LOOK FOR US ON SOCIAL MEDIA

SHINING

DIAMOND

Lauren Turner

excels in class and

multiple sports.

ANI-GIDUWAGI, 9

LOOK FOR US ON SOCIAL MEDIA

AND AT WWW.UKB-NSN.GOV.

GIDUWA CHEROKEE NEWS

UKB Solid Waste

LET’S CELEBRATE

ᎩᏚᏩ ᏣᎳᎩ ᎪᏪᎵ Official News Publication of the United Keetoowah Band of Cherokee Indians in Oklahoma September 2022

Program partners

with Tahlequah City

Programs under the Office of Environmental

Services will provide cleaner spaces.

BY LANI HANSEN

Reporter

TAHLEQUAH – In the past few

months the UKB Office of Environmental Services have been making

progress of a zero-waste nation and

taking on a partnership with City of

Tahlequah.

According to UKB Solid Waste Coordinator Curry Blankenship, the solid

waste program has three dump trucks

which has the UKB seal with the Environmental Services information sticker

on the side to verify UKB trucks. The

partnership with Tahlequah City provides UKB with 30 roll-off dumpsters.

“This allows us to clean up illegal

dump sites on tribal members property,” Blankenship said. “We are also

starting to get calls from tribal members to come clean up their yard or

haul unnecessary trash off their lawn.”

Another program that has started

is the recycling program. Blankenship

said they ordered recycling bins for

every building on the complex including the Stilwell office.

“We have bins for paper, plastic and

aluminum,” he said. “We also have

the recycle trailer which is available to

tribal employees and tribal members

24/7. If the cardboard bin is full, we

encourage people to use the one by

CDC or the elder center.”

A scheduled recycle pickup for the

complex is every week or if someone’s

bin is full, Blankenship said to call,

and they will send someone to pick it

up.

“We do take recycle for tribal members,” he added. “We can take everything except Styrofoam and glass, if

they have electronics, we can take

that. With our partnership with Tahlequah City, we can use their recycle

center free of charge.”

With the winter months coming up,

the department has started a wood

cycling program. If a tribal member or

elder has a tree that has fallen in their

yard, the department will go and cut

the tree to distribute firewood to the

elders in the wintertime.

Also, if you have been on the

complex lately, you will notice several pet-waste stations throughout the

area. These stations were setup by the

environmental team and are a product of EPA General Assistance Program-UKB Recycling Program. These

are dog liter only and will help keep

SEE PARTNER, PAGE 3

As part of a

parternship with

Tahlequah City, the

United Keetoowah

Band Solid Waste

Program is able

to clean yards

and illegal dump

sites with these

dump trailers. The

UKB is making

progress toward a

zero-waste nation.

LANI HANSEN/

GIDUWA CHEROKEE

NEWS

United Keetoowah Band Chief Joe Bunch addresses a crowd during a past Keetoowah

Celebration State of the Nation address. This year marks the 72nd annual UKB Celebration.

ARCHIVE PHOTO

“Never Give Up” is the theme of this year’s

celebration, which will be held in person.

BY LANI HANSEN

Reporter

T

AHLEQUAH – In case you haven’t

heard, the United Keetoowah Band

of Cherokee Indians in Oklahoma

has announced that the 72nd annual

Keetoowah Celebration will be held in

person this year, we have missed everyone so come one, come all.

The event has been celebrated almost

every year until Covid hit and our people

were unable to meet. Every year the

celebration follows on the first weekend

honoring Oct. 3, 1950, when the UKB officially voted to have its constitution and

by-laws ratified. The last time our tribe

was able to meet in person to celebrate

was in 2019. UKB Chief Joe Bunch and

Assistant Chief Jeff Wacoche are both

excited to have in-person festivities.

This year the UKB Celebration is coordinated by Barbara Foster. Foster serves

as our own John Hair Cultural Center

and Museum Assistant Director. She has

been with the museum since January of

this year. Foster has been working very

hard for everything to come together to

make this celebration one of the best.

Every year the celebration has a theme,

and this year they have chosen “Never

Give Up.” According to a Keetoowah

History book known as, Cherokee History

As You’ve Never Heard it, the phrase was

written in an 1860 paper by Keetoowah

leaders.

According to Ernestine Berry Tribal

Historian she quoted, “As a child, I often

heard those words from my folks. More

recently, I heard John Hair, our eightyfive-year-old former chief, used the same

phrase to encourage his grandchildren.

As Keetoowah’s, these words have meaning for our future existence. No matter

SEE CELEBRATION, PAGE 2

SCHEDULE FOR 72ND ANNUAL KEETOOWAH CELEBRATION

Thursday, Sept. 29

8:30 a.m.: Golf Tournament

6 p.m.: Dignitary Dinner (Invite Only)

Friday, Sept. 30

7 p.m.: Chili Supper

9 p.m.: Stomp Dance

Saturday, Oct. 1

8 a.m.: Car Show, Kids Fishing Derby

10 a.m.: Arts & Crafts Vendors,

Children’s activities, Cornstalk Shoot,

Horseshoe Pitch

11 a.m.: Stickball Games, Tradition

Keepers

11:30 a.m.: Chief’s Address

12 p.m.: Traditional Meal

1 p.m.: Entertainment, Volleyball

2 p.m.: Cornhole, Turtle Races

Small town Keetoowah rising in music scene

Blaine Bailey

shares his story

of becoming a

Red Dirt

musician.

United

Keetoowah

Band tribal

member Blaine

Bailey is

seeing his

stock soar on

the Red Dirt

music scene.

COURTESY

PHOTOS

“Everything I do in

music now, it

always leads back

to playing in Lost

City and Briggs.”

Blaine Bailey,

UKB tribal member

BY LANI HANSEN

Reporter

TAHLEQUAH – Lost City, a rural community outside of Tahlequah is the home of

local UKB music artist Blaine Bailey. His passion for playing music started when he was

a young boy, and as he grew older Bailey

kept with it adding his own voice for vocals

would later bring him to bigger venues such

as Diamondhead Resort’s Diamond Stone

Festival.

As he spoke about his childhood, Bailey had grown up around musicians. He

received his first small guitar, which he

believes was from Walmart, from his uncles

so that he could strum along with them.

As he grew older, Bailey got his first

guitar and learned the basics from his

dad. He learned how to play solos before

knowing the difference between chords in

music. With a lot of spare time on his hands

playing guitar was something he wanted to

learn.

His music playing started getting serious

as he got older, his biggest inspiration as a

Red Dirt musician came from Tahlequah’s

own Turnpike Troubadours and other musicians such as Jason Boland and the Stragglers and Cross Canadian Ragweed.

“I started writing songs when I was about

11 or 12 but didn’t really like them,” Bailey

laughed. “But that’s what got me into

writing songs that people might like, and I

enjoy myself. My mom has helped me out a

lot with encouragement, and my family has

always been all for it.”

Bailey first started performing in front of

an audience when he was playing with the

Rising Stars at the Roxy Theater in Muskogee. This helped him get over stage fright,

he said.

He played electric guitar for a while

before picking up on acoustic. He started

writing songs again, then released his first

five. His fanbase grew since he released

those songs, Bailey started singing at open

mic nights around Tahlequah and met people along the way.

Last year, Bailey started his first full band

with Richard Wood playing bass and a

drummer from Shady Grove. His band was

able to get studio time in and from there

released a full album called, “Lost City.”

As a Native-owned business, Bailey fully

supports Cherokee Artists, if you haven’t

seen his merch or album cover those were

designed by Artist Dino Kingfisher.

After his album was released, it has taken

the band to Oregon to play in the Wild Hare

Country Festival, which was held in July.

Bailey said he has two drummers for his

band that he uses, Noah Lyons and Jason

Walker both from the Muskogee and Ft.

Gibson area. With a full band and two

drummers on hand, Bailey hopes to get

back in the studio soon.

“Everything I do in music now, it always

leads back to playing in Lost City and

Briggs,” Bailey commented. “I’ve never

really sung until I did at the Roxy, I was selftaught. Yeah, my dad did sing, but he never

took it seriously. Been training my voice

since I was 13.”

Bailey’s band is called, “Blaine Bailey

Band.” Some other venues he’s played at

SEE BAILEY, PAGE 3

2

SEPTEMBER 2022

Assistant Chief

Jeff Wacoche

jwacoche@

ukb-nsn.gov

Secretary

Joyce

Fourkiller

jfourkiller@

ukb-nsn.gov

Treasurer

Sonja Gourd

sgourd@

ukb-nsn.gov

Canadian Dist.

Eddie Sacks

918-822-1957

Coeweescoowee

Dist.

Clifford

Wofford

918-822-1953

COUNCIL•ᏗᏂᎳᏫᎩ

ᎩᏚᏩ ᏣᎳᎩ

COVID-19 still lingering, mask up

Si yo, ni ga da.

Boy, the heat has been something;

thank you Lord for the rain. I hope area

farmers get another cutting of hay. High

school and college football season is starting soon.

COVID is still around, as we are hearing

of cases, but not as serious as the first

round of deaths. The symptoms are like

a cold, some have severe headaches, loss

of taste and after a few days recover well.

Because of this, last month the Council

has initiated mask wearing in the office

buildings. This is to safeguard the employees and tribal members, so wear your

mask when entering the buildings at the

United Keetoowah Band.

I had the opportunity to consult with

the Indian Health Service officials during

the self-governance conference in San

Francisco. It was followed up with a visit

from Rear Adm. Travis Watts, IHS Oklahoma City area director, to the Keetoowah

Tribal Complex.

He inquired on how the IHS could

better serve the UKB and how we are

doing with behavioral health, we had a

Chief’s

Corner

JOE BUNCH

Principal Chief

jbunch@ukb-nsn.gov

constructive and exciting meeting.

Assistant Chief Jeff Wacoche, Tahlequah

District Rep. Alvin Hicks and I attended

the Echota Skate and Wellness Festival,

which had many attendees. We heard music, received handouts on health issues,

and I had the privilege to introduce two

projects the 4ward Project and Veterans4Life Project.

The first is about a family moving

forward after their son ended his life,

in doing so they created Eric’s Rocks to

remember Eric Ward and move forward.

Eric spent his life helping others and in

order to remember Eric’s mission the rock

is given to another.

To carry out Eric’s mission, the rock

went to Brian Paul, a member of the

45th infantry National Guard. Paul’s first

deployment was the 1995 Oklahoma City

bombing rescue mission, bringing survivors from the building.

We heard a staggering statistic of

suicide among soldiers during the past

20 years, 7,057 were killed in combat

while during the same time 30,177 lost to

suicide. It was an honor to announce one

soldier’s mission and how his family uses

a memorial rock in moving forward, and

as one of his friends will keep the monument moving 4ward. Thank you, Echota

Behavioral Health employees, for this

community wide success.

I attended the John Hair Museum

reception and offer a thank you for Keetoowah elders for their work preserving

our rich language. The elders and discussion leaders were filmed preserving our

conversational language, so visit with the

museum to see where you can view the

presentations.

Do da go hv i, until we see each other

again. Keep the tribe, Council and tribal

members in your prayers. Wado.

GCN welcomes new media specialist

Siyo! I am Rita Courtwright and I have

recently joined the staff of the UKB Media

as the new Media Specialist. I worked the

past year as the Public Relations Manager for Bacone College in Muskogee, Ok.I

have over 25 years in journalism and

mass communications experience, and

I am looking forward to sharing that experience and knowledge with the UKB. As a

member of the Muscogee (Creek) Nation

and citizen of the Fort Mojave Band of

Indians, I have always been immersed in

tribal culture and community and I look

Editor’s

Address

RITA COURTWRIGHT

Editor

rcourtwright@

ukb-nsn.gov

forward to expanding those relationships

within the boundaries of the UKB.

I worked with my own tribe as the Man-

aging Editor of Mvskoke Media for over

two years where I was part of a group

effort in helping to gain back Free Press in

2020 after it had been removed in 2018. I

also continue to work with the Muscogee

Creek Nation as a college instructor at the

College of the Muscogee Nation in Okmulgee, where I have taught for 10 years.

I am very excited to move forward with

my true passion of journalism and communication by working with the amazing

staff of the Giduwa Cherokee News and

appreciate this opportunity.

Candidates for 9

UKB Districts

announced

Delaware Dist.

Caleb

GrimmettSmith

918-791-8107

Official voting date for the

Council races is Nov. 7, 2022.

Flint Dist.

Frankie Still

918-507-1822

Musicians provide entertainment during a past Keetoowah Celebration. This

year the event returns in person following several years of the pandemic.

ARCHIVE PHOTO

CELEBRATION: Film

Goingsnake Dist.

Willie Christie

918-822-3803

Illinois Dist.

Peggy Girty

918-457-7067

Saline Dist.

Charles Smoke

918-457-7071

academy students will

record this year’s event.

FROM PAGE 1

how bleak it seems, to have a

bright future, we must carry

forward with hope and never give

up!”

Reflecting on why this year’s

theme is “Never Give Up” Foster

stated, they were just thinking

about all the tribal members the

tribe has lost in the past few years

and how people are struggling

with those losses.

She said it felt appropriate for

this year because our people are

taught to never give up.

Chief Bunch said, “that is our

story, we are survivalist and we

have never given up.”

With the celebration coming

back to in-person events Assistant

Chief said, “We’re glad it’s able to

be back in-person and with Covid

numbers rising and falling, we’re

still trying to follow CDC guide-

lines.”

“We certainly want to stick with

precautions,” Chief Bunch said.

“But with two years absence, we

are excited about this year, and

we have a lot to share with our

general public. We are safe to say

we’re moving forward.”

For this year, students from a

Place of Belonging Film Academy will be recording the event.

During the celebration, gas card

drawings will also be held.

Food vendors will be setup

throughout the event. If you

wanted to set up as a food vendor

the application has been available

since Aug. 23. It is first come

basis.

Booth location will be assigned

when payment is received, there

will be no refunds after 5p.m. on

Sept. 23.

For information call, Barbara

Foster at 918-871-2794.

GIDUWA CHEROKEE NEWS

Sequoyah Dist.

Junior Catron

918-315-0970

Tahlequah Dist.

Alvin Hicks

918-931-1462

Giduwa Cherokee News

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.

EDITOR

Rita Courtwright

REPORTER

Lani Hansen

GRAPHICS DESIGNER

Travis Snell

BY LANI HANSEN

Reporter

TAHLEQUAH – The United Keetoowah Band of Cherokee Indians Election Board has announced the official

list of candidates to run for office during the Nov. 7,

2022, UKB Tribal Council Election.

After completing background checks of the following,

they have approved 14 candidates in the running for a

seat in the nine districts.

In the Canadian District, current Representative

Eddie Sacks will face off against challenger Joseph Two

Shields.

In the Cooweescoowee District, current Representative Clifford Wofford drew no challengers.

In the Delaware District, Archie Buzzard will face off

against Elmer Panther, Jr.

In the Flint District, current Representative Frankie

Still drew no challengers.

In the Goingsnake District, current Representative

Willie Christie will face off against challenger Sharon

Benoit.

In the Illinois District, current Representative Peggy

Girt drew no challengers.

In the Saline District, current Representative Charles

Smoke will face off against two challengers John Mouse

and Dylan Hayes.

In the Sequoyah District, no candidates were filed.

In the Tahlequah District, current Representative Alvin

Hicks will face off against challenger Teresa Hair.

As we get further into campaigning season, more details will be provided about where each voting location

will be held. For those who are running, contact UKB

Media Department for information about advertisement

in the newspaper. Also, we would like to request profiles

from each candidate such as short bio, district, and why

you are running along with a photo (headshot). UKB

Media Department is in the UKB Services Building or

call 918-871-2788 or 918-871-2843.

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, email lhansen@ukb-nsn.gov.

NEWS•ᏗᏕᏃᏣᎸᏍᎩ

ᎩᏚᏩ ᏣᎳᎩ

SEPTEMBER 2022

3

Echota presents

Wheels and

Wellness Festival

BY LANI HANSEN

Reporter

Indian Falls Creek officials honor featured veteran John Shoemaker, center, who attended the

first Indian Falls Creek in 1947. COURTESY PHOTOS

Veterans recognized

at 75th annual

Indian Falls Creek

BY LANI HANSEN

Reporter

DAVIS – Indian Falls Creek celebrated

its 75th year as the largest Native American church camp from July 31 to Aug.

5, and this year it held a special veterans

recognition night.

Indian Falls Creek began in 1947,

bringing in churches and their members

representing over 50 tribes and over

250 churches. It was 30 years before IFC

began, J.B. Rounds and W.D. Moorer

founded Falls Creek Assembly. IFC was

a Home Mission Board of the Southern

Baptist Convention. The first year IFC

was held it averaged 333 campers. This

year’s attendance was 2,160.

Over the years the camp has experienced many changes. IFC Executive

Director Victor Cope reflected on the first

years he attended, with morning and

evening worship services and recreation

time in the afternoon. The camp has added much, he said, as campers can now

zipline. There is a skate park, basketball,

volleyball, golfing, fishing tournament

and a watermelon eating contest.

As far as the facilities, they have been

updated. Back in the days the tabernacle

lawn is where the recreation area used

to be held with volleyball courts, softball

fields and tennis courts that have been

moved downhill from camp. The tabernacle is now a larger air-conditioned

sanctuary, whereas it used to be an open

auditorium with large fans to keep campers cool while sitting on wooden benches.

“I asked those who haven’t been in a

while if they have seen the tabernacle

yet, and they said no. I told them to

make sure and bring a blanket or something to keep warm because it gets cold

in there,” Cope said about the tabernacle.

Other events at IFC is the annual blood

drive in partnership with Oklahoma

Blood Institute, which has been ongoing

for 25 years. It brings hundreds of donations each year and during the days of

the blood drive there is a health fair.

But one special event at IFC is that

they take the time to honor Native veterans. Looking back six years ago, Marvin

Delaware and Amon Leroy IFC Board

members who oversee the veteran’s recognition night, thought of the idea.

As IFC celebrated its 75th year, the

drum group bringing in the vets were

from the Comanche Indian Veterans

Association. The ceremony began with

the Comanche Color Guard and Absentee

Shawnee Color Guard leading in the vets.

During the ceremony, the featured veteran was John Shoemaker who attended

IFC in 1947 and served in the Air Force.

“I thought it was really neat and exciting to see John come and dressed out in

his military uniform for the ceremony,”

Leroy said of Shoemaker.

When asked about the veteran’s

recognition for this year, Delaware said,

“I enjoyed seeing all the veterans come

together. Especially for Brother John

Shoemaker he is the eldest member at

First Indian of Moore, and he was there

at the first camp in 1947.”

Leroy added, “The program has grown

every year, but with this being our 75th

anniversary this was our opportunity to

expand a little bit better than these past

years. This has given us a chance to honor veterans and invite those who aren’t

able to attend IFC all week.”

There were 70-plus veterans participating in the 2022 ceremony. Patches were

handed out to each to say “thank you”

for serving for our country.

With this camp celebrating its 75th

year, Cope, who has served on the board

for 29 years, said, “I was glad to be

around to celebrate the 75th year of IFC,

I’ve been working camp all these years. I

started coming to camp since 1965, it was

a good time to remember and celebrate.”

TAHLEQUAH – Echota Behavioral

Health sought to promote their services

in union with UKB and to the community of Tahlequah in hosting a Wheels and

Wellness Festival in August.

The Echota Behavioral Health is a

behavioral health clinic and counseling

service covering many areas throughout

Northeastern Oklahoma. They serve

tribal and non-tribal citizens. They

currently have sites in Tahlequah, Tulsa

and Kansas, OK but are hoping to expand into other counties.

The Wheels and Wellness Festival was

held in August. When Echota’s Youth

Coordinator and Recovery Specialist

Carden Crow started at Echota he

recognized the clinic needed a signature event. With the approval from

Echota Director Jimmie Fite, Crow’s

idea moved forward with the help from

his co-organizer Glen Turner, Echota’s

Project Director. The festival was to help

build their reputation within the community and UKB, by making an impression with the tribe in working together.

“We are hoping UKB will use us for all

your mental health needs,” Crow said.

This year being the first Wheels and

Wellness Festival for Echota brought

in a very large crowd, Crow stated it

was very much a successful event. They

had bouncy castles, gelly-ball, sno-cone

machines and cotton candy for the kids.

They served free food for the entire

event, Crow stated they never ran out

and fed a lot of people.

They brought in Veteran Brian Paul,

who is currently doing a Press Circuit

for his own organization of Veterans 4

Life USA which he serves as the founder and President. As the guest speaker,

Echota presented to him in exchange

Eric’s Rock. The Eric’s Rock is a campaign about a veteran named Eric.

Crow believes it is important to shine

a light on veterans and their mental

health obstacles. Many may not know

but suicide rates amongst veterans are

high, according to Crow.

“When I wrote a speech for someone, I put in there the last 20 years

we’ve lost just a little over 7,000 of our

veterans to actual combat, but also in

the same last 20 years we’ve lost over

30,000 veterans to suicide,” he said.

“We really wanted to shine a light over

these veterans, and Echota feels their

needs are being overlooked and we

want to be a safe-haven for our vets.”

Another area that Echota felt they

could attract to help with mental

health, would be the children who get

dropped off or just hangs out at the

skate park. Crow said he felt the need

to do something with Tahlequah Skate

Park and so he contacted his buddy

Xander White who was all in for it. So,

during the Wheels and Wellness event

White hosted a skateboarding contest.

“With this event compared to other

contests that we’ve had in Tahlequah

bore, it seemed like there was a greater turnout and a lot of people leaving

with their hands full with prizes,” White

commented on the skateboarding contest. “I think the Wheels and Wellness

event overall went really good.”

While the skateboarding competition

was going on, school supplies were

handed out to the kids, Echota had

some good giveaway prizes such as

tablets, gaming systems and gas card

prizes.

UKB Education Department was able

to set up during the event, handing out

school supplies and backpack for UKB

students.

“We were able to put them in the

air-conditioning inside the Tahlequah

Armory, so when kids came to get their

school supplies, they could sit in the

A/C but we gave them a little special

treatment,” Crow said.

A couple of other guests who made

an appearance at the event was UKB

Chief Joe Bunch and Assistant Chief Jeff

Wacoche. Chief Bunch had the honor to

introduce Veteran Brian Paul and present him with the Eric’s Rock.

Echota Behavioral Health Clinic office

hours are M-F, 9a.m.-5p.m. If you have

any questions call, 918-708-9009.

Echota Behavioral

Health kicked off

the school year

with the Wheels and

Wellness Festival.

It featured handing

out school supplies and provided

music in the form

of the band Stonegate Fence. LANI

HANSEN/GIDUWA

CHEROKEE NEWS

BAILEY: Bailey learned to play guitar from his late father.

FROM PAGE 1

recently are at the Muskogee Brewing Company and

Grove’s Cherokee Casino.

In September his band is part of the lineup for the

Diamond Stone Music Festival, which will be Sept 9-11

at Diamondhead Resort on the Illinois River.

“I’m really excited that we’re on the lineup, because

I grew up going to Medicine Stone with my mom, I

know it’s not the same but it’s at the same place,” Bailey

said. “It has been one of my top shows that I’ve always

wanted to play.”

Besides music, Bailey is part of the crew for UKB

Housing Department working alongside Loy Shade and

Gil Hooper Jr. They work on minor rehabs and emergency repairs on UKB houses. He met Construction

Manager Richard Vann a couple of years ago and has

been with UKB Housing since.

His parents who he spoke of earlier, on his mom’s

side he is related to the Dreadfulwaters. His grandma,

Rebecca Dreadfulwater is the director of UKB Title VI

Programs. She is a big part of his support system in his

music. Bailey’s dad, Daniel Gourd is who he picked up

playing guitar from.

PARTNER: The tribe wants

people to report illegal dumps.

FROM PAGE 1

His dad passed in 2020, Bailey stated when he plays

music he plays for his dad.

Although Bailey may have numerous inspirations

when playing music, his biggest and probably his number one fan would be his lovely girlfriend, Kelly Kowis.

He said she helps him out on a lot with managing, marketing, decision-making and scheduling.

Blaine Bailey Band will only be playing a few more

shows before wrapping up the year until 2023.

For more information, follow the Blaine Bailey Band

on Facebook @BlaineBaileymusic or visit, www.blainebailey.com.

Western Boutique

Specializing in the Rustic & Unique

the grounds free of dog waste and prevent the

spread of disease.

“We have four on the complex, and looking

to get more for the Stilwell area,” Blankenship

added.

Office of Environmental Services and Historic

Preservation Director Whitney Warrior said, they

are excited to increase their program activities

and wanted to thank everyone for support in

Recycling with the UKB Office of Environmental

Services.

Furniture  Apparel  Books  Art

Gifts  Christian Decor  Horse Tack

Office Spaces  Live Music & More!

REPORT ILLEGAL DUMPS

If anybody suspects an illegal dump

site or has any questions regarding recycling, call the United Keetoowah Band’s

Solid Waste Program at 918-871-2765.

These pet-waste stations have been

placed on the UKB Complex, there

are four of them set up as of now.

LANI HANSEN/GIDUWA CHEROKEE

NEWS

17310 S. Muskogee Ave.  Suite B  Tahlequah

M-F: 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.  Sat: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.  Sun: Closed

www.cczallthingswestern.page  918-414-5233

4

SEPTEMBER 2022

OBITUARIES

Nova Jayne Birdtail

Nova Jayne Birdtail, or “Dosie” to

her family, was born on February 1st,

1973 in Tahlequah, OK, the daughter of

Richard and Rachel (Ketcher) Birdtail.

She attended school and graduated

from Sequoyah High School. She

worked as a Business Woman for the

Cherokee Nation. She married and

began her family of two sons and three

daughters, Sean Ray Sarren, Brandi

Sarren, Shalia Sarren, Nahni Sarren,

and baby boy Sarren. They were her

pride and joy.

She was a gifted Cherokee Artisan

and loved to do intricate bead work.

Minnie Marie Dew

Minnie Marie Dew was born on July

31st, 1950 in Leach, OK, the daughter

of Sanders and Mary Jane (Dry) Dew.

She attended Mesena and Black Gum

schools and later took classes at Flaming Rainbow University. Minnie worked

for a number of years at Cherokee Nation and recently retired from the Food

Distribution Program. She devoted

all of her spare time to her only child,

Oliver, she adored him and they were

the best of friends. They enjoyed traveling and making memories together.

When they were at home, Minnie liked

to sew. She made clothing, tote bags,

and tons of masks at the start of the

McKenna Marc Mooney

McKenna (Big Mac) Marc Mooney,

25, of Jay, OK went home to be with

his Lord and Savior on Tuesday, July

26, 2022 in Jay, OK. He was born

on March 28, 1997 to Greg and Lisa

Mooney in Grove, OK.

McKenna attended Jay Public

Schools from Kindergarten to High

School and graduated one of the top

10 of his Jay High School Class Of

2015. After high school he attended

the University Of Oklahoma in 2016.

He enjoyed watching football, wrestling, movies, playing video games

COMMUNITY•ᎾᎥ ᏄᎾᏓᎸ

ᎩᏚᏩ ᏣᎳᎩ

The whole family played softball, and

bringing the family together playing

sports. She loved to cook and often

made meals for her family including

her goulash, lasagna, meat pies, Dr.

Pepper Stuffing, potato salad and

grape dumplings. She was constantly

cleaning house. Dosie was traditional

Cherokee, respecting of the old ways

of living, attending the stomp grounds,

if she had a dollar, and you needed a

dollar, it was yours for the asking. The

holidays were hers to make her family

shine, the tree, the dinner, the gifts,

everything to make the family have

a memorable holiday. Her sense of

humor was wonderful, her laugh con-

tagious. She loved

to make you smile,

even if she told a

corny joke to get

the job done. She

pushed her family

to be the best they

could be, because

she believed in

them. She passed away at her home

on July 21st, 2022 at the age of 49

years old. She will be greatly missed.

Nova has gone home to join her

grandparents, Davis Ketcher and

Peggy Boney-Ketcher, her mother and

father, two sons, Sean Ray Sarren and

baby Boy Sarren, and brother, Norman

Birdtail. Those left to cherish her memory include her children, Brandi Sarrena and companion Vidal Sparks of

Park Hill, Shalia Sarren and companion

Eagledancer King-Rich of Oklahoma

City, OK, and Nahni Sarren of Tahlequah, and the father of her children,

Vincent Serran. She leaves one sister,

Nora Birdtail of Tahlequah. She will live

on in her four grandchildren, Zerlina

Sparks of Park Hill, Vidal Sparks Jr. of

Park Hill, OK, Van Berry of Tahlequah

and Z’Riyah King-Rich of Oklahoma

City, as well as many nieces, nephews,

cousins and a host of friends and loved

ones.

Memorial services for Nova Jayne

Birdtail were held July 28 at Reed-Culver Funeral Home with Pastor Henry

Birdtail officiating. She was laid to rest

at Greenleaf Cemetery next to her son,

Sean Ray. Pallbearers for Nova included Vidal Sparks, Eagledancer KingRich, Micky Birdtail, Ricky Birdtail,

Dylan Hathcoat, and Sean Connelly.

pandemic. She enjoyed beadwork and

reading. She read all

kinds of books, but

Harry Potter was her

favorite. She was

proud of her Cherokee Heritage and the

fact that she was a

first language speaker. She adored her

great-nieces and great-nephews and

loved watching them grow and play.

A Baptist by faith, she last attended

the Elm Tree Baptist Church. Even as

sickness invaded her body, she kept

her optimism high and her laughter still

found its voice. The Lord called this

wonderful woman home from all her

labors on Thursday, August 4th, 2022

in Tahlequah, Oklahoma, surrounded

by those she loved. She was 72 years

of age and will be greatly missed.

She is preceded in death by her

parents, Sanders Dew and Mary Jane

Dew; her sisters Wanda Sanders, Geneva Dew, Edna Jones, Marilyn Dew;

her brother Kenneth Dew, and nephews Zayne Dew, Christopher VanBuskirk, and Randy Hornet.

Those left to cherish her memory

include her son, Oliver Dew, siblings

Kathy VanBuskirk and husband Perry

of Moody, Oklahoma, Jacqueline

Clayton and husband Robert of Tahlequah, and Elvis Dew and wife Debbie

of Tahlequah. She also leaves many

nieces, nephews, cousins and a host

of friends and loved ones too numerous to mention.

A visitation for Minnie was held August 10 at Reed-Culver Funeral Home,

117 West Delaware Street, Tahlequah,

Oklahoma 74464. A funeral service

was August 11 at Reed-Culver Funeral Home. Minnie was laid to rest in

Bill Batt Cemetery, Cherokee County,

Oklahoma.

Serving as pallbearers are Justin

Clayton, Michael Dew, Joshua Clayton,

Levi Cantwell, Hector Rivas, David

Horsechief, Matthew Dew, Ismael

Falcon, Darren Cantwell, Alfred Sixkiller

and Brent Sixkiller.

and spending time with his friends and

his little buddy Christopher. McKenna

was employed by Cherokee Nation

Gaming. He was proud of his Cherokee Heritage and was a member of the

United Keetoowah Band. McKenna

sure loved his precious fur baby Fox,

who he lost all the time from running

away.

McKenna was a young man that

loved to spread kindness and help

anyone at anytime in need. He was a

person that saw the positive side of

things and never said anything negative or bad about anyone. He had a

big loving heart that saw good in each

person that he met

throughout his life.

McKenna was loved

by everybody and

everybody loved

him. He will be dearly missed by his fur

baby Fox, family and

friends.

McKenna is preceded in death by his

sister, Lindsay Williams; his grandparents, Jess and Christine Mouse, Earl

and Phyllis Looper.

He is survived by his parents, Marc

and Lisa Mooney of Jay, OK; brothers,

Satch and Chas Williams of Jay, OK;

sister, Mathysen (Mattie) of Springfield, MO; other siblings, Justus, Elius,

Kilynn, Darkniz, Quincy, Cruxley and

Ovi; grandparents, Danny and Sandra

Mooney; numerous nieces, nephews,

cousins, extended family and friends.

McKenna’s Wake Service were held

on August 2 at his parents residence

in Jay. McKenna’s Celebration Of Life

Funeral Services was held on August

3, 2022 at Piney Baptist Church in Jay

with Pastor Duke Pickup and Rowdy

Foreman officiating. Followed by McKenna’s funeral procession to Sycamore

Cemetery in Jay, OK. Burial w at Sycamore Cemetery.

LUNCH MENU

We have moved to a temporary building while our dining room is repaired. Park

in the drive-thru so meals can be brought to you. Protect yourself by wearing a

mask, staying 6 feet away from others, washing your hands and staying home if

feeling sick. Meal service is from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., Monday through Friday.

Meals are free to Keetoowahs 55 and older, as well as their spouses. Members of

The United Keetoowah Band’s Title VI Lunch Menu for September 2022 in the

Jim Proctor Community Center at 18419 W. Keetoowah Circle in Tahlequah, other tribes and their spouses must show their CDIB cards and contribute to the

cost of a meal. Guest meals are $5, while meals for children 0-17 are $3.

Oklahoma. For information, call 918-871-2800.

Sept. 1

Indian Taco

Strawberry Shortcake

Sept. 2

Biscuit & Gravy

Scrambled Eggs

Bacon

Hash Browns, Yogurt

Sept. 5

Kitchen Closed

Labor Day

Sept. 6

Ham/Cheese Sandwich

Potato Chips

3-Bean Salad, Pickle

Fruit Cup

Sept. 7

Pot Roast

Whole Potato

Baby Carrots

Hot Roll, Fruit Cup

Sept. 8

Brown Beans/Ham

Fried Potatoes

Cabbage

Cornbread, Fruit Cup

Sept. 9

Chili Cheese Coney

Potato Salad

Fritos, Pickle

Fruit Cup

Sept. 12

Tuna Salad on Wheat

Potato Chips

Mac n Cheese

Pickles, Fruit Cup

Sept. 13

Homemade Meatloaf

Mashed Potatoes

Broccoli Cuts

Hot Roll, Fruit Cup

Sept. 14

Lasagna

Zucchini Sticks

Salad

Garlic Toast, Fruit Cup

Sept. 15

Catfish/Tartar Sauce

Black-eyed Peas

Corn on Cob

Hush Puppies, Fruit Cup

Sept. 16

Wild Wings/Sauce

Broccoli Rice Casserole

Pickle, Garlic Bread

Fruit Cup

Sept. 19

BBQ Beef on Bun

Steak Fries

Pork n Beans, Pickle

Fruit Cup

Sept. 20

Spaghetti/Meat Sauce

Italian Green Beans

Salad, Garlic Toast

Fruit Cup

Sept. 21

Baked Potato/Fixings

Pasta Salad

Club Crackers

Fruit Cup

Sept. 22

Chicken n Dumplings

Mixed Veggies

Garden Salad, Hot Roll

Fruit Cup

Sept. 23

Little Smokies

Baked Beans

Zucchini Sticks, Pickle

Hot Roll, Cherry Cake

Sept. 26

Kitchen Closed

UKB Offices Closed

Sept. 27

Beef Stew

Yellow Hominy

Saltine Crackers

Fruit Cup

Sept. 28

Hamburger on Bun w/

Fixings

French Fries

Cake, Ice Cream

Sept. 29

Kitchen Closed

UKB Celebration

Sept. 30

Kitchen Closed

Cleaning Day

RECIPES

Hopi Corn Stew

3 lbs. ground beef

1 lbs. carrots

2 (4 oz.) cans green chiles, with juice

3 cups hominy, white

2 onions, large

6 potatoes

3 (8 oz.) cans whole tomatoes w/ liquid

3 cups beef broth

1/2 tsp black pepper, ground

2 tbsp chili powder

1/2 tsp salt

In a large pot over medium heat, cook

ground beef until brown. Stir in onions,

and saute until soft and translucent.

Season with chili powder and cook for

about 2 minutes.

Add potatoes, carrots, hominy, tomatoes and chilies. Pour in beef broth.

Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Reduce heat, and simmer 2 hours or

until potatoes and carrots are tender.

Ceviche

8 oz. raw, peeled small shrimp

UKB Lighthorse Tribal Police

An officer is always on-call if you are ever

in need of emergency assistance or

assistance with a civil or criminal matter.

Call 918-207-9955

To submit a recipe, email it to travissnell75@gmail.com or mail it to Giduwa

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

8 oz. scallops (shelled)

4 sweet tomatoes

8 limes

1 white onion

1 ripe avocado

Salt and (coarse) pepper to taste

Garlic to taste

Dried oregano (optional)

8 oz. squid, clean and sliced (optional)

1/2 cup diced sweet peppers (optional)

Place seafood in ceramic or glass

bowl. Squeeze juice from 7 of the limes

onto it. Make sure all of it is covered

with juice. Cover with plastic wrap and

refrigerate overnight.

Drain seafood mixture through a colander to remove the lime juice. Chop the

tomato but remove the white core and

seeds. Finely chop the onions.

Cut the avocado. Remove the pit and

scoop out the flesh. Cut into cubes.

Mix all ingredients together and

squeeze juice of the remaining lime on

the mixture and sprinkle salt, pepper,

garlic and oregano to taste.

Traditions Honored

We make it personal.®

We honor you, celebrate your ways,

with your traditions and what

matters to you and your community.

www.hartfuneralhome.net

918-456-8823

ᎩᏚᏩ ᏣᎳᎩ

HEALTH•ᎠᏰᎸ ᏄᏍᏛ

SEPTEMBER 2022

5

Study: Americans

aren’t planning for

health care needs

If you haven’t considered your health care

needs for the future, you’re not alone.

A weak immune system increases your risk not only for developing illness, but for a more severe case if you do become ill with something such as COVID-19. Fortunately, there are many

ways the average person can strengthen his or her immune system. NEWSUSA

Expert offers tips

to boost immunity

NEWSUSA – The ongoing pandemic has highlighted the importance of

keeping your immune system strong and

healthy, said Leonard A. Farber, a health

care executive and expert in emerging

technologies and their impact on health.

A weak immune system increases your

risk not only for developing illness, but

for a more severe case if you do become

ill with something such as COVID-19,

said Farber, who also serves as a spokesman for nutritional supplement manufacturer Quadramune.

Fortunately, there are many ways the

average person can strengthen his or her

immune system. In many cases, following

the obvious and well-known advice to

get enough sleep, eat a healthy diet, and

exercise regularly can help boost your

immune system. Other factors include

avoiding smoking and excessive alcohol

consumption, and incorporating ways to

relieve stress, such as with yoga, tai chi,

or other mindfulness-related activities.

In addition, the right nutritional supplements can play an important role in

reducing inflammation in the body and

supporting a healthy immune system,

said Farber. “At early stages, our bodies’ inflammatory response can fight off

infection as well as play an integral role

in injury repair. When inflammatory

cells reach an unhealthy level such as in

chronic inflammation, they can trigger

your body’s immune system to attack

healthy tissues and organs,” Farber said.

Nutritional supplements, such as those

developed by Quadramune, are designed

to help keep the immune system in

balance. Anti-inflammatory foods such

as salmon, tofu, walnuts, grapes, and

olive oil can have a positive effect on the

immune system, and many of the active

ingredients in these foods are actually

found in Quadramune supplements.

The Quadramune supplements provide

the benefits of infection-fighting power

and protection against chronic inflammation, according to the company website.

Several key ingredients in Quadramune

supplements include:

• Pterostilbene. A natural dietary

compound that has shown antioxidant

activity and inflammatory properties.

• Epigallocatechin gallate. This powerful antioxidant plant compound boasts

antioxidant properties and potential ability to help protect the lungs and promote

healthy T cell activity.

• Sulphoraphane. This natural plant

compound has been shown to help

reduce inflammation, which may help

protect your lungs and reduce your vulnerability to respiratory infections.

• Thymoquinone: phytochemical compound found in the plant Nigella sativa.

This active ingredient is chemically related to hydroxychloroquine, but with no

prescription needed. It has demonstrated

to stimulate natural killer (NK) cells

which are antiviral, and is a potential

antiviral itself based on its mechanistic

effects on cells.

This combination of ingredients “can

be immune stimulating or boosting and

preventative of an unhealthy immune

response,” said Farber. “This allows the

body a better chance not only to fight

the onset of an infection or inflammatory

reaction but also to lessen the severity of

certain illnesses, especially those that are

inflammatory-based in nature,” he added.

Exercise without excuses

It’s all-too-common for those embarking on

a regular exercise routine to skip a planned

workout for one reason or another.

STATEPOINT – It’s all-too-common for

those embarking on a regular exercise

routine to skip a planned workout for

one reason or another.

Here are some of the most common

excuses that people make not to exercise,

along with some solutions to overcome

these challenges:

“I need low-impact exercises.” Many

traditional workouts are tough on joints,

which over time, can cause overuse

injuries or exacerbate existing conditions.

To achieve your fitness goals pain-free,

consider low-impact exercises such as

yoga, swimming and elliptical machines.

“I don’t have the space to work out

at home.” Whether you live in a small

apartment or just can’t dedicate too

much space to a home gym, there’s

good news. Certain manufacturers of

exercise equipment have your back and

are developing versatile, sleek fitness

equipment to address your needs.

At less than 23 pounds, the Cubii Total

Body+ (available now for pre-order) is

a good example of a compact machine

offering a low-impact, approachable

and achievable workout that targets

everything from abs and arms to quads

and calves.

With a low-impact motion, you can

hit eight key muscle groups using

one machine. Its elliptical component

features 12 resistance levels that can

be adjusted from your phone, and its

resistance bands range from 2 to 7

pounds, allowing you, to tone, sculpt and

strengthen your upper body, no matter

what your fitness level is.

“I’m not seeing results.” If you’ve

been working out for a little while and

haven’t seen immediate results, don’t get

discouraged. Whether your fitness goal

centers around weight loss or getting

toned, it’s important to remember that

little changes add up over time.

“I’m just not motivated.” If keeping the

exercise spark alive is difficult, consider

turning to tech.

New apps that connect to your

equipment via Bluetooth, like the Cubii

App, can send you reminders to get

moving, as well as help you track your

goals.

They can also help you stay

accountable by allowing you to connect

with a fitness community and compete

with friends, or join live and on-demand

classes.

“I don’t have any time.” Between work,

family and other commitments, finding

the time to hit the gym for an hour or

more isn’t always possible. But practicing

self-care and prioritizing your own health

and wellness is essential. What you may

not realize is that a high-quality workout

doesn’t need to happen in a specific place

or require a lot of time. In fact, some

forms of exercise can occur while you’re

working or watching TV.

What’s more, even a short burst of

activity is very beneficial to getting

you strong, boosting your metabolism

and energy, and improving your mood.

That’s where a great versatile piece of

equipment for the home or office can

come into play.

For example, unlike a traditional

standalone piece of fitness equipment,

the Cubii Total Body+ is a 2-in-1 system

that combines cardio with upper body

strength training for a full-body workout

you can do anytime, anywhere. To learn

more about how to get active today, visit

cubii.com.

Creating a new exercise habit can

be an uphill struggle, especially if you

are short on time, space or motivation.

Luckily, new tools are emerging that can

help you work out without excuses.

STATEPOINT – If you haven’t spent

time considering what your health care

needs will be in the years or even decades from now, you’re not alone.

Recent research suggests that many

aging Americans aren’t aware of the full

range of options available to them. As

we age, our health care needs intensify,

and experts say that the U.S. health

care system will need to embrace home

health care options to meet the demand

of an aging population.

The new national survey, titled “Aging

in Place: Assessing Senior’s Understanding of Home Health care Options,”

conducted by Bredin on behalf of Cross

Country Workforce Solutions Group,

shows that while most people aged 5079 years old would prefer at-home care

as they age, 91% of respondents have

not proactively researched the care they

may need as they grow older. Further,

34% have not thought about their care

needs, and awareness of existing managed-at-home care programs was low

among the survey respondents.

“By living at home, seniors can maintain their independence and be close to

their loved ones and community, and

by and large, that is what they want

to do. At-home care can both meet the

needs of those requiring long-term care,

while alleviating some of the mounting challenges faced by hospitals and

health care systems,” said Pamela Jung,

president of Cross Country Workforce

Solutions Group, a division of Cross

Country Health care, the nation’s leading provider of in-home clinical and

non-clinical care for aging seniors.

As you explore your options, consider

the following tips:

• From transportation to medical

appointments to help with household

tasks, consider what your potential

needs might be and research programs

in your community to address them.

While there are assistance programs

available to help seniors age with

dignity, the Cross Country Workforce

Solutions Group survey found that the

majority of older Americans are unaware of an important one: Programs

of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly

(PACE), a national program of comprehensive care for adults age 55 and over

who would prefer to remain living at

home rather than in a nursing facility.

In some communities, PACE is known

as Living Independently for the Elderly

(LIFE). These programs can make living

at home safer and more affordable than

institutionalized care.

“This program has provided me

with the best caregiver. She is a great

person with a great heart, and she goes

above and beyond during my home

care services,” said Luther Bell, PACE

participant. “I feel like I have improved

a lot in many ways because my caregiver meal preps for me, provides quality

care, and our daily interactions bring

positivity to my life.”

• Talk to your family and friends

about your wishes and where you

would like to receive care. Also, continue to have regular conversations with

your doctors about your health.

• While the average senior collects

just $18,000 annually in social security,

57% of survey respondents have not

considered the budget they will need

for aged care services and support. Take

time to learn how much various aspects

of care will cost, factoring in standard

living expenses.

For additional survey results and

information about home health care,

visit www.crosscountryhealth care.com/

aging-in-place.

“At a time when the burden on hospitals and health systems has at times

compromised their ability to deliver

quality care, living at home with support can provide optimized care and

independence to seniors,” said Jung.

6

SEPTEMBER 2022

EDUCATION•ᏧᎾᏕᎶᏆᏍᏗ

ᎩᏚᏩ ᏣᎳᎩ

American Indian Services scholarships open

BY STAFF REPORTS

LEHI, UTAH – The American Indian

Services Scholarship program helps

undergraduate Native American students

with financial support to attend college,

maintain enrollment and graduate.

Scholarship awards are based on up

to one-half of tuition and need for the

term the student is applying for and are

allocated directly to the school for the

student. Students will need to have their

own email account in to apply.

Requirements

· Enrolled or will enroll as a matriculated student in a university, college, junior

college or technical school in the United

States. Incoming freshman are accepted;

· Enrolled or will enroll with an accredited school. Check accreditation status

with your school or visit https://ope.

ed.gov/dapip/#/home for an accredited

school list. If your school is not accredited by any of the agencies, it is not

eligible;

· An enrolled member of a U.S. federally recognized American Indian or Alaska

Native Tribe, or descendant of a base

roll member. Visit https://www.bia.gov/

guide/tracing-american-indian-and-alaska-native-aian-ancestry to contact your

tribe, apply for enrollment and/or apply

for a Certificate Degree of Indian Blood.

· Undergraduate student with no

more than 150-semester credits or 210

quarter credits. First bachelor’s degree

only. Graduate studies are not currently

eligible;

· Full-time or part-time status – excluding non-credit courses (minimum of 6

credits);

· Minimum cumulative GPA of 2.25

must be established and maintained after

the first semester/quarter of college;

· Completed Free Application for Federal Student Aid or FAFSA; and

Complete the online application at

https://www.americanindianservices.

org/apply.

Required documents

All required documents need to be

uploaded to the student’s application and

are due by the deadline. AIS is no longer

accepting emailed, faxed or hard copy

documents. Late documents/applications

will not be accepted. Be sure to request

documents early to avoid missing the

deadline.

· Recent photo of the applicant. It does

not have to be professional, but old, tattered, blurry, filtered photos or a copy of

The American Indian Services Scholarship program helps undergraduate Native American

students with financial support to attend college, maintain enrollment and graduate.

AMERICAN INDIAN SERVICES

your ID will NOT be accepted. The photo

will be sent to potential donors who may

fund your scholarship and/or used for

marketing purposes.

· Proof of heritage must show that

you are either an enrolled member of a

federally recognized tribe or you are not

enrolled but are a descendant of a base

roll member. If you are not enrolled but

are a descendant, you will need to show

proof of enrollment and relation. Ask

your tribal enrollment office for a statement or you can apply for a CDIB from

the Bureau of Indian Affairs.

Visit https://www.bia.gov/bia/ois/

tribal-leaders-directory/ to contact your

tribe, apply for enrollment and/or apply

for a CDIB.

· An essay in place of the biographical

letter. The essay is not an actual document that you will upload, but rather

Mellon Foundation

gives $2.5M to American

Indian College Fund

The grant supports Indigenous high school

students’ paths to college, college transfer

students and college retention.

BY STAFF REPORTS

DENVER – The Mellon Foundation

recently awarded the American Indian

College Fund more than $2.5 million to

support its Native Pathways to College

Program.

The College Fund created this culturally based program to increase first-time

college enrollment after high school,

retention and graduation of American

Indian and Alaska Native students.

Most recent data shows AIAN students make up less than 1% of students

enrolled in college nationwide, with only

19% of 18-to-24-year-old AIAN students

enrolled in college compared to 41% of

the overall U.S. population.

The College Fund’s Native Pathways

program gives AIAN students the support

and programming they need to go to college and graduate, using a three-pronged

approach.

The Native Pathways program provides

culturally specific resources to AIAN high

school students to help them prepare for

and apply to college, including guidance

on choosing a major, coursework, college

tours, budgeting, and financial aid.

The program also provides supports for

AIAN students attending two-year tribal

colleges and universities, completing an

associate degree and students seeking to

transfer to a four-year institution to earn

a bachelor’s degree.

The program provides coaching

opportunities, training for TCU staff to

assist transfer students and informational

events focused on the transfer process.

Finally, the program provides in-person

and online student events on a variety

of college and career readiness topics

including wellness, prayer and meditation, cultural identity, finding a sense of

belonging on campus, storytelling for

successful writing, choosing a major, careers, test-taking strategies, financial aid

and additional online offerings.

The Native Pathways program

launched in 2016 and has since grown

significantly.

Programming for the high school

component initially served 29 reservation-based high schools in five states

and grew to support 80 high schools and

community partners on or near reservations in 12 states in 2020-21.

The TCU transfer component of the

program originally supported students

at 12 TCUs and in 2020-2021 grew to

support students at 23 TCUs with direct

coaching, staff training and in-person

and online events.

In addition to an increase in outreach,

the Native Pathways program’s focus has

also expanded.

While the original program worked

with individual students and small

groups through direct coaching, today

the program focuses on deepening existing relationships and providing staff

training to meet Native students’ needs

and deliver programming, all with the

end goal to reach more students.

“As Indigenous students navigate an increasingly complex and global experience

and as our young people strengthen their

identities as Native people, we are called

upon to be there for them, as mentors,

supporters, and guides,” American Indian

College Fund President Cheryl Crazy Bull

said. “We are called upon to help them

become leaders, in their homes, communities, and in this nation. With the support of the Mellon Foundation and our

many allies on their team, we can be the

support that our young people need. We

are able, together, to help them on their

journeys. On their behalf, I offer sincere

appreciation to the Mellon Foundation

for its continued support.”

For information about the American

Indian College Fund, visit www.collegefund.org.

a text box on the application itself. Tell

us about yourself. For example, something special about where you grew up,

experiences with your tribe or how it has

influenced you, what your family is like,

the challenges you’ve had to overcome

to get your education, etc. Desired career

industry (uses a dropdown list). Why

have you chosen this field? Explain why

you feel you need this scholarship.

· Official tuition billing statement or

an acceptable alternative. The statement

must reflect the term you are applying

for and the tuition amount.

Acceptable alternatives include a letter

of an estimated cost of tuition from your

school (https://www.americanindianservices.org/_files/ugd/d5dcdc_7a3d5e14f3244f40a072dd9a75bd308b.pdf)stating

your name, the term you are applying

for and the estimated cost of tuition for

however many credits you plan to take

for that term. Financial Needs Analysis

(https://www.americanindianservices.

org/_files/ugd/d5dcdc_27b60a912f9c45f983ce70650af2690b.pdf) form in

place of a tuition statement. FNAs for

other organizations will not be accepted.

Be advised that FNAs are for full-time

status only. The AIS is accepting tuition

statements for the academic year.

· Current transcript that can be unofficial. Do not wait for final grades to

be posted and submit the most current

transcript. You don’t need to pay for an

official transcript. You can submit an

unofficial transcript. High school or GED

transcripts are acceptable for incoming

freshmen in their first two terms only.

· Thank You letter (only required if

your application is approved).

Deadlines

The AIS is accepting applications for

the academic year (under Award III).

Apply for the deadline that corresponds

with your school’s academic calendar:

· I Spring/Summer – Enrollment opens

Jan. 1/Deadline: Feb. 1. If your term

starts in April or May, you would apply

for Award I;

· II Summer – Enrollment opens March

1/Deadline: April 1. If your term starts in

June or July, you would apply for Award

II;

· III Fall/Academic Year – Enrollment

opens May 1/Deadline: July 1. If your

term starts in August, September, October, or November you would apply for

Award III; and

· IV Spring/Winter – Enrollment opens

Sept. 1/Deadline: Nov. 1. If your term

starts in December, January, February or

March you would apply for Award IV.

Incomplete applications will not be

processed. Late documents will not be

accepted. Please allow four to six weeks

after the deadline for applications to be

evaluated and updated online.

If your application has been approved,

your application status will be updated

and you will receive an email. Students

will be required to write a thank you

letter if approved, which needs to be

submitted by the specified deadline.

Scholarship checks will be sent to the

school after receipt of thank you letters.

Follow American Indian Services on Facebook or Instagram for updates.

For other questions visit https://www.

americanindianservices.org/faq or email

scholarship@americanindianservices.org

or call 801-375-1777, ext. 1002.

ᎩᏚᏩ ᏣᎳᎩ

SERVICES•ᎾᎾᏛᏁᎲ

SEPTEMBER 2022

7

UKB Housing staff gather for retreat

BY LANI HANSEN

Reporter

DURANT – In August, the United Keetoowah Band Housing Department went

on its annual retreat to Durant, sitting in

two days of sessions joined by few of the

UKB Council members.

The retreat lasted two days, where

the UKB Housing Department gathered

at the Choctaw Casino and Resort. This

was its fourth annual training retreat,

after missing one year due to Covid. They

always invite the council, even Chief

Joe Bunch to attend and learn about the

Housing Department. During the retreat

the staff learned more about their roles

of titles, went over policies, procedures,

bylaws, ordinance and had at least two

guest speakers.

Roxana Wilden, UKB Housing Director

opened day one session with a welcoming and introductions. Wilden who came

as director after the retirement of Nancy

McCause, is hoping to make changes in

the housing department to better service

our people.

During their first day of training Amanda Proctor, Housing Attorney had the

opportunity to come and speak with the

staff. She went over some of the Housing

Ordinance, Bylaws, conflict of interest

and policies for Financial Administration

and Internal Controls.

“We went over some of our policies

and procedures because there were some

income guidelines that have changed,”

Wilden commented.

Later in the first day of the training

when Proctor spoke to them, she talked

about the new and revised housing policies and procedures from HUD. HUD is

an Indian Housing Block Grant that helps

fund the department.

United Keetoowah Band Housing staff, committee and several Council members attend the

2022 Training Retreat. PHOTOS BY LANI HANSEN/GIDUWA CHEROKEE NEWS

Construction Manager Richard Vann introduces

members of the UKB Housing crew.

Some staff, committee and Council members

work in a small group activity.

In another session the staff learned

about their individual learning strategies.

The three categories were Navigators,

Problem-solvers and Engagers.

On their last training day, everyone

from the housing department had the

chance to explain what they do for the

department and what they go through.

It started out with Occupancy Specialist

Amanda Mink, Procurement/Contract

Specialist Nicole O’Kelley and Admissions

Clerk Amber Forrest going over the programs of Housing.

Housing currently has the Storm Shelter Program, Rehab/Emergency Repairs

Program, Elder Home Project, Replacement Home Program and they re-opened

the College Student Rental Assistance

Program to 10 students which the application closed on Aug. 5.

The Housing Department could not get

the projects they have completed without the crew who go out daily whenever

someone calls about a leak in their house

or need repairs done or just anything

related to housing.

This past year, they have helped

opened the housing of Coosa Watee

which is made up of 10 rental units. The

crew also helps with the elder distribution, a food distribution to UKB elders in

each district.

The UKB Housing crew are Construction Manager Richard Vann, Maintenance

Loy Shade, Inspector Marcus Thompson,

Crew member Blaine Bailey and Gil

Hooper Jr.

UKB Housing Accountant Lora

King-Harjo and H.A.F Clerk Jacqueline

Cochran was able to share what they do

in the office and for the department.

To wrap up the training Director of the

Peoria Housing Authority Jason Dollarhide, shared how smaller tribes’ housing

department offer. He also went over how

the roles of the department are important, and made the staff do an activity of

working together on a project.

When asked about what they learned

from the retreat Jacqueline responded, “I

learned a lot about the whole department

in what everyone does outside of my own

duties and responsibilities such as, what

the construction crew experience with

homeowners and what they have to go

through in order to get the job done.”

Nicole O’Kelley said, “The speakers

were interesting, and I learned about

other tribe’s housing department of how

they operate and what they offer.”

For information, call, 918-871-2773 or

email at housing@ukb-nsn.gov.

Interior aims to increase

Indigenous voter registration

BY STAFF REPORTS

Improvements to sanitation facilities can reduce inpatient and outpatient visits related to respiratory, skin and soft tissue, and gastroenteric disease. Every $1 spent on water and sewer

infrastructure can save $1.23 in avoided direct health care costs. INDIAN HEALTH SERVICE

IHS gives $700M to improve

tribal water, sanitation

BY STAFF REPORTS

WASHINGTON – The Indian Health

Service recently announced allocation

decisions for $700 million appropriated

to the IHS in President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, which appropriates $700 million in each fiscal year

from FY 2022 through FY 2026, for a

total of $3.5 billion for the IHS Sanitation Facilities Construction Program.

“President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law is rebuilding roads, expanding access to clean water, promoting environmental justice and investing

in communities that have been left

behind for too long,” said Health and

Human Service Secretary Xavier Becerra. “We are one step closer to addressing sanitation deficiencies in American

Indian and Alaska Native communities.

Improving access to safe water and

wastewater disposal will improve health

outcomes for American Indians and

Alaska Natives.”

“This funding will support crucial

sanitation projects that will result in

substantial improvements to clean water

and sanitation systems in American

Indian and Alaska Native communities

across the country,” IHS Acting Director

Elizabeth Fowler said.

The funding announced will provide

71,000 American Indian and Alaska

Native homes with critical services such

as water wells and onsite wastewater

disposal systems and connections to

community water supply and wastewater disposal systems. Improvements to

sanitation facilities can reduce inpatient

and outpatient visits related to respiratory, skin and soft tissue, and gastroenteric

disease. Every $1 spent on water and

sewer infrastructure can save $1.23 in

avoided direct health care costs.

The IHS will allocate approximately $581 million for its Tier 1 project

construction costs. When combined with

FY 2022 annual appropriations, these re-

sources will support 475 Tier 1 projects PDF. A Tier 1 project is considered ready

to fund because planning is complete.

The IHS will also allocate $60 million

for design and construction document

creation activities related to these Tier

1 projects, which include engineering

design activities for proposed sanitation

facilities, contract documents, and contract plans and specifications.

Tier 2 projects have a level of their

engineering assessment complete and

have a well understood deficiency and a

recommended solution while Tier 3 projects have deficiencies identified but are

still in the planning phase, which may

include identifying solutions. The IHS

will allocate approximately $33 million

for the planning, design, and construction contract document creation for Tier

2 and Tier 3 projects. The IHS will also

use FY 2022 annual appropriations to

support additional planning, design,

and construction document creation

activities for Tier 2 and Tier 3 projects.

The Sanitary Deficiency System – or SDS

– currently includes 661 Tier 2 projects,

totaling approximately $2.2 billion, and

361 Tier 3 projects, totaling approximately $505 million.

Lastly, the allocation includes $21

million for salaries, expenses and administrative costs, $3.5 million for the Office

of the Inspector General to oversee IHS’s

implementation of these resources, and

$1.5 million for special projects, such as

studies, training or other needs related

to sanitation facilities construction.

These allocations align with recommendations from tribal leaders to

prioritize funding for projects that have

completed the planning phase and can

be immediately placed into the design

and construction phase, and to provide

funding for planning and design activities to get projects ready to fund.

Visit the IHS Division of Sanitation Facilities Construction website for projects

and costs as of Dec. 31, 2021.

WASHINGTON – The Department of

the Interior recently announced that

it is working with states to formally

designate the DOI-operated post-secondary tribal institutions – Haskell Indian

Nations University in Kansas and the

Southwestern Indian Polytechnic Institute in New Mexico – as voter registration agencies under the National Voter

Registration Act.

This designation will facilitate registration opportunities for enrolled students and members of the community.

The announcement follows the release

of the White House’s Native American

Voting Rights Report, which chronicles

the barriers Native voters face and recommends actions at every level to help

break down these barriers.

These efforts support President Biden’s

Executive Order on Promoting Access to

Voting, which aims to expand access to,

and education about, voter registration

and election information in order to enable all eligible Americans to participate

in our democracy.

“Tribal nations have played a significant role in influencing the contours

of American democracy, yet systemic

barriers continue to disenfranchise Indigenous people and impede a free and

fair electoral process,” said Secretary

Deb Haaland. “The Interior Department

is committed to defending the right to

vote, which includes increasing access to

voter registration and engaging young

people in our democratic system.”

Assistant Secretary for Indian Affairs

Bryan Newland said the announcement

helps further Biden’s goals of increasing

voter outreach, education, registration

and turnout in Indigenous communities.

“Haskell and SIPI serve as important

touchpoints in their respective communities,” he said. “Designating these

schools as voter registration agencies is

an important move that will allow more

Native people the opportunity to register

to vote.”

In March 2021, Biden directed the

creation of an Interagency Steering

Group on Native American Voting Rights

to study the barriers Native voters face

in casting their ballot and to recommend

steps to mitigate or eliminate these barriers. The group held six consultations

with tribal leaders and Native American

voting rights advocates across the country, and engaged in listening sessions

with Native Hawaiians, organizations

advocating for improved tribal voting

rights, and state and local election officials in jurisdictions with sizable Native

populations. These sessions sought to

mitigate barriers to voting for Native

communities and revealed recurring and

unnecessary impediments.

To ensure that the White House report

is accessible to an audience across

Indian Country, the assistant secretary’s

office is spearheading an effort to translate the report into six Native languages:

Navajo, Yup’ik, Ojibwe, Cherokee, Lakota and Native Hawaiian.

Disaster Recovery Centers

open in northeast Oklahoma

BY STAFF REPORTS

OKLAHOMA CITY – Joint federal/

state Disaster Recovery Centers are open

in Adair, Muskogee and Tulsa counties

to help survivors affected by the severe

storms, tornadoes and flooding that

occurred May 2-8.

Survivors from any of the seven designated counties can meet in person with

Federal Emergency Management Agency

and U.S. Small Business Administration specialists to get help with disaster

assistance applications, upload documents and have questions about federal

disaster assistance answered.

The seven designated counties are

Adair, Cherokee, Muskogee, Okmulgee,

Pottawatomie, Seminole and Tulsa.

Disaster Recovery Centers are open at:

Adair County

Adair County EMS, 4 E. Walnut St., in

Stilwell

Hours: 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., Monday

through Friday and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on

Saturday. Closed on Sunday.

Muskogee County

Harris-Jobe Elementary School, 2809

N. Country Club Road in Muskogee

Hours: 9 a.m. to 8 p.m., Monday

through Friday and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on

Saturday. Closed on Sunday.

Tulsa County

Bixby Community Center, 211 N.

Cabaniss Ave., in Bixby

Hours: 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., Monday

through Thursday and 10 a.m. to 5:30

p.m. on Friday. Closed Saturday and

Sunday.

The centers will follow COVID-19 precautions. Masks are required for employees, volunteers and survivors.

Download the FEMA mobile app at

fema.gov/about/news-multimedia/

mobile-products for more information

about DRCs (under Disaster Resources,

select Talk to FEMA in Person). Active

Disaster Recovery Center locations and

hours are available FEMA.gov/DRC.

For the latest information, visit fema.

gov/disaster/4657. Follow us on Twitter

at twitter.com/FEMARegion6 and like us

on Facebook at facebook.com/FEMARegion6.

8

SEPTEMBER 2022

BUSINESS•ᏗᎦᎸᏫᏍᏓᏁᏗ

ᎩᏚᏩ ᏣᎳᎩ

5 tips for

buying life

insurance

Today, many adults have elderly parents who live independently. As the number of digital scammers preying on the elderly

increases, however, your aging parents are at higher risk of financial fraud. NEWSUSA

Protect aging parents

from financial fraud

Monitor your parents’ credit reports annually to ensure that no

one is opening any false accounts using their identities.

NEWSUSA – Today, many adults have elderly parents who live independently. As the number of digital

scammers preying on the elderly increases, however,

your aging parents are at higher risk of financial fraud.

“You must be ready to safeguard your parents

against the growing threat of digital scammers and

become their trusted advocate,” Laura J. LaTourette, a

certified financial planner, said. Not long ago, LaTourette had to come to the aid of her mother, who had

been targeted by scammers pretending to help upgrade her computer.

Here are several tips LaTourette offers for protecting

your parents’ finances as they age:

• Talk it over. Sometimes talking about money is

tricky, even with close family members. Older adults

need to understand that they are at risk for fraud if

they don’t have someone to help manage their money

as they age. Ask about spending, saving and philanthropic habits, and know who has access to your

parents’ account information.

• Form a team. Enlist other family members if,

needed, and identify other trusted contacts with

whom your parents feel comfortable discussing money

matters. If your parents work with a certified financial

planner, set up a meeting to talk about fraud protection and create an elder care plan for your parents.

• Make safety simple. Set up online account infor-

mation and show your parents how they and you can

monitor account activity. Set up automatic withdrawals for monthly bills. If your parents still like to review

and balance their checking accounts each month, use

that as an opportunity to identify anything that looks

out of the ordinary.

• Establish power of attorney. As parents age, they

may need someone else to communicate with financial

institutions or health care providers. Make sure your

parents have an updated power of attorney that lists

you and/or any other trusted contacts. The same goes

for a medical power of attorney.

• Shred what you can. Many older adults have

financial documents that don’t need to be kept, but

because of sensitive information cannot simply be

thrown out or recycled. Once you identify old financial documents, either shred them yourself at home

or gather boxes of material to take to a community

shredding event, which occur periodically in most

communities.

• Check their credit. Be sure to monitor your

parents’ credit reports at least once a year; this helps

ensure that no one is opening any false accounts using

their identities.

Visit LetsMakeAPlan.org for more information on

how to assist your parents in safeguarding their finances as they age.

STATEPOINT MEDIA – More and more people are realizing that adding life insurance to their financial plan

can provide some security for their loved ones. According to a survey by the financial services trade association LIMRA, the first six months of 2021 saw the highest

number of U.S. life insurance policies sold since 1983,

and nearly one in three Americans said they were more

likely to buy coverage due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Whether you’re initially buying life insurance or reviewing a policy to ensure you have the right coverage:

1. Know the difference between term and permanent

life insurance. Term life insurance coverage lasts for a

set amount of time – most policies are for 10 to 30-year

terms – while permanent life insurance covers your

entire lifetime. There are advantages and disadvantages

to both, but some prefer term since it has a lower premium compared to permanent; it can be tailored to the

length of time it’s needed (such as long enough for your

mortgage or your children’s college educations to be

paid for). On the other hand, permanent policies often

have cash accumulation and can be tailored to last your

lifetime.

2. Determine how much you need. There are several

factors to consider, including your age, debts, monthly

expenses and number of children. Did you know that

even stay-at-home parents and student loan cosigners

could have a definite need for life insurance? An insurance agent can help you figure out who and what you

need to protect. To estimate your coverage needs, use

the free Erie Insurance life insurance calculator found at

www.erieinsurance.com/life-calc.

3. Purchase sooner rather than later. If you hold off

buying term life insurance until age 50, the rate can be

up to 212% higher compared to buying at age 30. So

don’t wait. Policies are more affordable than you may

think. Permanent policies can also drastically change

over time. For example, a $250,000 Erie Family Life policy could cost less than $15 a month, or about what you

might spend on three or four coffee shop drinks.

4. Talk with a trusted advisor. An insurance agent can

help answer any questions you have, walk you through

the process, lay out the options that make sense for your

life and budget, anticipate your needs and make the

process efficient. In many cases, your advisor can tell

you how much you need and how much it can cost in

just a couple of minutes.

5. Choose a proper beneficiary. Decide who you want

your benefit to go to when you pass away, such as a

spouse, close family member or grown child. There’s

also the option to leave it to a charity, school or church.

It’s important to make sure you think through who your

beneficiaries are and if any proceeds meant to benefit a minor should be held in trust. When selecting a

beneficiary, a policy owner must select someone with

“insurable interest” in the life of the insured. Insurable

interest generally means that the beneficiary will incur

some type of loss should the life insured pass away.

3 ways Millennials

can save more money

For young adults

starting out, money

management can

be a challenge.

Many young adults

are looking to

refinance student

loans to combine

multiple debts,

maximize interest

rates, bring down

monthly payments,

or pay off faster.

NEWSUSA

Part of what’s driving Millennials into saving

could be memories of the Great Recession.

NEWSUSA – For too long, Millennials

have gotten a bad rap about money and

their ability to save for a rainy day or

retirement.

However, a “Relationship With Money” survey by financial services firm

Edward Jones found that not only do

more Americans born between 1981 and

1996 consider themselves “savers” than

those in their parents’ Gen-X cohort (48%

vs. 46%), but that Millennials also were

better at socking away emergency funds

(75% vs. 66%).

“This debunks the myth that Millennials aren’t as financially focused as other

generations,” said Edward Jones investment strategist Nela Richardson.

And the survey isn’t some outlier. It’s

supported by other research. The Federal

Reserve Survey on Consumer Finances

found that while Millennials are deep in

debt, more than 42% have retirement accounts, the highest share for those under

35 years of age since 2001.

Part of what’s driving Millennials’ emphasis on saving could stem from lingering memories of the Great Recession.

“Back in the late 2000’s, the oldest

cohort of millennials entered the worst

job market since the Great Depression of

the 1930’s,” said Richardson.

“For younger millennials, watching

their parents and other family members

go through that experience Beliemay

have also made them more aware of the

risks of a market downturn or some other

unexpected event, such as losing a home

or a job, and so they’re more conservative

when it comes to spending and saving in

their adult lives,” said Richardson.

One potential alarm bell uncovered

by Edward Jones’ sampling of more

than 2,000 adults nationally age 18 and

over: While 92% were honest enough

with themselves to recognize there was

room for improvement in their financial

health, the very thought of saving money

sufficed to make more than a third feel

either “anxious” or “overwhelmed.”

If that sounds familiar, here are three

steps to consider:

• Identify your money-related emotions. People often have emotional

responses to money. Getting a big bonus

at work can make you feel euphoric; agonizing over what to do with it can be paralyzing even as the logical part of your

brain (invest at least most of it) fights it

out with the emotional part (splurge it

all). What’s key is knowing that letting

your feelings dictate your spending,

saving and investing choices can lead to

poor decisions.

• Develop a financial strategy. Keeping

your cool starts with identifying main

goals – a down payment on a new home,

college for your children, a comfortable retirement – and then sticking to a

sound, long-term path for attaining them.

• Get an “accountability partner.”

Meaning, someone with whom you’re

comfortable sharing your finances. It

could be a family member. Or a professional financial advisor, such as a local

one at Edward Jones, who has the perspective, experience and skills necessary

to help you make the moves appropriate

for your situation.

“Whether you are strapped with student debt, saving to buy a home or trying

to build an emergency fund, there are

trade-offs that must be made in balancing

these short-term goals and our long-term

financial future, such as investing for

retirement,” Richardson said. “Without a

sound financial strategy, most people tend

to be reactive rather than proactive and

feel that their money is controlling them.”

Strategic money moves

for younger adults

NEWSUSA – For young adults starting out, money management can be

a challenge. You may be navigating

rent, car payments, monthly bills, food

and student loans. Many young adults

are looking to refinance student loans

to combine multiple debts, maximize

interest rates, bring down monthly payments, or pay off faster. There are benefits to refinancing and many options for

lenders that offer refinancing.

Refinancing student loans lets you

take advantage of the best prices as

rates change. Lantern, a loan comparison platform operated by digital

personal finance company SoFi, lets

you compare rates and find a plan that

works for you. When looking to refinance student loans, borrowers should

compare lenders and rates to find the

best option for their situation. A few

tips for anyone looking to refinance:

· Use filters when comparing online.

Make a smart decision on refinancing your student loans by comparing

multiple options side-by-side using filter

on financing options based on lowest

or highest payment, lowest or highest

annual percentage rate, and lowest

or highest term. The right refinancing

strategy can help young adults save

thousands of dollars over time.

· Find advice, useful tips and information through curated financial articles

and calculators, comparisons of lenders

and products by expert journalists and

reviews from others who have used

these services to refinance student

loans. You’ll also find financial recommendations based on your financial

interests and current financial situation.

Financially savvy young adults also

are leading the way in adopting cryptocurrency as a way to generate income

streams and invest in the future. The

NFT marketplace is a growing opportunity, and those who are early adopters

are exploring, collecting, and minting

NFTs for profit. NFTs are bought and

sold in trading platforms much like you

would buy and trade crypto or stocks.

Some features of the NFT marketplace that appeal to young adults

include the convenience of not have to

connect to, or withdraw from, a bank

account. The marketplace allows users

to pay for products via cryptocurrency

without fees. The FTX exchange is connected to multiple cryptocurrency markets including Bitcoin and Ethereum.

ANI GIDUWAGI• ᎠᏂ ᎩᏚᏩᎩ

ᎩᏚᏩ ᏣᎳᎩ

SEPTEMBER 2022

9

ABOVE & BEYOND

United Keetoowah Band member Lauren Turner

makes the honor roll and helps her softball team

win a state championship.

BY LANI HANSEN

Reporter

United Keetoowah Band member

Lauren Turner is a sophomore at

Diamond High School in

Diamond, Missouri. Turner not

only excels in class but in

multiple sports as well. She

recently helped her softball

team win a state championship. COURTESY PHOTO

TAHLEQUAH

– The United Keetoowah Band has

many intelligent

students and student-athletes whether they are in high

school or college,

but this student has

achieved so much

in 2021-22 as a

high school freshman.

Lauren Turner,

15, is the daughter of Daniel and

Erin Turner out of

Diamond, Missouri.

She is a sophomore

at Diamond High School

where she is expected to graduate in 2025 and has a current

GPA of 4.0.

Turner made the Honor

Roll as a freshman completing

her year as an all “A” student.

Outside the classroom, Turner enjoys running, lifting and

anything that helps her stay fit

for school sports.

Looking back as a freshman,

Turner has been a part of volleyball, basketball, softball and

homecoming court for football.

Her parents are beyond proud

of all her accomplishments in

sports from her freshman year.

Turner who plays “middle”

for volleyball helped her team

win District Champs. She was

named first team all-district, academic All-State and honorable

mention all-conference.

In basketball she plays either

guard/post and was named first

team all-district and second

team all-conference. She played

with Golden City all-tournament team and Marionville

all-tournament team.

In softball, Turner plays

middle field and pitcher was

named first team all-conference, first team all-district, first

team all-region, second team

all-state and academic all-state.

She also helped her team win

Conference Champs, District

Champs and win the MO 2A

State Championships.

During football season she

was chosen as the Freshman

Homecoming Attendant.

Looking forward into a new

school year, Turner said she is

“looking forward to getting together with her teammates and

winning more state championships.”

Turner’s father commented

on her accomplishments and

said, “we’re proud of what she’s

done, she works hard and practices all the time. She is always

encouraging her teammates to

come workout with her. One of

her goals a couple of years ago

was win a championship and

she did that as a freshman.”

Turner is planning on helping

her teams once again in winning another championship.

UKB HOUSING

Food Distribution

For all exclusive UKB elders. Must be 62 years or older by your district’s

distribution date. Please visit the district that you affiliate with your

enrollment file. From 9 a.m. to 11 a.m.

SEPTEMBER 2022

IMPORTANT INFO!

PLEASE HAVE YOUR UKB

MEMBERSHIP CARD WITH

YOU. STAFF WILL HAVE A

LIST OF NAMES BY

DISTRICT, SO PLEASE DO

NOT SHOW UP TO

ANOTHER DISTRICT’S

DISTRIBUTION.

Delaware 9/6

Across the highway from

Sam Hider Health Center

Jay, OK

Cooweescoowee 9/8

109 N. Dorothy Ave.

Claremore, OK

Canadian 9/12

3800 W. Okmulgee St.

Muskogee, OK

Salina 9/15

Behind Keetoowah General Store

Kenwood, OK

UNABLE TO MAKE YOUR DISTRICT’S DISTRIBUTION DATE? CALL AMANDA 918-871-2773

10

SEPTEMBER 2022

CULTURE•ᎢᏳᎾᏛᏁᎵᏓᏍᏗ

ᎩᏚᏩ ᏣᎳᎩ

Shade, Guess Memorial Storytelling set for Oct. 15

Two original members

of the Turtle Island

Liars’ Club invite the

public for a night of

storytelling.

BY LANI HANSEN

Reporter

TAHLEQUAH – If you are looking for

something to do in the month of October,

the Turtle Island Liars’ Club will be telling

stories of Cherokee history, animals and

even spooky supernatural tales for their

annual Hastings Shade and Sequoyah

Guess Memorial Storytelling night.

The Turtle Island Liars’ Club came about

years ago when four Cherokee storytellers

got together around a campfire and began

telling stories they have heard or have

witnessed themselves.

The four who are Hastings Shade, Sequoyah Guess, Sammy Still and Woody

Hansen each have their own stories to

tell. Over the years between the four they

have collaborated their stories and now

have one published book which has been

assembled by Cherokee scholar Christopher B. Teuton.

Since then, two of the four Cherokee storytellers have passed on Hastings

Shade and Sequoyah Guess.

Hastings who formerly served as Deputy Chief of the Cherokee Nation from

1999-2003, passed away in 2010.

He served alongside Principal Chief

Chad Smith at the time. Before he passed,

Hastings was a traditionalist who was fluent in the Cherokee Language.

He was also known as a descendant of

Sequoyah, who wrote the Cherokee Syllabary. Hastings carried on the language,

history and culture all while having the

heart as a traditional skilled artisan.

The biggest “liar” of the four Sequoyah

Guess who was well-known within Keetoowah Nation, passed away in 2019.

Sequoyah, during his lifetime authorized

several books such as Kholvn, Red Eye,

Uktan and Cherokee Stories of the Turtle

Island Liars’ Club.

He was a sixth-generation descendant

of Sequoyah also. Since he was a published author, he received several distinguished writers awards and a lifetime

achievement award.

Sequoyah was a proud UKB member and was recognized as a Wisdom

Two of the original members of the Turtle Island Liars’ Club will tell stories on Oct. 15 as part of the annual Hastings Shade and Sequoyah Guess

Memorial Storytelling event. Sammy Still, shown third from left in the front, and Woody Hansen, shown fourth from right, will tell stories about

Cherokee history, animals and the supernatural. LANI HANSEN/GIDUWA CHEROKEE NEWS

Hastings Shade

The late Hastings Shade and Sequoyah Guess

as well as Sammy Still and Woody Hansen

are the original Turtle Island Liars’ Club members. Their stories are featured in the 2016

book “Cherokee Stories of the Turtle Island

Liars’ Club. COURTESY

Sequoyah Guess

Keeper of the tribe.

After Hastings passed away and before

Sequoyah passed, the storytellers thought

it would be good to gather one night to

remember Hastings and invite the public

out to hear some good Cherokee stories.

They continued this tradition and after

Sequoyah passed, they had named it the

Hastings Shade and Sequoyah Guess Memorial Storytelling Night.

Now that there are two of the original

members from the Turtle Island Liars’

Club, Sammy Still and Woody Hansen

they are continuing the tradition with an

upcoming event in October.

Sammy tells all sorts of stories like scary,

comical, history and real-life events. He is

full-blood UKB and knowledge keeper of

the Cherokee traditions, culture and history. His other activities include being a

traditional craftsman. Sammy is known to

be the only Keetoowah traditional stone

marble maker.

Woody enjoys telling stories regarding

Cherokee history and real-life events.

His name might sound familiar, where

a lot of people know him as “Snake Man.”

Woody took up snake hunting as a hobby

over 20 years ago and uses the catch to

promote safety and awareness.

While he loves to go snake hunting,

Woody serves as the pastor at Emmanuel

Baptist Church in Claremore.

The Hastings Shade and Sequoyah

Guess Memorial Storytelling night will be

on Oct. 15.

Storytelling will begin approximately at

6p.m. with supper around 5p.m. Storytellers are invited to come out and share their

stories.

For information about the storytelling

location, visit https://www.ukb-nsn.gov/

giduwa-cherokee-news.

ON SALE NOW!

Our own UKB Henry Lee Doublehead CDC has won

“BEST DAYCARE” in the Best of the Best in Cherokee

County Reader’s Choice awards for the 4th Year in a Row!

They are thankful to all who voted

and continuously support the center.

“I am so proud of the staff who work hard everyday in

service to the families and children who attend the center.

They are the best,” Childcare Director Christie Kirk said.

“When you see an HLDCDC staff out and about, don’t

forget to congratulate them on a job well done.”

The UKB Media Department is selling Yansa (Buffalo) shirts

and Keetoowah hats! $25 each! Limited shirt sizes are

available from S-2XL. Visit the UKB Services Building and

ask for Media for your purchase. Cash only.

SEPTEMBER 2022

ᎩᏚᏩ ᏣᎳᎩ

11

UKB 72nd Celebration

UKB Tribal Grounds

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October 1, 2022

Hosted by

Native Warriors

Auto Club

$20 Entry Fee

Registration 8AM-Noon

Awards 3PM

For more info

text George Stopp

918-316-5176

12

SEPTEMBER 2022

ᎩᏚᏩ ᏣᎳᎩ

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 29

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 30

Golf Tournament 8:30 AM

Chili Supper 7 PM

Dignitary Dinner 6:00 PM (by invitation)

Stomp Dance 9 PM

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 1

8 AM

Car Show

CHIEF’S ADDRESS 11:30 AM

8 AM

Kids Fishing Derby

Traditional Meal 12:00 PM

10 AM

Arts & Crafts Vendors

10 AM

Children’s Activities

1 PM

Entertainment

10 AM

Cornstalk Shoot

1 PM

Volleyball

10 AM

Horseshoe Pitch

11 AM

Stickball Game

2 PM

Cornhole

11 AM

Tradition Keepers

2 PM

Turtle Races

FOOD VENDORS

GAS CARD DRAWINGS

FOR MORE INFORMATION CALL

918-871-2794

Barbara Foster, Celebration Coordinator

Event will be recorded by students from a Place of Belonging Film Academy

SEPTEMBER 29, 30 & OCTOBER 1, 2022