Oklahoma legislator will vacate seat for tribal liaison position in Tulsa
For the first time, Tulsa will have a director of tribal policy and partnerships. Current Rep. Amanda Swope (D-Tulsa) will take on the role for newly elected Mayor Monroe Nichols.
By Katie Hallum (ᏧᏟ), KOSU
A member of the Muscogee Nation with Osage ancestry, Swope formerly worked for the Muscogee Creek Nation as director of Tribal Juvenile Justice and was the first Native American to serve as chair for the Tulsa County Democratic Party.
Swope’s new role will support the City of Tulsa’s relationship with the tribes whose borders intersect in the city. Those tribes include the Muscogee, Osage and Cherokee Nations.
“Public service runs in my family, and I’m honored to be asked by Mayor Nichols to serve Tulsa in this new way,” Swope said in a press release. “Together, we will work to strengthen the relationships we have with our tribal nations, co-govern in a way that works for all of our citizens, and lead with respect for those who came before us and continue to have a profound impact on our way of life.”
Swope is slated to start in January. Her departure will trigger a special election to fill her seat in District 71.
Carlisle Federal Indian Boarding School National Monument Established
President Biden explained that this history, no matter how horrific, must be acknowledged for the sake of atonement
WASHINGTON, D.C. – For Indigenous people, few places evoke as much horror and anger as the Federal Indian Boarding Schools. For more than a century, hundreds of thousands of Indigenous children were forcibly removed from their families and placed into these boarding schools in an attempt to ‘assimilate’ the Indigenous people.
In the words of R.H. Pratt, the architect of the Indian Boarding School system in the U.S., the goal of the government’s program was to, “kill the Indian, and save the Man.”
This attempt to destroy Indigenous peoples’ culture ultimately failed, but in its wake, it left thousands of families damaged, either spiritually with the loss of their culture, or physically with the loss of their children.
On Dec. 9, President Joe Biden took another step in acknowledging the many injustices done to Indigenous people by creating a national monument in order to document and acknowledge the abuses committed at these boarding schools. This national monument is extremely significant, as it is located on the site of the first Federal Indian Boarding School in Carlisle, Pennsylvania.
As the Carlisle Federal Indian Boarding School National Monument is located on an active U.S. military facility, known as the Carlisle Barracks, and the US Army War College, the President, the National Parks Service, and the U.S. Army are reportedly working to ensure the facility will allow regular visitors, with visitor services being set to open in the Spring of 2025.
Several Indigenous tribes, families, and nations are also reportedly being consulted to ensure that all those impacted by the school and the Indian Boarding School program at large are treated with the respect they deserve.
According to statistics, roughly 1,000 children would die in these boarding schools, where reports of physical, verbal, and sexual abuse were rampant, though the actual number of fatalities suffered by the Indigenous children who attended these schools is estimated to be far higher.
Around 7,800 children from roughly 140 Indigenous tribes were sent to the Carlisle Indian Boarding School from its opening in 1879 to its closure in 1918. The legacy as the first Indian Boarding School is one that must be acknowledged if the United States is ever to attempt to atone for its actions against Indigenous people during the 18th, 19th, and 20th centuries.
The proclamation made by President Biden establishing the national monument can be found here.
Public art project will soon take shape
By: Mary Leaver, Citizen Potawatomi Nation Public Information Department
Tribal members will be asked to contribute images to a public art project that commemorates the Potawatomi Trail of Death.
The Johnson County Park and Recreation District in Kansas, recently announced that “Fire Keepers Circle,” by artists Leah Yellowbird and Aaron Squadroni, was selected as the winning design from among three finalists.
“Fire Keepers Circle” is comprised of a panel that features four layers. The spiritual layer expresses the spirit of the fire keepers. The trail path shows the route from Indiana to Kansas. The ancestral layer represents the number of Potawatomi who made the journey in 1838. The contemporary layer will include submissions from Potawatomi tribal members that will be imprinted on the metal.
The piece will be fabricated over a period of five to six months and then installed in the park. An official ribbon cutting and dedication ceremony is tentatively scheduled for July of 2025.
The announcement follows months of research, planning and consultation with Citizen Potawatomi Nation tribal members. JCPRD officials appreciate CPN’s help to reach this important milestone.
“I’m just really grateful for all of the relationship building and the number of participants from Citizen Potawatomi Nation that just really helped guide the process and provided really great input. I think the product is going to be amazing, but the process has been really beautiful to have everybody engaged,” said Susan Mong, JCPRD superintendent of culture.
Finalists carefully selected
Mong said the county recognized the unique nature of this public art project and knew they would need to consult Native American artists for this special work.
“With all of our public art projects, we typically will put an artist call out. In this case, it was across the nation. So, anybody across the United States that had an affiliation with a Native American tribe was invited to apply,” she said.
Three finalists were selected and received the goals of the project and a site visit. The finalists also received a stipend to develop a design.
“It’s always our practice to have or to support three artists and pay them for their creativity to come up with those concepts. We had this wonderful opportunity to share those three proposed designs not only with the community here in Johnson County, but also to bring those three designs down to the Reunion (Festival),” Mong said. “That was really special to engage members of CPN from across the country around those designers and find out what emotions each of the three designs evoked in everybody. That’s so that we can get a sense of what people are gravitating towards.”
Considering the community input, the art selection committee then selected the winner.
“The community input coalesced around who we ended up selecting. There seemed to be a lot of energy around ‘Fire Keepers Circle,’” she said. “All three artists that were finalists were so heartfelt in the time and energy and emotion that they put into creating their proposal.”
Next steps
Mong and other Johnson County officials are working with Yellowbird and Squadroni as the fabrication process begins. Community engagement will continue.
“The design of the piece includes three layers. One is a contemporary layer that has all of these metallic feathers that are meant to have a little movement that will flutter in the wind. The imprints on those feathers are going to be created by members of the Citizen Potawatomi Nation as a way to represent all of those lives and the beauty of the Tribe,” Mong said.
Tribal members will have an opportunity to create a design and submit it to artist Leah Yellowbird. The designs will be imprinted on the metallic feathers of the piece’s contemporary layer.
“That’s going to be a really neat way for people all over the country to make their mark on this piece through those individual feathers,” she said. “We’ll have also opportunities for people from all over the country to send a sentiment or a design or something that represents a loved one or something about their families.”
Installation is tentatively set for June 2025. A ribbon-cutting and celebration is planned for mid- to late July 2025. Mong is eager to welcome CPN visitors as well as Johnson County and other area residents.
Gaining understanding
The park receives more than 800,000 visitors annually. JCPRD officials are also preparing for a large increase in visitors when the 2026 FIFA World Cup visits the region. Mong is hopeful this new art piece will help local and international visitors gain a greater understanding of some aspects of American history.
Mong said many tribal Nations have their own removal stories but not every story is acknowledged. Working on the public art project has helped her gain a greater understanding of history, an experience she hopes others will appreciate.
“It’s been a really great journey for me to just learn about what that next generation is doing to keep the memory, to keep the story and that pride of that connection alive. I’m interested to learn more because I know that this is really the tip of the iceberg of other events that have happened around me and places I grew up,” she said.
In addition to the art, Mong said the county is planning an interpretive panel near the art that will explore some of the history involved. CPN will be involved in the production of the panel as well, she said.
Mong said she’s deeply grateful for the chance to meet Tribal citizens at the 2024 Family Reunion Festival and to connect with the Cultural Heritage Center staff.
“Everyone who did offer feedback at the Family Reunion, each comment was read by our committee and was appreciated,” she said. “I just want to say thank you to the (CPN) community and the staff of the Cultural Center. And for everybody that took time during the festival to provide that feedback, it was really important and really appreciated.”
To learn more about the Johnson County Heritage Park public art project, visit cpn.news/heritagepark.
Keepers of the Flame storytellers charged with sustaining Chickasaw essence
Chickasaws value storytelling and use it to preserve and share the vibrant culture. Morals, values, spirituality and the importance of Chickasaw history and culture are among the many aspects passed through the generations by storytellers.
“Oral storytelling and history connect us with our ancestors and the past, reminding us of the many trials and triumphs that the Chickasaw people have walked through,” Donna Courtney, storytelling program manager at the Chickasaw Nation, said.
“Stories give us a beacon to light the way into the future, grounding us in who we are and where we came from.”
To assist in keeping Chickasaw traditions, values and cultural identity thriving in the 21st century and beyond, the Chickasaw Nation has developed the Keepers of the Flame Storytelling Program.
“Our storytelling program seeks to support and enhance our cultural identity through incorporating Chikashshanompa ’ (Chickasaw language), with factual evidence incorporated into our story telling presentations, ” Courtney said.
Keepers of the Flame enables Chickasaws to pass on knowledge through traditional stories and to share Chickasaw knowledge with others throughout the world.
“At the heart of this program is the desire to preserve and perpetuate our culture, to be proud of who we are as Chickasaws, and to show the world that we are here,” Courtney said.
Chickasaw citizens study with experienced mentors to learn how to carry on the tribe’s oral storytelling tradition.
“Chickasaw stories convey many different things. They help educate the listener about the natural world, social behavior, the spiritual realm and individual responsibilities, ” Courtney said.
Through bimonthly meetings, Keepers of the Flame provides future storytellers with the opportunity to learn the necessary skills from other experienced Chickasaw storytellers. These mentors will teach the participants traditional Chickasaw stories and convey a deep understanding of Chickasaw culture. Stagecraft skills are also taught, including stage presence, how to keep audiences engaged and how to schedule performances within communities. Each meeting concludes with a question-and-answer session.
Participants must have a strong commitment to Chickasaw culture and be willing to perform at various storytelling events and concerts throughout the Chickasaw Nation and the U.S.
“Story telling presentations are held in a variety of locations with audiences from pre-K to senior citizens, including Head Start, public schools, senior centers, theatrical productions, public libraries, various Chickasaw festivals and events,” Courtney said. “Certified storytellers also attend Chickasaw citizen meetings all over the United States, Native American heritage celebrations and museums.”
The Keepers of the Flame Storytelling Program was designed through the efforts of dedicated oral historians and Chickasaw language speakers. Keepers of the Flame strive to teach a new generation of storytellers the art of recounting the values and historical narratives that shaped the Chickasaw Nation. Chickasaw citizens are invited to continue these oral storytelling traditions.
“Traditionally, an elder storyteller would choose a younger person to ‘pass the knowledge’ on to, to be a ‘Keeper of the Flame,’” Courtney said. “Today, a storyteller must have a deep love and passion for our culture, and a desire to keep these stories alive for future generations.”
Upon completion of Keepers of the Flame, storytellers will be certified by the Chickasaw Nation. Applicants must be 18 or older, be a Chickasaw citizen and be able to pass a background check.
“The Keepers of the Flame storytelling certification program is an opportunity for Chickasaw citizens to learn traditional stories and share them in creative ways with both First American and non-native audiences,” Courtney said.
For more information, visit Chickasaw.net/ Services/Culture/ Storytelling or call the Chickasaw Nation Arts and Humanities Division at (580) 272-5520.
