Follow us on Twitter #CATribalTribune www.c-a-tribes.org/tribal-news Sept. 15, 2018 -Vol. 14, Issue 17 C-A Language Program presents at 2018 Native American Languages Summit Latoya Lonelodge Staff Reporter Preserving the languages of Native Amer- icans has become a pressing and vital topic across tribal nations. With the end of each passing generation, languages of various tribes have become more endangered. Lan- guage programs within several Native Tribes are actively working to preserve their respec- tive languages for future generations to come. The U.S. Department of Health and Hu- man Service’s Administration for Native Americans (ANA), along with other agencies, co-hosted the 2018 Native American Lan- guages Summit: Honoring the Gift of Native American Languages as a two day event at the Sheraton Midwest City Hotel at the Reed Conference Center in Midwest City, Okla. The summit was an opportunity for tribal language programs to share and present cur- rent teaching methods and other resources used within their programs. Of the many programs present, the Cheyenne and Arapaho Language Program shared information on their current Master Apprentice (MA) grant that will end in The Cheyenne and Arapaho Language Program was one of the Tribes who presented at the 2018 Native American Languages Summit in Midwest City, Okla. James 2019. Sleeper, lead Arapaho apprentice and Rebecca Risenhoover, Language Program director are on stage during their presentation of the Cheyenne and Arapaho Language Language summit / pg. 5 Program to the audience. (Photo / Latoya Lonelodge) Talk to your kids about tobacco: Five tips to get you started Being a parent is one of the most rewarding jobs out there. It’s also one of the toughest, especially when it comes to discussing important issues like tobacco use. But as statis- tics show, youth tobacco use is a serious problem. It’s inevitable that your child will face peer pressure and targeted messaging from big tobacco. That’s why it is essential to talk to your kids about the dangers of tobacco use. As a parent, your attitudes and opinions will strongly in- fluence your child’s behavior. You can play a huge role in helping your children make the right choices when it comes to tobacco, protecting Environmental impacts of climate change is them and improving the health of our state. focus of Cheyenne and Arapaho EOC The following five tips can help you get the conversation can could adapt to the climate changes happen- Rosemary Stephens started: Editor-in-Chief Our culture and traditions ing on their reservation and implement a plan rely on healthy plants, animals, of action to prepare for those changes. Part Share the facts. Climate change. One of the most controver- air and water. Climate change is of the process, he believed, vital to the plan Give your children the hon- sial topics in today’s news headlines, whether already impacting us.” was interviewing elders of the tribes to gain est facts about tobacco so they you are a skeptic or a believer, whether you their knowledge of how the environment had can make the right choice. If can see the changes or not … changes in our “ changed over the years. friends or relatives have been “When developing our plan, one of the affected by tobacco-related ill- environment are occurring at a rapid pace. Mike Durglo, Tribal Preservation main things we wanted to do and one of the nesses, explain the role tobac- The Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes’ Envi- Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes ronmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Envi- most important things we felt like was to get co played. ronmental Oversight Committee (EOC) hosted knowledge from our elders. The buzzword Talk early and often. their monthly meeting on the topic of climate today is Traditional Ecological Knowledge, One in five Oklahoma stu- the first tribes in the United States to develop a change. Guest speaker Mike Durglo best an- but we all know what that is … it’s just sitting dents uses tobacco. It’s never climate plan in 2012. swered questions of what is a tribal climate down and listening to our elders and talking too early to warn your child of change plan and what does it look like? “The reason we did that was because we with them to gain the knowledge and the wis- were seeing impacts of climate change on our the dangers of tobacco use. Durglo, a member of the Confederated Sal- dom they have” Durglo said. Help your child learn to reservation, not only on our national resourc- Climate change is affecting the cultural ish Kootenai Tribes of the Flathead Nation, say NO. located in western Montana along the Flat- es but on our cultural resources also,” Durglo and traditional aspects of many Tribes, Durglo head River, was over the tribes’ Environmental said. said. Winters are not as cold, massive wildfires Durglo started the climate plan so that they Protection Division when they became one of Climate change / pg. 5 Smoking cessation / pg. 8 PAGE 2 Cheyenne & Arapaho Tribal Tribune Tsistsistas & Hinonoei Cheyenne and Arapaho Domestic Violence Program initiates change through men’s project Rosemary Stephens, Editor-in-Chief The Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes’ responding to preventing domestic vio- half (48.8 percent) of all Domestic Violence Program is hoping lence. men have dealt with some to reach and target men for mentors/sup- “In doing so we are tackling a really sort of psychological ag- port in their continuing efforts to end the big problem and something a lot of peo- gression by an intimate cycle of domestic abuse and sexual vio- ple don’t like to talk about. I am trying to partner. This number is lence within their communities. break away from this stigma of discus- equal to women at 48.4 Under the facilitator, Sonia Hoffman, sion being a negative thing and that it’s percent. Nearly one in 18 the first meeting of the Warrior’s Project not our business because it is. We need men have been stalked by met on Aug. 30 at the Native American to, as a community; step up and recog- an intimate partner, to the Church building in Concho, Okla., for an nize this problem isn’t just “their prob- point they were scared for introductory project kick off meeting. lem” it’s all of our problem,” Hoffman their life or safety or the “This project is called the Warrior’s said. lives or safety of loved Project and the reason why we decided According to a study from the Nation- ones and an estimat- to bring this to our community is because al Institute of Justice, some 84 percent ed five percent of male we have a lack of male representation in of American Indian and Alaska Native homicide victims annu- our fight against domestic violence. That women have experienced violence in ally are killed by an inti- is pretty much the core reason why we their lifetime, and more than half have mate partner. have decided to start this project,” Hoff- endured this violence at the hands of an “Remember it’s okay The Domestic Vilolence Program Outreach Counselor Sonia Hoffman man said. intimate partner. More than two-thirds to ask for help. Be sure leads the discussion at the first meeting of the Warrior’s Project in Con- What is temporarily being called the of the women, or 66 percent, say they to be patient, humble, ac- cho, Okla. (Photos / Rosemary Stephens) Warrior’s Project, with an official name have been the victims of psychological cepting and make sure for the group in the making, their goals aggression by a partner. you listen to one anoth- will be to serve as a strong, unified group Comparatively, roughly 35 percent er and in our Native American culture to increase public awareness and combat of women and 28 percent of men in the we use a lot of humor, so please don’t domestic abuse and sexual violence. Part general population of the U.S. have ex- take anything personally. Be sure to use of their mission statement includes: perienced rape, physical violence, and/ your strengths, but don’t be negative, To provide leadership as positive role or stalking by an intimate partner in their step up but don’t hold others back. Key models for men and women of all ages. lifetime. words to remember when facilitating a To provide education and training on In addition, more than half of all group is honesty, support, trust, respect, the impact of domestic abuse and sexual Native women who have experienced commitment, prayer, integrity, love, violence. abuse say they have also endured sexu- open-mindedness, honor, boundaries, To promote healthy and safe relation- al assault, and another 48 percent have wellness, healing, confidentiality and ships. been stalked. individuality,” Hoffman said. To engage in community activities to Another role of the support group Hoffman said in conducting research further the goals of the group. will also be to offer support for the she found domestic violence was some- “The idea is to form a strong sup- male victims of domestic violence. Do- thing tribes never did, it was something port group of and for Tribal men. Men, mestic violence, whether against wom- that was brought over with the Euro- who can mentor, provide support and a en or men, often goes unreported. Men, peans as there were laws in placed that shoulder to lean on for those who strug- in particular, may decide not to report allowed men to beat on their women, gle with aggressive, violent behaviors violence by an intimate partner to law because they were considered property.