GCN seeks Spring graduate submissions

GCN seeks Spring graduate submissions

The Giduwa Cherokee News is seeking

feature submissions from all spring 2022

UKB graduates. See page 3

Too Fond of Books helps revitalize library

The UKB Education Library has worked with

local bookstore Too Fond of Books to make

the library more “Native-centric.” See page 4

UKB Education Seed Program opens

Keetoowah children in fifth and sixth

grades are encouraged to participate in the

education fund savings plan. See page 5

ICW marks Child Abuse, Prevention Awareness Month Council re-opens

services lobby,

BY BRITTNEY BENNETT

approves property

TAHLEQUAH – For the second

year in a row, the Indian Child

purchases in

Welfare Department at the UnitTahlequah

ed Keetoowah Band of Cherokee

Indians is officially marking the

month of April as Child Abuse

Prevention and Awareness

Month.

Legislation honoring the

cause was officially passed via

unanimous consent of the UKB

Tribal Council in April 2021,

with UKB ICW holding its first

Child Abuse Prevention and

Awareness Day on April 9, 2021.

“When we asked the

Council to pass the resolution,

we just wanted to remind everyone that we’re here and we

do have an Indian Child Welfare Department that is looking

out for our children,” said Roxana Wilden, UKB ICW director. “Their decision to pass that

resolution just shows that Council stands behind what we do.”

For more than two decades, UKB ICW has been working on behalf of Keetoowah children and their families in cases

involving abuse, neglect and

BY BRITTNEY BENNETT

adoption in accordance with the

Indian Child Welfare Act.

ICWA is a federal law

enacted in 1978 that works to

protect tribal children in custody

cases from being separated from

their families and tribal communities and placed into non-Indian homes. It does so by setting

minimum standards between

tribes and the state about the

handling of such cases, including

a first preference for willing and

capable tribal relatives.

The UKB ICW program

and its social workers advocate

for children within the 14 counties and nationwide, answering

inquiries, working with state

workers and courts to secure

safe and healthy homes. This is

done either by reuniting children

with their parents or by finding

Keetoowah foster and adoptive

homes.

See ICW, Page 7

TAHLEQUAH – The United Keetoowah

Band of Cherokee Indians Tribal Council unanimously voted to reopen the

Federal Programs lobby to the public

and purchased two properties during its

regular monthly meeting on March 5.

Councilors unanimously voted

to reopen the Federal Programs Building beginning March 8.

The reopening outlined several

stipulations including that a mask mandate would remain in place, there would

be a maximum limit of four individuals

in the lobby at a time and temperature

checks would be conducted.

Councilors also agreed to allow

visitors to enter individual departmental

offices when receiving services.

The UKB Tribal Council also

agreed to submit bids on two properties

in the Tahlequah area.

While bid amounts were not

See Council, Page 3

UKB Tribal Court continues to expand, exercise sovereignty

BY BRITTNEY BENNETT

TAHLEQUAH

From

hearing divorce cases to addressing

guardianship concerns and issuing protective orders, the United Keetoowah

Band Tribal Court continues to expand

its offered services to tribal members

while also transitioning into a new

building.

“We’re the Judicial Branch of the

tribe and we follow and enforce the law,”

said Kristie Bradley, UKB Tribal Court

administrator and court clerk. “We want

our members to know that as a sovereign

nation and federally recognized tribe,

we’re able to help them by providing an

impartial jury of their peers in legal matters.”

The UKB Tribal Court meets

See Tribal Court, Page 7

The UKB Tribal Court is located in the UKB Judicial Center. From L-R: Deputy Court Clerk

Sara Wininger, District Judge Douglas Dry, Attorney General Klint Cowan and Tribal Court

Administrator and Court Clerk Kristie Bradley. PHOTO GCN/BRITTNEY BENNETT

Follow us on social media!

facebook.com/UnitedKeetoowahBand

Instagram and YouTube: @UKBMedia

Visit the UKB online at

www.ukb-nsn.gov

COUNCIL

2 - April 2022

ᎩᏚᏩ ᏣWᎩ AᏪᎵ

Spring brings growth and reasons

to celebrate

Assistant Chief:

Jeff Wacoche

jwacoche@ukb-nsn.gov

Chief Joe Bunch

jbunch@ukb-nsn.gov

Secretary:

Joyce Fourkiller

jfourkiller@ukb-nsn.gov

Treasurer:

Sonja Gourd

sgourd@ukb-nsn.gov

Canadian

Eddie Sacks

918-822-1957

Cooweescoowee

Clifford Wofford

918-822-1953

Delaware

Caleb Grimmett-Smith

918-791-8107

Flint

Frankie Still

918-507-1822

Goingsnake

Willie Christie

918-822-3803

Illinois District:

Peggy Girty

918-457-7067

Saline District:

Charles Smoke

918-457-7071

Sequoyah

Junior Catron

918-315-0970

Tahlequah

Alvin Hicks

918-931-1462

Siyo, nigada!

I hope everyone is doing

well. We shut down operations

one day for winter weather the

past month, but are now putting

the winter months behind us.

We are now moving into

the severe weather season, with

March, April and May being the

most prolific months of the year

for sever weather and tornadoes.

Spring is bringing new

life. April brings wild onions

and gardening. I have heard

some employees are taking their

kids to softball and baseball

practice. Welcome the kids of

summer.

Thank you, UKB CCDF,

HLDCDC, Education Department and our other departments

for sponsoring Eggstravaganza

2022. On April 9th, 2022, we

will have a Community Egg

Hunt on the UKB Celebration

Grounds. There will be 4 age

groups and registration begins at

9 a.m. Check advertisements for

specific age groups and times.

COVID-19 Pandemic numbers are going down.

Oklahoma statistical pandemic

information posted once a week,

as of this writing, showed there

were 16 active cases in Cherokee County, Adair County had 7

cases per week and in Delaware

County, an average of 12 cases

per week. The CDC has relaxed

many of the precautionary steps

in avoiding the viruses, but

use your judgement in relaxing

these practices. Please continue

washing your hands and mask

up in large crowds.

Last month the council voted to open up the lobby

area to tribal members, with the

precaution of wearing a mask

and checking temperatures. We

welcome you back to the public

service buildings and thank you

council for discussing, working

together and planning for our

future on this matter.

In March, we gave elder

stipends. You should have received yours by now if we have

your correct mailing address.

The checks were sent on March

25, 2022. Call accounting or let

your councilor know if you have

not received your stipend.

Presently, we are investing for the future of our

tribe. We have purchased three

properties, including Red Bud

Apartments, a 24-unit singlebedroom apartments complex in

Oaks, Okla. We look forward

to having apartments for our

elders.

We have recently pur-

chased the former Elks Lodge,

named The Venue. This is on

W. Willis Road and will serve

as a meeting place for the Keetoowah’s, as well as rental property

to the public. Plans are to return

to an activity center with a family

atmosphere.

Another property we

purchased is Marylin’s Optical

building on W. Keetoowah Road,

due to Echota Behavioral Health

needing more room. This purchase

opens the door for new health possibilities and will make a positive

impact on our portfolio of services

for tribal members and the public.

In May, we are headed

to Cherokee, North Carolina for

the dedication and celebration of

the Eastern Band of Cherokee’s

purchase of the historic Keetoowah

Mound in Bryson City, North Carolina, also known as the Mother

town of Keetoowahs.

It served as a language,

cultural and event center for all

Cherokees. We look forward to this

historic dedication, as it preserves

our history.

In closing, God Bless the

Keetoowahs and bless all the

people of the world.

Until we see each other again,

Chief Joe Bunch

Editor’s Address

Giduwa Cherokee News

Editor: Brittney Bennett

P.O. Box 746

Tahlequah, OK 74465

The Giduwa Cherokee News is

mailed free to Keetoowah registered voters, governments, other

offices and upon request, to other citizens.

Mail subscription requests and address

changes to Giduwa Cherokee News,

P.O. Box 746, Tahlequah, OK 74465.

Editorial statements of the Giduwa

Cherokee News, guest columns

and letters to the editor reflect

the opinions of the writer and not

necessarily those of the Giduwa

Cherokee News editor, staff or tribal administration of the United Keetoowah Band.

All editorials and letters must be 650

words or less and will become the property of the Giduwa Cherokee News. Editorials must be signed and include an

address and telephone number. Send

all inquires to: Giduwa Cherokee News,

P.O. Box 746, Tahlequah, OK 74465.

The Giduwa Cherokee News is the only

official publication of the United Keetoowah Band. It operates a Giduwa

Cherokee News Facebook page, as well

as the tribe’s YouTube and Instagram accounts, @UKBMedia. Any other publications or online pages are not an official

source of news and are not endorsed by

the editor, tribe or tribal administration.

For advertising rates and

media

inquiries, including permissions to reprint stories within this publication,

please email bbennett@ukb-nsn.gov.

Brittney Bennett, Editor

bbennett@ukb-nsn.gov

918-871-2843

Siyo, Keetoowahs!

I’m excited for this

issue of the Giduwa Cherokee

News! This issue is packed with

stories and information that I

hope will both entertain and assist

my fellow members.

With the COVID-19

pandemic, I think we could all use

a little help from time to time. I

encourage you to use the

resources featured in this edition

and don’t be afraid to ask for help

when you need it.

Also as we get deeper into

Spring, I’m hoping some of our

Keetoowahs would be willing to

assist me with some stories.

I would love to feature

stories that focus on some of

our traditional foods. That said,

I’m hoping to find someone who

would be willing to do a story on

foraging for and preparing

either wild onion or mushrooms. If

that’s you, please reach out!

I also want to put a call

out for any Keetoowah-owned

businesses. I would love to

feature

our

business

savy

Keetoowahs in the newspaper.

Depending on the business, we

could also look at completing a

video feature for our social media

pages.

The Giduwa Cherokee News

is also adding advertising to the

newspaper! Keetoowah business

owners are encouraged to reach out

if they would like to advertise their

business with us.

We have special prices

just for Keetoowahs and would be

happy to help you expand to your

fellow tribal members! We can even

design your advertisement if needed. To place an ad, please use my

information on this page.

Lastly, I hope that our

Keetoowah graduates at all

levels will reach out with their

information before the deadline so we can honor their

accomplishments in the newspaper.

All the details are on the opposite

page.

Wado,

Brittney Bennett

ᎩᏚᏩ ᏣWᎩ AᏪᎵ

NEWS

April 2022 - 3

Council, cont. from page 1

disclosed, councilors unanimously agreed to bid on the Tahlequah

Elk’s Lodge property The Venue,

located at 109 W. Willis Road. The

property has previously been used

as a bar and concert venue and

features a dance floor, stage,

restaurant area and upstairs

balcony.

The second property approved by councilors was the

Tahlequah Family Vision Clinic

located at 1640 W. Keetoowah St.

Councilors had previously taken a

vote via email to agree to purchase

the property from Kate Miller and

ratified the vote via legislation

during the meeting.

It was indicated an earnest

check was issued for the property

on March 4, though the purchase

amount was not disclosed publicly.

Councilors also initially

voted to purchase additional property adjacent to the UKB, but the

motion was rescinded after further

clarification that the property was

two separate land tracts of 30 and

40 acres, not one property ranging

from 30 to 40 acres.

Upon

clarification,

Cooweescoowee District Representative Clifford Wofford made

a motion to purchase both properties with a second by Canadian District Representative Eddie Sacks, but the motion was

defeated.

An additional motion to

only purchase the 30-acre tract was

not eligible for a vote due to lack of

a second.

During his address, Chief

Joe Bunch also informed councilors and the public that the tribe is

nearly caught up on its previously

passed due audits.

“We have a lot of blessings

to be thankful for. Sometimes you

can’t see the workings of the council as well as the administration

and the staff, but I’m here to announce that it is a pleasure and an

honor to say the last three years of

audits are caught up,” he said. “We

did have some findings. Those at

this time have been taken care

of, or mitigated, so we’re moving

forward. The final audit for 2021

is, if we do it before June 30, we’re

caught up. What I’m trying to say

is what we did in 14 months, we

couldn’t do in four years before

that. Congratulations Accounting

Department, treasurer and all the

staff involved with that.”

In other news, Council:

· Approved the monthly financial report from the Keetoowah

Tag Agency, which outlined

$13,317.43 in revenue, according

to Secretary Joyce Hawk;

· Approved the tribal financial

report from Treasurer Sonja

Gourd, which stated the tribe had

approximately $355,000 in general funds before the March 25

Elder Disbursement and that the

UKB Corporate Board rental fees

were $21,367.08 per month;

· Approved allocating an additional $1 million to the Housing Department from American Rescue

Plan funding;

· Approved Cooweescoowee District Representative Clifford Wofford to negotiate on a bid for a

possible property for purchase in

his district;

· Approved the submission of an

application to the State Small

Business Credit Initiative to apply for small business loan grant

money for tribal members;

· and tabled the acceptance of the

UKB Corporate Board report until April.

To view the meeting in its

entirety, the public can visit the

UKB Facebook Page and see the

“Videos” tab.

The

next

regularly

scheduled Tribal Council meeting

was set for April 2 at 10 a.m. at the

UKB Judicial Center (formerly

the UKB Wellness Center).

Council calls for members to serve on Budget Committee

BY BRITTNEY BENNETT

TAHLEQUAH - The United

Keetoowah Band of Cherokee Indians Tribal Council is seeking five

exclusive Keetoowah members to

serve on its newly created Budget

Committee.

Keetoowahs interested in

applying should have an existing

financial background, specifically

in budgets or governmental fund

accounting.

The UKB Tribal Council will conduct all applicant

interviews and those selected will

serve a two-year term.

The need for the committee stems

from attempting to create more

internal controls for the tribe’s Accounting Department, according

to Tribal Treasurer Sonja Gourd.

“On many of our audits,

we have been penalized for not

having enough internal controls,”

she said. “This committee will

change that. They’re going to be

the beginning of the process. They

look at how the money should

move. Once they do their job, it

shifts to Accounting and we load

the budgets. To keep in compliance

with the federal government, this is

something that needs to happen.”

Gourd said the council will

be looking for certain characteristics in the Keetoowahs selected.

“I prefer someone with

governmental funding accounting experience due to our large

volume of grants. The way our

grants are written mean they have

to be spent in certain ways. We

want someone with experience

who knows that we can’t put an

expense to just any line item. The

other main thing I look at is ethics.

If you don’t have ethics, you don’t

have anything. It opens the door

for misappropriation. Knowledge

and ethics have to work hand in

hand.”

Once selected, committee

members will be required to meet

once a month during the normal

course of the tribe’s fiscal year.

They will also be required

to meet as needed in August and

September when the tribe reviews

and approves budgets.

Those selected to serve

will be eligible for a tribal stipend

for their services, with specific

details to be discussed during the

interview process.

Keetoowahs

interested in applying should send a

resume

as soon as possible

to Human Resources Director Sara Thompson via email at

sthompson@ukb-nsn.gov.

Giduwa News calls for Spring

2022 graduate submissions

STORY/PHOTO BY BRITTNEY BENNETT

The Giduwa Cherokee News invites all Spring 2022 graduates to

submit a photograph and short

biography of their accomplishments for the May 2022 edition

of the newspaper before April 15.

Recognizing

the

achievements of Keetoowah students is a top priority for the

newspaper, according to Editor

Brittney Bennett.

“It’s

important

to

celebrate our Keetoowah students,” said Bennett. “Speaking

from experience, I know what it’s

like to work really hard towards

obtaining a degree. It can sometimes be a long road filled with

just as many obstacles as there are

accomplishments. That’s why taking the time to celebrate the final

step of the journey is incredibly

important. We want to spotlight

our graduates in the newspaper so that they know without a

doubt how much their hard work

is seen and appreciated.”

Submissions are due no

later than April 15. They should

be approximately 350 words or

less and detail the graduate’s

accomplishment, whether it is

graduation from kindergarten,

an Oklahoma Rural Elementary

School, high school, vocational

school or college.

Graduates should include

any academic or sports accolades

in their submission.

Vocational and college

graduates should also include

their field of study, name of their

academic degree and any academic distinctions including

cum laude, magna cum laude or

summa cum laude status, if applicable.

Any graduates who will

be cotinuing their education elsewhere or that already have a job

lined up in their career field are

also welcome to include that information.

Photographs should be

either in a JPEG or PNG file extension format, with highest

quality possible. Please include

credits to the original photographer if sending in a professional

photograph.

All information and

photographs should be emailed

to Giduwa Cherokee News

Editor Brittney Bennett at

bbennett@ukb-nsn.gov no later

than April 15 at 5 p.m.

Keetoowah Grads!

Order your cords and stoles by May 1st!

Visit www.ukb-nsn.gov/education to fill out

the form. Return in person or via email to

jwatson@ukb-nsn.gov

4 - April 2022

EDUCATION

ᎩᏚᏩ ᏣWᎩ AᏪᎵ

Education, Too Fond of Books partner to revitalize Education Library

ing sure we were in budget.”

Tye said he began searching for books on Keetoowahs before widening his search.

“I made sure to appreciate the beauty of Keetoowah

culture before I added a lot of

Cherokee authors in general,”

he said. “We found hundreds of

books on Cherokees, but tried to

ask what’s really appropriate and

authentic. It was making sure we

had a lot of documentation related to Cherokee history. Then we

Too Fond of Books Director Daniel Tye poses in front of the looked at what’s important to the

bookstore’s mural in Tahlequah. GCN/BRITTNEY BENNETT

Native community as a whole.

That’s the rubric we used for the

drove by Too Fond of Books in collection.”

BY BRITTNEY BENNETT

downtown Tahlequah that he saw

Tye also used the book

TAHLEQUAH – Information on the perfect solution.

service Ingram in conjunction

Keetoowah and Native American

“I just drove past a book- with peer reviewed, scholarly

legends, cultural practices, and store and had one of those book- articles to vet each book title.

historical events are just a few of store moments,” he said. “I went

“We have access to Inthe latest offerings to grace the in, we started talking and before gram and we have a book list

shelves of the newly reimagined you know it, we had a partner- that other people have, so it’s

UKB Education Library.

ship going where they took some sort of like checking a book on

Instead

of

books of our mainstream collections Goodreads and seeing what

depicting a teenager’s love story they could sell. In turn, they gave people are saying,” he said. “If it

with a vampire or children falling us a huge discount on the books was a newer book, it had to have

into another world in the back that we needed to find.”

pretty good reviews and some

of a wardrobe, the Education LiToo Fond of Books Di- peer reviewed sources. There’s

brary is slowly rebranding itself rector Daniel Tye spearheaded a lot of historical documentato be more “native-centric” due the project, visiting the Educa- tion in some of those books. You

to the vision of Education Direc- tion Library and taking pictures just research and you make sure

tor Dr. Leslie Hannah.

of its shelves while also having you have a credible book from a

“When I first got here discussions with Hannah.

credible source.”

there were several books, but

“Dr. Hannah was very inOnce selected, it took

mainly only the mainstream sistent that all the books were Na- two months for the nearly 100

books that you can get down at tive-based or written and created books to be compiled together

the public library. They weren’t by Natives,” said Tye. “We wanted in Tahlequah, with some books

necessarily Native books,” said to make sure that we respected even coming from overseas.

Hannah. “I want books about those wishes and not just take a

“’The United Keetoowah

Natives and historical books and list off of a website. There’s books Band of Cherokee Indians’ book

books that people can use to do with real talk on assimilation, on by Georgia Rae Leeds was suresearch about the Keetoowahs in cultural appropriation. It took per hard to find. They literally

a Keetoowah atmosphere.”

about 80 man hours, about two couldn’t find it anywhere in the

It wasn’t until Hannah weeks of research, and then mak- United States. It actually had to

come from Germany,” said Hannah. “It’s such a special book and

to go through that journey to get

it here, it just means something.

It’s priceless. This is a priceless

book about Keetoowahs.”

Tye said he enjoyed

working with the tribe.

“It

was

a

cool

opportunity. We like opportunities to network throughout

our community and the Keeetoowahs are an important part of

our community,” he said. “I hope

we can work together in the future. It was really fulfilling. I

added books to my list that I had

never read before, like Native

poets. I actually started reading

a lot of Native poetry after completing that list. It was fun working with Dr. Hannah and his

assistant Jacqueline.”

For Hannah, the feeling

is mutual.

“One of my goals in

this position is I want the

Keetoowahs to be recognized

as being a critical component

of this community, so anytime I

can do business with a local entity, I’m going to do business with

a local entity. We loved having

this partnership and are open to

more work together in the future,” he said.

The books are slowly

being catalogued and are not yet

available for checkout.

Keetoowahs

and

the public are invited to view

the revitalized collection at the

UKB Education Library anytime

during regular business hours,

Monday through Friday from

8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. at 4547 S.

Whitmore Lane in Tahlequah.

UKB Education named SHARP Grant awardee

BY BRITTNEY BENNETT

OKLAHOMA CITY - It was

announced on March 1 that the

United Keetoowah Band Education Department was one of 84

native cultural institutions nationwide to be awarded the Sustaining the Humanities through

the American Recovery Plan

grant from the Association of

Tribal Archives, Libraries and

Museums.

The announcement was

a welcome surprise, according

to UKB Education Director Dr.

Leslie Hannah.

“Our Grant Writer Marquana Fourkiller initially found

the grant and filled in some of the

information, while I wrote the

narrative and submitted it. Honestly, I forgot about it after that.

I’ve been working on other stuff,

so when it was announced, I was

pleasantly surprised. The excitement kicked in that now we will

be able to do something in our

building rather than just rearrange the furniture,” he said.

The SHARP grant is administered through ATALM with

funds from the National Endowment for the Humanities as part

of the American Rescue Plan Act

of 2021 passed by the U.S. Congress.

To date, ATALM has

awarded $3.26 million in fund-

ing to help Native Cultural Institutions recover from the

COVID-19 pandemic and provide humanities programming to

their communities.

“COVID-19 hit Tribal

communities particularly hard.

and cultural life of Native communities.”

As a SHARP awardee,

the Education Department received $49,473 in funds towards

its planned project, Advancing

Keetoowah Traditional Knowl-

The pandemic is not only responsible for the loss of culture keepers, Native language speakers,

elders, and government leaders,

but also the closure of cultural institutions, furloughed staff,

and reduced programming,” said

ATALM President Susan Feller.

“This opportunity will provide

much-needed financial support

and create humanities-based programs that bring cultural practitioners and the public together in

a dialogue that embraces the civic

edge through the Digital Humanities.

Funds will be used to create “a digital outreach program

designed to connect tribal citizens and public audiences with

new opportunities to participate

in humanities-based educational

programs online.” Other activities listed as part of the grant

include the creation of a virtual

classroom that will offer digital

presentations to tribal members,

school districts and the public.

“We’ve got the vision,”

said Hannah. “We want this

building to be something that

all Keetoowahs can be proud

of when come in and we want

them to view our building as the

center of Keetoowah learning.”

While

an

exact

guideline for allowable purchases has not yet been made available, the department hopes to be

able to purchase a smartboard to

assist in making their computer

lab a multifunctional classroom

and research space.

“We want to revamp the

library and maybe digitize some

stuff. We want to get some of

our cultural information out

there and make it more accessible to the public,” said Hannah.

“There’s no reason our library

can’t also be a legitimate historical and genealogical research

space. We had a wish list and

now we’re finally going to get to

buy from it. It’s exciting.”

SHARP grantees were

selected by an independent Peer

Review Committee and include

Tribal governments and Native

nonprofit organizations, as well

as higher education institutions

and non-native nonprofit organizations working in partnership with state or federally recognized tribal entities.

A full list of grantees is

available at www.atalm.org.

ᎩᏚᏩ ᏣWᎩ AᏪᎵ

EDUCATION

April 2022 - 5

Seed Program becomes official,

welcomes Keetoowah students

BY BRITTNEY BENNETT

TAHLEQUAH – UKB officials

and Tahlequah’s BancFirst came

together on March 2 to sign account paperwork that officially opened the UKB Education

Department’s Seed Program, an

opportunity that will give young

Keetoowah students a jumpstart

on an education savings fund.

BancFirst Customer Service Officer Chris Paul met with

Tribal Treasurer Sonja Gourd

and Education Director Dr. Leslie

Hannah to sign for the accounts.

Joining them for the occasion

were Education Generalist Jacqueline Watson and Tahlequah

District Representative Alvin

Hicks.

With the paperwork

complete, Hannah said the Seed

Program is now accepting applicants and has already enrolled

seven Keetoowah children in the

savings plan.

Under the program, the

Education Department will create and deposit $100 into an education savings account with

BancFirst. The student will then

be able to contribute money to

their account through activities

set by the department.

Funds from the account

will then be released to the student upon graduating high school

and enrolling in college or a trade

program. If a student chooses not

to further their education after

graduating high school, they will

be allowed to access the funds

when they turn 21.

The idea for the program

came from Hannah and will

target enrolling fifth-and-sixth

grade Keetoowah students.

“This is intended to give

our students a jumpstart, if you

will, when they’re still young.

When they come out of high

school, they will already have

a little bit of a nest egg built up

from the program. It may or

may not be enough to get them

through their entire education

program, but they’re not coming

in completely cold with nothing,”

said Hannah.

Students can earn money

by completing a variety of tasks

including getting good grades in

school, reading and completing

community service. Once a task

is complete, the student must

turn in a form to Hannah for

documentation.

“Whoever they worked

with that day will sign off on their

form. I’ll keep a tally of that time

and once every semester, so twice

a year, I’ll go through and tally up

the hours. Those hours get multiplied by whatever the rate is we

set. For example, they get paid for

grades. Getting As are worth $20.

Bs are worth $10. Anything less

gets nothing. I’m not paying for

mediocrity. I’m paying for excellence,” said Hannah.

Students also have the opportunity to complete “life skills”

courses through the Education

Department for money, including how to change a flat tire, doing laundry and more.

To

remain

eligible

throughout the program, Keetoowah students must obtain

their high school diploma and

cannot be convicted of a crime.

“The account still belongs

to the tribe until we release it. If

the student drops out of school

or gets into trouble, it’s over. The

money reverts to the tribe,” said

Hannah. “But as long as you’re

making good decisions and doing what is being asked of you,

From L-R: Treasurer Sonja Gourd, BancFirst CSO Chris Paul,

Education Director Dr. Leslie Hannah, Education Generalist

Jacqueline Watson and Tahlequah District Representative Alvin

Hicks. PHOTO/TRAVIS WOLFE

we’re going to keep feeding that

Seed account.”

The program was specifically created for the Keetoowahs

after Hannah reached out to his

cousin Jay Hannah, Executive

Vice President of Financial Services at BancFirst in Oklahoma

City.

“I called Jay with my idea

and asked if he had any programs

like this. He said, ‘If I don’t have

them, I’ll create one for you.’ It

was perfect. In early December

we got together with Tahlequah

President Rob Headley, Chief

Joe Bunch and Assistant Chief

Jeff Wacoche and worked out the

details. BancFirst rolled up their

sleeves and went to work on designing this for us. Nobody else

gets this,” said Hannah.

Participating Keetoowah

children and their parents can

visit any BancFirst location in

Oklahoma to periodically see

how the account is growing and

even add to it themselves.

“In every district, there’s

a branch somewhere. They’re all

over the state of Oklahoma, not

just here in Cherokee County.

They can add their own money

to it when they visit the bank.

It will be deposits only though,

no withdrawals until college or

they’re 21,” said Hannah.

Keetoowah children also

do not have to reside in the tribe’s

jurisdictional area to participate

in the program.

“Those that are out of

state can do it too,” said Hannah. “However, they will have

to come here first or make some

arrangements with us, either by

fax or mail. They also have to understand that it will not be at the

bank of their choice since BancFirst is our partner on this.”

Hannah is also hoping

to expand The Seed Program to

newborns in the future.

“Ultimately once we get

this on track, I would like to start

it at birth, where a Keetoowah

child is born, they get their tribal membership and we set up

the account. This is such a great

opportunity and we hope to one

day be able to offer it to all our

children.”

To enroll in the program,

Keetoowahs must complete a

W-9 request form and write their

child’s name and date of birth at

the top of the page.

To receive a W-9, contact

the UKB Education Department

at 918-871-2796, email Education Director Hannah at lhannah@ukb-nsn.gov or visit the

“documents” section at www.

ukb-nsn.gov/education.

Bacone College no longer on Higher Learning Commission probation

BY BRITTNEY BENNETT

MUSKOGEE – Bacone College

officials announced on March 4

that the educational institution

was no longer on accreditation

probation by the Higher Learning

Commission. The decision brings

the institution one step closer to

achieving tribal college status.

“This was a nonstop

Herculean effort of a succession

of administrators and faculty

through the last two years,” said

interim President Dr. Nicky Michael. “We want to acknowledge

everyone’s prayers and efforts to

assist us as we navigated through

obstacles,

challenges,

and

denials.”

The United Keetoowah

Band of Cherokee Indians were

the first tribe to agree to charter

Bacone College after a unanimous and historic vote on April

6, 2019. The decision was officially announced on April 18, 2019 at

Benjamin Wacoche Hall.

A year prior to the UKB’s

decision to charter Bacone,

founded in 1880 as a private,

Christian-Baptist affiliated college, the institution nearly closed

its doors due to mounting financial struggles.

It was subsequently

placed on accreditation probation by the HLC in February

2019, but has since returned to

full accreditation status effective

February 25, 2022.

United Keetoowah Band

Chief Joe Bunch, chair of the Bacone College Board of Trustees,

said he is thankful to those who

have worked diligently toward

the accomplishment.

“We are blessed to have

an enormous obstacle removed

from our path in becoming a

tribal college,” Bunch said. “On

behalf of the Bacone College

Board of Trustees, I thank the

faculty, staff and students for

their involvement in making this

moment come true. Go Bacone

Warriors!”

UKB

Education

Director Dr. Leslie Hannah also

congratulated Bacone officials

on its success.

“Their status of no longer

being on probation, that opens

lots of doors for them,” Hannah

said. “It opens up new revenue

streams, students can have certain scholarships that could not

be used at institutions on probation, recruiting improves. It

opens up a lot of doors that were

locked shut for years. I’m happy

for them. From sitting in this

chair, it makes me more eager to

send students to Bacone.”

Bacone

College

continues to work toward

becoming a public tribal college with the American Indian

Higher Education Consortium

as part of its plan for success, according to Michael.

“We continue to appeal

to the Bureau of Indian Education for recognition of tribal college status,” he said. “Regardless,

we are well on our way to a more

healthy, healing, and educated

future.”

6 - April 2022

SERVICES

ᎩᏚᏩ ᏣWᎩ AᏪᎵ

UKB HHS taking LIHEAP applications beginning April 1

BY BRITTNEY BENNETT

TAHLEQUAH – Beginning April

1 the Health and Human Services

Department at the United Keetoowah Band of Cherokee Indians will be accepting applications

for assistance with summer cooling costs through its Low Income

Home Energy Assistance Program, or LIHEAP.

LIHEAP is a federal program designed specifically to assist low income Native American

families with relief from heating

and cooling costs all year.

Summer LIHEAP runs

April 1 through Sept. 20 and

assist households with electric bills and air conditioning

window units.

Winter LIHEAP runs

from Oct. 1 to March 31 and

will pay costs towards the main

heating source for a household,

whether it is natural gas, electric,

propane or wood.

Program eligibility is

based upon the 2022 Federal

Poverty Guidelines and requires

applicants to provide income

verification from each member

of their household. Assistance is

for the entire household and not

separate individuals.

Income guidelines are 60

percent of the state median income.

For households that exceed the income guidelines, the

tribe has separate American Relief Plan Act funds that may assist

with costs.

HHS Director Ronny Liv-

ers said Summer LIHEAP funds

will be used to help tribal members with electrical bills associated with cooling their homes.

The tribe will pay up to

$450 for an electrical bill in a sixmonth period for a household

of one to three individuals. For

households of four or more, LIHEAP funds can assist with up

to $500 towards electrical bills in

a six-month period.

Per UKB resolution 18UKB-101, tribal members are

required to notify the HHS department at a minimum of three

days before any service cutoff or

risk a suspension in utilities due

to late submission of the application.

LIHEAP will also assist

with providing a limited amount

of air conditioning units to tribal members, with elders 55 and

older served first.

The units must be picked

up from the UKB tribal offices

unless members make arrangements with their district representative for another method of

delivery.

Tribal members can acquire applications from their

district representative, directly through HHS or by visiting

www.ukb-nsn.gov/human-services for a downloadable

“Services Assistance” application.

The application can be

returned to the UKB Federal

Programs Building, via email to

rlivers@ukb-nsn.gov or via fax

to 918-414-4030.

HHS continues to provide services amid COVID-19 pandemic

BY BRITTNEY BENNETT

TAHLEQUAH - The United

Keetoowah Band of Cherokee Indians Health and Human

Services

Department

has

continued to serve tribal

members amid the COVID-19

pandemic, offering several programs to assist Keetoowahs that

may have fallen on hard times.

For some specific programs and how they can assist

tribal members, read below.

Emergency Rental Assistance

The Emergency Rental

Assistance program works to prevent homelessness by assisting

households that are unable to pay

rent due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Examples of ERA program services include paying

impending or past due rent or

paying for a hotel stay to avoid

homelessness.

To be an eligible household, an individual must either

qualify for unemployment or

has experienced a reduction in

household income or experienced other financial hardships

due to COVID-19 or demonstrates a risk of experiencing

homelessness or housing instability. Additionally, the household income must be at or below

80 percent of the area median.

The ERA program prioritizes households where an in-

dividual who

has been unemployed for

90 days prior

to application

for assistance

and households

with

income

at or below 50

percent of the

area median income.

Assistance

is limited to

exclusive Keetoowahs unless

a member of another tribe can

show proof of denial from their

enrolled tribe.

The dwelling must be a

rental property with a landlord,

as funds do not assist with rent or

lease to own properties or business properties.

If approved, households

can be provided rental assistance

for up to three months at a time,

with up to 12 months of assistance available. An additional

three months can be provided if

needed to ensure housing stability, dependent on funding availability.

In addition to paying

monthly rental costs, the program can also help families with

security deposits when transitioning to a rental property.

Households on the brink

of homelessness also have the option to be placed in a hotel temporarily until housing is secured.

Requirements for this part of the

program include providing HHS

with proof of at least three job

searches a week, to be turned in

one day before checkout in order

to secure an additional hotel stay.

To apply, members must

complete an application and

provide a Certificate of Degree

of Indian Blood, social security cards and driver’s licenses for

all individuals in the household,

their UKB tribal card or other

tribal card for those outside UKB

membership, income verification

documents, a completed indi-

vidual self-sufficiency plan, the

landlord’s W-9 and a copy of the

rental lease agreement.

To receive an application

or for additional questions, contact Health and Human Services

Advocate Robert Downing via

email at rdowning@ukb-nsn.

gov, or call the main UKB line

at 918-871-2800.

Keetoowahs interested in

receiving assistance with rent or

lease to own properties should

contact the UKB Housing

Department at 918-871-2773.

Burial Assistance

The United Keetoowah

Band of Cherokee Indians works

with families as a source of comfort during a difficult time by assisting with burial or cremation

costs up to $3,000.

The program is income

based. For the family to receive

assistance, the deceased must

have either been a Keetoowah or

other member of a federally recognized tribe, have lived within

the tribe’s jurisdictional area and

have possessed no bank assets,

life insurance or burial insurance.

Health and Human

Services carries a list of approved

funeral home vendors.

For more information

about the programs or to receive

the list of our vendors, please

call the main UKB line at 918871-2800.

General Assistance

General Assistance is a

gap program that provides $180

per month towards basic needs

for individuals that are between

jobs or those unable to work and

in the process of applying for

Social Security Disability Insurance or Supplemental Security

Income.

The program requires recipients that are able to work to

develop and agree to an Individual Self-Sufficiency Plan, which

outlines specific steps the individual will take to reach the goal

of employment.

Recipients are also asked

to participate in a job search activities and requires a job search

form to be submitted to the social services advocate for the

next assistance check to be submitted.

Those that cannot work

and are pursuing SSDI or SSI are

not required to participate in job

search activities, but must provide updates from Social Security on the status of their application.

Applicants must also

concurrently apply for financial assistance from other state,

tribal, county, local, or other

federal agency programs. It is

situated as a last chance program

and requires applicants to apply

to other sources of assistance,

including Temporary Assistance

for Needy Families funding for

households with dependent

children.

For more information

on the program and additional

program requirements, please

call the UKB main line at 918871-2800 and ask to speak with

Health and Human Services

Advocate Kaleb Proctor.

Work Related Cost Assistance

The United Keetoowah Band has

also created a separate fund with

American Rescue Plan Funds to

assist members with work related costs that would otherwise

create a barrier towards going

back to work.

These costs can include

assisting members with paying for new work uniforms and

shoes, purchasing gas to allow

the member to get to and from

work until their first paycheck

and minor car repairs.

To apply for funding,

contact the UKB main line at

918-871-2800 and ask to speak

with the Health and Human

Services Department.

ᎩᏚᏩ ᏣWᎩ AᏪᎵ

SERVICES

April 2022 - 7

ICW, continued from page 1

“All the work we do is because we want our Keetoowah kids

to be loved and to be safe,” said

Wilden. “Sometimes the unfortunate part of this job is checking on

children where there are reports of

abuse or neglect. When someone

calls us to report those things, we

call the Oklahoma Child Abuse

Hotline so we can get the referral

from the state. Once that happens,

then we can start working.”

The UKB ICW Department currently operates with a

staff of five and also has an attorney and prosecutor for child abuse

cases.

“We do talk with the kids

before placing them and we educate them about their rights,” said

Wilden. “We also offer counseling for them at Echota Behavioral

Health, because sometimes abuse

isn’t always physical, but mental. A

lot of times these kids don’t want

vices, the Henry Lee Doublehead

Childcare Development Center,

Lighthorse, UKB Housing and

Environmental Services.

“It’s nice because the

whole tribe is behind us,” said

Wilden. “On the birthday or

Christmas presents we give to our

kids, we always write, ‘love from

your UKB family.’ I want these

kids, whenever they leave the system, I want them to know and to

feel without a doubt that we love

them. We don’t have a history

without our elders, but we don’t

have a future without our kids.”

Those interested in fostering are encouraged to reach out to

the department.

“We’re always looking for

Keetoowah foster homes. Keetoowahs have their own tradiSeveral UKB departments have tions, their own culture. We want

also stepped in to assist UKB ICW that handed on to our children,

including Health and Human Ser- so I think it’s more beneficial for

to talk to us because we’re their

caseworker. Some will, but it’s like

they’re suspicious of what we’re

going to do with the information.

So it’s better for them to go talk to

somebody else where they can establish that trust beforehand.”

The services at Echota Behavioral Health are also not limited to children alone.

“The kids are going to be

my priority, but those kids need

their parents. Sometimes in order

to help a child, you have to help

the whole family,” said Wilden.

“We have partnered with the tribe’s

Echota Behavioral Health Center and sent parents to parenting

classes, anger management, rehab

or to just general counseling, just

so they can get the extra help.”

(LEFT) L-R: UKB ICW Director Roxana Wilden, Specialist Rolanda Aimerson and Clerk Rylee

Grimmett at Child Abuse and Prevention Awareness Day in 2021. (RIGHT): UKB ICW Clerk Rylee

Grimmett hands out stuffed bears to children as part of the program’s outreach. COURTESY

them to be in Keetoowah homes.

You don’t have to be married to

foster or adopt. You can be single,

you can be gay. I don’t care as long

as the child is safe and loved.”

Wilden also asked potential foster and adoptive homes to

consider kids of all ages.

“Sometimes people just

want babies and that’s good, raising a baby from the very beginning. But at the same time, we

have so many teenagers that just

need some guidance. I know that

sometimes they get into trouble,

but at the same time, they have a

lot of goodness inside them. It just

takes somebody to want to find it

and bring it out.”

The UKB ICW Department will next play host to the

14th Annual Completing the Circle Event, an Indigenous cultural

awareness event for foster families. It will take place on Saturday,

May 21 from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at

the UKB Celebration Grounds

located at 18300 W. Keetoowah

Circle in Tahlequah.

Registration will begin at

8:30 a.m., with the opening ceremony following at 9:30 a.m. Those

who attend are eligible for six

hours of training credits and travel can be paid for Department of

Human Services foster families.

For additional questions

about the event, please contact

Kelly Tannehill at Kelly.Tannehill@okdhs.org, via phone at 918232-8289 or contact Shawn Shirley at Shawn.Shirley@okdhs.org,

or via phone at 580-761-5731.

If you suspect abuse or

neglect, call the Oklahoma Child

Abuse Hotline: 1-800-522-3511 or

the UKB ICW office at 918-8712809.

UKB Tribal Court, continued from page 1

every third Friday of each month

beginning at 11 a.m.

It operates under the

UKB trial constitution that was

adopted and ratified on October 3, 1950, while the court itself

was established through the 1990

Courts Act, according to Bradley.

The court first received

an assessment from the Bureau of

Indian Affairs in 2017 and began

hearing cases in 2019. However,

it wasn’t until November 2020

that the court was able to experience significant growth.

In October 2021, the

UKB Tribal Council approved the

court’s move into the new UKB

Judicial Center, formerly known

as the UKB Wellness Center.

Tribal Court staff officially transitioned to the new building in January 2022 along with

staff from the Indian Child Welfare Department.

“We currently have two

District Court judges, three Supreme Court justices and a prosecutor. We also have a public defender for criminal cases only,”

said Bradley. “The District Court

hears civil, criminal, and juvenile

matters, while the Supreme Court

hears cases of appeals and other

matters as may be conferred by

statute.”

Some legal remedies or

grievances that can be taken to

UKB Tribal Court include petitions for divorces, petitions for

paternity and petitions for name

changes. Keetoowahs can also

seek protective orders, ask for

hearings in guardianship and

juvenile cases, request trials for

criminal cases and receive judgments in civil and small claims

cases.

For those interested in

low cost or free legal representation services, Bradley stressed

that the UKB Tribal Court does

not currently give legal advice.

“We do not give out legal

advice, but follow and enforce the

law only. However, we do partner

with Oklahoma Indian Legal Services and that’s where we recommend our tribal members if they

need legal representation.”

Bradley said the court’s

services will continue to expand

in other areas in the wake of McGirt v. Oklahoma in 2010, which

established that the Muscogee

Creek Nation reservation had

never been dissolved. The ruling

has since opened the door for the

argument that other Native reservations in Oklahoma had also

never been dissolved, including

that of the Cherokee.

“Since McGirt, we have

more authority in our jurisdic-

tion. We have had other counties contact us when one of our

tribal members has been arrested. They contact us and then

our Lighthorse Police takes over

the investigation and writes up

a report for our prosecutor. The

prosecutor will then either pick

it up and file charges or decline

to press charges in criminal cases. We’re just trying to give our

people a fair day in court.”

Bradley said the court

also has plans to utilize already

existing UKB resources for certain outcomes in cases when appropriate.

“Say someone gets a public intoxication ticket. Obviously

they have an alcohol problem,

but instead of just racking up

fines from the state, we can send

their case to our court and assign

them projects that give back to

our tribal community,” she said.

“We are also working on a partnership with tribe’s Echota Behavioral Health Center, whether

it be sending members for rehab,

anger management, any behavioral health problems and it stays

within our tribe.”

In September 2021 the

UKB Tribal Court was also

awarded permission to participate in the Tribal Access Program for National Crime Infor-

mation program.

It provides tribal governments with means to access,

enter and exchange data with

national crime information

systems, including those maintained by the FBI Criminal Justice Information Services Division and the states.

“We will start doing fingerprinting this summer and

background checks soon. TAP is

important because it allows our

ICW, Housing and Human Resources departments to conduct

their own background investigations. Instead of paying a third

party, we will be able to pull our

own checks. We’re growing and

it’s because we’re able to exercise

our sovereign rights through our

tribal government.”

To learn more about the

UKB Tribal Court or to download court petition or affidavit

forms, please visit www.ukbnsn.gov/ukbtribalcourt.

All cases must be paid

for when filing. A fee schedule is

available from the Court Clerks

by contacting Deputy Court

Clerk Sara Wininger at 918-8712769.

To learn more about

Oklahoma Indian Legal Services, please visit www.oilsonline.org/.

8 - March 2022

OBITS | ANNOUNCEMENTS

ᎩᏚᏩ ᏣWᎩ AᏪᎵ

Wiley E. “Gator” Hicks

Wiley E. “Gator” Hicks was born

in Tahlequah, OK, the son of Tom

and Ellen (Ballew) Hicks.

Wiley, or Gator to his

family and friends, grew up in the

Burnt Cabin area and graduated

from Tahlequah High School.

Early in life, he came to appreciate and was proud to be a member

of the United Keetoowah Band of

Cherokee Indians.

In 1973, he married Mary

J. (Hair) Wynos, but sadly, they

were to divorce many years later.

This union was blessed with two

children, one son, Jammie “Bubba” Hicks and one daughter, Naomi k. Sanders.

Wiley attended the truck

driving program at Bill Willis

Vocational Center, and began

his career as a long haul trucker,

traveling all over the country. He

worked this profession for over

20 plus years, working for several different trucking companies, Kaywood trucking, Stilwell

Foods, and Tyson Foods to name

a few. He took great pride in being a trucker, to provide for his

family.

He enjoyed taking family out on the road with him,

and enjoyed taking his children

and grandson for rides in his big

truck, and the best part was they

got to pull the horn.

Wiley retired in 2015 to

enjoy the simple life and do the

things he wanted to do, before his

health began to fail him.

He liked trips to the library to get books to read, watching movies, watching videos on

Youtube, listening to music, going on the occasional drive, hunting and his absolute favorite, doing a little fishing. He had lived in

Idaho for over 20 years and had

returned to Oklahoma, he loved

hunting in the mountains.

He loved time spent with

his children, son-in-law and his

grandson, often cooking a meal

for them. He also enjoyed visiting with extended family and

friends. Wiley was truly loved

and will be dearly missed.

He is preceded in death

by his mother and father, Tom

and Ellen Hicks, one brother,

Tommy Hicks, sisters, Jody Espinoza, Lena Christie, and Sally Adcock, and one grandbaby,

Baby Sanders.

He leaves behind a very

loving family, his son, Bubba Hicks of Stilwell, OK, his

daughter, Naomi K. Sanders and

husband Frankie of the home,

grandson Tyrin “Little Fox”

Sanders and companion Tina

Butler, two brothers, Leroy Hicks

and wife Patricia of Burnt Cabin,

Alvin Hicks and wife Donna of

Tahlequah, Ok, as well as many

nieces, nephews, cousins and a

host of friends and loved ones

too numerous to mention.

Until we meet again, rest

in peace Daddy. We Love You.

Title VI Lunch Menu - April

Please see the menu

below for lunch served

through our Title VI program.

Currently our dining

room is still closed to the public and will remain closed until

further notice.

Please park outside

in the drive-thru area where

a staff member will greet you

and deliver your meal.

Meals are free to Keetoowahs 55 and older, as well

as their spouses. Members of

other tribes and their spouses

must show their CDIB card

and contribute to the cost of a

meal.

Guest meals are $5,

while meals for children 0-17

are $3.

Please be considerate of

our staff. If you feel sick, please

stay home. Wash your hands

and practice social distancing

to help avoid the spread of

COVID-19 and its variants.

Wado for your understanding!