Claremore Daily Progress

Our View

Related Photos

September 29, 2009

CHEROKEE CHAT — Rogers County Cherokee Association

By Cara Cowan Watts, Cherokee Nation Tribal Councilor District 7, Will Rogers

September 29, 2009 — If you have not heard about the local non-profit serving Cherokees, you are missing out.

The Rogers County Cherokee Association (RCCA) meets monthly and hosts many activities throughout the year.

This past year, RCCA had a successful one week cultural day camp for area youth. Around 50 youth graduated. The entire event was outstanding and driven by volunteer labor and love.

RCCA meets the second Sunday of each month at 2 p.m. in Tiawah at the RCCA Community Building.

Some of the upcoming meeting highlights include October 11 with Wyatt Collins from Chelsea presenting his biking experiences on the recent Trail of Tears ride with Chief Smith.

Jennifer Robinson from the Cherokee Nation Indian Child Welfare will be on hand to answer questions about foster care, adoption and the Indian Child Welfare Act. On November 8, new officers will be nominated for the upcoming year and flu shots will be available during the annual Thanksgiving potluck. Madison Whitekiller, Little Miss Cherokee Ambassador for ages 10 to 12, will be presenting. On December 6 , new officers will be elected. Martha Berry, a master of Cherokee beadwork, will be presenting. Note, the December meeting is the first Sunday of the month due to holiday schedules. All of the meeting topics are subject to change.

Each month, we conduct business and include a cultural activity. Past cultural activities include basket weaving, making Cherokee moccasins, sewing Cherokee tear dresses, making stickball sticks and balls and creating our own Cherokee cornhusk dolls. RCCA is very hands-on and a learning environment for Cherokees of all ages.

RCCA supports Cherokee history classes, language classes and the Rogers County Cherokee Choir. Lee Keener who is the current RCCA President is an excellent Cherokee history teacher and has provided the class in the past. Meda Nix is our local Cherokee language instructor. Meda has provided past community classes, teaches Cherokee at RSU and has lead the choir in the past. Meda is an outstanding Cherokee speaker who has helped many of us regain the language in our community and families.

Upcoming activities for the year include completing the stickball fields and forming stickball teams to compete with other Cherokee communities. A recent Federal grant will allow RCCA to learn how to cook traditional foods for large crowds such as a hog fry.

All of our business and cultural activities must be sustainable. We encourage everyone to join RCCA and attend meetings. In particular, we are looking for families to join. We want our youth to learn from a young age every aspect of Cherokee life.

Almost all of the activities are at little to no cost. Annual membership is encouraged to support the activities and refreshments provided. I hope you join us at RCCA.

To learn more about RCCA, go to rogerscountycherokees.org.

To contact the Tribe, call 453-5000. The operator will connect you with the appropriate department.

Tribal programs and services are administered by the Chiefs staff at the Tribal Complex. Tribal hours are Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Save a trip to Tahlequah by using the Tribes Internet tools at www.cherokee.org.

Almost all applications are available online to print from home.

If you have questions, issues or concerns about the Cherokee Nation government, please email me at cara@caracowan.com or write me at P.O. Box 2922, Claremore, OK 74018. For daily news and event notices, ask to be added to my District 7 email listserv.

You can, also, find me on Facebook and Twitter.

n Cara Cowan Watts is a member of the Cherokee Tribal Council, representing District 7.

Text Only
Our View
  • Randy Cowling Courthouse security applies to everyone there

    District Judge Dynda Post has elevated a serious issue at the Rogers County courthouse — security.

    February 8, 2012 1 Photo

  • Randy Cowling First looks are just that — first looks

    No one ever gets to make a second first impression.

    February 6, 2012 1 Photo

  • Burrage, sean.tiff Senate review by Sean Burrage

    Hailey Mathis is studying political science and history at the University of Oklahoma. She’s one of a very select group of college students each year who have the opportunity to learn about government and public service through an internship at the State Senate.  

    April 4, 2011 1 Photo

  • BAILEYDABNEY8-2009.tif COLUMN: Napalming the Internet

    Try to remember the Internet before we had websites that host user generated content. No eBay. No YouTube. No Facebook. No Twitter. No LinkedIn. No Foursquare. No product reviews, blogs or personal websites where users comment and post links.

    January 18, 2012 1 Photo

  • SimpsonGameCartoon-012712.jpg Dr. Mosier’s online success

    Dr. Richard Mosier is nothing if not a visionary.  Over 20 years ago he first had the idea of what was then Rogers State College becoming Oklahoma’s first institution of higher education to offer online instruction.

    January 18, 2012 1 Photo

  • New Year

    Looking back on 2011 brings many things to mind.  It was a busy year traveling the state, actively promoting Oklahoma as a competitive state and supporting strong public policy.

    January 18, 2012

  • BAILEYDABNEY8-2009.tif The Veepstakes and unseating an incumbent President

    The Iowa Caucuses are over. Let the Veepstakes begin.

    January 5, 2012 1 Photo

  • Randy Cowling Will Rogers resourcefulness hard to do but necessary

    Finding a resolution to a long-term problem is never easy.  It requires change and adjustment.

    December 18, 2011 1 Photo

  • BAILEYDABNEY8-2009.tif What’s all the GRDA fuss about?

    At the request of Governor Mary Fallin, State Auditor Gary Jones issued a performance audit on December 8 for the Grand River Dam Authority (GRDA),  covering a time period from July 1, 2003 through March 31, 2011.

    December 11, 2011 1 Photo

  • GRDA audit appears to be politically motivated

    When I learned a state audit of the Grand River Dam Authority had been earlier this year, I feared the request was made purely for political reasons.

    December 11, 2011