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The Official Newspaper of the Osage Nation
Volume 5, Issue 6 • June 2009
Non-Osage shareholders named
as defendants in Fletcher case
By Shannon Shaw,
Osage News
For the first time non-Osage shareholders and entities have
been publicly named.
Plaintiffs in the seven-year-old lawsuit Fletcher v. USA, which
seeks an accounting and restoration of Osage trust shares from
non-Osage shareholders, recently won a judgment in the 10th Circuit Court that allows the plaintiffs to name all non-Osage shareholders as defendants in the case. Attorneys filed the complaint
in Federal District Court in Tulsa on June 12, naming 1,747 nonOsage individuals, churches, colleges, institutions and organizations whom they allege own Osage trust shares illegally.
“We had a great victory at the 10th Circuit [Court] level,” said
Amanda Proctor, one of the attorneys for the Fletcher case and an
Osage tribal member, at a June 11 trust update meeting at the
Wahzhazhi Cultural Center. “This was one of many victories our
clients have had.”
The plaintiffs in the case – Bill Fletcher, Charles Pratt, Cora
Jean Jech, Juanita West and Betty Woody – do not seek money
damages in the lawsuit but “instead seek an accounting and the
restoration of any and all trust assets the Defendants wrongfully
depleted by improperly distributing the trust property generated
from the Osage Mineral Estate” during the case, according to the
complaint.
See FLETCHER V. USA
—Continued on Page 5
‘Buddy’ Red Corn
Most decorated Native American
in Vietnam War, dies at 65
By Shannon Shaw,
Osage News
The Osage community of
Pawhuska fell silent May 18 as
Andrew “Buddy” Red Corn was
laid to rest on the east side of what
is locally known as Lookout Mountain. A constant fixture around
the cooking fires of the Pawhuska
district and a loyal attendee of the
Osage Baptist Church, the humble
Red Corn never told people that he
was the most highly decorated Native American veteran of the Vietnam War.
“We don’t get the opportunity
to meet people like him very often in life…someone so brave and
with such strong faith,” said Curtis Kekahbah, a childhood friend of
Red Corn’s and Native American
traditional counselor for U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs hospitals in Arizona, New Mexico and
South Dakota. “That’s how he got
his medals because he had amazing courage and bravery. He didn’t
run.”
In 1967, Red Corn
received four medals for his heroism
in Vietnam. He was
awarded the Oak
Leaf Cluster with
Valor, the National
Defense
Service
Medal, the Republic
of Vietnam Campaign Medal and
the Vietnam Ser-
Courtesy Photo/Tonya Red Corn
Andrew ‘Buddy’ Red Corn bringing in the
colors at a dance.
vice Medal with one bronze service
star. He also received the Combat
Infantryman badge and was distinguished as a rifle marksman
and a second-class gunner with an
81mm mortar.
According to the book, “The
Deaths of Sybil Bolton,” by Denny
McAuliffe, Red Corn was the most
highly decorated Native American
of the Vietnam War.
Complications from diabetes
eventually took Red Corn’s life.
The disease had taken his legs in
previous years, and when it started
to affect his heart, he was placed in
a nursing home in Jenks, where he
died May 14.
See RED CORN
Address Service Requested
OSAGE NATION
P.O. BOX 779
PAWHUSKA, OK 74056
2 June 2009
Osage News • osagenews.org
Language program hosts seminar in Northern California
By Benny Polacca,
Osage News
Officials with the Osage Nation
Language Program conducted a
day-long seminar last month with
the Northern California Osage
Group, teaching its attendees the
language basics.
Language Program Director
Herman “Mogri” Lookout and instructors John Maker and Talee
Red Corn traveled to the group’s
May 16 meeting in Petaluma, Calif., and gave a presentation on
their program and beginner-level
language lessons. Lookout said it
was the first time the Language
Program conducted this type of
seminar for the Northern California Osage Group.
“A lot of (out-of-state
Osages) don’t come
back here often…
we think it’s great
they invited us.”
—John Maker
The event shows out-of-state
Osages “what we’re doing with
the program and how we run and
handle things,” said Lookout. The
seminar ran from 9 a.m. and lasted
until 5 p.m. with about 12 group
members attending, he said.
The attendees each received a
textbook and audio CD with beginning Osage language lessons
and presentations by Lookout and
Maker, which touched on the lan-
Courtesy Photo/John Maker
Osage Language Program Director Herman “Mogri” Lookout, top row, second from right, and Osage language teacher Talee Red
Corn, top row, last one on the right, stand with participants of a one day language seminar at a Northern California Osage Group
meeting May 16.
guage’s orthography, pronunciation and an Osage history lesson
by Red Corn.
The presentation covers Osage
history including the tribe’s treaties, changes in the language, and
words not covered in the textbook,
Maker said.
The program has Osage words
and pronunciations listed on its department page of the Nation’s Web
site, but Lookout said being taught
the language by someone else inperson is different than learning it
alone.
“It’s better to have someone there
to go through it,” Lookout said of
the language textbook.
Maker said his cousin Charles
Maker, who is president of the
Northern California Osage Group,
contacted him about having the
program conduct a seminar.
“A lot of (out-of-state Osages)
don’t come back here often,” John
Maker said referring to dark periods in 20th century history, which
resulted in many tribal members
leaving the area. He cited The
Great Depression and the Osage
Reign of Terror as examples. “We
think it’s great they invited us,”
Maker said of the Northern California Osage Group.
Maker said the program would
conduct the language seminars
if invited by other out-of-state
Osage groups. The program has
held about three seminars for the
Southern California Osage group,
he said.
627 Grandview • Pawhuska, OK 74056
(918) 287-5668
www.osagenews.org
Interim Editor
Shannon Shaw
Reporter
Benny Polacca
Editorial Assistant
Chalene Toehay
Editorial Council
Denny McAuliffe
Editorial Council
Tara McLain Manthey
Editorial Council
Teresa Trumbly Lamsam
June 2009 3
Osage runs Indian taco eatery in Denver
By Benny Polacca
Osage News
Frybread fans visiting or living
in Denver don’t have to wait until the next powwow, state fair or
trip to the reservation to get an Indian taco thanks to an Osage tribal
member.
Restaurateur Ben Jacobs coowns Tocabe: An American Indian
Eatery in the Mile High City with
a menu offering Indian tacos with
all the fixings, from spicy to sweet.
Its menu offers taco toppings with
choices of meat and beans and
other toppings including six salsa
options. For dessert, there’s tacos
topped with powdered sugar or
fruit.
Jacobs, 26, said Tocabe, now the
city’s sole Native American food
eatery, is similar to Grayhorse,
the Denver restaurant his parents owned about 20 years ago.
“It’s always a special occasion to
eat frybread, maybe we should do
a restaurant like (Grayhorse),” he
recalled while he and others brainstormed ideas for the restaurant.
Jacobs, who was born in Denver,
co-owns Tocabe, located at 3536
W. 44th Ave., with friend Matthew
Chandra, whom he met while they
both attended the University of
Denver. His parents, Jan and Tom
Jacobs, are also part-owners and
help at the restaurant.
Tocabe, which according to Jacob’s research means the color
“blue” in Osage, opened on December 18 with its buzz spread mostly
through small print publications,
the Internet and even a TV news
segment. The restaurant’s business jumped by at least half after
it was featured in a May 20 Denver
Post story, Jacobs said.
“It’s been great in getting the
word out,” Jacobs said of the news-
Photo by Chalene Toehay/Osage News
Ben Jacobs, Osage owner of Tocabe restaurant in Denver, competes in the National
Indian Taco Championships May 16.
paper’s story. “We’re the only ones
in Denver that focus on frybread.”
beans for their taco dishes ranging
in price from $6 to $8.50.
“My heroes have always
cooked frybread.”
—Tocabe slogan
Jacobs said he and Chandra
both work 13 to 15-hour workdays
at least six days per week, “but
we really enjoy it.” Each week, Jacobs estimates the restaurant goes
through eight to 10 bags of flour
that weigh 50 pounds to make the
frybread.
Tocabe’s menu gives customers
a choice of meats including shredded or ground beef, ground buffalo,
grilled chicken and three types of
Jacobs attributes his restaurant’s “pretty cheap” prices as one
attraction for his frybread-loving
customers or those curious to try
an Indian taco. “Denver’s a huge
dining city. I feel like we have a
step ahead.”
A staff of 10 works at Tocabe
with half of them being Native
Americans, which Jacobs says “definitely helps” for inquiring customers. “They have a lot of experience
in what Indian tacos are and are
ready to answer questions.”
Tribes represented behind the
restaurant’s counter include Northern Cheyenne, Apache, Arapaho
and Rosebud Sioux.
The recipes for Tocabe’s food
are rooted in Jacobs’ elders. His
grandmother Georgeann Robinson
taught his mother how to cook and
she passed the recipes onto Jacobs,
he said.
While researching for other recipes, Jacobs came across one for
hominy salsa, which he and Chandra offer at Tocabe and used it as
part of their Indian taco entry dish
recently at the fifth annual National Indian Taco Championship
in Pawhuska.
The salsa, which includes hominy, cranberries and other spices,
topped the shredded beef, pinto
beans and other garnishments on
the duo’s entry plate. Jacobs and
Chandra’s dish caught the judges’
attention and they won second
place and a $1,000 check in the
competition.
Hundreds of people attended
the May 16 cooking competition
in downtown Pawhuska where Jacobs and Chandra cooked for the
judges and also sold tacos to the
hungry spectators including Rebecca Brave who enjoyed the Tocabe Indian taco.
“It’s light and fluffy and airy,”
Brave said of the frybread. She
also enjoyed the taco’s green chili
and hominy salsa topping, adding,
“I need my food to have some pizzazz.”
While Jacobs and Chandra
prepped their food during the cooking competition, they sold t-shirts
bearing Tocabe’s name on the front
and the following phrase on the
back:
“My heroes have always cooked
frybread.”
4 June 2009
Faith, experience key in Indian taco competition
—Pawnee sisters win top honors at championships
By Benny Polacca
Osage News
Ramona Horsechief and her sister Lisa Pahsetopah say having
strong faith and “a love for cooking” creates great dishes and keeps
people coming back for more, especially when it comes to Indian tacos.
“Cooking is my spiritual gift,”
said Horsechief. “That’s why my
husband is so heavy.”
Horsechief, along with Pahsetopah, took home top honors Saturday at the National Indian Taco
Championships in Pawhuska,
where more than 800 people descended downtown to taste the culinary treats.
Horsechief, who won first in the
Traditional Indian Taco category,
won after she covered her frybread
in buffalo meat chili and added
the garnishment of lettuce, cheese
and homemade pico de gallo.
Lisa Pahsetopah jumps up in the air with
excitement and receives a hug from sister
Ramona Horsechief as she claims victory
winning the Dessert Indian Taco category.
Pahsetopah, who won in the Dessert Indian Taco category, actually filled her frybread dough with
cream and then cooked it in the hot
grease, topping it after with caramelized pecans, fresh strawberries
and homemade whipped cream.
She said she chose the recipe while
saying to herself “I know Indians
love sugar, sugar, sugar.”
The duo was among 20-plus entrants in the competition, now in
its fifth year.
The sisters, both of Pawnee and
Cherokee decent, are devout Christians who travel for ministry work.
They recently started their own
catering business, Two Sisters Catering, to help bring in more money
after their other work started slowing down.
“I love cooking it all,” Horsechief
said while taking down the food
stand she ran with Pahsetopah
and her husband Ellis Horsechief .
“It feels unbelieveable,” Pahsetopah, of Sapulpa, Okla., said after
the winners and runner-ups were
announced. Both accepted their
checks from the event officials with
flour and dough sticking to their
hands.
The sisters’ first place award
came with a $1,500 check and a
year’s worth of bragging rights.
Osage Nation Principal Chief
Jim Gray congratulated the sisters on their win and shook their
doughy hands. “It’s going to be a
long year,” he said jokingly, referring to the Osage and Pawnee rivalry that stems back to pre-1900
Indian wars.
In the traditional taco competition, Ben Jacobs won second place
and Debra Lookout took third.
Lookout took second place for her
dessert taco and Georgette Fixico
won third. Second place finishers
won $1,000 and third place took
home $500.
Horsechief, 41, said she credits
Participants placed their completed Indian tacos onto a tray for the judges.
working well with Pahsetopah, 46,
which is another reason they joined
forces in business. “She makes the
best frybread and I make the best
chili,” she said.
The Horsechiefs, of Midwest
City, Okla., travel with One Spirit
Praise, a Native American Christian music ministry, and visit with
people from all backgrounds. Ramona provides food for the events.
Horsechief, who has more than
20 years of cooking and culinary
school experience, said her group
visits with all groups of people, including those attending rehabilitation and juvenile centers.
Pahsetopah and her husband Michael have a family dance troupe
which performs Native American
dancing at various events including faith-based functions. One of
their recent travels was to Houston where the couple and their
six-year-old daughter Heaven auditioned for NBC’s “America’s Got
Talent.”
Pahsetopah said the trio would
try again next year to win a chance
to compete on national TV. In the
meantime, Pahsetopah said she
planned on using her prize money
toward the purchase of a concession stand.
Both sisters, who learned to cook
from watching their grandmother,
plan to continue developing their
catering venture, knowing others
love their foods.
Pahsetopah, who has sold and
cooked food at other special or Native American-related events, said
she has followers, whom she calls
“frybread groupies.”
Several other entrants, including last year’s Indian taco champ
Brian Lookout, were Osages Johnna Johnson and Cecelia Tallchief.
Paula Mashunkashey and her
daughter Julie Miller – also known
as the “Rez Chicks Flour Co.,” competed as well.
“Our entries will blow your socks
off,” Mashunkashey said. Peaches and strawberries filled a large
clear plastic container at her stand
while chili heated for the Indian
tacos.
Mashunkashey said she’s been
making frybread since she was 13,
crediting her grandmother the late
See TACO CHAMPIONSHIP
June 2009 5
Osage Language program
featured in TV documentary
By Benny Polacca
Osage News
The Osage Nation’s Language Program is featured in an hour-long
OETA documentary on preserving Native American languages and culture, now airing on the Oklahoma Network.
An Oklahoma Educational Television Association crew visited with
language program officials in April and recorded several hours of the
language classes, student activities and those who teach them. The documentary, titled, “We Shall Remain,” is part of the OETA’s “Stateline”
series.
See TV DOCUMENTARY
Osage Nation Congressman Doug Revard takes notes during the Osage Congressional 18th Special Session.
Congress passes supplemental
Education bill during special session
By Benny Polacca
Osage News
The Osage Nation Congress during a special session passed a
supplemental appropriations bill, giving the Education Department
more than $965,000 to cover a budget shortfall for the 2009 fiscal
year.
Ten Congressional members unanimously passed the bill on May
27 during the 18th Special Session of Congress after Principal Chief
Jim Gray vetoed a bill presented during the regular Hun-Kah Session. Congressional members and Executive Branch officials then
returned to the drawing board to work on another bill, which needed to pass in a special session since the Hun-Kah Session ended in
April.
In his April 17 veto message of the initial bill, Gray said he did
not approve of changes made by Congress to proposed administrative and non-administrative expenditures, which were requested
by the Executive Branch. Gray said he was pleased the bill was
ultimately passed after the legislative and executive governmental
branches made compromises and called the department “a great investment in our community.”
The supplemental appropriations bill, sponsored by Congresswoman Debra Atterberry, gives the Education Department
$965,901, bringing the department’s budget total for the 2009 fiscal
year to just over $5.5 million. More than $4.2 million of the department’s budget is reserved for higher education scholarships, tuition,
fees and room and board.
See EDUCATION BILL
Attorneys Amanda Proctor of Sneed Lang, P.C., and Jason Aamodt of Aamodt Lawfirm
at a June 11 meeting speaking on the Fletcher case at the Wahzhazhi Cultural Center
in Pawhuska.
FLETCHER V. USA
—Continued from Page 1
Attorneys for the case – Proctor, of Sneed Lang, P.C., and Jason
Aamodt of Aamodt Lawfirm – stated there could be names on the list
of who that have a legal right to
the shares, such as legally adopted
children or shareholders with life
estates.
The BIA was “unable to provide
any necessary explanatory data
concerning some categories of recipients…such as the identity of legally adopted children,” according
to the complaint.
Proctor asked the crowd of more
than 100 people at the meeting to
review the list carefully and to call
her if they saw a name that should
not be on the list.
Those who appear on the list
that have legal right to their Osage
trust share, according to the complaint, are “welcome to provide the
Plaintiffs with data demonstrating
their privilege to share in the distribution of [royalty] payments.” The
plaintiffs also will be working with
BIA officials to ensure that each
person who makes a legal claim
to their share will be verified and
will ask the court to name them as
plaintiffs and not defendants.
To view the list visit osagenews.org.
6 June 2009
TACO CHAMPIONSHIP
Lillie Bighorse Cunningham. “She was my mentor, my teacher for everything.”
“She can make it in her sleep,” Miller said of her mother. “I’ve got to
practice on it.”
Judging the competition were attendees who paid $5 to sit through a
round of traditional tacos or dessert taco entries. Six or more attendees
accepted the challenge and sampled tacos during each round of judging.
Armed with plastic cutlery and a pen and paper for note taking, the
judges sampled and scrutinized each dish for a few minutes before the
plate was taken away for another entry dish.
“It’s a heck of a deal. You can eat all this for $5,” said Ursula Bowling
of Oklahoma City, who attended with her family. In one judging round
she said she sampled eight entries.
When asked what her evening plans were, Bowling replied: “I don’t
think we’ll be eating dinner.”
Left Photo Courtesy Virginia Mathews. Photo at right by Shannon Shaw/Osage News
Left: A young Virginia Mathews poses with “dear friend” First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt.
Right: Virginia Mathews at this year’s Week of the Young Child event in downtown
Pawhuska.
Mathew’s manuscripts on
literacy sent to the U.S.
Library of Congress
By Shannon Shaw
Osage News
The U.S. Library of Congress is the new home to the life’s work of an
Osage dedicated to improving literacy among American children.
Virginia Mathews sent 34 boxes of manuscripts from her time serving as the staff director of the former National Book Committee from
1957 to 1974. The Library of Congress requested the contribution in order to have a record of the committee’s work promoting literacy—which
Mathews has dedicated her life to improving.
“It’s been an honor to educate and serve with those who would promote
literacy for young children,” said Mathews, an enrolled Osage tribal
member. “I never had any children of my own but this is something dear
to my heart. I would have to say my greatest interest is in young people,
always has been.”
Mathews, 84, is the daughter of the late John Joseph Mathews, an
author who wrote award-winning books on the Osage. Administrative
records from her time with the National Book Committee show some of
the group’s best work, said John Cole, former director of the committee.
He now serves as director of the Center for the Book in the Library of
Congress.
“The records she is donating to the Library of Congress are important
See VIRGINIA MATHEWS
June 2009 7
EDUCATION BILL
In Honor of National Foster Care Month
& Substance Abuse Prevention
Osage Nation Social Services & Prevention Program
announces an
HONOR DANCE
for the Osage Nation Foster/Adoptive Resource Parents and
Substance Abuse Program Staff, Jeanne Morgan & Louis Gray
August 8, 2009
Wakon Iron Community Building
Pawhuska, Oklahoma
HEAD STAFF
M.C. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Fi Davis, Osage
Co-Host . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Osage Gourd Club
Head Singer: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . John BigHorse, Osage
Head Man Dancer: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Scott BigHorse, Osage
Head Lady Dancer: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Lavina Clark, Osage/Ponca
Head Little Boy Dancer: . . . . . . . . . Jason Mashunkashey, Osage
Head Little Girl Dancer: . . . Janie Rosales, Northern Cheyenne/
Otoe/Iowa/Osage
Arena Director: . . . . . . . . . . . . . Pete Buffalohead, Ponca/Kiowa
SCHEDULE
Gourd Dancing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2:00 pm-4:30 pm
Supper . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5:00 pm-6:30 pm
Grand Entry . . . . 7:00 pm (All dancers must be in grand entry)
CONTESTS
Tiny Tots . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0-6 yrs. old
Jr. Divisions: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-12 yrs. old
Sr. Divisions: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13-17 yrs. old
Categories: . . . . . . . Straight, Fancy, Traditional/Grass Buckskin,
Cloth, Jingle/Fancy Shawl
For more information please call Leah BigHorse at
(918) 287-5341 or Jenny Rush-Buffalohead (918) 287-5629
ONSS & ONPP are not responsible for accidents or thefts
The Education Department’s
supplemental appropriations bill
passed with 10 Congressional
votes. Congresswomen Atterberry
and Shannon Edwards were absent for the May 27 vote.
Congress Speaker Archie Mason
said timing was crucial in passing
the bill because higher education
and financial aid deadlines for the
upcoming school year are near. “I
see it as a success and a very valuable piece of legislation for posthigh school (tribal) members,” he
said.
Mason said the passage of the
bill means tribal members who apply for higher education financial
aid will be eligible for up to $10,550
during the 2009-2010 school year.
“I see it as a success
and a very valuable
piece of legislation…”
—Speaker Archie Mason
Gray and Mason both hope the
vacancy of the Education Department director’s position soon will
be filled so a full-time official can
oversee its operations and staff.
Robert Hyatt, who is the Nation’s
director of operations, is the department’s interim director.
Gray said interviews for the Education director’s position are slated for the end of this month, with
eight candidates being considered.
Also during the Hun-Kah session, Gray vetoed the “Anti-Alienation Act” which would prohibit
the transfer of property or property
rights to a non-Osage Nation entity. He also vetoed a bill that would
set parameters and limitations for
the 2010 fiscal year budget. Con-
gress overrode both vetoes before
adjourning for the regular session.
At issue in the bill focusing on
budget parameters and limitations, according to Gray, is whether
Congress places “excessive and additional budget restraints upon the
Executive and Judicial Branches.”
“Such authority is not found in
the (constitution), nor is it otherwise justified by Osage law and
serves to encroach upon the ability of the Executive and Judicial
Branches to manage their own
affairs and spending priorities,”
Gray wrote in his April 7 veto message on the bill.
Mason said Congress (as a voting body) felt the vetoed bills that
were overridden were necessary to
provide services for the Nation’s
people. He added that the new government form is still a learning
curve for the elected officials and
said Congress is still in the learning process of handling legislation
involving budgeting, which will be
a main focus when Congress reconvenes for its Tzi-Zho Session in
September.
Gray vetoed the anti-alienation
bill over concerns it may be unconstitutional.
“The bill as written goes far
beyond the transfer of real property and prohibits the Executive
Branch from conveying any property right without Congressional
consent,” Gray wrote in his April 9
veto message.
“Writing laws which in effect
mandate the Executive Branch to
repeatedly seek consent from Congress every time the law is to be
executed or administered is just
another egregious attempt by this
Congress to improperly micromanage the Executive Branch,”
Gray concluded in his veto message. Gray said his office is reviewing the anti-alienation bill to see if
amendments need to be discussed.
8 June 2009
RED CORN
“We went down to visit him every Saturday,” said his wife, Margaret, 59. “I think [the family]
may have missed twice the whole
two-and-a-half years he was down
there. Of course, everybody liked
him at the nursing home, and they
just loved him to pieces. He would
visit the little children at the day
care center [next door] and mentor
them with stories, and they wrote
an article about Buddy about how
they would miss him after he died.”
Red Corn was born Dec. 25,
1943, in Pawhuska to Harold and
Louise (Gray) Red Corn. He grew
up playing in the Pawhuska Indian Camp with his three older
brothers and older sister. He was
never a flashy athlete in school like
his older brothers or the smartest
in his class but grew up loved and
danced in the Osage In-Lon-Schka
dances and attended the Osage
Baptist Church with his parents
every week.
In 1966, Red Corn was drafted
into the Army and sent to Fort
Polk, La., to undergo training,
Kekahbah said. The hot, sticky
weather at the infantry training
center there gave new soldiers a
taste of what they were to encounter in the debilitating heat and humidity of South Vietnam.
Kekahbah was finishing his
training at Fort Polk when Red
Corn arrived to be trained to join a
mortar crew, something that made
Kekahbah nervous for his friend’s
life because “mortars were very
heavy and they had to carry the
shells . . . he was having to drag
and carry that stuff through the
jungle.” Mortar crews carry muzzle-loading cannons that can be operated by one or two men. The men
carry and assemble the weapon,
mounting its firing tube on a base
plate and launching the mortar
rounds.
On April 1, 1967, Red Corn was
serving as a mortar crewman with
the 1st Battalion, 26th Infantry
Regiment of the 1st Infantry Division (The Big Red One) during
Operation Junction City northwest
of Saigon. He and his unit were occupying a defensive perimeter in
Viet Cong territory and came under heavy mortar and automatic
weapons fire that killed almost all
of his comrades.
Vastly outnumbered, Red Corn
“exposed himself to unrelenting
hostile fire and directed devastating fire onto the Viet Cong, forcing
them to withdraw and regroup,”
according to a letter sent by his
commanding officer to Red Corn’s
parents on May 12, 1967. The Viet
Cong regrouped and launched another massive attack that breached
the unit’s perimeter.
“Red Corn immediately moved
to fire onto the insurgents. When
the Viet Cong advanced to within
30 meters of his location, Private
First Class Red Corn threw his
hand grenades and then engaged
in hand-to-hand combat with the
enemy,” his commander wrote.
“The courageous fighting of Private First Class Red Corn and his
comrades so decimated the Viet
Cong ranks that the survivors fled
in complete disorder, leaving more
than 600 of their dead on the battle
site.”
Red Corn was unscathed.
He returned home to Pawhuska
and a hero’s welcome after spending more than a year in Vietnam.
As a tribute to Red Corn’s bravery,
the late Morris Lookout, a highly
revered singer of the Pawhuska
district, wrote a song in his honor
that is still sung every Sunday
during individual songs of the
Pawhuska In-Lon-Schka dances.
“He always looked forward to it,
he was just so proud,” his wife said.
“Last year, he went to the dances,
and they had saved his place under
the arbor . . . He always looked forward to those dances.”
Red Corn leaves his wife Margaret of 40 years and their daughters, Tonya, 38, and Michelle, 36,
as well as granddaughter Emma,
17. He worked for the tribe for 35
years as a jack-of-all-trades, supervising the mailroom by himself
and fixing anything on the Osage
campus that needed fixing. In his
office, he kept his Bible and read
it daily, his wife said. In it was a
photo of the couple when they were
young, she added.
Throughout his life, Red Corn remained active as a veteran. He was
a charter member of the American
Legion in Denver, a member and
past commander of American Legion Post 198 in Pawhuska. He
also served as the first Head Man
Dancer for the Vietnam Veterans
Powwow.
At St. John Medical Center in
Tulsa, where he was being treated
before he died, Red Corn told his
wife that he did not want to die
there. When doctors said further
treatment would not prolong his
life, he was returned to the nursing
home where he died 15 minutes after arrival, she said.
At the funeral May 18, his brother, Charles, and Charles’s son,
Yancey, talked about the humble
way Red Corn lived his life and
credited his strong faith for his
survival in Vietnam.
“Some were hand-to-hand battles, but he was never scratched,”
Yancey told mourners. “He credited his faith in the Lord for seeing him through . . . As those old
ones have told us, when the sun is
overhead at noon, Uncle Bud will
go with the sun.”
Osage teen to compete
at national shooting event
By Benny Polacca
Osage News
Justin Smith is getting a oncein-a-lifetime shot at a sport shooting competition later this month.
The 17-year-old Pawnee resident
is competing at the 2009 4-H National Shooting Sports Invitational
which runs June 24-28 in Grand Island, Neb. He will join three other
Oklahoma youths at the competition that is expected to draw about
100 teenagers from 25 states, he
Courtesy Photo/ Dwayne Skidgel
said.
Justin Smith, who will be competing in
Smith, who will be a Pawnee the 2009 4-H National Shooting Sports
High School senior this fall, said Invitational this month, takes aim at a
he’s been concentrating on practic- shooting clay event.
ing shooting for the competition.
“In the last six weeks, I haven’t had a free Saturday,” he said.
The annual 4-H shooting competition is open to teenagers ages 14-18
who are enrolled with 4-H and must be in good standing and have been
selected by their state’s 4-H program, according to the competition’s Web
site. The rules also say participants can only enter a specific shooting
discipline once.
Smith, who has participated in 4-H sport shooting events since he was
10, said he plans to compete in the skeet and trap events and possibly one
more event. He learned he was eligible to attend the national competition
after competing and placing high at a state competition in November.
Smith uses a Browning GTI for skeet and shooting clay events and has
hunted game such as deer and turkey. He is the son of Teresa and Mike
Smith.
June 2009 9
VIRGINIA MATHEWS
Pawhuska skate
park project
awarded $25,000
from Tony Hawk
Foundation
By Benny Polacca
Osage News
Fundraising efforts are
underway to bring a public
skate park to Pawhuska for
area skateboarders, which
recently received a helping
hand from professional skater Tony Hawk.
The Tony Hawk Foundation Board has announced a
$25,000 grant for a proposed
skate park in Pawhuska
near the Osage County
Historical Museum. Local
residents and skateboarding enthusiasts formed the,
Make It Happen in Pawhuska committee, which received the grant to handle
the fundraising efforts.
See SKATE PARK
documentation of Virginia’s important professional work and her significant contribution to the history
of reading and library promotion in
the United States,” Cole said. “And
they also are important to the Library of Congress . . . as the ‘prehistory’ of the Center for the Book,
one of the Library’s most dynamic
public outreach projects.”
The Library of Congress is the
nation’s oldest federal cultural
institution and serves as the research arm of Congress. It is also
the largest library in the world,
with millions of books, recordings,
photographs, maps and manuscripts in its collections, according
to its Web site.
Once Mathews’ materials are
organized, they’ll be available to
scholars, researchers, reading promoters and the public, Cole said.
The National Book Committee was a pioneer in reading and
library promotion, Cole said. It
established
National
Library
Week and worked closely with the
American Book Publishers Council’s Committee on Reading Development. The committee also
worked with the Children’s Television Workshop to create “Sesame
Street,” which Cole said was one of
the first uses of television to promote reading and learning among
young people. The committee developed a 15-segment television series, Reading Out Loud,” produced
by the Westinghouse Broadcasting
Company and telecast throughout
the country in 1961-62.
“As staff director, Virginia was
closely involved with all of these
projects and many more,” he said.
“She also wrote many valuable
pamphlets and articles and a book,
‘Libraries for Today and Tomorrow,’ in 1976.”
When Cole began the Center for
the Book in the library he asked
three individuals to come on as
consultants, including Mathews.
She worked as a consultant for the
center until her “retirement” in
2007.
Mathews has spent her life advocating for literacy and libraries. She’s won numerous awards,
helped pioneer literacy in the
South, wrote the manual for America’s Head Start system and helped
develop children’s museums across
the country. At 84, she still doesn’t
consider herself retired.
When she left the Center for
OSAGE HOME HEALTH
Skilled Nursing • Home Health Aides • Social Services
Physical Therapy • Occupational Therapy • Speech Therapy
Providing Comprehensive In-Home Health Care Services to ALL Residents of North Central Oklahoma
Medicare • Medicaid • Private Insurance Accepted
www.osagehomehealth.com
Phone
(918) 287-5645 or (866) 671-3700
128 E. 6th St.
Fax
Pawhuska, Oklahoma 74056
(918) 287-9909
the Book she moved to Pawhuska
to continue her work with Osage
youth. She currently works with
the Nation’s Head Start programs
giving classes on parenting and
how to promote literacy with their
children; she advocates on behalf
of the Nation’s Boys & Girl’s Club
and its survival and she is also involved in cultural preservation of
historic sites on the Osage, one being her father’s home.
The Osage Nation Congress
commended Mathews for devoting
“more than 55 years to writing,
editing and promoting the importance of literacy and libraries” and
for conducting “hundreds of conferences, workshops and institutes on
library services” and the resources
she’s developed to aid in the development of lifetime reading habits,
according to the proclamation.
Mathews produced the children’s
literacy television program “Reading Out Loud,” which was aired
across the country from 1961 to
1962. The program featured several dignitaries, including Presidents
Kennedy and Nixon, First Lady
Eleanor Roosevelt--who Mathews
considered a dear friend--Jackie
Robinson, Julie Harris and Mahalia Jackson. Mathews also led the
book selection committee in the
first year of “Sesame Street.”
“I became friends with Mrs. [Eleanor] Roosevelt and she was a
wonderful mentor to me,” Mathews
said. “She was a wonderful woman
. . . she was very, very intelligent
and perfectly wonderful.”
All of her many accolades she
has been given throughout her
life never justify her giving up her
work, she said. Mathews attends
as many Osage congressional sessions and meetings as she can and
makes time to visit and read to
Osage children whenever she gets
the chance.
“It’s been a great wonderful
work,” she said, “and I have enjoyed it.”
10 June 2009
Sewage concerns delay construction of Ponca City casino
By Benny Polacca
Osage News
Construction on the Nation’s
Osage Million Dollar Elm Ponca
City casino has been delayed for
more than a year due to sewage
concerns by Ponca City officials.
“The Million Dollar Elm Casino
would be severely limited in its
ability to develop with a private
sewage disposal system,” said
Chris Henderson, development
services director for Ponca City.
Casino officials had planned a private sewage system that consisted
of a lagoon but City officials said
the lagoon would have a limited
capacity.
Henderson said that forming an
agreement to build a public sewer
line connecting the MDEC’s proposed Ponca City location to the
city’s main line would be a better
alternative to a private lagoon sewage system. It would enable Osage
County residents to tap into the
public sewer line, eliminating their
private sewer system expenses as
well as freeing up space for other
development by the casino in the
space that was reserved to build
the sewage system, he said.
Henderson said the agreement
calls for constructing a two-mile
sewer line that stretches from the
city’s main line to the proposed casino site along U.S. Highway 60
east of the Arkansas River in Osage
County. The agreement is being
fine-tuned by tribal and casino officials before approval, which could
happen by the end of June, he said.
Once the agreement is reached casino construction can proceed.
Osage Nation and Million Dollar
Elm Casino officials broke ground
on the Ponca City casino in November 2007 with construction slated
to take a little over a year.
Chris White, general manager
of the MDEC Ponca City location,
said in a written statement the
casino project is still in the works
even though other economic turmoil has hit Ponca City businesses
such as hundreds of job layoffs at
ConocoPhillips and others earlier
this year.
“Government entities, federal
agencies and state agencies have
been involved to get us to the point
now to have the infrastructure
[needed],” White said in the statement. “We want to make sure it’s
done efficiently and effectively.”
Details of the agreement call for
the line to stretch two miles from
the casino along U.S. Highway 60
and under the Arkansas River before entering Ponca City’s main
line. A sanitary lift station on the
east side of the river will be built to
pump the sewage under the river
through another pipe that connects
to Ponca City’s wastewater treatment plant, MDEC spokesman
Chris Barton wrote in a statement.
Barton said the Nation is picking up the cost of the sewer
line project.
The city will review the sewer
line plans designed by Tulsabased CGA Engineers Inc., which
was hired by tribal officials once
the agreement is approved, Henderson said.
“We will review the plans and
specifications” to make sure the
sewer line standards are compatible with the city’s, he said. Bids
on the sewer line will need to be
sent out to private contractors to
build it.
Treasury report for fiscal year end September
30, 2008, Osage Nation Treasury Fund
From the Office of the Treasurer, John Jech
The following is the unaudited summarized information for the Osage Nation Treasury Fund for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2008. The total funds received into the Treasury Fund was $47,425,222 with
distributions received from gaming operations of $42,741,063; $3,452,553 was received from revenue tax and
$1,231,605 of interest and other miscellaneous was collected. The total distribution from the Treasury Fund
was $18,442,417 with $4,188,720 being distributed to supplement federal programs, $13,912,487 was distributed to fund tribal programs and $341,210 was distributed to various non-program functions. As of September
30, 2008 the total current assets in the Osage Nation Treasury fund were $42,035,985 with current liabilities
of $2,413,296 for total capital of $39,622,689. The Nation expended $16,430,977 of federal and state grant and
contract funds during fiscal year 2008.
FISCAL YEAR 2008 TREASURY SPENDING BY DEPARTMENT/DIVISION
Office of the Chiefs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2,267,904
Commerce, Tourism, and Economic Development . . . . 636,338
Treasury Department . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 258,348
Properties and Housing. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1,522,606
Health, Fitness and Wellness . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 636,461
Land Acquisition . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 225,000
Cultural Preservation, Arts, Language and Heritage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2,004,927
Education & Early Childhood Learning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3,913,169
Child, Family and Senior Assistance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 809,525
Boards, Commissions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2,204,746
Government Support . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 712,028
Legislative . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1,615,240
Transportation, Law, Public Safety and Environmental Resources . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1,636,126
FISCAL YEAR 2008 FEDERAL CONTRACT / GRANT SPENDING BY DEPARTMENT / DIVISION
Treasury / Accounting Department . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 731,131
Child, Family, and Senior Assistance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2,090,850
Health, Fitness and Wellness . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3,920,983
Government Support . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2,309,100
Cultural Preservation, Arts, Language and Heritage . . . . 39,019
Properties and Housing. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2,413,700
Education & Early Childhood Learning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2,891,665
Transportation, Law, Public Safety and Environmental Resources . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2,034,529
June 2009 11
TV DOCUMENTARY
“It was good exposure for the
language program,” said Osage
Language Instructor John Maker,
who is also the Hominy site coordinator. “We’re constantly working
to get the language out there.”
The documentary aired May 31
and June 11 with the final installation airing June 25.
OETA researcher Collin Fowler worked with the program and
praised the staff’s work in an email to Maker.
“The work you are doing in language preservation is not only important to your tribe, but is also a
compelling example for all Indigenous people who are struggling to
maintain their cultural heritage,”
Fowler wrote. “I can only hope that
our documentary can help to educate the people of this state what
the Osage Language Program is
trying to do.”
The crew shot several hours of
footage for about three days, which
ended at midnight on some days,
Maker said. The crew spent most
of its time filming the language
classes in Hominy but also visited
the program’s Pawhuska office,
he said.
The camera even followed the
program staff and students to Norman where the Osage language
children’s classes competed in the
annual Oklahoma Native American Youth Language Fair April 6-7
and performed several group skits
which placed high in some categories.
The camera crew interviewed
Maker as well as Herman “Mogri”
Lookout, language program director. Lookout was filmed at his
homestead where he grew up.
Lookout said he was interviewed
at the unoccupied house on his
property “where I started learning
the (Osage) language.”
“They took a lot of footage,”
Lookout said, recalling that he was
asked to stand and walk a lot in
several scenes during the threehour interview.
“I was getting tired – I can’t
stand (a lot) like I used to,” Lookout said with a smile.
The “Stateline” documentary series, produced by OETA, focuses on
the issues and concerns of all Oklahomans, the OETA Web site states.
is now online at
www.osagenews.org
Visit us on the Web for the
latest news and information
Osage Mineral Council
reviews field operations,
conducts inspection
By Talee Redcorn,
Osage Minerals
Council Member
On June 9, 2009 six members
of the Osage Minerals Council met with Spyglass Energy
and their Managing Partner
Charles Wickstrom to review
field operations and conduct an
inspection. The purpose of the
inspection was to review operations of a typical smaller oil and
gas producer and get an onsite
view of one company’s proposals
to increase production.
Currently oil and gas producers in the Osage continue work
to increase oil and gas production in Osage county.
“It appears to me that in a
tight market, with oil and gas
prices down, that producers
work hard to look for ways to
improve production, decrease
costs, and effectively use new
technology to improve the bottom line. This level of efficiency and work ethic continues
to keep oil and gas production
flowing and revenues generated
in Osage County,” said Talee
Redcorn, Osage Mineral Council member and organizer of the
field trip.
Spyglass, a smaller company
producing oil and gas in Osage
county, produces about 150 barrels of oil per day but with like to
increase their production levels
by two-fold or more. Spyglass
is typical of smaller producers
now operating in Osage county.
Throughout the day the
Osage Mineral Council members were able to view a production tank battery system,
inspect an off gas and water
separation system, and get a
glimpse of the control mechanisms that ensure safe and
sound operations. Later, the
Mineral Council reviewed a
landscape area around Foraker, Okla., where Spyglass plans
to conduct extensive 3D seismic
activity.
“Coupling innovative science
and improved operations will
be the main driver for keeping
much of the oil flowing and revenues generated in the Osage.
I feel we need to partner with
companies like Spyglass and
other companies interested in
setting higher marks to achieve
increased oil and gas production goals,” Redcorn said.
The six Osage Mineral Council members that participated
were Cynthia Boone, Jewell
Purcell, Kathryn Red Corn,
John Henry Mashunkashey,
Dave Dubler and Talee Redcorn.
Corrections and News Tips
Osage News will correct factual errors in its news stories. Errors
and news tips should be brought to the attention of the Osage News
staff at (918) 287-5668 or email osagenewseditor@osagetribe.org
12
June 2009
Grayhorse 2009
All Photos by Chalene Toehay/Osage News
3
2
Photo 1: Grayhorse Tail Dancer Randy Moore puts on his Osage
clothes before Friday night’s dance.
Photo 2: Dancers from the Grayhorse District enter the arbor
for Friday night’s dance.
4
Photo 3: Pawhuska Drumkeeper Bruce Cass prepares his Osage
clothes before he gets dressed to dance Friday night of Grayhorse.
1
Photo 4: Angela Hamilton gets her son Berbon ready for Friday
night’s dance at Grayhorse.
Photo 5: Teepees at Grayhorse Head Committeeman Archie
Mason’s camp.
Photo 6: Ronnie Dee Goodeagle and his grandson Tristin Lasley
stop and pose for the Osage News.
7
Photo 7: A dancer gets dressed as colorful Osage shirts hang in
the camp.
Photo 8: Gage McKinley-Gray walks to the arbor for Friday
night’s dance at Grayhorse.
Photo 9: Men of the Grayhorse District wait to enter the Grayhorse arbor Friday night of the Grayhorse In-Lon-Schka.
Photo 10: Pawhuska District Tail Dancer, Milton Cunningham,
makes sure that his bells are tied on just right before the Friday
night dance begins.
Photo 11: Osage Nation Congressman Raymond Red Corn ties
on his leggings before Friday night’s dance.
5
6
Photo 12: A dancer ties his bells on before the start of the dance
Friday night.
June 2009 13
8
14
10
9
13
Photo 13: Berbon Hamilton gets help from
Cherise Lookout before the Friday night
dance begins at Grayhorse.
Photo 14: Grayhorse Tail Dancer Russell
Tallchief and David Meneely walk toward the
Grayhorse arbor for Friday night’s dance.
12
11
14
June 2009
Save the Date! Local Events Calendar
JUNE
• June 1-6th (every Monday in
June), 10-11 a.m.
Cessation Classes
Osage Nation Tobacco
Prevention Program
Fairfax Memorial Hospital
Contact Kacee Poteet,
(918) 287-5422
• Starts the 6th-7th
Monday and Tuesday,
9:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.
Sr. Farmer’s Market
Osage Nation Title VI Program
Skiatook WIC Office
Contact Sue Slinkard for
voucher pick up (918) 287-5454
• June 18-21, 3 p.m.
Hominy In-Lon-Schka Dances
• June 19th, 11:30 a.m.
Father’s Day Party at
the Nutrition Site
Contact Sue Slinkard,
(918) 287-5454
• Wednesday, July 8th
Tailgate Pawhuska Wakon
Iron Indian Camp
Osage Nation Food
Distribution Program
Warehouse Hours MondayFriday 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
Warehouse Closed from
12:00 p.m. to 1:00 p.m.
Contact (800) 474-0996
• Saturday, June 20th
U.S. Cellular Party in the Park
Drillers Stadium, Tulsa
Festival is exclusively for
customers; you may bring up
to three (3) guests. Just show your
U.S. Cellular phone at the gate
For all event details and
updates, please call
(918) 636-6718
• Thursday, July 9
Tailgate Pawhuska Wakon
Iron Indian Camp
Osage Nation Food
Warehouse Hours Mon.-Fri. 9:30
a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
Warehouse Closed from 12:00 p.m.
to 1:00 p.m.
Contact (800) 474-0996
•June 25-28, 3 p.m.
Pawhuska In-Lon-Schka Dances
• Starts Wed. and Thurs.,
July 8-9
Hominy WIC Office
Starts from 9:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m.
Contact Sue Slinkard for
voucher pick up (918) 287-5454
JULY
• Wednesday, July 1st
Beginning Farmer’s Market
for all eligible WIC clients
Osage Nation WIC
Contact Renee Harris,
(918) 287-5640
• Thursday, July 2nd
4th of July Party
(918) 287-5454
• Monday, July 6th
Seniors can pick up vouchers at 350
Senior Drive, Pawhuska
Mon.-Thurs. (of each week until all
vouchers are given out)
No vouchers given out on Fridays
(918) 287-5454
• Starts Friday, July 10
Barnsdall WIC Office
Contact Sue Slinkard for voucher
pick up (918) 287-5454
• Wednesday, July 15
Tailgate Skiatook WIC Office
Osage Nation Food Distribution
Program
Warehouse Hours Monday-Friday
9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
to 1:00 p.m.
Contact (800) 474-0996
Tailgate Skiatook WIC Office
Program
9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
to 1:00 p.m.
Contact (800) 474-0996
• Starts Thursday, July 16
Fairfax WIC Office
Contact Sue Slinkard for voucher
pick up (918) 287-5454
• Thursday, July 11, 2 p.m.
Lecture 2 in Cultural Lecture Series
Osage Nation Historic
Preservation Office
Contact June Carpenter
(918) 287-5520
• July 20-24
Youth Enrichment Camp
Osage Nation Education
Department
Contact Cherise Lookout
(918) 287-5544
• Friday, July 24
Deliver Fairfax
Osage Nation Food
9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
Warehouse closed from 12-1 p.m.
Contact (800) 474-0996
• July 27-31
Children’s Enrichment Camp
Osage Nation Education
Department
Contact Cherise Lookout
(918) 287-5544
• July 31-August 2
SWAT Leadership Summit IV
Osage Nation Tobacco Prevention
Program
McFadden, Ponca City
Contact Lisa Vaden
(918) 287-5380
AUGUST
• Saturday, August 1
WIC Program rolls out the new food
package which includes fruits and
vegetables
Osage Nation WIC
Contact Renee Harris
(918) 287-5640
• Thursday, August 6
World Breastfeeding Week Luncheon
Osage Nation WIC
Osage Event Center
Contact Dana Young (918) 287-5365
• Saturday, August 15
Osage Nation Historic
Preservation Office
Starts at 2:00 p.m.
(918) 287-5520
SEPTEMBER
• Saturday, September 19
Osage Nation Historic Preservation
Office
Starts at 2:00 p.m.
(918) 287-5520
Closed for Inventory
Osage Nation Food
9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
Warehouse Closed from 12-1 p.m.
Contact (800) 474-0996
• Saturday, September 12
2nd Annual Osage Landowners’
Symposium
Osage Nation Environmental and
Natural Resources
Contact Jann Rose (918) 287-5531
• Friday, July 31
Closed for Inventory
Program
9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
Warehouse Closed from 12-1 p.m.
Contact (800) 474-0996
NOVEMBER
• Starting November 3–5
Indian Energy Solutions
Conference/American Spirit
Award Dinner
Hosted by the Osage Nation
Location: Tulsa, Oklahoma
Contact (918) 287-5555
June 2009 15
This is not an alphabet. The symbols represent sound only. Practice writing and
pronouncing these symbols everyday. For more information, please contact the
Osage Nation Language Program at (918) 287-5505 (Pawhuska), (918) 642-3185
(Fairfax), (918) 287-5583 (Hominy), (918) 287-5547 (Edmond), and (918) 287-5547
(Skiatook) or visit us on the Web at http://www.osagetribe.org/language.
16
June 2009
News In Brief
Osage family was
unsuccessful at bid for
“America’s Got Talent”
An Osage fancy dancer and his
family dance troupe auditioned for
NBC’s “America’s Got Talent” last
month, but did not make it onto
the TV show.
Michael Pahsetopah, his wife
Lisa, and their six-year-old daughter Heaven performed during show
auditions in Houston on May 9-10.
Lisa Pahsetopah said her family plans to audition again for the
competitive talent show in 2010.
“We’re going to make it next
year,” Pahsetopah said, adding the
family will work on routines for the
next auditions. The fourth season
of “America’s Got Talent” starts
airing on June 23.
The Pahsetopahs, of Sapulpa,
Okla., travel for Christian ministry work and also perform Native
American dancing during their
travels.
Michael Pahsetopah, who is
Osage, Yuchi and Muscogee, performs fancy and hoop dancing,
flute songs and does storytelling.
Lisa Pahsetopah, of Pawnee and
Cherokee ancestry, dances Jingle
and Southern Cloth and Heaven
dances Jingle, Fancy Shawl and
the Eagle Dance.
Calling all
Osage Marines
The Osage Detachment #669 of
the Marine Corps League is looking for new members. All Osage
Marines who would be interested
in joining Detachment #669, regardless of location, contact Hollis
Stabler at P.O. Box 1019, Pawhuska, OK 74056.
SKATE PARK
Murray Scores High
Amber Murray, daughter of Pat
and Julie Murray of Howe, Texas,
was recently selected to the second team Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Basketball team.
Amber, an all-region and all-conference junior college transfer,
just completed her junior year at
Western State College of Colorado.
Amber was also selected as the
team MVP for the Western Lady
Mountaineers. She led her team in
scoring and was the third leading
scorer in the conference averaging
17.6 points per game to go along
with 5.5 rebounds per game. The
Lady Mountaineers finished fourth
in their conference which was good
enough to make the conference
tournament. Amber is the granddaughter of Mike and Annabeth
Murray and the great granddaughter of Ernest Hood all of Fairfax.
“It’s been a group effort” to raise
money for the skate park, which
could cost at least $100,000 to
build, said Mike McCartney, executive director for Pawhuska’s
Chamber of Commerce and cochairman of the Make It Happen in
Pawhuska committee. He said the
committee is short about $14,000
to start building the park.
Skate park builder Greg Mize,
who is of Osage and Quapaw decent, also traveled to the Pawhuska area at the same time efforts
were being made to bring a skate
park to the city and joined the collaboration efforts.
“I saw it as an opportunity to do
some good,” said Mize who has approached government officials with
the city of Pawhuska and Osage
Nation about the idea. He said
he would get a builder to work on
the skate park when the money is
raised.
Mize worked on plans for the
proposed Pawhuska skate park
and submitted them to the Tony
Hawk Foundation Board for grant
funding consideration. The nonprofit was established in 2002 by
Osage Landowner’s Symposium
—Understanding and Managing Crosstimbers
By Jann Rose, Osage Nation Natural Resources Specialist II
The Osage Nation, in partnership with the Tallgrass Prairie
Nature Conservancy, the U.S. Department of Agriculture and
Oklahoma State University, would like to invite all Osage Nation
landowners and other interested landowners to the Osage Landowners’ Symposium: Understanding and Managing Crosstimbers,
to be held on Saturday, September 12, 2009.
The symposium will include a field tour of the Keystone Ancient
Forest guided by experts in the field, as well as talks on understanding and managing Crosstimbers. An Osage lunch will be provided to all participants! More information will be made available
in the upcoming issues of the Osage News.
No registration fee for the conference will be required. Seating is
limited for this conference so call for reservations as soon as possible. If you would like to reserve a seat or if there are any questions, please contact Jann Rose or Julia Wright at 918-287-5333.
its namesake to promote and provide funding for high-quality skate
parks in low-income areas nationwide, its Web site states.
The Pawhuska skate park, which
measures 50 by 100 feet, is one of
22 projects selected for grant funding this spring out of 72 applicants.
It is also the recipient of the most
awarded funding, which is $25,000.
Other grant recipients were either
awarded $10,000 or $5,000, according to the foundation.
Mize touted health advantages
of skateboarding, which include
decreases in obesity and substance
abuse because the sport is physically demanding and requires successful skaters to remain focused.
He said a new skate park in the
Osage Nation could also bring a
Native American skating competition circuit to the area.
Participants could be eligible to
enter the All Nations Skate Jam,
which is held yearly during the
Gathering of Nations Powwow in
Albuquerque, N.M., Mize said.
“We’re trying to grow out skating
in Indian Country,” he said.
The proposed skate park site
is on land donated by the city of
Pawhuska with the city contributing about $24,000 for the project, McCartney said. The city will
maintain the park once it is built.
McCartney said the committee, which is under the Pawhuska
Community Foundation nonprofit,
is waiting to hear back from other
entities for possible donations.
Other contributions include a
$2,000 grant from Wal-Mart and
$11,000 from the Nation’s Million
Dollar Elm casinos.
Mize said construction on the
skate park could be completed
by the fall, pending receipt of the
funds.
For more information on the
project or the Make It Happen
in Pawhuska committee, contact
Mike McCartney at (918) 287-1208
or co-chairperson Cindy Helmer at
Pawhuska’s First National Bank.
June 2009 17
is now online at
www.osagenews.org
Courtesy Photo/Tulsa 211 Helpline
Bobby Tallchief and David Conrad receive the Nania Award May 26, 2009.
Osage Nation receives
2009 Nania Award
By Bobby Tallchief, Osage Nation Emergency Management
The Osage Nation recently received the Nania Award, presented by
the Tulsa Partners Incorporated for the Osage Nation’s participation in
a collaborative effort with the Muscogee Creek Nation, the Cherokee Nation and the Tulsa Area Emergency Management Agency to bring these
four governments together in order to better understand each others
roles in the event that one or all of the entities are impacted by a natural
or man made disaster.
The TPI was founded after the devastating Memorial Day floods in
1984 which caused millions of dollars in damage and the loss of 14 lives
in Tulsa. This was the benchmark for Tulsa’s efforts in disaster and flood
plain management. The Nania Award is usually given to an organization for work over an extended period of time but occasionally awards
are given for outstanding work to build a safer community across all
nations. This was achieved by the three Nations and TAEMA traveling
to the Emergency Management Institute in Emmitsburg Maryland in
December of 2008 and participating in a week long class devoted to dealing with multiple agencies and governments during a disaster.
Through multiple disaster scenarios the four separate governments
were able to develop communication, coordination and cooperation skills
necessary to manage a disaster. Each agency sent 12 members from different departments within their government. The Osage Nation was
represented by Chief Jim Gray, Hepsi Barnett, David Conrad, Marie
Rumsey, Diane Daniels, Bruce Cass, William Leonhart, Carlton O’Brien,
Greg Stice, Brian Herbert, Tosha Ballard and Bobby Tallchief.
Nania is a Cherokee word meaning “all together” and the spirit of
working together was what the TPI wished to recognize. The presentation was held at the Tulsa Historical Society’s Travis Mansion and David
Conrad and Bobby Tallchief accepted the award on behalf of the Osage
Nation.
As the office of Osage Nation Emergency Management develops, our
goal is to make the Osage Nation Reservation a more disaster resistant
and sustainable community.
18
June 2009
Osage man studying for
Birthday Celebrations
priesthood has internship Edward J. Harris, Jr.
in Osage Country
By Benny Polacca
Osage News
An Osage tribal member studying to be a Catholic priest is interning at the Immaculate Conception
Church in Pawhuska this summer.
Todd Nance, who grew up in
Hominy, graduated in mid-May
from Conception Seminary College in Missouri with a Bachelor of
Arts degree in philosophy. Now the
24-year-old is spending his pastoral internship in Osage Country
where he is learning to be a priest
in a rural setting.
“It’s a lot slower paced than
I’m used to,” said Nance, who has
previous internship experience in
the Tulsa area, which is his home
diocese. As an intern, Nance will
conduct pastoral duties and visit
people in different settings such as
hospitals and nursing homes.
Nance said he looks forward to
visiting with people more, which
was a challenge while he worked
in Tulsa. “There’ve been some days
I didn’t eat until 11 at night,” he
said of the heavier city workload.
“(The church officials) want you
to have a full background so you’re
comfortable in every situation,”
Nance said.
Nance, who graduated from
Hominy High School, has been active in the Catholic Church since
childhood and said he wants to be
a priest so he can help people and
help bring them closer to God.
Nance will be working with the
Rev. Christopher Daigle who officiates at Immaculate Conception.
He will also visit the Barnsdall and
Shidler parishes during his stay.
Daigle said Nance would conduct baptism and rosary ceremonies in addition to church services
in his absence. Daigle plans to take
a vacation in June and notes the
milestone in having Nance work in
Pawhuska.
“Since 1910, this church has
The Rev. Christopher Daigle and Immaculate Conception Church intern
Todd Nance stand in front of the church’s
Blessed Kateri Tekakwitha statue.
never produced a Native American
priest,” Daigle said of the year construction started on Immaculate
Conception. “I’m looking forward
to him being here. I think he fits
well,” he said of Nance who started
the week of May 18.
In addition to obtaining work
experience in a rural area, Nance
said he wanted to work in Osage
Country to express thanks to the
Nation for helping to fund his ongoing education.
“I’ve received a great deal of
scholarship money from the Osage
Nation,” said Nance who starts
graduate school this fall at St. Meinrad School of Theology in Indiana.
“I want to express my gratitude.”
Graduate school will take four to
five years for Nance to complete.
He is working toward a master’s
degree in divinity.
Nance said he looks forward
to the “one-on-one daily grind of
meeting people” in which they will
share each other’s lives during his
pastoral work. “That’s what keeps
me going.”
Edward Joseph Harris, Jr.
was born June 10, 2008. He is
the son of Edward Joseph Harris Sr. and Jane Perrier Harris.
He is the maternal grandson of
James Perrier Jr, and Regina
Hill, the great grandson of the
late James and Bernice Perrier
and the late Raymond Hill and
Marguerite Matin. His paternal grandparents are RG Harris
and Mary Mashunkashey, great
grandson of Carole Bayhylle and
Almeta Harris and the late Ronnie Harris, and several Uncles
and Aunts and relatives.
His family would like to wish
Edward a very happy birthday
and may God Bless him all the
years of his life.
Edward Joseph Harris, Jr.
Kaya Marie Sweeden
Kaya Marie Sweeden was
born on June 11, 2001. She is
celebrating her 8th birthday
this year. She is the daughter
of Cherokee Cheshewalla and
Zack Sweeden.
Macy Williams
Kaya Marie Sweeden
Macy Williams is celebrating her 18th birthday this year.
She is the daughter of Joe Don
and Mary Mashunkashey of
Pawhuska and Michael Williams of Tulsa. She is the maternal granddaughter of Carole
Bayhylle and great granddaughter of the late Edward and Virginia Logan Red Eagle. She
is the great niece of Assistant
Chief John Red Eagle and Congressman Edward Red Eagle,
Jr.
Her family would like to wish
her a very happy birthday and
may God bless her all the years
of her life.
Macy Williams
June 2009 19
Pawhuska IHS announces
Dr. Chesbro’s retirement
The staff of the Pawhuska Indian Health Clinic would like to
announce that after 27 years of
dedicated service and commitment to the improvement of Native American health, Dr. Robert
Chesbro is retiring from the Indian
Health Service. He has been a tremendous help to us all and we will
miss him dearly.
Please come join us at the clinic
while we celebrate his retirement
on Wednesday, June 17 from 9:30
a.m. to 1 p.m. There will be refreshments and snacks for everyone provided by the staff, IHS Employees
Club and the Osage Nation.
Dr. Robert Chesbro
Heisler new state champion
Cameron Heisler placed first in
the 110 meter hurdles in the Class
2A State Track meet in Mustang,
OK. Heisler also placed third in
the 330 meter hurdles.
He is the son of Kit Heisler and
the late Danene Lane Heisler. His
maternal grandmother is John
John Lane and his great grandmother is Eunice “Dolly” Lane and
is also the great great grandson of
the late Mary Osage Green. His
paternal grandparents are Gene
and Diane Heisler.
Correction
Cameron Heisler
In the May edition of the Osage News, Northern Oklahoma College’s location in the story “Agreement with Pawnee Nation College
fosters Native knowledge” was incorrectly listed as Tahlequah. The
college is located in Tonkawa. The Osage News regrets the error.
Obituaries
Raymond Anthony Lasley Sr.
Raymond Anthony Lasley Sr.,
resident of Pawhuska and former
resident of Grayhorse, passed
away Friday, May 29, 2009 at his
home. He was 82. He was a loving
father, grandfather, great grandfather and uncle. Raymond was a
man of few words but had a kind
and giving heart.
Raymond was born July 13, 1926
at Grayhorse, Oklahoma, the son
of Walter George Lasley and Mary
(McKinley) Lasley. His early education was received at the Sacred
Heart Catholic School in Fairfax,
followed by Military School at Mexico, Missouri. While in high school
Raymond played football, tennis, Raymond Anthony Lasley, Sr.
golf, wrestled and rode broncos.
He was honorably discharged
from the United States Army after serving his country in World War II.
Raymond was married to Peggee Jo Stone on April 24, 1952. The couple moved from Tulsa to Pawhuska in 1962. He was a devoted Catholic
and was a member of the Immaculate Conception Catholic Church in
Pawhuska. He was a charter member of “ONO” Osage Nation Organization; he was a lifetime member of Post 198, the Grayhorse War Mothers
and Ki-He-Kah-Steh. He was a committee member, Whipman, advisor
throughout the years with the Pah-Sue-Lee District. His enjoyments included golf, horse racing, watching Oklahoma Sooner athletic events and
Oklahoma State University wrestling. He also was an avid newspaper
reader. He loved watching his children and grandchildren dance at the
In-Lon-Schka’s in June.
He is survived by his son, Raymond Anthony Lasley II of Grayhorse,
four daughters, Mary Raelene Bear, Lawrence, KS; Debra Gaye Carpenter, of the home; Michele Raye Lasley and Lori Jo Morgan, both of
Lawrence, KS; his daughter-in-law, Laren Lasley of Tulsa; grandchildren and great grandchildren, Brandon Lasley, Melinda Coburn, Janese
Sieke, Isaiah Lasley, Ciaradon Carpenter, Jamison Israel Bear, Daniel
Bear, Raymond Morgan, Samuel Bear, Chancellor Brave, Madeline Coburn, Loren Coburn and Gianna Sieke.
He was preceded in death by his parents, Walter and Mary Lasley; his
wife, Peggee Lasley; one son, Marvin Lasley; one grandson, Roanhorse
Clark; one sister, Jody Lasley Strait, and one brother, Walter Joseph
Lasley.
A Rosary Service was held 7 p.m. Sunday, May 31, 2009 at the Family
Home at Grayhorse with the Funeral Mass recited at 10 a.m. Monday,
June 1, 2009 also at the Family Home. Father Chris Daigle of the Immaculate Conception Catholic Church of Pawhuska presided. Burial was
in the Grayhorse Cemetery under the direction of the Hunsaker-Wooten
Funeral Home of Fairfax.
Casket bearers were Brandon Lasley, Isaiah Lasley, Jamison Israel
Bear, Raymond Morgan, Chancellor Brave, Daniel Bear, Samuel Bear
and Erik Sieke.
20
June 2009
Opinion
It’s June…
Osage Nation Burial Assistance
Application Process
By Jim Gray,
Osage Nation Principal Chief
As we enter into our In-Lon-Schka dances this June, I am renewed
with hope for the Osage Nation.
June is a time to dance, to reconnect, to be good to one another, to
visit, and to become renewed and
strengthened by our Osage culture, language and relations.
As always, Grayhorse is special
because like the first splash of a
dive into a lake on a hot summer
day, it changes our perspective
and triggers wonderful memories
of our Osage ways; reflections of
those who have helped us through
the year, stories of previous dances, the smells and laughter around
the cook fires, and the joy of being
under the arbor and hearing the
drum again.
But not only do June and our
Osage ways remind us of the past,
we catch a glimpse of the future.
New generations continue to enter
the dance, proud and nervous parents continue to support our cultural ways as they get ready, and
younger siblings and friends beam
with admiration as young boys enter the dance with their families
standing behind them.
Under the arbor we hear our
Osage language used in prayer and
in expressions of heartfelt gratitude and friendship. Sitting on the
benches under the arbor we share
stories and learn tidbits of history
and language from those sitting
next to us. And as the dance progresses we learn to be comfortable
sharing the same crowded space
and a peace of mind that is hard to
describe.
As Hominy rolls around, we are
deep into the spirit of the dance,
and we are engulfed in our Osage
culture. Just as thick as the heat
Principal Chief Jim Gray
and humidity sometimes is at
Hominy, so is the feeling of unity
and strength of our people. Again
we see new generations join us,
and we renew old friendships, and
we grow closer to our families and
respective camps and the Drumkeepers and their committees.
By the time Pawhuska begins we
also know the dances are almost
over. And like a favorite meal we
savor every bite, every moment is
special. Because we don’t want it to
be over, we dance that much harder to make sure we are satisfied we
have enjoyed it as best we can.
June is like a song, a happy
story, or a favorite meal--the eager anticipation, savoring every
bite or appreciating every note or
word--and of course the satisfaction afterwards. If you participate
in the In-Lon-Schka during June
you know what I am talking about.
If you haven’t you should come and
look on, and if you choose, learn
your Osage ways and participate.
If you do, June will never be the
same…
• Submit an application within 30 days of time
of death
• Provide CDIB or Membership Card that
verifies Osage Indian Blood for deceased
individual
• Provide a copy of a death certificate for the
deceased individual
• Provide a copy of an itemized Funeral Home
statement of the deceased individual
The application is complete when all pertinent documentation is received by this office; once the application is complete a letter of approved funds and check will be mailed to
the funeral home. Notice will also be sent to the applicant
informing them of the amount being paid to the funeral
home.
• Allow 10-14 working days for completed application to
be processed and a check issued.
• Reimbursements checks will only be issued to funeral
home and designated grocer only; individual expenses
will not be reimbursed.
For more information, questions,
or concerns please contact the
Osage Nation Constituent Services Office
Osage Nation Constituent Services Office
Attention: W. Jacque Jones, Administrator
621 Grandview • Pawhuska, OK 74056
Phone: (918) 287-5662
Fax: (918) 287-5221 • Fax: (918) 699-5221
Email: jjones@osagetribe.org
June 2009 21
Opinion
A Message from John D. Red Eagle Ki-he-kah O-wah-ta
—Assistant Principal Chief of Osage Nation
Education Bill ONCA 09-07
Vetoed and then Education
Bill ONCA 09-45 Signed
Vol. 3, Issue #6; June 2009
Major contributor:
John D. Red Eagle
Writer and editor:
Cherri Maker Riding In
18th Special Session
On May 22, 2009, the Chief
called forth the 18th Special Session targeting several bills for
discussion — federal grants and
stimulus funding for FY09, FY09
budget modification to purchase
Sugar Loaf Mound in St. Louis, a
provision to provide annual expenditure funding for tourism, and an
education supplemental bill. The
reason for this pretense was the
budget; as it happens, the Chief
introduced a substitute budget to
enable supplemental funding for
education and modified the budget
to allow for purchasing of Sugar
Loaf Mound. So, I shall talk to you
about budget modifications, as well
as present a few questions for you
to think about.
Education is a priority in developing the future leaders of our
Nation. Thirty-three line items of
Education Bill ONCA 09-07 were
vetoed with the exception of the total amount of $954,710. This veto
eliminated any opportunity for an
adjourning Congress to consider
an override. This unfortunate action forced our Osage college students, who are dependent upon
this money, to wait for paying their
living expenses, books, and tuition.
A veto of all line items leaves an
entire amount open to spend as one
pleases without qualification, as
the line items specify the portions
of the total amount to be spent in
the designated areas.
On the first day of the Special
Session, Congress attempted an
override of the veto and failed;
accordingly, a new bill was introduced called ONCA 09-45 and sent
to the Education Committee for
markup. This bill was passed out
of Committee and sent to the floor
for a final vote, passed, and signed
by the Chief with a total allocation of $965,901 — a difference of
$11,191. The outcome of the rewritten, amended bill was virtually the same bill. The questions I
want you to think about are what
is the purpose of a veto if you rewrite and then sign the same bill,
and why waste the time of going
through the process twice?
The Chief’s veto message stated
that he vetoed the 33 line items
due to the adjustments made,
which were not what the Executive Branch desired and that these
budgeting decisions fell clearly
within the Executive Branch. Congress was doing their job by mak-
ing legislative appropriations.
The question is does this veto fall
within the Osage Constitutional
interpretation of the separation
of powers between the Executive
Branch and Congress? Congress
has a purpose–to make legislative
appropriations.
Is Sugar Loaf Mound
an Osage Heritage?
Bill ONCA 09-48 provides a
supplemental appropriation to
the Properties Department in the
amount of $234,000 for the purchase of Sugar Loaf Mound. Budget
modifications suggest reductions
to these programs: Development
Fund/Grants Management, Senior Service, Boys and Girls Club,
and the Kids Kampus. Sugar Loaf
Mound is the last remaining intact mound on the St. Louis side of
See ASSISTANT CHIEF
Without Reservations
Cartoon © Santo Domingo Pueblo Cartoon Artist, Ricardo Caté
22
June 2009
Opinion
Charting the Osage Nation’s growth
By Raymond Red Corn,
Osage Nation Congressman
There has been much speculation and discussion on how the
Nation is spending and saving its
resources, how fast our government
is growing, etc. With that in mind
I’ve asked our Budget Analyst, Mr.
Kelly Corbin, to obtain raw data
from the Executive branch and
chart that information to make it
easier to understand.
Membership
Year by year the Osage Nation
is getting larger, although membership gains vary according to
age. While the rate of membership
growth among adults is slowing,
the number of members under 18
has doubled since 2006.
Some of the growth among minor
members may be attributed to two
factors; large increases in education benefits since 2006, and new
benefits like the health debit card
which require a membership card
in order to qualify (see Chart 1)
Chart 1
Congressman Red Corn
Categorical spending
There are often two and sometimes three sources of funding
in most of our Nation’s program
budgets. Programs sometimes get
funding from both state and federal sources in addition to tribal dol-
lars which come from casino profits
and Osage Nation tax revenues.
The following chart shows year
to year spending of tribal dollars
only in different categories. The
Commerce category deserves special mention, as the graph represents not just spending but also
various types of investments, like
the capital contributions to Osage
LLC ($4 million), purchase of the
Tulsa Airpark ($4.9 million), funds
to accelerate reduction of casino
debt ($3.9 million), etc. (see Chart
2).
While some categories such as
Health, Education and Culture
have seen a doubling or tripling of
tribal dollars spent, core government operations appear to have
increased less than 7% per year. It
should be noted that approximately
$500,000 of the Cultural increase
in 2009 was for two non-denominational chapels to be constructed
in the Hominy and Grayhorse villages.
Chart 2
Employment levels
The Nation’s work force has
grown by 28.3 % since 2006, which
is slower than the rate of growth
for membership (31.5%). The rate
of growth for part-time employees
is higher, adding 20 in that category since 2006, a 41% increase (see
Chart 3, page 23).
Cash reserves and
distribution of gaming profits
When elected officials took office
in July of 2006, we had cash reserves of around
$4.5 million (this particular figure is from memory, the Treasurer
could not access hard data by press
time). We now have cash reserves
of 10 times that much, although
recent increases in education and
health benefits have slowed the
growth of those reserves.
The Nation’s cash reserves will
be invested according to an inSee NATION’S GROWTH
June 2009 23
Opinion
ASSISTANT CHIEF
the Mississippi. Supporters wish
to link the Mounds Heritage Trail
with the mounds in the St. Louis
area to the Sugar Loaf Mound site.
This trail would interpret the culture and archeological past of the
people who lived there, but do we
know if these people were Osage
People? Long ago the Ponca, Sioux,
Kaw, and Omaha Tribes lived in
the area along with the Osage, and
they all have a similar language.
Another question I have for you
is why should we pay more than
a quarter of a million dollars for
an archeological mound by taking
funds away from other important
and vital programs that help support our children and our elderly?
Purchasing Sugar Loaf Mound
could be a noble act, if we were certain it was of Osage origin, which
we are not. I do not want Congress to vote for budget modifications that would take money away
from our children and our senior
citizens. Our children enjoy these
clubs, and many of our elderly look
forward to their daily meals. Because the livelihoods of hundreds
of our constituents are involved,
more detailed information must be
required before a quality decision
can be made. While this bill sits in
appropriations we must ask ourselves why should we modify budgets from these critical programs
to buy a mound, and why can the
money not come from another
source?
See you next month.
Chart 3
NATION’S GROWTH
vestment strategy formulated by the Treasurer and approved by the
Congress. The draft strategy now before Congress incorporates short,
medium and long-term investment horizons.
There are obviously limits to how much we can expand gaming, especially considering the largely rural nature of our market. How we
approach those limits will determine the return we receive on our future gaming investments (see Chart 4).
Note: The reduction in distributions in 2007 was due primarily to
the Gaming Board choosing to accelerate payments against development debts. Such payments naturally reduce that amount of profits
available for distribution to the Nation. Our gaming enterprise is now
debt-free.
Chart 4
24 June 2009

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