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Come to Our Spring Gathering on March 23, 2024!
Come to our Spring Gathering on March 23, 2024. We will have various events for all ages throughout the day. Please see the flyer below for more details, and click on the link for a volunteer form for the event. Completed forms can be dropped off at the front desk or emailed to either enrollment@delawaretribe.org or tribe@delawaretribe.org. We hope to see you there!
2023: A Banner Year for the Lenape Early Learning Center
By Gina Berry
As the end of the year rapidly approaches, we spend a lot of time reflecting on the year that was and dreaming of the year to come. As a new program, being only two years old, we have had a unique perspective when it comes to designing our program in a way that would be something that the Delaware Tribe of Indians could see and proclaim with pride, “That’s ours! Look at that!” When I think back to when I came on board with the tribe in 2021, a specific day comes to mind. Several members of our support staff team along with tribal leadership had been meeting all morning discussing various stages of planning and what we hoped to accomplish. It was at lunch that day, that we found ourselves in conversation with Chief Kills Crow about his vision for the center. He gave us some sound advice that we have carried with us the past two years. He said, and I’m loosely quoting him here, “Lets serve our people—I mean really, truly serve them.” There is something so simple in that message, but I know I have referred to it many times over the past couple of years.
So that is what we’ve tried to do, as often as we can, as far as we can, with whatever we can, and people are starting to take notice. Lenape Early Learning Center was voted 2nd Best Child Care in Bartlesville this year, being narrowly passed by Tri-County Tech’s Learning Lab, a teaching childcare center- if you have to take second place that’s not a bad place to land. We currently serve 38 families and 51 children, with 84% of our students being Native, 34% Delaware children and 80% of them using childcare subsidies.
How have we served them throughout the year:
We held a week-long celebration of reading and Dr Seuss’ birthday! Each day we hosted a mystery guest reader to read with the kids along with a coordinating activity.
Each family went home with a wellness kit to help with those pesky wintertime illnesses. Kits included a thermometer, illness supplies, cleaning supplies, and a first aid kit.
During Week of the Young Child, we hosted a family picnic! Each child invited their family to come and celebrate with them. We were able to bless each family with a brand-new high-quality car seat! Professional Car Seat Installation Technicians were available to make sure we got those seats installed correctly.
During Teacher Appreciation Week we hosted a whole slew of events to celebrate our amazing staff! There were flowers, gifts, food, and treats all week! The entire tribal complex took part in celebrating LELC staff!
We co-hosted a health fair with our friends in Title VI- Smokey the Bear, the Tooth Fairy, and several other key figures were in attendance. We had such a good time learning about all the services available and using healthy habits!
We participated in Tribe-wide Trick or Treating on Halloween and hosted a pumpkin patch for all of our families.
Each family at the center received a whole basket of goodies for Thanksgiving to cook a turkey dinner for the entire family. The basket included recipes and the teachers wrote notes to each child describing why they were thankful for that child. Our goal was to promote engagement and learning at home, while providing some support during a stressful time.
Santa and Mrs. Claus visited the center! Each child had time to visit with them and left with 3 gifts and a book!
We hosted family engagement activities for Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, and Grandparent’s Day.
Dental supplies and learning materials are sent home throughout the year to encourage healthy habits.
Each child receives annual hearing and vision screenings at no cost to the family. We can now do those screenings in-house with the purchase of new screening equipment!
Developmental screenings happen at least twice per year for each child.
As you can see, we’ve had a very busy year! In addition to our program success, we’ve had three teachers complete their Child Development Associate (CDA), two complete Associate level degrees, and we currently have six (!!) teachers working to finish degree plans!
Life is good at LELC, we’re learning and growing! We are very much looking forward to another year of serving our people- the best way we know how… really, truly serving them.
Wanishi for a wonderful year!
From the January 2024 issue of the Delaware Indian News. For more from this issue, as well as a full archive of past issues, click here.
alt=”Group photo of Delaware LELC staff” />
Welcome to the Elders Circle!
kìkayàk (elders)
òkànkwèphatuwàk (group in a circle)
Wëli Newiyal! (Happy New Year!)
Welcome to The Elders Circle, a new forum of the Elders Committee for sharing information with our fellow tribal members.
If you are a senior citizen (55+) and a member of the Delaware Tribe of Indians, we invite you to join our monthly meetings at Tribal Headquarters or on Zoom.
Elders Committee
Meetings
The Elders Committee meets monthly on the first Tuesday at 1:00 P.M. in the Family & Children’s Services building, located at Tribal Headquarters, 5100 Tuxedo Blvd, Bartlesville, OK.
If you can’t make it in person, please join us on Zoom! To attend the meeting by Zoom, email your request to delawareeldercouncil2023@gmail.com and you will receive instructions on how to connect.
Elder Committee Activities
Donations
We appreciate donations to the Elders Committee. Donations benefit our elder community by providing opportunities to participate in activities as well as providing programs that help our elders. In January, be on the lookout to purchase raffle tickets to win a beautiful comforter set donated by Delaware Elder Beverly Chafin. In addition, Sondra Boone donated $500 for the elder community and Billie Jean Sheshey, another Delaware Elder, donated 48 sets of hat and gloves to distribute to Delaware Elders at the Christmas party.
Wanìshi ta (thank you very much) to everyone who donated!
Raffle
In January, don’t forget to buy raffle tickets to win this beautiful king size comforter set (pictured below)! Tickets can be purchased by contacting Elder Committee members or by emailing the Elder Committee at delawareeldercouncil2023@gmail.com
Trips
In December we explored the Woolaroc Museum & Wildlife Preserves’ Wonderland of Lights followed by a trip to Braums.
Interested in joining us on the next trip? Then join the Elders Committee! If you’re 55+ and a member of the Delaware Tribe of Indians, you’re eligible to attend our Elders Committee.
Contact Us
Senior (55+) Delaware tribal members can contact our committee by email at delawareeldercouncil2023@gmail.com or follow us on Facebook at dtieldercommittee.
We look forward to growing our elder community! Join us at our 2024 monthly meetings on Tuesdays: January 2, February 6, March 5, and April 9 at 1:00 P.M.
Elders Committee Officers:
Chair Beverly Hicks
Vice Chair Kay Anderson
Secretary Connie Falleaf
Treasurer Susan Cade
Tristen Tucker Spearheads Environmental Progress For the Delaware Tribe
By Celeste Amadon
The Delaware Tribe is delighted to announce the hiring of Tristen Tucker as the Tribe’s new Environmental Program Director. Tucker’s dynamic blend of professional expertise, cultural commitment, and community-focused approach makes him an ideal leader to steer our community towards a greener and more sustainable future. Tristen brings a fresh perspective and a committed approach to our Tribe’s environmental initiatives, which he sees translating directly to the health of the Delaware people. His leadership signals a promising future for the Delaware Tribe in environmental stewardship and food sovereignty. His first goal is to make our tribal headquarters a model of environmental friendliness. He has planned initiatives such as establishing pollinator gardens and planting trees around the campus. These are not just aesthetic enhancements but are in fact crucial steps towards our community’s ecological balance and health. These efforts symbolize a deep commitment to creating a sustainable and healthy environment for our community. Native people have always had a connection to the land and to the stewardship of resources and the Tribe’s environmental program aims to reinforce this cultural priority.
A graduate of Rogers State University with a degree in Environmental Conservation, Tristen has been deeply immersed in the cultural activities of the Tribe. He plays an active role on the Cultural Preservation Committee, and is involved with the Lenape language revitalization effort, including teaching traditional songs and dances. His service on the Pow Wow Committee and his involvement in significant tribal events, such as last year’s poignant repatriation and reburial of Ancestors’ remains, underscores his dedication to our heritage.
Tristen extends an invitation to all Tribal members to engage with him on this crucial mission. He emphasizes that sustainability is a team sport and encourages everyone to reach out with ideas, inquiries, or any input that can contribute to the Tribe’s environmental goals. So please consider stopping by our new Environmental Program Director’s office so he can get to know you, or email him at ttucker@delawaretribe.org.
From the January 2024 issue of the Delaware Indian News. For more from this issue, as well as a full archive of past issues, click here.
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January 2024 Delaware Indian News Is Now Available
The January 2024 issue of the Delaware Indian News is now available online. To view the newspaper, click the link below:
» View January 2024 Delaware Indian News
For other issues of the Delaware Indian News, select Delaware Indian News in the top menu bar.
Inaugural Delaware Indian News Self-guided Movie and Book Club: Killers of the Flower Moon
Celeste Amadon
The Delaware Indian News warmly invites our readership community to join in our new self-guided movie and book club. Club recommendations are for recently released or published movies, television series, and books that resonate with Indigenous experiences. Club selection postings include a list of discussion topics and/or links to articles about the work to facilitate your thinking and engaging discussions about our stories, their portrayal, and the power of narrative in shaping understanding and awareness.
2024 Selection #1
Our first club selection is Killers of the Flower Moon. The film, nominated for several Golden Globe awards and a strong contender for Academy Awards, is an adaptation of the best selling non-fiction book Killers of the Flower Moon: The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI by David Grann, which is also strongly recommended. It tells the tragic story of the 1920s murders of Osage Nation members in Oklahoma.
Streaming Availability
Killers of the Flower Moon is available on Apple TV+ and other streaming platforms, making it accessible for our community members to view before the discussion. The novel is available on Amazon.com and the Audible audiobook version makes excellent driving entertainment.
Key Discussion Questions:
- How does the film balance the portrayal of Native American history with the demands of a mainstream movie narrative? It reportedly does an excellent job of representing Osage culture, but it allso exploits Native tragedy for art/profit (DiCaprio was paid $40M).
- In what ways did the extensive involvement of Osage Nation consultants impact the film’s authenticity?
- The film’s focus on Ernest Burkhart (DiCaprio) has been a point of contention. How does this choice affect the representation of the Osage community’s experiences?
- Despite the casting of many (around 65!) Native actors, the film is primarily a creation of non-Indigenous filmmakers. How does this influence its storytelling and perspective?
- The film has been critiqued for lacking broader historical context about Indigenous genocide, oppression, and land theft. Context the nonfiction novel on which it is based did a much better job of provided.How does this impact its message?
- What are the implications of the film’s portrayal of Native American history for contemporary Indigenous representation in cinema?
Interesting Articles
NPR: How Osage people stepped in to be sure ‘Killers of the Flower Moon’ got things right
Slate: Killers of the Flower Moon Is Not the Story an Osage Would Have Told. You Should Still See It.
The New York Times: In Indigenous Communities, a Divided Reaction to ‘Killers of the Flower Moon’
The Wall Street Journal: Killers of the Flower Moon’ Puts New Indigenous Stars on the Map
Institute for Tribal Environmental Professionals Offering 2024 Summer Internships
The Institute for Tribal Environmental Professionals (ITEP) is offering several 8-week paid internships for summer 2024. The programs on offer include Air Quality, Indigenous Climate Change, and Water Resources and Land Management. Requirements are as follows:
- U.S. Citizen
- Identify as an Indigenous person (preferred)
- Full-time college student during Spring 2024
- 2.5 cumulative GPA
- Majoring in an environmental or related field
- Strong interest in working with Tribal and Indigenous communities
- Other requirements listed on each program
There are more details in the flyer shown below, and you can also send email to kim.shaw@nau.edu for more information or visit http://www7.nau.edu/itep/main/Internships to apply.
Title VI Christmas Donations Welcome
Donations will go to the Lenape Early Learning Center. Donations can be brought to the Front Desk or directly to Trudy Kerby. See the flyer below for more details.
D5 Creation