developing ways to participate whether it’s wearing traditional clothing, speaking the language or dancing. Some offices post information about their department for visitors to learn about the significant role Choctaw history plays in the services they provide.”

A special afternoon is planned for Feb. 6 at the headquarters building in Durant. The Choctaw Heritage Dancers will be having 30-minute dancing sessions from 1 to 3 p.m. in the conference area of the south building at 529 N. 16th Ave. The classes are being held for anyone who wants to learn the steps of Choctaw Social Dances.

Everyone is welcome to participate or just take a break from their desk to watch and enjoy refreshments.

“We are extending the invitation to anyone in the area who wants to join us,” Chief Pyle said. “Teaching and sharing is the Choctaw way.”

The Choctaw clothing and intricate beaded jewelry worn are distinctive to the tribe. Traditional Choctaw clothing of today reflects Euro-American styles of the 1800s, but employs more elaborate symbols and colorful materials. Choctaw people love bright, rich colors and the clothing is often made in beautiful shades of red, turquoise, purple, green and blue. A half or full diamond design symbolizing the western diamondback rattlesnake is used for trim on the shirts, dresses and aprons. Jewelry includes beaded necklaces, earrings, medallions, collar necklaces and a silver or beaded comb. Multicolor ribbons hang down from the waist on one side of the beaded belt on men and from the back collar on women. The ribbons can represent different things. Many wear them to honor the four directions or the four seasons.

The Choctaws’ unique relationship to the earth and nature is reflected in the social dances that have been performed for centuries. Often, the dances imitate playful characteristics of animals such as raccoons, turtles or ducks. The lively and fun raccoon dance copies the actions of raccoons as they chase each other through cornfields. The dancers form a circle and at the increase of pitch in the chanter’s voice, the dancers stop and a female runs as the male follows, trying to tag her with a soft touch on the shoulders. Once tagged, the female turns to chase and tag the other “raccoon” and then they return to the circle as it moves counterclockwise. At the next change in pitch, it is another couple’s turn.

Several dances will be highlighted during the classes on Feb. 6 including the raccoon dance, wedding dance, snake dance and friendship dance. It will be a great opportunity to experience an important facet of the Choctaw people.

Heritage Mondays are just one example of the resurgence of interest in cultural skills and the history of the tribe. Classes continue to be held for language, basket weaving, pottery, beading and more. For additional information on the culture of the Choctaw Nation log on to www.choctawnation.com or www.choctawnationculture.com.

The Choctaw Traditional Potters’ Expo, hosted by the Choctaw Nation Historic Preservation Department, will be held Saturday, Nov. 27 at the Choctaw RV Park in Durant. The public is invited to attend the expo and meet some of the talented tribal artists who are considered to be on the “ground floor” of revitalizing Choctaw pottery as a living art form.
The potters will be showcasing their artwork, answering questions, and giving talks about their inspiration. Attendees will be able to view and purchase the hand-made Choctaw pottery created from natural Oklahoma clays, and weather permitting, watch a live pottery firing demonstration.

“The common thread with this expo is that all the clay was hand-dug, the pottery was hand-made, and the pieces were all wood-fired,” according to tribal archaeologist Dr. Ian Thompson, one of the coordinators for the expo.
Various types of pottery will be on display at the expo, most of which are functional pieces such as cooking bowls, eating bowls, bottles, vases and other dishes.

The Choctaw Traditional Potters’ Expo is from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. and is open to the public.

For more information about the event contact the Choctaw Historic Preservation Department at 800-522-6170, ext. 2216.

Tribe’s military manufacturer to design, build Camel II water trailer in multi-year, multi-million dollar deal

By BRET MOSS Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma

McALESTER, Okla. – The Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma (CNO) excels in many facets of the business world. From gaming and agriculture, to convenience stations and medical facilities, CNO has made great strides becoming a major name in many areas.

Over the past decade, the Choctaw Nation has become a well-known name in the field of military manufacturing. Choctaw Defense, with locations in McAlester, Hugo and Antlers, constantly churns out necessary military equipment for the support of America’s armed forces.

The name of Choctaw Defense is well respected and trusted in the business of military manufacturing, with a newly acquired three-year, $20 million contract proving the point.

The U.S. Army has just recently awarded Choctaw Defense the performance standard contract to design and manufacture the Camel II potable water trailer system. This will be a highly mobile water trailer that will provide troops, no matter the location and atmosphere in which they are located, clean and temperature controlled drinking water within 10 degrees of a set standard.

The fact that this contract is a “performance standard” contract means that Choctaw Defense will not only be charged with making the parts and assembling them, it will also produce the design from the ground up.

In a performance standard contract, the military provides a set list of capabilities the finished product must have, and the designers and engineers must create a working product to those specifications. Choctaw Defense has a team of about a dozen designers, mechanical engineers and computer design engineers to complete such a task.

With about 230 employees in all three manufacturing locations, Choctaw Defense also has enough manpower to turn the design into a real working product. The capabilities and equipment of the facilities are much more advanced than one would find in a local machine shop, and the meticulous attention to detail that must be demonstrated is of utmost priority in all facilities.

The employees and equipment of such an operation must produce such products that are of much higher standards and strict specification than commercial grade manufacturing. Every single detail must be given close attention and documented. Not one aspect, even the design of the seemingly random camouflage paint, escapes the inspection of the facility.

In a walk-through of the McAlester facility one would find a clean, efficient operation with employees diligently completing their assigned tasks. “It is one big orchestra,” mentions CEO Steve Benefield.

The product of such an orchestra is a considerable amount of new business and recognition from high places in the military. The current commandant of the U.S. Marine Corps., Gen. James Amos, recently commended Choctaw Defense publicly by stating how Choctaw Defense partners with the Marines in meeting its changing goals is, “how it should be done,” according to Benefield.

Reasons for Amos holding Choctaw Defense in such regards might include the remodeling of the trailer for the Medium Tactical Vehicle Replacement (MTVR). The MTVR, which is manufactured by Oshkosh Defense, will go at impressive speeds over the roughest of terrain.

Some time ago, Choctaw Defense was asked to create a trailer that would be able to keep up with such a vehicle. Once the trailer was designed and several were produced, a decision was made that required the trailer to meet new, even more impressive specifications.

The team at Choctaw Defense has reworked the design to create a new trailer, one that is 20 percent lighter with increased capabilities. The already produced units will be retrofitted with the new materials to meet the upgraded specification and Choctaw Defense will deliver the finished product seamlessly.

It was a game-changing decision that posed a problem, but the personnel at Choctaw Defense were capable of providing a solution for such a problem, and these kinds of capabilities are the reasons they earn awards and commendations. “This is the most capable trailer across all the military,” stated Benefield as he reflected on the product of the company.

Currently, Choctaw Defense can create two MTVR trailers a day, which is impressive considering all the rigorous inspections and scrutiny they must be held up against. This impressive statistic is made possible by a process called “Lean Manufacturing,” which, according to Benefield is waste elimination and constant improvement.

As a part of the Lean Manufacturing system, Choctaw Defense has had to assess its operation and eliminate waste. It has stopped the traditional methods of manufacturing, which consists of mass creating all the components of a product, storing them and finally making a finished unit.

In contrast, they make every part only on an as-needed basis. This way, they can create products faster and more efficiently by removing the mass storage aspect and not overproducing certain parts that will become waste if not used.

“We never have more than a two-day supply,” said Benefield as he talked about keeping the on-hand parts at a minimum to deflect over-production.

Lean Manufacturing is a concept that has been implemented in many locations across the globe. Choctaw Defense has done a notable job in employing the concept, winning the Oklahoma Manufacturing Alliance Governor’s Award for Top Lean Manufacturing and being nominated as one of eight finalists for Innovation in Manufacturing by the National Institute of Science and Technology.

Using the Lean Manufacturing techniques has allowed Choctaw Defense to produce other materials at impressive speeds. A recently acquired order of 365,000 105mm ammo crates will soon be completed with one unit being assembled every 55 seconds.

Choctaw Defense is also involved in the mass production of the Battle Damage Assessment Repair (BDAR) Kit, which is a type of first aid for vehicles in combat zones. The BDAR kit holds essential articles that, if a vehicle is disabled with a quickly fixable error, it can be repaired just enough to get troops out of danger and back to a repair shop.

Choctaw Defense also makes a considerable amount of climate controlling units that control the temperature of tents and other small quarters. These units have been sent all over the world to make conditions the best they can be for American troops.

The tail section of the Paveway Smart Bomb is also a notable item produced by Choctaw Defense. The Paveway is a bomb that can be guided via computer and camera in the front end. The portion Choctaw Defense produces takes commands from the front computer and carries out the maneuvers, enabling the bomb to hit in the optimal location of a target.

Churning out so many military articles is a very serious business. According to Benefield, one third of the American budget is defense. There are businesses constantly vying for the contracts that Choctaw Defense earns on a regular basis, and with defense budget cuts pending, the competition will only stiffen.

Choctaw Defense is anticipating these upcoming budget cuts and challenges, and the plan is to position itself as one of the best. “Remaining at the top of the game like we are now,” said Benefield as he reviewed his plan to keep Choctaw Defense in the realm of success.

Benefield, who has been with Choctaw Defense for 13 years, knows that the keys to the success in this business are quality, being on time, and having the right price; keys that the crew at Choctaw Defense has not neglected, which is depicted though its paramount success.

Choctaw Nation Elder Angel Tree program spreads holiday joy

By Chrissy Dill
Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma

The holiday season is a special time for many people. It’s a time to gather with family and spend quality time with each other while celebrating the blessing of life. The Choctaw Nation Victim Services Department strives to bring Choctaw elders the joy of the holidays by supplying them with generous gifts from people who truly care about them.
Under the leadership of Executive Director of Outreach Services Randy Hammons, Director Linda Goodwin and Assistant Director of the Victim Services Department Vicki Perez, a project called the Choctaw Nation Elder Angel Tree has been developed.
The Elder Angel Tree works much like a children’s angel tree. The donator’s name is anonymous to the elder. Generous individuals who purchase an elder angel will find listed on the back three suggested products that a Choctaw elder needs. The donator will buy the gift(s), and CN Victims Service’s employees will then deliver it to the home of the elder. “Most gifts are small, like gloves, shirts, blankets or socks,” explained Goodwin. This meaningful program began six years ago and has been growing ever since, giving Choctaw elders something to smile about and be thankful for. “Back then it was a small project,” said Goodwin. “We maybe had about 10 elders we delivered gifts to.” Since then, the CN Elder Angel Tree project has increased its number of elders to over 100. “We try to have at least 120 angels every year,” said a pleased Goodwin. “At least 10 elders per tribal district.”
The Elder Angel Tree benefits Choctaw elders who are 55 years or older and are tribal members. The program helps those who are forlorn or widowed, have hardship cases or are generally in need. Most referrals come from Victim Advocates, CHR’s, community-based social workers, Outreach Services and other tribal employees throughout the 10 1Ž2 counties of the Choctaw Nation. The majority of these Choctaw elders are especially in need of some care during the holiday season. “A lot of the elders are shut-ins,” claimed Goodwin. “Some whose family wouldn’t come and see them. We want to make the holidays better for them and give them something nice for the holiday season.” The Elder Angel volunteers and donators show the elders that someone is thinking about them and cares about their needs.
Though anyone is welcome to purchase an elder angel, Choctaw Nation employees are huge contributors to this cause. According to Goodwin, almost all of their donations come from employees of the Choctaw Nation. Throughout the years, more and more employees ask for angels and more and more angels are produced. There are even some departments that will purchase several angels, according to Goodwin. “We are very appreciative of those departments that purchase angels each year,” she said. “They work together to help our Choctaw elders.”
If you would like donate to the Choctaw Elder Angel Tree project, your generous funds are greatly appreciated by many. Call Linda Goodwin at 580-326-8304. Gifts will be distributed to elders between Dec. 13 and 17. Linda’s office, the Victim’s Services Department, is located in downtown Hugo. If you wish, send your donation to P.O. Box 88, Hugo, OK 74743 or just stop by the office to pick up an angel. The Choctaw Elder Angel is a great project that spreads joy during the holiday season to elders, showing them they are greatly appreciated in their communities.