June, 2013
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Tribal Member Presents Art Show
Jacque Lynn Moody-McDonald presented her Bachelor of Fine Arts Thesis Show, at Missouri Southern State University, Spiva Gallery. This exhibition “Abuse and Neglect” consists of life-sized ceramic sculptures of children. The show opened on May 6th, with the closing reception on May 10th from 5:30 to 8:00 in the Missouri Southern State University Campus, Spiva Gallery. It is located in the Fine Arts Complex at the corner of Newman and Duquesne, Joplin Missouri.
Mrs. McDonald grew up in Joplin, Missouri, married, and left the area for 40 years, relocating to pursue a career at the University of Miami Medical School in Coral Gables, Florida, as an International Meeting planner and administrator over the residency program in surgery. She and her husband returned to southwest Missouri after retirement and Mrs. McDonald decided to complete her degree in Art at Missouri Southern State University four years ago. Initially wanting to study drawing and painting she soon found three-dimensional art was more her calling and therefore, sought Ceramic Sculpture for her medium.
Some of her recent achievements include being a participant and core artist with the Spiva Art Center on the upcoming project “Artworkers: Creativity across America,” funded by the National Endowment for the Arts. She also participated in “The Phoenix Rising,” Phoenix Fired Arts Mural on 16th and Main; The Joplin Mural on 15th and Main; and the Jupiter Florida Lighthouse Mural in Jupiter, Florida.
Mrs. McDonald is recognized by the Bureau of Indian Affairs as a Native American Artist of the Delaware Tribe. She also has had the privilege to work with some of the most notable artist in the area as well as in Florida. Her accomplishments and interests are varied but she is actively pursuing children’s issues with her thesis exhibition “Abuse and Neglect.”
Editor’s note: Chief Pechonick and Councilwoman Ketchum attended the exhibit on May 6.
From the Desk of Verna Crawford, Tribal Council Secretary
The Tribe will be moving some of the Tribal operations to Kansas. Why? As long as the Tribe limits the Tribal jurisdiction to Oklahoma and the Cherokee Nation, it cannot provide more and better services to the Delaware people. Presently the Tribe cannot apply for grants or services unless the Cherokee Nation approves.
Having a jurisdictional area in Kansas will allow the Delaware Tribe to provide services such as housing, health, education, economic development, jobs and more.
The Tribe is currently preparing a grant application for planning to develop a charter school. The school would be located in Kansas to avoid conflict with or oversight by the Cherokee Nation. The school will combine academic with cultural instruction and K thru 12th grade. The grant is for three years to do the planning.
Some of the information needed for the grant application inlcude: the interest of students in attending the school, and whether qualified Delaware teachers in Kansas are interested in teaching there. Let us know your thoughts.
We Want Your Feedback: Possible Charter School
The Delaware Tribe is considering starting a Charter School in Kansas. The curriculum would include grades K thru 12 and academic and cultural instruction.
We want feedback about the level of interest:
1. Would you send your students to a Delaware Charter School?
2. Delaware or Native American teachers: would you consider working at a Delaware Charter School?
3. Teachers: do you have Kansas accreditation or would you acquire it?
We Want Your Feedback: Service Needs of Kansas Tribal Members
As discussed over the last year or more, the Delaware Tribe is working to serve the needs of tribal members in Kansas.
If you live in the proposed Kansas service area, we want your input:
1. Do you need housing assistance?
2. Do you need medical assistance?
3. Do you need education assistance?
4. What are you job/professional skills?
Please send feedback to Verna Crawford, Delaware Tribal Council Secretary, at vcrawford@delawaretribe.org or 170 NE Barbara, Bartlesville, OK 74006.
A Counterpoint
The Trust Board members have been working on a revision of the obsolete Trust Document. My concern is that it still needs revisions to take out any articles that are already in the Constitution. It is not necessary to have a pseudo-Constitution, which in my opinion, causes confusion.
Now that the Tribe has had its Federal Recognition restored, the only purpose of the Trust Document is to oversee the Distribution Plan for the social services programs in the plan. Additional, redundant, unnecessary, and confusing information will lead to the document being turned down at the polls.
Since the tribal staff and accounting department are quite adequate in carrying out the function of the Distribution Plan and since the annual budget is also prepared by the accounting department, the only job of the Trust Board members is to be an oversight committee, although the Tribe has built in checks and balances for oversight. Actually, if we continue with a Trust Board (since the Arvest Management is the actual trustee), I think we may be delaying dissolving both the Trust Document and Trust Board out of sentimentality. Both are of no further use to the operations of the Tribe.
The reasons it is no longer needed:
1. We have our Federal Recognition.
2. The Board is not the Trustee of the judgment funds.
3. The staff and accounting department do the work of the Board.
4. The Delaware Citizens serve on the programs’ committees and can chair those program committees.
Another glaring problem that exists with the Trust Board is that only three members who are currently serving are elected. Four are appointments
So, be sure to attend the Town Hall meetings this month. I would like to hear good reasons for keeping the Trust Board, since I don’t believe there are sound, long term reasons for keeping it.
Annette Ketchum
Delaware Tribe of Indians
Councilwoman
918-337-6590
aketchum@delawaretribe.org
Trust Board Proposed Changes
My name is John W. Sumpter, Delaware Tribe of Indians Trust Board Member, Vice Chair Cultural Committee, Chair Reinvestment Committee, and Chair Veterans Committee.
Let me first explain that the Trust Board has nothing to do with the governing of our Tribe whatsoever!
One of the most important duties of the Trust Board is to protect Tribal monies. Reinvesting 10% of the interest back to the principal allowing our Tribal monies to grow; administering the rest of the interest monies among the various programs and committees as stated in the Trust Document and Master Plan. Tribal Operations, Cultural Preservation, Community Services, and Education are just a few of those programs.
Here are a few of the proposed changes:
(1) Increasing Tribal Operations from 10 to 15%.
(2) Doing away with Land Management and Economic Development since those duties were taken over by the Tribal Council and the Delaware Enterprise Authority (DEA).
(3) Revising the budget to include new line items for the Elders Committee and the Veteran’s Committee. The line items will fund both committee programs. We need to recognize the valuable knowledge and contributions that our Elders and Veterans have contributed to the Delaware Tribe.
(4) Another proposed change is to have Trust Board elections coincide with Tribal Council elections to save money on election costs, but in order to do that, the Trust Board would have to hold off the Trust Board election this year and have it with the Tribal Council election next year.
These are but a few of the changes that are necessary to bring our Trust Document and Master Plan up to date
I urge you to study the changes carefully; they will be posted on the Delaware Tribe website (www.delawaretribe.org). Attend the town hall meetings and let us know your thoughts.
Workshops and Town Hall Meetings
The Trust Board workshops have been extensive and the proposed changes have been well thought out, but we still need outside input. To get this input from the tribal members, the Trust Board has scheduled three town hall meetings (Chelsea July 13th, Nowata July 20th and Bartlesville July 27th).
Please know this, the people’s vote created the Trust Board, Trust Document, Master Plan and only the people’s vote can do away with them.
John W. Sumpter
PO Box 45
Copan, OK 74022
(918) 532-4938
To be or not to be…Elected or appointed…
Your Delaware Tribe of Indians Trust Board will be presenting, for approval by referendum vote, a new Trust Document of the Delaware Tribe of Indians. The entire proposed document can be found at www.delawaretribe.org and also reprinted in this issue of the DIN.
As one of the newer members of this Board I feel honored to be part of this proposed positive change for our tribe. The vote for this change will be held Saturday, November 2, 2013. I urge all voting age members of the Delaware Tribe of Indians to participate and let their voice be heard.
Last fall the Tribal Council and the Trust Board worked jointly on a new document but failed to reach an agreement on changes, most noticeably how Trust Board members are selected to serve. The Trust Board is in unanimous agreement that you as tribal members should have the right to elect those that oversee the four million (+) dollars in trust funds. After reading the joint proposal from last fall it appears the main point of contention is that document called for Trust Board members to be appointed by the Tribal Council. My feelings are that you, as a tribal member, have the right and should be given the opportunity to elect the Trust Board members as is the process at the present time. As proposed, should a member of the Tribal Council, or anyone they might have appointed, choose to run for Trust Board they have the same opportunity as all other tribal members. By keeping the Board as an elected Board each member would be eligible to run for re-election every four years. At that time the People of the Delaware Tribe of Indians have the right to re-elect or replace the Board member. A Tribal Council-appointed Board member could possibly remain on the Board long after the majority of the Delaware Tribe of Indians desire to have them removed. You need to have a voice.
The money in trust belongs to “we the people” of the Delaware Tribe of Indians, not to the Trust Board nor to the Council. The Tribal Council of the Delaware Tribe of Indians is tasked with the operation of the tribe, NOT the Trust Board. The Trust Board has no desire to run the tribe and totally agrees that those functions are, need to be, and should be, the responsibility of the Tribal Council. The Trust Board is a group formed to oversee and safeguard the trust monies of the Tribe.
As you read through the proposed document you should also note that it includes changes to the balloting process. The new document will require that ALL Trust Board elections be held by referendum vote. This would require ballots be sent to all voting age members of the tribe who have valid addresses on file. The process of requiring tribal members to request an absentee ballot concerns the Board so we are asking your help in eliminating it. The Board’s concern is that if a tribal member has to request a ballot (the time constraints of the call for election, candidates filing period, printing of ballots, receiving absentee ballot requests, mailing the ballots out, and receiving them back in time for them to be included in the count) there may be a number of tribal members whose voices will not be heard. We as a Board feel that any tribal member who us eligible to vote, and so desires, should be afforded that opportunity.
Another change in the proposed document is that Trust Board members be elected in even-numbered years instead of odd-numbered years as is presently the case. This would move the Trust Board elections to coincide with the Tribal Council elections beginning in 2014. At that time the savings from sharing the election expense with the Council would have an impact on offsetting the cost of mailing ballots to all voters. To accomplish this goal, each sitting member of the Trust Board will have their current term extended one year to have it end in an even numbered year.
You may notice in the proposed document that the Tribal Committees under the guidance of the Trust Board would be restructured. Two new committees will be created to better serve our people: an Elders Committee and a Veterans Committee. Our intent is to better provide services to the two honored groups of our tribe.
The Trust Board will be hosting town hall meetings in Chelsea, Nowata, and Bartlesville during the month of July. One purpose of these meetings is to inform our members of all details of this proposal. The main reason for these get-togethers though is to get your input. This proposal is a working document.
I ask that you look carefully at our proposal. Should you have questions, concerns, or comments please call, text, or email me.
Wanishi,
Bonnie Jo Griffith
Delaware Tribe of Indians
Trust Board Treasurer
918-331-3805
bjogriffith@aol.com
Proposed Trust Document Revisions
Current events and the age of the present Delaware Trust Document has made it essential for revisions to bring the document up to date. The Trust Board has drafted a proposed revised document (see later in this issue) and is presenting it to all Delaware tribal members for comments. Once the comment period ends the document will be changed and put out for a vote.
This article contains historic information and an explanation regarding the changes proposed. The final draft will be on the ballot in November for ratification by tribal members. The comment period will end August 1, 2013 to allow time for final revisions. The document that will be on the ballot will be printed in the October DIN. All tribal members should carefully read this article and the proposed revised Trust Document.
The Trust Board has received some input from the Tribal Council, staff members and other Tribal members. Now we need more. In this edition of the DIN the Board is presenting a first draft of the proposed document to all tribal members for comments and recommendations. Address your comments to the Delaware Trust Board at 170 NE Barbara, Bartlesville, OK 74006, send an email to us at trustrevisions@delawaretribe.org, or come to one of the planned Town Hall meetings.
Three Town Hall meetings will be held in July. The first will be on July 13 at the Lewis B. Ketchum Sports Complex, 119 N. Ash, Chelsea, OK. The second will be July 20 at the Nowata City County Library (west room), 224 S Pine St., Nowata, OK. The third will be on July 27 at the Delaware Community Center, 5100 Tuxedo Blvd., Bartlesville, OK.
The meeting in Bartlesville will be online live. Comments and questions may be sent by email to trustrevisions@delawaretribe.org, and emails sent during the Bartlesville meeting will be addressed at that time.
All Town Hall meetings will start at 11 a.m. Stew, frybread and dessert will be served. Door prizes will be awarded at the end of the meeting. The main prize will be a $50 gas card, one at each meeting. There will be other door prizes as well.
History of the Proposed Changes
Recently proposals have been discussed to reduce the Trust Board to a five-member oversight committee, appointed by the Chief. Two Town Hall meetings were held in September 2012 regarding this idea. Those attending agreed that the Trust Document needed to be revised but the general consensus was to continue to elect the Trust Board members. The Trust Board took those concerns to heart and have developed a proposed revised document. We are presenting this document to the Delaware people for comments, suggestions and directions. Following the July 2013 Town Hall meetings, the Trust Board will consider comments received at the meetings and by mail or email, and make changes.
The following provides some background to help Tribal members in their consideration of this document.
In the 19th century, the Delaware people were moved from their reservation in Kansas to reside in the territory of the Cherokee Nation in accordance with Article II of the Delaware Agreement, dated April 8, 1867. The Delaware Tribe paid a sum of money to the Cherokee Nation in order to preserve their Delaware identity. There was also a payment for land for the people to own. The Delaware Tribe has continued to maintain a governing Council from then to the present.
Congressional Act 83 Stat. 447, 453, of December 26, 1969 appropriated the judgment funds in Dockets 72 and 298 for the Delaware Tribe of Indians. The Delaware people voted to retain 10% of the total funds to be held for tribal operations. It become expedient and necessary for the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) to release the 10% Judgment Funds provided for in the Act of Congress dated October 3, 1972, Public Law 92-456, 86 Stat. 762, 25 USC § 1294 (b). Tribal members voted to reserve 10% of the judgment funds and the rest was paid out per capita.
The Delaware Tribe maintained a government-to-government relationship with the United States until May 25, 1979, when the Tribal Council received a letter from the BIA removing the Delaware Tribe from the list of federally recognized tribes. The Delaware Tribe attempted from 1979 to 1989 to get the BIA and Congress to have that decision overturned.
Chief Lewis B. Ketchum met with Cherokee Chief Wilma Mankiller in 1990, and it was agreed that the Delaware Tribe was entitled to the 10% reserved for tribal operations from the judgment funds awarded by Congress in 1972. Both the Secretary of the Interior and the Cherokee Nation agreed not to interfere with the administration or use of these funds once an entity was established to administer the funds. The Delaware Tribe, working under a grant from Administration for Native Americans, developed the Trust Document. The document provided the powers to receive, invest and administer the judgment funds but would not have any governmental powers. It did not in any way indicate that the Delaware Tribe was federally recognized.
The Delaware people, in an election conducted by the Secretary of the Interior, ratified the Trust Document on September 21, 1990. The first Trust Board was seated in early 1991. Their first task was to develop a Master Plan to administer the funds for the benefit of the tribe. (The current Trust Document and Master Plan are on the Tribe’s website at www.delawaretribe.org.) The Master Plan was approved in the summer of 1991 and the Trust Board received the first funds on October 1, 1991.
In the eyes of the Delaware people the Constitution and Tribal Council continued to be our governing body and document. In 1996 Assistant Secretary of the Interior Ada Deer rescinded the action of the 1979 letter, putting the Delaware Tribe back on the list of federally recognized tribes. The Cherokee Nation quickly filed a lawsuit against the Department of the Interior and Assistant Secretary Deer. The Tulsa District Court ruled in favor of the DOI and the Delaware Tribe in 2002. The case then went to the 10th Circuit Court in Denver, and in November 2004 the earlier ruling was overturned. The Tribe was again removed from the list of federally recognized tribes.
The Tribe applied for recognition under the Oklahoma Indian Welfare Act of 1934 (OIWA). Before the BIA would approve the OIWA application, a Memorandum of Agreement with the Cherokee Nation was required. The two tribes worked out an agreement basically requiring the Delaware Tribe to get approval from the Cherokee Nation before applying for grants, to not apply for any grants that the Cherokee Nation received funds for, to agree not to put land in Trust, and to forego developing gaming within the Cherokee Nation. Most monies received by the Delaware Tribe would go through the Cherokee Nation, though any Delaware tribal activities outside Cherokee jurisdiction would not come under the MOA.
The BIA conducted a Secretarial Election in July 2009 to ratify the Delaware Constitution, and by August the Delaware Tribe was back on the list of federally recognized tribes. The Delaware Tribe has moved forward rapidly since that time.
Now that the Delaware Tribe has a direct relationship with the Federal Government, the Trust Document needs to be updated and clarified.
In 1990 the Delaware Tribe needed a way to fund its daily operations; that is not the situation today. In light of that the Trust Document needs to be revised. The Trust Board has been operating under two documents, the Trust Document and Master Plan, which has caused confusion. The proposed revised document will combine them into one.
The proposed revisions clearly recognize the Chief and Delaware Tribal Council as the governing body. The Delaware Constitution is the governing document. The only authority the Trust Board has is to administer and protect the Trust Funds and any other funds assigned by the Delaware people and/or the Delaware Tribal Council. It is my wish that the Trust Board and Tribal Council may work together for the benefit of our people.
The Delaware people adopted the Trust Board and Trust Document to administer and protect the judgment funds, set up programs with the funds to assist Delaware people, to promote Delaware culture, and more. The Supreme Authority of the Delaware Tribe of Indians is vested in the tribal members. The Chief and Tribal Council is the governing body elected by the people. The Trust Board elected by the Delaware people is tasked with administering the judgment funds.
How the Trust Board fits in the Tribe’s organizational chart is a little vague. Should the Trust Board be under the direct supervision of the Tribal Council, or on an even plane with the Council? Should the Trust Board send reports to the Tribal Council? Should the Council be able to overrule Trust Board decisions regarding the funds or programs? This decision rests with the Delaware people.
So here is a summary of the changes to the Trust Document that we propose.
Proposed Trust Document Revisions
ARTICLE I – AUTHORITY
The Trust Board’s duty is to administer judgment funds, existing or future, donations, grants, fundraisers etc. as directed by the Delaware people. The Trust programs operate on the annual interest earned by investments. Each year 10% of the interest is returned to the principal.
The Trust Board and Trust programs will make an annual report to General Council instead of conducting a separate meeting than Tribal Council.
Each Trust program will submit an annual budget to the Treasurer, then with assistance from Accounting, will prepare an overall budget. In the current Trust Document, the people must vote on the annual budget. Any budget presented for a vote in November cannot be actual, it must be estimated.
Currently the budget is estimated based on the first six months of investment earnings and doubled to get the budget total. In the proposed document (Article I F number 10 B), the budget will be presented to the Delaware people on the website and in the DIN as soon as all financial reports have been received and the budget prepared. This should be completed by February or March.
The Trust Board’s fiscal year is January 1 to December 31, presenting the budget in January will give an accurate financial picture.
ARTICLE III – PROGRAM PLAN
This is where the provisions of the Master Plan have been inserted. Most of this article mirrors the current master plan.
ARTICLE III – E – PROGRAM PLAN DISTRIBUTION
There are changes in this section. In the original plan the committees of Economic Development and Land Management have been replaced with Elders and Veterans Committees. Both of these committees will receive 5% of the annual interest. The funds left in Economic Development will be divided among the remaining committees. Land Management is largely a tribal function. Oversight of the cemeteries will transfer to Cultural Preservation. Community Services will increase to 30%, Education to 25%, Tribal Operations 15%, and Reinvestment 10%. Tribal Operation funds will go to the Accounting department to pay for Board expenses such as staff support, accounting support and other routine expenses. All funds allotted to Reinvestment are kept in the principal to grow the funds.
ARTICLE III – F – PROGRAM PARAMETERS
This section explains each program.
ARTICLE IV – ELECTION OF TRUST BOARD
The article remains essentially the same except for E, changing the election to even years to coincide with the Tribal Council Election. This is an effort to save Trust Board money. The Trust Board will pay half instead of all the election expenses.
ARTICLE V – REMOVAL FROM OFFICE
This article adds definition to the allowed reasons for an excused absence.
The remainder of the document remains nearly the same as the current document.
At the March 4, 2013 Trust Board meeting Joe Brooks moved to change the Trust Board’s fiscal year (October 1 to September 30) to a calendar year (January 1 to December 31). The motion was approved. This action was taken to eliminate a potential problem arising when the Trust Board changed from a calendar to a fiscal year in 2012. Accounting informed the Board that the changes needed in accounting procedures would require rewriting their software and the cost would be up to $1,600. The Board decided this expense would not be necessary.
The Trust Board has decided not to put Trust Board candidates on the November 2013 ballot. The only item will be the revised Trust Document. Joe Brooks presented a motion at the June 3, 2013 Trust Board meeting to extend the terms of the Trust Board members by one year to accommodate changing the election year from odd to even. Board members who would be up for election in 2015 will not have to run until 2016. The motion was approved with one no vote.
There are other issues that have not yet been resolved.
1. Should the Trust Board be elected by the people or appointed by the Chief and Tribal Council?
2. Should Tribal Council members serve on the Trust Board also?
3. Should there be a provision in the Trust Document and or the Constitution allowing or prohibiting someone from serving on both bodies?
4. Should the Tribe hire an outside vote-counting company using machines to count the votes? Or should the Tribal Election Board handle all aspects of an election, including counting the votes by hand?
5. Should tribal members be required to request absentee ballots? Or should every voter receive a ballot in the mail?
These are just a few questions to consider. There are likely to be more as you read the document.
I urge all tribal members to carefully consider all the proposed changes and please, let us know what you believe is best for the Delaware Tribe. Send your comments to trustrevisions@delawaretribe.org. If you have questions before submitting your comments, you may reach me at 918-521-2770 or vcrawford@delawaretribe.org.
Wanishi
Trust Board Information
Wanishi Wuli Kishku Nipan – Thanks For This Good Summer Day:
You will remember from April, 2013 DIN that Delaware Trust Board has tirelessly worked for the past many months on revisions to our Trust Document and Master Trust Plan. The final draft of the purposed changes is addressed in this edition of Delaware Indian News. Trust Board Vice Chair Verna Crawford and Trust Members Bonnie Jo Griffith and John Sumpter have all submitted articles in this DIN regarding this purposed change. The Trust Board invites all members to review this purposed document and plan, and submit your suggestions or desired changes to it. We want all the suggestions we can get as the new Trust Document and Plan will have to be approved by referendum vote of our adult voting membership in November.
Town Hall meetings will be held in July seeking input from tribal members on the new document and plan. These are to be held at Chelsea on July 13th, Nowata on July 20th and Bartlesville on July 27th. Food and drinks will be provided at each meeting and door prizes will be drawn. Please plan to attend one or more of these Town Meetings and let your voice be heard. If you cannot attend any of these Town Meetings let us hear your thoughts and concerns about the new Document and Plan by email, letters or phone.
My personal thoughts on this Trust Document and Plan change are as follows: I and all other current Trust Board Members acknowledge and believe that our Constitution and Tribal Council are the Delaware Tribe’s governing document and governing body since 1982. If we did not believe that why would we have continued to make Constitutional Amendments and elect a Tribal Council particularly in the years 1991-96 and unfortunately again between 2004-09? Or why would Council and Trust Board Members take an oath to uphold the Constitution of the United States and the Constitution of the Delaware Tribe of Indians? The Trust Board knows that it has the very limited authority to act only as “Trustees” in the expenditure of our “Trust Funds.” The Trust Board also knows that our “Adult Voting Membership is the Supreme Authority” in the Delaware Tribe, that the Adult Voting Membership voted to continue our funds in trust in 2011, and that town meetings in 2012 expressed our peoples wish to continue “electing” Trust Board members.
Now, none of the facts stated in the above paragraph should be taken to mean there is no room for change in the Trust Document and Plan. The Tribal Council would gain 15% of the annual Trust interest instead of the 10% the original document provided. In addition, the Trust would pay for its own annual audit, saving tribal administration another $5,000-7,000. Holding Trust elections on even years, same as Council elections, will save $7,000-12,000 every two years. In addition the new plan would increase Community Service, Cultural Preservation, Elder and Veteran Committee funding by 5% each. I see all of these changes as positive. Please respond by letting us know how you see them.
Thanks for your attention and response to the purposed document-plan.
Chet Brooks
Trust Board Chairman
achilenape@yahoo.com
918-397-1161
From the Desk of Nate Young, Tribal Council Member
Our sincere thanks go to the Delaware Powwow Committee for making this year’s event an overwhelming success. It seems that more dancers are coming every year and the numbers of camps are growing. We owe the success of this annual tradition to the Powwow Committee and the many individuals who contribute untold hours to its success.
Recently, several members of the Tribal Council traveled to the Confederated Tribes of the Salish and Kootenai Tribe reservation (CSKT) in Montana, previously known to many of us as the Flathead. They were extremely gracious and welcoming hosts. It would be fair to say they went the “extra mile” to make our trip a success.
The purpose of the trip was to learn from a tribe that already does about a half billion in business revenues and does not rely on gaming for a source of revenue. Additionally, they are preparing to take ownership and operation of one of the nation’s largest hydroelectric plants. They literally do business throughout the world.
The most inspiring part of the trip was to meet members of a tribe that had a “can do” attitude and do not take “no” for an answer. They will tell you that it has not always been easy, but their persistence eventually brought about rewards.
Thanks to the efforts of Jim and Libbi Gray, this trip was an overwhelming success. Furthermore, the Grays are working on an arrangement whereby the CSKT will help us on our future projects. Thank you to the Grays.
It amazed me how hard Chief Pechonick made us work on this trip. Even though this is one of the most beautiful areas of America, she did not give us any time to enjoy the scenery. The Chief and Jim Gray had arranged the schedule so we were putting in 12-hour days. However, it was worth it. As one famous American stated, “I have been to the mountain and seen the Promised Land.” We too saw the Promised Land. I personally saw the power of vision and of persistence. As Chief Pechonick emphasized on our return trip, our Tribe is also capable of similar achievements.
Finally, a topic that cannot be ignored is our relationship to the Cherokee Nation and the Memorandum of Agreement. Cherokee Chief Bill Baker has listened to our concern and is sympathetic. Regrettably, his ability to work with us on the Memorandum of Agreement has been limited because of action taken by the Cherokee Tribal Council.
The Treaty of 1866 authorizes the Delaware to vote in Cherokee elections. The failure by some of our members to do so does nothing but hurt our Tribe. If Delaware’s do not vote in Cherokee elections and support those that are sympathetic to cause, then you are only hurting your Tribe. Do you want Cherokee leadership that wants to work with our Tribe or leadership that does not care? 10,000 Delaware’s can make a difference.
How’s Your Lenape?
Nipën (Summer)
Yukwe ta nipënëmihëna,
Tekata, konaet ksëkhìksihëna,
Kwinkashëwìlhùmëna kshëlàntèke,
Shìta kawihëna enta thako nulëmëlanteke.
Test your knowledge of the Lenape language. For the English translation, go to the bottom of page 21 (or, even better, practice by looking it up in the Lenape Talking Dictionary at http://www.talk-lenape.org)
Poem submitted by Jim Rementer
How Well Do You Know Lenape?
Nipën (Summer): English translation
Yukwe ta nipënëmihëna,
We are now experiencing summer,
Tekata, konaet ksëkhìksihëna,
Be careful, we might get sunburned,
Kwinkashëwìlhùmëna kshëlàntèke,
We like to go swimming if it is hot weather,
Shìta kawihëna enta thako nulëmëlanteke.
Or we will sleep in the shade if it is hot and humid.
A Message from the Chief
He’ kulamàlsi hàch? I hope all is well with you and your relatives. The summer is on us. I hope you are staying cool and hydrated!
Our two Indian Community Development Block Grants (ICDBG) finished in April and May. The projects included an expansion of the kitchen in the Delaware Tribal Community Center which serves the Title VI Elder Nutrition Program each week day at noon (if you haven’t seen the kitchen or the program you should stop by!), construction of the Social Services building and parking lot, and as required by the city, extension of Barbara Avenue and expansion of the retention pond. In a separate project, the Tribe established a Memorial Garden area near the pond and walking path. We anticipate the development of this area as this season permits and look forward to next spring’s Memorial Gardens, Community Garden, and Traditional Garden. We are listening for Veteran’s Memorial ideas.
Along with shuffling programs (per the grant) into the Social Services Building, my office has now moved into the Community Center.
The ICDBG application for 2014 is for a new childcare center in Bartlesville. The current program is full and is in need of more space. If the grant is awarded, the plan for the current existing childcare building is to use this space to expand the Tribe’s Library, Museum and Archives.
The Housing Program purchased an apartment complex in Bartlesville formally called “Irene Apartments,” now renamed “The Lodges.” There have been more problems than expected—how silly, I should expect less? But we are working on it.
Housing Program expansion areas are determined by evaluation of the waiting list. If you are interested in living at a particular area you need to make your interest known to the Program, so appropriate resources can be directed to areas of interest in the annual Indian Housing Plan.
In cooperation with the Delaware Child Development Program, in April I hosted the first gathering of the female tribal leaders of Oklahoma. Of the eight female tribal leaders at the time (Governor, President, Chief or Chairman) five were able to attend, as well as our female council members.
UINOKT (United Indian Nations of Oklahoma, Kansas and Texas) has reorganized. I have been attending UINOKT meetings to listen to and discuss issues with other tribal leaders across the area affecting multiple tribes. In June, Oklahoma Governor Mary Fallin came to talk to the tribes. This was the first time in history that Oklahoma’s governor has done so.
The Delawares were invited to the Wyandotte County Museum in Kansas exhibit opening for the traveling Smithsonian exhibition “Native Words, Native Warriors,” about Native code talkers (for details go to http://www.sites.si.edu/exhibitions/exhibits/codetalkers/main.htm). The museum is located within our last reservation boundaries so we took a vanful of tribal members April 21.
We were ably guided by Doug Spangler, who not only showed us the museum but also our old stomp grounds. We also visited Ne-Con-He-Con’s grave site.
The next day a vanful went to Oklahoma City to the First Lutheran Church for the opening of time capsule buried for 100 years! The capsule contained some papers from Charles Journeycake, and other Native American items.
On May 9 we had a meeting with the Cherokee on the Aid-to-Tribal Government (ATG) monies and other MOA issues. Also in May, a delegation visited the Salish and Kootenai Tribes in Montana to discuss economic development and organizational opportunities for the Tribe.
On May 22 we officially opened our new Social Services Building, with a smoke-off ceremony and a ribbon-cutting in cooperation with the Bartlesville Chamber of Commerce. Incidentally, the Tribe has also joined the Chamber.
Council member Annette Ketchum and I went to tribal member’s Jacque McDonald art show in Joplin.
Finally, we are still working on our “Return to Kansas” project!
Have a good summer!
Lapich Knewël,
Chief Pechonick
ppechonick@delawaretribe.org
918-337-6590
D5 Creation