Archived News Item

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• On July 1, 2013, new officers were elected for the Elders Committee. Officers include (left to right): non-voting Secretary Mary Randall, vice chair Bonnie Jo Griffith, chair Mary Watters, treasurer Janifer Brown.

Ada, OK, June 10, 2013 — Turning Pages Children’s Book Festival, as part of its goal to inspire future generations of authors and illustrators, has announced short story and book cover design competitions for elementary and middle school students in Oklahoma.

Turning Pages Children’s Book Festival is October 11-12, 2013 at the Pontotoc County Agri-Plex Convention Center in Ada, OK. For information on attending or getting involved in the Turning Pages Children’s Book Festival, visit www.turningpagesfestival.com.

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• Chief Pechonick accepts a gift of tobacco from Mohegan Tribe (CT) Chief Bruce Bozsum at the National Museum of the American Indian in New York.

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• Council members visit old stomp grounds in Wyandotte County, Kansas, guided by Doug Spangler of the Wyandotte County Museum.

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• One of the items found in the 100-year “Century Chest” time capsule opened at the First Lutheran Church in Oklahoma City on April 21 was this beaded garter.

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• Chief Pechonick, Councilwoman Jenifer Pechonick, Anita Mathis, and Jana Roth at local planning committee meeting for National Congress of American Indians (NCAI), June 19, at Muscogee Creek River Spirit Casino in Tulsa. Tulsa will be hosting the NCAI 70th Annual Convention and Marketplace at the Tulsa Convention Center, October 13-18, 2013.

A fund-rasier is being planned for the 50th Delaware Pow-wow, which is coming up in May 2014. The fund-raiser will be held October 19, 2013 at the Fred Fall-leaf Memorial Pow-wow Grounds, Copan, OK. There will be an auction, raffles, a hog fry, Halloween party, and a hayride. Starting at 3:00.

The Pow-wow Committee is looking for items to be used in the auction, hog fry and Halloween party. If you would like to help or have items to donate please call Lu Ann Hainline at 918-338-9907. We are hoping to have a great time and raise some money for the 50th Delaware Pow-wow. See you there!

Miami, Okla. – Monday, May 13, 2013 – Robynn Rulo, sophomore at Northeastern Oklahoma A&M College (NEO) was crowned 2013 Miss Indian Oklahoma after winning Miss Indian NEO.

Miss Indian NEO, Robynn Rulo, was crowned 2013 Miss Indian Oklahoma on May 4 at the First Council Event Center in Newkirk, Okla.

Rulo is a sophomore at NEO from Pawhuska, Okla. Rulo plans on completing an additional year at NEO to earn a degree in Native Studies.

“I am so pleased with the way Robynn Rulo has represented Northeastern A&M College and the American Indian Center for Excellence as Miss Indian NEO,” said Claudia Little Axe, AICE cultural specialist. “She exemplifies how to be successful in the Native American world, in mainstream society, and in the educational setting. Ms. Rulo will do great things in the future, and I am so proud that I have gotten to work so closely with her.”

Rulo is a member of the Osage, Delaware, Quapaw and Shawnee tribes. She made the Deans’ Honor Roll and is a member of the Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society. Rulo serves as president of the AICE Advisory Club, treasurer of NASA, and she also served on a student panel for the Native American Student Transfer National Symposium in October.

“I’m humbled and honored to be representing my tribes as well as all other tribes within Oklahoma, as well as the Oklahoma Federation of Indian Women,” Rulo said.

She is a member of the Social Work Club and assisted with training of the female basketball team last year. Rulo is a student member of the Internal Evaluation Team for NEO’s Title III grant.

“It was an honor to watch Miss Robynn Rulo compete and win the title of Miss Indian Oklahoma. The Oklahoma Federation of Indian Women chose the theme for the pageant to be “Women Gathering Strength.” I believe Robynn is a perfect example of a woman who gathers strength, through her close relationship with her family, her dedication to her education, and her leadership skills demonstrate a woman who is dedicated to strengthening the preservation of her culture.”

The Miss Indian Oklahoma pageant is sponsored by The Oklahoma Federation of Indian Women. According to the website, the organization was founded under a state charter on April 17, 1972. A constitution was written with the stated purpose: “The advancement of the economic and social welfare of the American Indian; the development of education and cultural programs; preservation of Indian culture and traditions; and to portray the true image of the American Indian.”

Reprinted from press release from Northeastern Oklahoma A&M College, May 13, 2013.

Note: Robynn is the daughter of Dana Daylight of Pawhuska, OK. She is of Delaware, Osage, Shawnee, Quapaw decent. She currently attends NEO A& M College in Miami, OK, where she is a sophomore. Her hobbies and interests include: zumba, beading, sewing, concerts, Osage Ceremonial dances, Green Corn, stomp dances, powwows, Native American Church, sweats, and any cultural social gatherings. Robynn is on the Deans Honor Roll, a member of Phi Theta Kappa, and currently holds the highest GPA for Native American students at NEO.■

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.

Members of the Tribal Council recently visited Pablo, Montana to tour the tribal operations of the Confederated Salish and Kootenai. The two-day visit allowed the Tribal Council to meet with department heads to share ideas on how to expand on similar ventures, as well as learn how to establish and run new ones.

Article “Delaware Tribe visits Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes” by Alyssa Nenemay, in Char-Koosta News online, May 16, 2013