Follow us on Twitter #CATribalTribune www.c-a-tribes.org/tribal-news Feb. 1, 2017 -Volume 13, Issue 3 Cheyenne and Arapaho tribes partner with USDA to launch soil health project for land and climate By Rosemary Stephens and techniques. Robert Hathorne “The Cheyenne and Arapaho tribes treasure our land and natural resources. Governor Eddie Hamilton of the Chey- We welcome the opportunity to improve enne and Arapaho tribes and Gary O’Neill, our stewardship and build something even State Conservationist for the USDA Natural greater for the next generation,” Hamilton Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) said. “We feel it is a great event marking in Oklahoma announced Jan. 24, a ground- this agreement between the USDA Natural breaking agreement to harness and share Resources Conservation Services and the the latest in conservation technologies to Cheyenne & Arapaho tribes. This project improve soil health and make Oklahoma’s is going to be about restoring the health of farms and ranches more resilient to chang- our soils.” ing markets and climate. Working with the USDA NCRS, Farm The new partnership will establish a and Ranch program Director Nathan Hart demonstration farm on Tribal lands to and USDA Climate Hub specialist Clay showcase the effects of soil health practices Pope spent hours and days bumping across such as no-till and cover crops to increase miles of tribal land, inspecting vegetation land productivity, reduce environmental and soil conditions and attending work- impacts and build resiliency to drought and shops on soil health. These actions led to flood compared to conventional farming the discus- Partnership / pg. 5 Inauguration Day Celebration or Trepidation? By Rosemary Stephens for the country. tions. Editor-in-Chief According to NPR, below On the same day begin is Trump’s plan laid out in taking the following seven Being sworn in as the detail: actions to protect American 45th President of the United * First, propose a Consti- workers: States on Jan. 20, 2017, bil- tutional Amendment to im- * First, I will announce lionaire Donald Trump lists pose term limits on all mem- my intention to renegotiate off all the ‘firsts’ of this ad- bers of Congress; NAFTA or withdraw from the ministration. * Second, a hiring freeze deal under Article 2205 The first billionaire presi- on all federal employees to * Second, I will announce dent, the first immigrant first reduce federal workforce our withdrawal from the lady? through attrition (exempting Trans-Pacific Partnership Technically, Trump is not military, public safety, and * Third, I will direct my the first billionaire president. public health); Secretary of the Treasury to That would be John F. Ken- * Third, a requirement label China a currency ma- nedy. And first immigrant that for every new federal nipulator first lady Melania Trump, regulation, two existing reg- * Fourth, I will direct the technically that would have ulations must be eliminated; Secretary of Commerce and been President Andrew Jack- * Fourth, a five year-ban U.S. Trade Representative to son’s wife, Rachel Jackson. on White House and Con- identify all foreign trading Following in his habit of gressional officials becom- abuses that unfairly impact misrepresentations, it would ing lobbyists after they leave American workers and direct seem Trump will continue government service; them to use every tool under to put forth inaccurate state- *Fifth, a lifetime ban on American and international ments as he enters the White White House officials lob- law to end those abuses im- House for the next four years. bying on behalf of a foreign mediately Sparking controversy government; * Fifth, I will lift the re- around the country with his * Sixth, a complete ban strictions on the production Saying goodbye after eight years in office, President Barak Obama and first lady Michelle first 100-day plan, it is un- on foreign lobbyists raising of $50 trillion dollars’ worth Obama welcome incoming President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump to the clear what the future holds money for American elec- White House on Jan. 20, 2017 (Courtesy photo) Inauguration / pg. 5 PAGE 2 Cheyenne & Arapaho Tribal Tribune Tsistsistas & Hinonoei Dr. Henrietta Mann, a living legend among the Cheyenne and Arapaho tribes By Rosemary Stephens Agency at Darlington to begin living without the buffalo in a radically altered environment. Editor-in-Chief “The changes she experienced may have At 83 years of age, Dr. Henrietta Mann shows chipped at her hear but they never broke her no signs of slowing down. Her hair pure white, spirit. Her lifeblood flows through my veins, just her voice soft and gentle, with a sparkle in her as it does for my daughters and granddaughters. eyes, she is a strong force to be reckoned with. I call it brave-hearted blood, tinctured with the And when most people her age and years young- will to live. I wish I knew what this matriarch er are retiring, cutting back, Mann is still cross- whispered to me as she sat holding me in my ing the country teaching, speaking and advocat- cradle and what she willed into my very being ing for Native American education and rights. in our years together. Our lives span 157 years Her accomplishments and honors are far more from 1853 to today. She is the fundamental north than can be listed, founding President of the direction on my life compass. What did she want Cheyenne & Arapaho Tribal College, named one me to see? What did she want me to become? I of the top ten professors in the nation by Roll- surmise she told me there is much to see on one’s ing Stone magazine in 1991, inducted into the journey and prepared me for that call to service Southwestern Oklahoma State University’s Hall which has characterized my life,” Mann stated of Fame in 1997, top honors from the American in an excerpt from her life story published in the Indians in Science and Engineering Society in Cheyenne & Arapaho Tribal Tribune. 2008 and in 1987 was named the National Amer- Even at the age of 5 Mann was determined to ican Indian Woman of the Year, and earned the be a teacher and fulfilled that dream and beyond Lifetime Achievement Award from the national by becoming a university professor. Indian Education Association … just to name a “My ride in education has been extraordinary few. for a Cheyenne from Hammon, Okla., popula- But hers is a simple life, with a deep connec- tion then, 469.” tion to her Cheyenne roots. Mann taught Native American studies at the Mann is the great-granddaughter of White University of California, Berkley in the early Buffalo Woman, a traditional healer who sur- 1970s, directed the American Indian Program at vived the atrocities of Sand Creek and the Washi- Harvard University’s Graduate School of Educa- ta Massacre. White Buffalo Woman was among tion and served at the national coordinator of the those who went into the Cheyenne and Arapaho American Indian Religious Freedom Coalition, becoming the first Dr. Mann / pg. 5 Office of Veteran’s Affairs holds VA meeting By Latoya Lonelodge, Staff Reporter Open opportunities are in store for the Cheyenne and Arapaho Office of Veteran Affairs (OVA) as they reach out to more veterans in need. On Jan. 19, a VA meet- ing was held at the Native American Church (NAC) in Concho, Okla. The primary discussion was to deter- mine future plans the OVA has in store for benefitting tribal veterans. “The purpose of having the VA meetings is to get information out from our program, we’re creating some transparency and providing current up to date informa- tion about the VA to our veterans, Vietnam veterans, Korean War veterans, WWII veterans and Desert Storm veterans in Iraq and Afghanistan, those are veterans too from other wars. That’s the main thing, to disseminate information and share knowledge and information,” Rusell Willey, OVA director said. Topics involving the Oklahoma Sales Tax Exempt, HUD-VASH and Supportive Services for Veterans Families (SSVF) were brought to light in an effort to accommodate benefit eligibility for veterans. “We did have a veteran that was in our meeting to- Office of Veteran Affairs Director Russell Willey holds up day that is at 100 percent service connecting disabil- Tribal Veteran’s vest in the process of being created. (Photo / ity rating for the VA, so therefore he’s eligible to be Latoya Lonelodge) exempt from state taxes. He did get his tax card from events are in the planning stages. Small projects under- the Oklahoma Tax Commission. He was sharing the way are tribal army patches, coins and vests that will be knowledge of how he got that and how easy it was and made for tribal veterans. There are currently 168 vet- what all it entails in his privileges. Once he got that erans, including deceased veterans, that the OVA has tax ID card he got to go to Tinker Air Force base to the helped assist, with more veterans still out there in need customer service area where they make ID’s, they gave of help. him base privileges to the Morale, Welfare and Recre- “There’s still a lot of work to do,” Willey confirms. ation (MWR), the commissary and the Base Exchange. The creation of tribal patches, coins and vests will Those places are nice to shop at because they’re tax serve as recognition for the OVA. free and they have a lot of good deals there,” Willey “We want to get our label out there and get recog- said. nition because it creates more awareness, people are An additional privilege the tax-free exemption card going to say what is that and where is that patch from, features is that it also serves as a lifetime hunting and that’s from the Cheyenne and Arapaho tribes veterans fishing license.