# LOOK FOR US ON SOCIAL MEDIA > Briefs, arguments, decisions, and more. URL: https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/documents/tribal%3Aunited_keetoowah_cherokee%3Aae549b893b5ef287 ## Record - **Collection:** Tribal code - **Document type:** Tribal code ## Text LOOK FOR US ON SOCIAL MEDIA AND AT WWW.UKB-NSN.GOV GIDUWA CHEROKEE NEWS Inherently Sovereign: Celebrating 75 years The 75th Annual Keetoowah Celebration will be held October 4th. Chief Jeff Wacoche gives his address at the 74th Annual Keetoowah Celebration. Sneak peek of last year’s car show. Bingo was a hit at the 74th Annual Keetoowah Celebration. and the day of celebration. If you do not have anything TAHLEQUAH, Okla- The United planned on the evening of September Keetoowah Band of Cherokee Indi27, the Jr. Miss and Miss Keetoowah ans invites all tribal members and Pageant will take place at The Vennon-members to its 75th Annual ue starting at 6p.m. The Keetoowah Keetoowah Celebration, held on the Golf Tournament will take place at first weekend of October. the Pryor Creek Golf Course in Pryor This year’s theme “Inherently with Seniors (60+) in the mornSovereign” was chosen by the celebration committee members, employ- ing and the 2-man scramble in the afternoon on October 2. The golf ees who volunteered with planning tournament continues as the 4-man the big day. The event is held every year honoring October 3, 1950, when scramble will take place on October the United Keetoowah Band officially 3. Sign-ups begin September 1 for voted to have its constitution and by- the golf tournament. On October 2, Chief’s Dignitary laws ratified. Dinner will take place with an invite Generations and generations of Keetoowah people have been coming only. This year, the committee added an open mic gospel singing on out to this celebration every year. This year the committee wanted it to October 3, beginning at 7p.m. at the celebration pavilion. The chili supper be special as we are celebrating 75 and stomp dance will be on October years. Like previous years the celebration has a full list of activities and 3, with supper at 7p.m. and stomp at 9p.m. events planned for pre-celebration  See CELEBRATION, Page 2 LANI HANSEN, Senior Reporter September 2025 UKB Condemns Secret Legislative Attempt to Terminate UKB Land Rights The United Keetoowah Band of Cherokee Indians (UKB) is calling for the immediate retraction of proposed congressional language – proposed in secret by Oklahoma Senator Markwayne Mullin at the request of the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma (CNO) – that would terminate UKB land and economic development rights within the Oklahoma Cherokee Reservation. The provision, which the UKB obtained only through a Freedom of Information Act request, seeks to redefine who is recognized as Cherokee under federal law, undermining the UKB’s sovereignty, identity, and legal standing. The draft legislative provision would strip the UKB of its ability to gain trust land. “This is not a policy disagreement. This is a deliberate, targeted act of tribal termination by the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma leadership through CNO Senator Mullin,” said UKB Chief Jeff Wacoche. “The draft language is a blatant betrayal of the U.S. government’s trust responsibility, a violation of federal law, and an attack on tribal sovereignty. It undermines the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals ruling the UKB can have lands held in trust and the reaffirmation of the Department of Interior M-Opinion that the UKB is a successor in interest to the Cherokee treaties.” The UKB also publicly discredited recent claims from the CNO regarding federal court, congressional, and executive branch positions. The tribe points to three indisputable facts: • Congress formally recognized the UKB in 1950. Act of August 10, 1946. • Federal courts — including the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit — confirmed the UKB’s entitlement to lands held in trust, a decision the U.S. Supreme Court let stand. Cherokee Nation v. Bernhardt, 946 F.3d 1222 (10th Cir. 2019), cert denied. • The U.S. Department of the Interior reaffirmed earlier this year through M-Opinion M-37084 that rights over the Oklahoma Cherokee Reservation are shared equally by the UKB and CNO. “These facts completely dismantle the CNO’s narrative,” Chief Wacoche said. “If our rights truly didn’t exist, they wouldn’t need to attempt to erase us through legislation.” The UKB is urging members of Congress, tribal nations across Indian Country, and all Americans who value sovereignty to demand the withdrawal of the proposed language from any appropriations bill and to oppose any attempt to erase a sovereign Native nation. UKB leaders are also calling on all tribal members to act now by contacting Senator Mullin’s office directly to voice their opposition to this harmful proposal, and by reaching out to CNO leadership to insist they end their support for any legislation that would diminish the rights of the UKB. “This is about more than the UKB,” Wacoche said. “If this attack succeeds here, it can happen to any tribe in the United States.” TAKE ACTION: Please visit https://www.ukb-nsn.gov/DefendUKBRights and send a letter to Sentor Mullin remanding he retract this legislative provision. Groundbreaking on UKB First Council House The Historic Council House will include four offices and council chambers for meetings. new council house will be historic.” The groundbreaking ceremony took place on TAHLEQUAH, Okla- It was a monumental day August 7, with MASKA Builders a Native American as the United Keetoowah Band Tribal Officials Enterprise. Chief Wacoche was joined by current were joined by tribal employees on the groundand former council as they shared what this meant breaking of their own administration building. to them. “This will be our very first council house,” Currently the tribal council meet in the UKB Chief Jeff Wacoche said. “It is very monumental Wellness Center on the complex on the first Satursince the first tribal council meetings in 1859 is day of each month. The council sits four officers when the first constitution was written and approved back in the woods. Later in the years, meet- including the chief, assistant chief, secretary and ings were held at different houses. So, to have this treasurer as well as nine district representatives. The four officers are housed in the UKB Federal Services building until the new building is ready for move in. The new council house will have four offices inside which will house the chief, assistant chief, secretary and treasurer. This will include the council chambers with a seating gallery, for council meetings. No expected date on when this new building will be completed, but the UKB Tribal Council are happy about having their own place. The current council with MASKA Builders representatives at the groundbreaking ceremony. Current and former council gather to celebrate this historic event on the new council house. LANI HANSEN, Senior Reporter The four officers were joined by current and former council for the groundbreaking. GIDUWAH CHEROKEE NEWS Assistant Chief Amos Ketcher aketcher@ ukb-nsn.gov Secretary Caleb Grimmett-Smith csmith@ ukb-nsn.gov Treasurer Sonja Gourd sgourd@ ukb-nsn.gov Cooweescoowee Dist. Clifford Wofford 918-822-1953 Delaware Dist. Tishaleta Smith-Guevara 918-718-4366 tguevara@ ukb-nsn.gov Flint Dist. Frankie Still 918-507-1822 Goingsnake Dist. Willie Christie 918-822-3803 Illinois Dist. Janelle Adair 918-457-7067 Saline Dist. Charles Smoke 918-457-7071 Sequoyah Dist. Donald Adair 918-931-0941 Tahlequah Dist. Sammy Allen 918-931-0177 By: UKB Chief Jeff Wacoche Our work together as a sovereign people continues on many fronts, from defending our rights in Washington to celebrating the growth of our communities here at home. This month, I want to share updates on the proposed legislative language from Senator Mullin, the opening of our Saline District Community Center, and the groundbreaking for our new Council House. September Edition Chief's Corner JEFF WACOCHE Principal Chief jwacoche@ukb-nsn.gov the courts – are attacked. Our Tribal Officers, legal and public affairs teams are actively fighting this, and I encourage every member to contact both Senator Mullin and Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma leadership to oppose this harmful language. Please visit https://www.ukb-nsn.gov/DefendUKBRights and send a letter to Senator Mullin demanding he retract this legislative provision. SEPTEMBER 2025 ty gatherings, and essential services. It represents the strength of our community spirit and the resilience that has carried us through generations. I want to thank everyone who helped make this project possible, from our Council to the local crews who worked tirelessly to bring this vision to life. Building the Future – New Council House Finally, we have broken ground Protecting Our Sovereignty in on our new Council House, located Congress on our trust land. This building will be more than a seat of government – Recently, we learned that legit will be a visible and lasting symbol islative language has been secretly of our sovereignty and self-goverproposed to be added to federal nance. This milestone is a reminder budget legislation by Senator Markwayne Mullin that would strip away A Place for Community – Saline that every battle we fight in court, in Congress, or in the community is rights of the UKB. This provision is an District about securing a future where the attempt to circumvent the courts, the Amid this fight, we also celebrate UKB controls its own destiny. Department of the Interior, and the progress. Last month, we opened Our path is not always easy, but it Senator himself by undermining our the new Saline District Community is always worth it. Together, we honsovereignty through the back door. Center – a place built by and for our or our ancestors, defend our soverLet me be clear: we will not stand by people. This center will serve as a while our federally recognized rights hub for cultural programs, communi- eignty, and build a stronger future for our children and grandchildren. – confirmed by history, Congress, and Celebrating 6th Anniversary: 10th Circuit Court of Appeals Affirms UKB Land in Trust Rights Six years ago, on September 5, 2019, UKB sovereignty and treaty rights were affirmed through the Courts. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit ruled that the UKB could take 76 acres of land in Tahlequah into trust. This victory was a declaration of sovereignty, self-determination, and perseverance, presaging the later affirmation by the Department of the Interior of the UKB’s rights and authority as a successor in interest to the Cherokee Treaties. The land, purchased by the UKB in 2000 and home to essential cultural, community, and Member services, is protected in perpetuity. Placing it into trust not only preserves it for generations to come but also opened access to federal programs, grants, and resources that have strengthened the Tribe’s health, education, housing, and cultural preservation efforts. The path to land in trust was filled with obstacles. The UKB applied in 2004 to have the land taken into trust, a process approved by the Bureau of Indian Affairs years later. Legal challenges from the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma soon followed, arguing erroneously the Tribe lacked the authority to pursue trust status without its consent. In 2017, a federal district court sided against the UKB, halting progress. Undeterred, the UKB appealed. The Tenth Circuit’s ruling was decisive: the UKB’s rights under the Oklahoma Indian Welfare Act of 1936 include the same trust-land provisions available to tribes under the Indian Reorganization Act of 1934. The court also rejected the argument that CNO “consent” was needed before the Secretary of the Interior could act. All regular activities begin on Saturday, October 4 at the celebration grounds. There will be the annual car show/truck show/bike show, kids fishing derby starting at 8a.m. The annual stickball tournament will begin at 9p.m. The committee also added a fun little activity, turtle races so be sure to start picking up turtles as you see them, this will be at 10a.m. Events following throughout the day are cornstalk shoot, volleyball, marbles, arts & crafts vendors, kid’s activities, chunky, horseshoes and blowguns. The 11a.m. activities consist of Chief’s address, crowning of the new UKB Ambassadors, tradition keepers and gospel singing. The traditional meal will be served at noon. Cornhole tournament begins at 1p.m. Bingo starts at 2p.m. There will be a special movie screening going on all day at the museum. The museum will also be hosting a quilt show which will run from CELEBRATION In the six years since that ruling, the UKB has moved forward with determination. Freed from the financial burden of property taxes and empowered with new funding opportunities, the Tribe has invested in infrastructure, expanded services for Members, and continued to safeguard Keetoowah traditions. Each step builds on the foundation that decision laid, reinforcing the UKB’s ability to chart its own course. Now, the UKB faces a new challenge. As the Department of Interior considers the UKB application for trust lands for gaming, the CNO and Sen. Markwayne Mullin are working to stand in the way of our progress by proposing secret legislative language to harm the UKB. The secret legislative language is a direct attack on UKB sovereignty and would restrict the UKB’s ability to have lands taken intro trust for gaming – halting our economic development opportunities. To learn more and speak up as Keetoowah people, visit ukb-nsn.gov/ DefendUKBRights. October 4-October 31. If you want to learn how to access Dawes Allotment packets and locate those allotments on a map, there will be two presentations located at the UKB Education Building, 10a.m. and 2p.m. The UKB is looking forward to this year’s celebration, so bring the whole family out and let’s make this one memorable. For more information, email lgodwin@ukb-nsn.gov. SEPTEMBER 2025 GIDUWAH CHEROKEE NEWS LUNCH SERVED MONDAY - THURSDAY 11:30 AM – 1:00 PM, all meals to go must be picked up by 11:00 AM - 11:30 AM BREAKFAST SERVED FRIDAY 10:30 AM – 12:00 PM, all meals to go must be picked up by 10:00 AM – 10:30 AM - $1.00 FOR EACH TO GO MEAL All Meals Subject to Change Without Notice*** UKB 55+, SPOUSES = FREE, CDIB 55+ & SPOUSE MUST CONRIBUTE TO COST OF MEAL $1.00 EACH MEAL, GUEST $5.00/Child 0-12 $3.00 September 2025 Sun Jim Proctor Elder Community Center 918-871-2747 918-871-2861 Mon Tue 1 UKB TRIBAL Telephone 2 O F F I C E S Tuesday CLOSED Goulash Italian Green Beans Garlic Bread Stick Peaches Wed 3 Skyscraper Day 4 Wildlife Day Meatball Sub Onion Rings “Cooks I t a l i a n P a s t a Choice” Salad Pineapple Cake 7 Grandparents Day 8 Star Trek Day Nutrition Center Closed Training 14 Gobstopper Day 15 Greenpeace Day 16 Collect Rocks Chicken Strips w/ Day Beef Tacos Dip Spanish Rice Tatar Tots Mexican Corn Mac N Cheese Fresh Pineapple Bread Stick, Fruit 17 Constitution Day Hamburger Steak Mashed Pot/Gravy Carrots, Roll C h e r r y Cheesecake 21 Nat. Dance Day 22 Fall Equinox Day Spaghetti w/Meat Sauce Italian Green Beans Garlic Toast, Fruit 28 World Rivers Day 29 Confucius Day UKB Tribal Offices Celebration Monday Work Week Tuesday - Saturday Jaw Breaker Thu Fri Sat 5 Day of Charity 6 UKB Regular Biscuits N Gravy Council Scrambled Eggs Meeting B a c o n , 10 AM Hashbrowns Justice Center Juice, Melon Mix Read a Book 12 R U OK? Day Nutrition Center Closed Training 13 Hug Your Boss Day 19 Raspberry Day Pancakes Scrambled Eggs Sausage, Potato’s Juice, Mix Fruit 20 Batman Day 23 Nat. Checkers Day Meat/Cheese Nachos Mexican Rice Ranch Beans Fruit Salad 2 4 C h e r r i e s 25 World Dream 26 Love Note Day Day Jubilee Kitchen Baked Chicken/ S E P T . Closed Gravy BIRTHDAY’S Cleaning Day Boiled Potato Cheeseburgers Corn on Cob French Fries Roll, Fresh Fruit Cake/Ice Cream 27 Nat. Scarf Day 30 Love People Day Hamburger Stew Commodity Cheese Hominy Cornbread, Pears Please check on your elders and neighbors Wado TORNADO WARNING BE AWARE, TAKE SHELTER, UKB LIGHTHORSE 9 When Pigs Fly 10 Swap Ideas Day 11 Patriot Day Nutrition Center Nutrition Center Day Closed Closed Nutrition Center Training Training Closed Training 18 Old Friend Day Brown Beans w/ Ham Fried Potatoes H o m i n y , Cornbread Jello-w/Fruit Fl o w e r As t e r / Cosmos Protect yourself! Stay home if you feel sick! Thank you for your patience and understanding - Title VI Staff - 2% Milk, coffee, tea! “September is National Happy Cat Month” September’s name comes from the Latin word “septem” meaning seven! September’s full Moon, the Corn Moon, reaches illumination Sunday, September 7, at 2:09 PM “There are flowers enough in the summertime, more flowers than I can remember, but none with the purple, gold and red. That dye the flowers of September.” “The first September was crisp and golden as an apple. Oh, sweet September, thy first breezes bring the dry leaf’s rustle and the squirrel’s laughter, the cool fresh air whence health and vigor spring, and promise of exceeding joy hereafter!” September is the month of Apples! “Married in September’s golden glow, smooth and serene your life will go” “If the storms of September clear off warm, the storms the following winter will be warm” UKB Tribal Enrollment 18300 W. Keetoowah Circle Tahlequah, OK 74464 Open Monday-Friday | 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. As with other federally recognized tribes, the United Keetoowah Band has its unique process to determine membership. Visit ukb-nsn.gov/membership for Enrollment documents and a brief FAQ section of the most common questions about UKB membership. Find forms for Membership Applicaitions, CDIB Instructions, Update Your Information and UKB Relinquishment. For additional questions, or if you are a member who has lost your en-rollment card, call the UKB Enrollment Office Registrar Amanda Stopp at 918-871-2797. Questions concerning history, cultural practices, cloth-ing, language or ceremonies are better suited for our John Hair Cultural Center and Museum. Visit ukb-nsn.gov/john-haircultural-center-muse-um or call 918-871-2866. GIDUWAH CHEROKEE NEWS SEPTEMBER 2025 ELYSE WILD, Native News Online Facilities Construction: $188.7 million, including $14 million specifically for staff housing to help recruit and retain healthcare professionals House Committee Approves $8.4B for Indian Health Service, Including Advance Appropriations for 2027 TAHLEQUAH, Okla- As Indian Country braces for the impact of sweeping federal cuts, the Indian Health Service may receive advanced appropriations next year. The House Appropriations Committee last week passed the Fiscal Year 2026 appropriations bill for Interior, Environment and Related Agencies. Included in the $8.41 billion earmarked for IHS is $6.05 billion in advance appropriations for FY 2027. The president’s budget request, announced in May, included zero advanced appropriations for the IHS. The newly passed bill follows a June Committee hearing during which lawmakers from both sides of the aisle pledged to restore advanced appropriations for the federal agency. The Committee’s total funding for IHS is about $500 million more than the president’s budget request of $8.1 billion. Both figures fall short of the $63 billion request made by the National Tribal Budget Formulation Workgroup in 2024. IHS is tasked with providing health care for 3.6 million Native Americans. The agency has long suffered from lackluster funding, driving high staff vacancy rates, resulting in what many in Indian Country say is inadequate care. Urban Indian Health — $105.99 million, or $15 million more than the FY 2025 enacted amount. Seventy percent of Native peoples in the United States live in urban centers. The bill authorizes a notable increase for • Infrastructure and Equipment:Health Care Urban Indian Care • Sanitation Facilities Construction: $131 million • Emergency Generators: $8 million for backup power systems across IHS facilities, tribal health programs, and urban Indian organizations Other funding allocations include: • Purchased and Referred Care: $1.05 billion for emergency, hospital, and specialty care services, with particular attention to PRC-dependent areas, including California • Dental Health: $287 million, including $8 million to expand Dental Support Centers to all 12 service areas and $6.5 million for electronic dental records • Alcohol and Substance Abuse: $286 million for treatment programs • Contract Support Costs: $1.819 billion (indefinite appropriation) • Tribal Leases: $366 million (indefinite appropriation) • Indian Health Professions: $95.3 million for scholarships, loan repayment, and professional training programs • Produce Prescription Pilot: $7 million to increase access to fresh produce and traditional foods. • Alzheimer’s Disease Programs: $6 million for culturally appropriate dementia care • Maternal Health: $3 million for improving maternal health outcomes • Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women Initiative: $31 million for criminal investigators and evidence recovery equipment “A place of peace”: Tohi Edasdi Recovery Community Center opens officially By SCOTT MCKIE B.P., One Feather Asst. Editor CHEROKEE, N.C. – “This is a dream come true,” said Samantha Bradley just prior to cutting the ribbon on a new facility that will provide a friendly face and a caring heart to those in active addiction or those on their recovery journey. She helped open the new Tohi Edasdi Recovery Community Center located in Wayohi (Wolftown) in Cherokee, N.C. on the morning of Tuesday, July 29. Tohi Edasdi is part of the Sunrise Community for Recovery and Wellness program which describes itself as “a nonprofit staffed entirely by Certified Peer Support Specialists who draw on their own lived experience of recovery from mental health and/or substance use challenges to support others”. Bradley commented on the staff of the Center, “We’re all peer supports. We’re all in recovery from something – substances or mental health.” She spoke of her own past with addiction. “When I was into my addiction, here on the (Qualla) Boundary, I was what they call a chronic relapser. I call it a chronic overcomer. But, I kept going back over and over. At the time the Hospital didn’t have all the fancy long-term…now we have this beautiful continuum at the Hospital, which is amazing. But, at that time I got sent to Asheville for treatment and that’s how I got in contact with Sunrise. In 2016, I came out of treatment and they were doing this beautiful work. We hire peer supports, we’re giving people a chance, we pay them a living wage, and to be able to support people where they’re at. My dream has always been…I love Asheville and Asheville has a lot of resources, but I’m not from Asheville. I’m from Cherokee. I’m EBCI (Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians) and this is my home and I felt like my people deserved more.” According to Sunrise, peer support specialists can help people find some of the following services: wellness options; MAT (medicated assisted treatment); food, clothing, and hygiene supplies; employment assistance; community navigation; transitional housing; help obtaining an ID; harm reduction services including Naloxone; and education/training. Sue Polston, Sunrise executive director, stated, “I just wanted to thank everybody for coming out here, and thank the Tribe and everybody that has given us this opportunity to be here. As Samantha said, I supported this 100 percent, but I knew I couldn’t do it. I’m not from here. I don’t know the culture. But, every one of these folks back here do and I am so privileged to have them on our team and have every one of you all here today. This is a bigger turnout than our Asheville drop-in center.” On the Center, Bradley said, “What it is, in essence, is a place where people can just come and be. They don’t have to be here for any reason. They don’t have to be sober. They don’t have to be in recovery. They don’t even have to be on the track to recovery to be just a community member. It’s just a place to come. And, in our place specifically, Tohi Edasdi, is a place of peace. We want you to feel like you’re at peace when you come here.” She thanked the Wolftown Community Club for their support. “Wolftown Community Club has Samantha Bradley, center, a member of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians and the western regional director at Sunrise Community for Recovery and Wellness, cuts the ribbon to officially open the Tohi Edasdi (A place of peace) Recovery Community Center in Wayohi (Wolftown) in Cherokee, N.C. on the morning of Tuesday, July 29. (SCOTT MCKIE B.P./One Feather photos) A portion of the interior of the Center been super supportive. We’re in their community. When we came in, we didn’t want to step on anybody’s toes so we would just go around and introduce ourselves. Wolftown opened their arms to us and has given us training space when we didn’t have it.” Pat Oocumma, of the Wolftown Community Club, praised the work of Sunrise. “They are those that have found themselves and what I see in them – leaders, peers, warriors, and not sugar-coating anything. No judging.” Bradley further noted, “Our main thing is showing people that we’re going to show up for them no matter what. We’re going to show up. The idea is Tohi Edasdi, ‘A Place of Peace’. We’re right on the river. We’re going to keep culture at the forefront…It’s free. It’s low-barrier and we connect people with what they need.” Everyone is welcome, Bradley stressed. “We hope that we can help someone. I just want to be able to help someone make it to the next day.” The Center will be open Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. For more information, call (828) 506-8505. People are shown gathered for Tuesday’s ribbon-cutting. Bradley spoke to the crowd and said, in part, “We hope that we can help someone. I just want to be able to help someone make it to the next day.” SEPTEMBER 2025 GIDUWAH CHEROKEE NEWS “A Sacred Thread” showcases the Snowbird Community’s language, culture, and land back efforts BROOKLYN BROWN, One Feather Reporter SNOWBIRD, N.C. – A Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) North Carolina documentary about Cherokee language and cultural revitalization in Tutiyi (Snowbird) titled “A Sacred Thread,” premiered on July 31. Filmmaker Brooks Bennett, who has worked closely with Tutiyi community members in the past on other projects, condensed two years of filming into the hour-long documentary. Executive Producer Heather Burgiss felt that the documentary was critically important to make, “This is a project that we feel very passionately about. It’s right up our mission alley, and I’ve been working with Brooks for three years on this project, Brooks had been working on the Matriarch Mural project and really got to know the people and the place and the stories of the Snowbird Cherokee, and he really developed relationships that led to seeing that there was an underrepresented story here, and that was the mission that really aligned with what we do. “Snowbird Cherokee is a nuance; in the dialect and trying to keep the language alive for future generations, and not just the language, but the culture and looking back at the land and looking at place names and the heritage. So, we just felt we had a responsibility if we could, to try to help amplify the voices,” she said. Angelina Jumper, the cultural resources supervisor of the Junaluska Museum and a member of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians (EBCI) from Tutiyi, is one of the main voices of the film. “It was a really cool experience and I’m a talker, so reflecting on things and talking about them, it just helped me understand more and I think learn more, not just about myself, but how important the work that we were doing was, and that really came out through the film. I was really excited that that was what was captured and what [Brooks] was able to convey for us,” Jumper said. “I feel like it really captured the interconnectivity of what we all do, and it showcased things that I don’t think that you can get from just talking to people about the language and the culture. And then you’ve also got this element of the natural environment that I feel like when we talk about language and culture that gets left out or we just don’t think about it.” A major part of the film was Jumper’s discovery regarding her family’s land, the Wachacha tract of land that was unethically taken by the U.S. Forest Service in the early 20th century and now operates as Rattler Ford Campground. “That’s probably one of my favorite things that developed out of the film is that when I had started work, I had found remnants of Register of Deeds stuff, and I was like, ‘What is this? This is my family. This is Wachacha family stuff.’ And then I started digging deeper,” she said. “I think T.J. [Holland] had begun that research, and Louise [Reed], when I was working with her before she passed, I had the privilege of being able to talk about it with her, because it was her family, too, and she had known about it… Louise is the woman that taught me seven generations behind me, all the names of the people who existed behind me, and if I hadn’t spent that time with her then I wouldn’t have that knowledge. We filmed maybe two weeks after I had pulled out all that stuff from the U.S. Forest Service archive, so that was really raw. I’m glad it happened that way, because watching it back I’m like, ‘Wow, that did say what needed to be said.’” Gilliam Jackson, a Cherokee fluent speaker from Tutiyi, also starred in the film and discussed sacred sites including his family’s graves that are also now managed by the U.S. Forest Service. “I think the message that I wanted people to understand was the amount of control and the lack of control that we have as Indigenous people on stolen lands. We gather together sometimes with our family, and most of us in our community come from the Wachacha family. My grandmother was a Wachacha, and as I understand it, I think there Cassidy Galaviz Angelina Jumper, the cultural resources supervisor of the Junaluska Museum and a member of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians (EBCI) from Tutiyi, is one of the main voices of the film. (Images courtesy of PBS North Carolina) were 13 or 14 siblings, and most of them are buried in that burial ground. In order for us to just go out and clean and cut weeds and rake, we have to get permission from the Forest Service,” he said. “I’m truly grateful to the people who were involved in the documentary. I just think that people need to know Snowbird is a very culturally rich community, and by far, we have the greatest percentage of Cherokee speakers per capita. The Trail of Tears started right above where the Ingles Supermarket is now in Robbinsville. We had at one time three mounds, and things that have been written about Cherokees in North Carolina often excludes Snowbird.” Jackson works with second language learners in the Dadiwonisi adult language program, and he highlighted one of the program graduates as making a powerful statement about the importance of Cherokee language and culture. “During her graduation speech, she said ‘I have become a Cherokee woman.’ She was a Cherokee woman by enrollment and by biological blood, but it was a lot more meaningful when she said, ‘I became a Cherokee woman,’ meaning I’m learning the culture. I’m learning the language. My blood is different now.” Cassidy Galaviz is the Dadiwonisi program supervisor and a member of the EBCI from Tutiyi. The film also followed Galaviz’s journey towards fluency, with the late Cherokee fluent speaker J.C. Wachacha, or “Eduts,” being a mentor and supporter for Galaviz. “I really enjoyed this experience. I think just some of my favorite moments was honestly just being in Eduts’ garden. I really enjoy my job, I really enjoy all of it, helping bring a community together and working with the students, working with the language,” he said. With Eduts’ unexpected passing during filming, Galaviz spoke to the significance of having this footage of Eduts speaking. “It means a lot. I’ve always been very aware of capturing those things, even as a kid, knowing, understanding how quickly speakers are passing, how fast the language is ‘dying out,’ all those things. It is greater to me because it’s captured in video. To be able to actually see the reactions, because there’s a lot of nonverbal communication with the speakers. Whenever they talk, they’ll give out hand gestures and things like that, which videos really do capture. We can still see him. We can still hear him. We can still talk to him.” Galaviz is hopeful that the film will encourage more language learning. “Hopefully it does light a fire in people a little bit to want to learn the language more. And honestly, even if not, it’s perfectly fine. We’re still going to learn, we’re still going to keep going. We’ll pass it on for anybody who wants to. But for those that do, hopefully they now have resources and things like that to know where to go, to know who to look for. If they see me, they can try to talk to me. Even if they just say ‘siyo,’ I’m going to say ‘siyo’ back. If that’s all you know, use it. I’ll be happy either way.” Filmmaker Brooks Bennett has built strong bonds with the Tutiyi community, who are the subject of the film. In 2017, Bennett was just passing through on a trip with his wife when they stopped at Cherokee woodcarver Billy Welch’s shop. “That was my first introduction to Snowbird people, and I bought a little bear from him. He told me kind of the broad stroke story, and I always kept that bear on my desk and I would look at it whenever I was doing a project and think if there’s ever an opportunity to collab with PBS on something like that, then that’s what I think I was pulled here for.” Bennett noticed a ‘thread’ tying together Cherokee land, culture and people, and that thread is the language. “There’s a metaphysical quality or this spirit behind everything story wise, content wise, whatever I’m experiencing in nature or with Buffalotown or with Billy [Welch] or even the Matriarch Mural project, and that’s kind of the title is it’s the spirit that runs through everything in the community and it’s the spirit that motivates people to research their history and the spark that initiates those crafts. The more Cherokee I learn, the more I understand that these things are better expressed in the language, and we don’t have the right vocabulary in English to really convey that meaning or the essence that was developed here.” Bennett said filming in Eduts and his brother Mike Wachacha’s garden was one of the more spectacular parts of the project. “The history and that connection and to be able to go there and it’s not just on paper. I think that’s the biggest thing is real world experiences in the places where the language has been spoken forever.” With encouragement from Eduts’ wife, Jeanne, Bennett captured parts of Eduts’ funeral for the film. “I got the invite to the funeral from Jeanne, and I went to the service at the church in Snowbird without a camera, and I just wanted to be there for this community that I love. So, Jeanne was actually the one who encouraged me. She’s like, ‘He always wanted to be in front of the camera. He always wanted to tell the story. This is no different and you shouldn’t think of it as anything different.’ I was very reluctant in that moment because this is my family now, and I didn’t know if it was right to bring a camera, but when Jeanne wanted it, I felt like it was kind of my duty to make sure that that was preserved with everything else, and I’m so glad that I did. I stayed very in the background the whole time. You can see how my style of filming was different in every other moment than that. “It was hard, but it was beautiful. And seeing CLMAP [Cherokee Language Master Apprentice Program] and Dadiwonisi come out and sing, I think it was exactly what he would want. And I think the final line from the film, ‘I think that they can still see us and that they’re watching over us,’ I felt like he was there that whole time. The late J.C. “Eduts” Wachacha GIDUWAH CHEROKEE NEWS SEPTEMBER 2025 Boudinot Scholars Program Awards First Scholarships “The goal is to encourage our members to go to law school and then come work for our tribe.” Victoria Holland the Reorganization Period (1934-1950). With the Eastern Band, Boudinot helped to win a $5,000,000 settlement in the US Court of Claims. Boudinot Two Keetoowah college students have been awarded scholarships from was passionate about helping his people. He worked tirelessly until his death Boudinot Scholars Program for the upcoming fall semester. Both students are exclusive UKB members and have participated in the UKB summer youth in 1945 to establish federal recognition for the United Keetoowah Band. August 10, 1946, almost one year after Boudinot’s death, federal Conemployment program for the past two or three years. Micah Vann is attending gressional recognition was awarded to the Keetoowahs, due in great degree Cameron University with a double major in psychology and criminal justice, and Teala Wildcat-Johnson, is attending NSU and is majoring in graphic arts. to the expertise and tenacious efforts of Frank J. Boudinot. Fast forward to 2025, and another pair of Keetoowah tribal members who Boudinot Scholars is a privately funded scholarship program for Keebecame lawyers, Bryan Shade and Victoria Holland came together to initiate toowah students exclusively enrolled in the United Keetoowah Band of this scholarship. “Basically, this was Bryan's idea, he reached out to me about Cherokee Indians who are pursuing law degrees and who are committed to practicing law in a manner which benefits the Keetoowah Tribal Community. it, and I was all in,” declared Holland. “The goal is to encourage our members to go to law school and then The scholarship is named after Frank J. Boudinot. Frank J. Boudinot, come work for our tribe. We face many legal battles as a tribe, and no one ᎪᎳᏅ (kolanv or raven) was born in Indian Territory, OK, August 20, 1866, is going to be more of an advocate for our tribe than our tribal members. and grew up on his family’s allotment in Ft. Gibson, IT. He began his college This inaugural year we had no applicants specifically for the legal field, but career at Bacone in Tahlequah and completed his Juris Doctorate degree at we still wanted to encourage our tribal members to further their education. the University of Michigan College of Law. Upon completion of his law degree, he served as legal counsel to several Indian tribes in Oklahoma, includ- We became aware of two young ladies who are exclusive UKB were in the Summer Youth Program, and we wanted to honor them by gifting them some ing the Keetoowahs, Delawares, Shawnees, Seminoles, and Cherokees. scholarship money,” she said. The focus of his legal work was helping tribes to preserve, to gain com“We are hopeful that in the future we will have applicants that want to pensation, or to minimize the loss of land throughout the Allotment Period further their education in the legal field and assist in moving our tribe for(1889-1906). Later, he helped organize the Keetoowah Government during ward,” concluded Holland. Marilyn Craig, Museum Marketing Coordinator Happenings at the John Hair Cultural Center and Keetoowah Museum Sew and Sew The final series of classes in Getting Back to Basics will be Sewing. With previous classes, participants learned about hand stitching and quilting. This series will focus on machine sewing. Participants will learn how to operate the machine, make different stitches, and will be making an apron as a class project. Keetoowah Tradition Keeper Betty Holcomb will be teaching the sewing classes. Betty teaches a lot of traditional classes, including preserving and canning food and making Kanuchi balls, but she says sewing is her favorite thing to do. This series of classes will be held September 20, October 18 and November 15. The cost of the series is $75. For more information, contact Barbara Girty Foster at 918-871-2794. Keetoowah Museum Celebration Activities The John Hair Cultural Center and Keetoowah Museum will host a Quilt Show, and a Bogo Earring sale - buy one, get the second one at half price on October 4. Celebration Shirts will only be sold at the Keetoowah Museum on Saturday, October 4, from 8:30 am to 4:30 pm. Quilt Raffle - Some lucky person will win a quilt during the 75th Annual Keetoowah Celebration. As part of the show promotion, museum staff will sell chances on a beautiful pink and green floral star quilt. The chances are $3 for one ticket, $5 for two tickets, or $10 for five tickets. The Keetoowah Museum gift shop will begin selling the tickets on August 4 and sales will end at 3 pm on Celebration Day. The quilt will be raffled off at 4 pm on October 4 and you do not have to be to be present to win. For more information, contact Kyndal at 918-871-2763. For more information about these events and activities, call us at 918871-2866 or send a message through Facebook at John Hair Cultural Center and Keetoowah Museum. SEPTEMBER 2025 GIDUWAH CHEROKEE NEWS TAKE ACTION NOW ! Defend UKB Rights! PROTECT OUR RIGHTS, LAND AND FUTURE A secret provision drafted by Senator Markwayne Mullin, coordinated by the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma (CNO), threatens to strip the UKB of trust land rights and future economic development opportunities. This is a direct attack on our sovereignty, our identity, and our treaty-protected relationship with the United States. UKB Affirmation of Rights is clear: Congress’ Confirmation of Rights: Keetoowah Status Act – 1946. Courts Confirmation of Rights: The U.S. Court of Appeals upheld UKB trust land rights. The Supreme Court left that decision intact. Cherokee Nation v. Bernhardt, 946 F.3d 1222 (10th Cir. 2019), cert denied. Executive Branch Confirmation of Rights: In 2025, the Department of the Interior reaffirmed that the UKB and the CNO share equal rights over the Oklahoma Cherokee Reservation. SEND CONGRESS A MESSAGE NOW! Raise your voice and protect our treaty rights. It only takes a minute. Scan the QR code or visit ukb-nsn.gov/DefendUKBRights to demand your representatives defend UKB rights. UNITED KEETOOWAH BAND of CHEROKEE INDIANS in OKLAHOMA UKB-NSN.GOV/DEFENDUKBRIGHTS GIDUWAH CHEROKEE NEWS SEPTEMBER 2025 Center for Native Health to unveil community kiln in the fall we were starting the kiln, Trey was there as well, and Levi did a prayer to the beginning of the kiln, and we had a hawk that just flew over us. So, that was CHEROKEE, N.C. – The Center for Native Health (CNH), in collaboration with the Ray Kinsland Leadership Institute and with support from South super special because then Levi explained what the hawk means.” “I am from a different culture, too, so I bring my Brazilian point of view Arts, Cherokee Preservation Foundation, and East Fork Pottery, is in the home and my stories, and we are all sharing our different ways of doing. But at the stretch of a community kiln build in Tsisqwohi (Birdtown). Trey Adcock, executive director of CNH, said the idea of for the kiln came same time, I have so many commonalities as well, like clay. Clay is a good from two award-winning potters from the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians way to create and shape and build. We build things, but we also build community. It’s been very special and I’m very happy that I got to join it,” Der(EBCI), Tara McCoy and Levi West, “This project is driven by Tara and Levi’s vision and dream, and we are blessed to be part of helping that come to frui- oualle said. Bonnie Claxton, CNH deputy director, spoke to the health and wellness tion,” he said. aspect of the kiln. “One of the exciting things about this project is that each Louise Deroualle, a lecturer of art from the University of North Carolina at Asheville (UNCA), along with Matt West, a former lecturer and studio tech firing will be a community event. With a big wood kiln like this, you need lots of work to fill it up, lots of wood split, and lots of people to feed wood from UNCA, worked closely with McCoy and West on the kiln build. to the kiln consistently for 6-12 hours. At The Center for Native Health, we “We had quite a diverse group for our size. Several tribal members, two know that culture is health, and being in community is health. So, every time non-members, one from another hemisphere. I probably asked Levi and others too many questions but undeniably learned so much about Cherokee – this kiln is fired will be a physical act of individual and community health for everyone involved, an example of healing through culture that makes our the region and the people – past and present,” West said. Native communities so resilient.” Deroualle added, “Levi and Kilyne [Oocumma] have been great in just The group is anticipating the first community firing of the kiln in early educating and telling a little bit of the story how did clay happen and the fall, with a celebratory community event accompanying the fire. The One mud daubers, and the relationship with nature, too. A cool moment the day Feather will provide an update with the details for the event. BROOKLYN BROWN, One Feather Reporter Levi West, Bonnie Claxton, and Matt West pose with the Center for Native Health community kiln build in Tsisqwohi (Birdtown). (Photo by Kilyne Oocumma, CNH Digital Media Storyteller) Levi West, Louise Deroualle, and Matt West work on the community kiln. (Photo by Kilyne Oocumma, CNH Digital Media Storyteller) SEPTEMBER 2025 GIDUWAH CHEROKEE NEWS GIDUWAH CHEROKEE NEWS SEPTEMBER 2025 We proudly offer specialized burial contracts for members of the United Keetoowah Band of the Cherokee Indians in Oklahoma. Services We Offer: • Traditional Burial Services • Cremation Options • Personalization • Veterans Services JASON GANN • Pre-Planning Arrangements Funeral Assistant Call Now to Schedule a Tour or Consultation: (918) 456-8823 1506 N. Grand Ave. • Tahlequah, OK 74464 (918) 456-8823 • tahleqhah.hartfuneralhome.net --- Source: Frix Law Library, https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/documents/tribal%3Aunited_keetoowah_cherokee%3Aae549b893b5ef287. Public record. Not legal advice.