PR SRT STDUS POSTAGE

PAIDPERM

IT NO 49STIGLER, OK 74462

VOLUME 11 EDITION 11 Lawton, OK November 2011

P.O. B

ox 908L

awton, O

K 73502-0908

Comanches on the Move Bus to

Transport Guest

The “Comanches on the Move” Bus will transport Registered guest for the Okla-homa Military Hall of Fame Induction Banquet. The bus will depart from the complex at 4 p.m. on Nov. 11, to the campus of Oklahoma Christian Universi-ty, located at 2501 E. Memorial Road in Edmond, Okla. The dress code for the event is business suits for the men and “after 5” for the wom-en or traditional Indian dress. Registration begins at 5:30 p.m., followed by a recep-tion at 6:30 p.m. Posting of the Colors, by the Comanche Indian Veterans Association (CIVA), and dinner starts a 7 p.m., followed by the awards ceremony. CIVA Commander George Red Elk and the Co-manche Code Talkers of World War II will be two of the 10 in-ductees into the hall. The ceremony should be over no later than 9:30 p.m., and the bus should be back at the complex between 11 p.m., and midnight. For more informa-tion please contact the Tribal Administrator, Will Owens at (580) 492-3253

The AARP honored three Co-manche Na-tion Elders at the 2011 AARP Okla-homa Indian Elder Hon-ors Oct. 4 at the Cowboy Hall of Fame and Western Heritage Center in Oklahoma City.

Vi d e l l Yacke-s c h i , K e n -n e t h Coose-w o o n ,

and Rita C o o s e -

woon were the honorees, along with 47 other tribal elders, who, in total, represented 37 tribes of Oklahoma. All three were honored because of their dedication to helping others through prayer and guidance. Here are their stories.

Videll Yackeschi Videll Yackeschi was nominated for the AARP awards by Juanita Pahdopony-Mithlo. In her letter of nomina-tion, Mithlo wrote, “Juanita Pahdopony and the Comanche Nation College proudly nomi-nates Mr. Videll Yackeschi to the AARP Oklahoma Honoring Elders because of the important work he does to preserve the Comanche language, its cul-ture, and his contribution to the greater community of Lawton,

Okla. Mr. Yackeschi comes from the Comanche culture where values and knowledge come from an ancient story-telling tradition.”

Language Contribution Yackeschi is the Lan-guage Archivist at the Coman-che Nation College in Law-ton, Okla. He specializes in archiving various Comanche songs from powwow songs to Native American Church songs, assisting with the trans-lation of words and phrases, and translates stories, poems, bible verses and church songs. He has been working on a proj-ect of translating children’s sto-ries for the Comanche Nation Daycare facilities. In addition to the classic stories for chil-dren, Yackeschi is working on translating stories created by tribal members and illustrated by Comanche artist, Cynthia Clay. He uses equipment to transfer information and songs from a tape to compact discs. This has proved to be very use-ful in preserving the Comanche language. He also helps write tests and other curriculum for the Comanche Nation College’s Language class when the in-structors need his help. He said he also helped the Indiahoma school with their Comanche Class, as well as the schools in Elgin and Cache.

Helping win a NAMA Yackeschi had an op-portunity to help a fellow trib-al member, and former Miss Arizona, Apryl Allen, translate parts of her songs to the Co-

manche language, which she won a NAMA (Native Ameri-can Music Award) in 2009 for her CD Shape Shifter. She wanted to put her CD in the running for the NAMA award, but she was in-formed she had to put some “Native flare” or “Indian” in her songs. With this information, Allen contacted Yackeschi to help her translate parts of her song to the Comanche lan-guage. After agreeing to help her, Yackeschi was whisked away to New York City, NY to work in the studio of former Beach Boy in Long Island, NY. “We stayed in the studio for three days, putting the Co-manche language in her music for her upcoming CD, “Shape Shifter,” recalls Yackeschi. “For the Black Moon and the Time for Peace song, I would read one verse and she would sing the song, and they put it in the song like that,” said Yackes-chi. “The line of one of the songs took us more than one hour to complete,” he said. Due to the tedious schedule they were on to com-plete the translation of the songs, Yackeschi did not get to sight see much. But, he said on his way back to the airport, the driver took him down to see Central Park, the Empire State Building, and Ground Zero. He had a comical memory of when the limousine pulled over so Yackeschi could taste a genuine New York hot dog, which they

Yackeschi

Kenneth and Rita Coosewoon

Remembering the his-tory of Ft. Worth’s ties to the Comanche Nation, tribal repre-sentatives were invited to par-ticipate Oct. 17 at the Ft.Worth Stockyards in the naming of Guiyang, China the sister city of Ft. Worth, Texas. Eight delegates from China were present, represent-ing the 1,338,612,968, respec-tively, who live in China, as well as the 4,324,561, respec-tively, who live in Guiyang, China. The representatives in-cluded the Guiyang Mayor, Li Zaiyong, and the directors of Foreign Affairs, Urban Plan-ning, Commercial/Business Bureau, Industrial Investment, Traffic Police and an inter-preter from the Foreign Affairs Office. Students from Guiyang were also present. Representing the Co-manche Nation were Tribal Administrator, Will Owens, and The Comanche Nation Economic Development Com-mittee Chairman, Ben Tahmah-kera, who is a retired Captain for the Tarrant County Sheriff’s Department in Ft. Worth. The dance performers were: Carl Monoessy, singer; Joel Mo-tah, singer; Dominic Walker, traditional dancer; Frank and Corbin Swift, fancy dancers;

Comanche Nation Partake in Making Ft. Worth

a Sister City to Guiyang, China

Comanche National Museum Wins Award from

Oklahoma Museum

Association

For the third year in a row, the Comanche National Museum and Cultural Center (CNMCC) has received state-wide recognition for excellence from the Oklahoma Museums Association. CNMCC is a re-cipient of a 2011 OMA Award for “Best Newsletter” for their publication Isu Hini. The mu-seum is the only tribal museum in the state of Oklahoma to be honored by OMA this year. Written and produced quarterly by CNMCC Educa-tion and Public Programs Man-ager Candy Morgan, Isu Hini, which means “What is this?” in Comanche, provides museum supporters with useful informa-tion about upcoming exhibits and events. All copy and pho-tography is created in-house before being edited into news-letter form by DesignWorks Group in Wichita Falls, Tx. “Our mission here at the Comanche National Mu-seum is to preserve and expand the knowledge of our com-munities about Indian arts and culture, especially Comanche history and culture,” said Exec-utive Director, Phyllis Wahah-rockah-Tasi. “Our newsletter supports that mission by keep-ing the public informed about the museum in hopes of draw-ing visitors back to learn more about the great Comanche Na-tion.” Wahahrockah-Tasi said. The awards were pre-sented in Claremore as part of OMA’s 2011 Fall Conference. Presented annually, the OMA Awards recognize outstanding achievement by museums and individuals throughout the state during the past year. Award categories include exhibitions, promotional piece, publication, web site, newsletters, conser-vation projects and education programs. The competition is divided into four budget cat-egories. In addition, certificates of recognition honor the contri-butions of an individual, group, or business to Oklahoma mu-seums or a specific museum or community. In 2009, the museum took top honor for “Best Pro-motional Piece” for the televi-sion commercial “Celebrating Josephine Wapp”. The fol-lowing year, CNMCC won the “Best Website” category. “We are the only tribal museum in Oklahoma to have our work recognized at the state level,” Wahahrockah-Tasi said. “We take a lot of pride in everything we do. We are ex-tremely honored to be selected for this award.” Wahahrockah-Tasi said.

Yackeschi, Coosewoon Honored at AARP’s Indian Elder Honors

Elders Day Set for Dec. 16 at Watchetaker Hall

Story and Photos by Jolene Schonchin/News Staff

Comanche Nation Chairman, Johnny Wauqua, is flanked by honored elders, from left, Videll Yackeschi, Rita Coosewoon, and Kenneth Coosewoon. The AARP honored 50 Oklahoma Native American Elders Represent-ing 37 Tribes Oct. 4 in Oklahoma City, Okla.

Submitted by Candy Morgan/ Coman-che National Museum Staff

See ELDERS, Page 2

Story and Photos by Jolene Schon-chin/News Staff

See CHINA, Page 14

n Dec. 16, the Co-manche Nation will honor tribal elders age 62 years and

older at the annual Elder Day celebration at Watchetaker Hall. Doors will open at 10 a.m. An array of vendors will

be set up, and a schedule is un-derway to entertain the seniors of the Comanche Nation. Any church or organi-zation who wants to participate in the schedule of events by singing songs or other presen-tations, call the Comanche Na-tion at (580) 492-3240.

Vendors who wish to set up need to call the Coman-che Nation at (580) 492-3240. The spaces are limited, so the sign up for vendors is on a first-come-first-serve basis.

By News Staff

by Paula Karty/News Staff

November 2011 2 The Comanche Nation News

are famous for. “We pulled up to the vendor, and when the driver opened the door of the limousine, flash bulbs started going off. People were taking my picture. I guess they thought I was some sort of celebrity. One lady even came up and started talking a for-eign language and made her 10-year-old son shake my hand.” Allen had a CD Release Reception at the Comanche Nation Com-plex in 2009, which she acknowledges Yackeschi with a plaque of gratitude which included a CD of Shape Shifter.

Ministry Having tubercu-losis as a child, Yackes-chi aunt and his mother would sit and read the bible to him everyday, while he lay in his bed-room. At the age of five, Yackeschi could recite the whole 23rd Psalm by memory. His family would take him to church, and after bible school, while the other children were playing, he would go to the podium and re-cite the psalm. “My uncle started calling me Preacher after that,” Yackeschi remem-bers with a smile. “I just grew up knowing I was going to be a minister.” At 16-years of age, he began preaching, taking his first pastorate at age 22 with the Emerson Nazarene Church in Wal-ter, Okla. He next went to the First Nazarene Indian Church in Cache, Okla. where he stayed for a lit-tle over a year. He continued his education in Albuquer-que, N.M., finishing his ministry school. He had completed a year of col-lege at Hardin Simmons University in Abilene, Texas, which is a southern Baptist school, as well as attending Cameron Uni-versity in Lawton, Okla. While in Albu-querque, he was made chaplain and taught a class and was in charge of the boy’s dorm. After los-ing his mom that year, he wanted to move back to his home. “There was a church in Clinton that was questionable as to whether it was going to remain open. I asked if I could pastor there and they agreed but I was told a salary could not be guaranteed. I went to the church and ministered, and my salary was $125 a month,” said Yackeschi.

Bringing a Church Back to Life through

Miracles In 1969,Yackes-chi’s aunt and three other women were members of the Independent Baptist

Church, but it died out. His aunt, whom used to read the bible to him as a child, had a dying wish of reviving her beloved church. “After she passed away, I could not get that out of my mind,” said Yackeschi. In 1969, he ap-proached the three women who also shared his aunt’s aspiration of opening their church again, and they said they would love to see that happen, and they all began working to that goal. The building they had worshiped at was an old country school south of Walters. The first deci-sion Yackeschi made was to move the church into the Walters town lim-its. They were donated an acre of land, and pur-chased a house. As they began worshiping in their new church and began renovating it, the church burned down. Keeping his faith despite the major setback, Yackeschi said he told his congregation to wait to see what the Lord wants him to do. The First Bap-tist Church in Walters contacted Yackeschi and said the Cotton Coman-che Baptist Associational Missionaries wanted to help start their church. With the help of the as-sociation, they took a small loan out at the local bank, in which the bank agreed to have the church pay it back with no in-terest. With the money they were able to pour the concrete slab for their church. This was the first of many prayers that were answered for this congre-gation. A group of 12 men who were carpen-ters from Birmingham, Ala., was contacted by the Baptist Association to help Yackeschi build their church while on vacation from their regular jobs. The men came to the church and built the frame, put up the outside walls, and the roof of the church. About two weeks later, a group from Geor-gia put the sheet rock in-side the church. With the church built, one last thing was needed; furniture. Keep-ing the faith, Yackeschi said he knew the Lord would provide their church with another mir-acle to complete their mission. And that miracle came in two parts. The Methodist Church in Walters called Yackeschi and invited his church to worship with him the following Sunday. At the end of the service, the preacher said they have tides that were collected, and they were going to send it to foreign missions, but one of the church members asked why were going to give it to foreign missions when there was a missionary ef-fort going on in Walters. They gave Yackeschi and his church $2,000 to help with his church’s recon-struction. A short time af-ter, members of the First Baptist Church were go-

Yackeschi recording in stu-dio with Apryl Allen

Yackeschi in New York City, NY

ing through Eufaula, Okla. on vacation to Ar-kansas. They came across a church that was being built that had some fur-niture that was for sale. Yackeschi called the minister of the Eufaula Church and asked how much the furniture cost. The minister said $2,000. “That was the ex-act amount the Methodist church gave us. My two boys and my wife rented a truck and loaded up the pews and other furniture. We still have them in our church today,” said Yackeschi. Yackeschi said people from all around helped build the church and sometimes when he would go by the church after he got off of work from his teaching job in Duncan, there would be people inside working on it. “I went in there one day and a man was inside painting. He told me someone had paid him to come and paint this church. He would not tell me who it was,” said Yackeschi. “And another time I went by there, a man was putting up flo-rescent lights. He said he was a retired electrician from Geronimo and he heard about the church and he had extra lights and wiring, so he came and put them up for us.” Yackeschi added the banker who initially loaned his church the money to get it started took off of work and worked on the church, too. He said his mem-bership is over 80 people, with two deacons. He said he was

surprised to be given the AARP Indian Elder Hon-or. “It is good that the AARP is recognizing the accomplishments of Indi-ans in Oklahoma. I think others deserve it more than me. I was surprised I received it.” He has also been inducted into the Okla-homa Baptist Falls Creek Assembly Hall of Fame in Davis, Oklahoma for his devotion to the ministry.

Kenneth and Rita Coosewoon

Rita Coosewoon has been judge for the Co-manche Nation Children’s Court for five years. She and her husband, Ken-neth, were nominated for the AARP Award by Bev-

erly Patchel, who is the coo rd ina to r for the Na-tive American Branch of the U n i v e r s i t y of Oklahoma Nursing Pro-gram in Nor-man, Okla. They were given their

award for helping not only Native Americans, but all nationalities by their traditional spiritual guidance. They met Patchel in the late 1980s, accord-ing to Coosewoon, and have worked with Patchel since 1991, beginning when she was the Di-rector of the Jet Brown Substance Abuse Center in Tahlequah, Okla. The Coosewoons were Spiri-tual Advisors to the re-covering patients at the center for four-and-a half years. Since then, they have been working out of their home and administer their spiritual guidance to numerous prisoners with-in the correctional facili-ties through its drug and alcohol treatment centers. “We were doing this while we were at Jet Brown. We were going to prisons helping with the inmates there,” said Rita Coosewoon. “We built sweat lodges in the pris-ons.” She added they also build sweat lodges in some prisons in Texas and even went as far as Ver-mont to Green Mountain Treatment Facility set up a sweat lodge for a youth boot camp. Coosewoon explained this treatment center was the “last re-sort” for the youth who went there. If they did not improve, they would be headed to prison. “It has been very rewarding,” said Coose-woon. “We continue to get letters from inmates who want us to come and help them.” Since she has ac-

cepted the responsibility of being a Comanche trib-al judge, she says she can-not go as much with her husband to visit inmates, but they work with lo-cal adolescent centers, so she continues to help the youth, despite her busy work schedule. Comanche Language

Teacher Coosewoon was asked by an Elgin School District representative to help teach the Comanche language as a class to its high school students. She happily accepted, and helped several students learn the fundamentals of the Comanche language for eight-years before re-tiring. While teaching the language, she made her

own curriculum, tests, and research. She added she was the first Coman-che language instructor for the Comanche Nation College, back when class-es were held at the tribal complex. She said she was awe-inspired when she found out she was a recip-ient of the AARP Indian Honors Award. “I went to the AARP Award Ceremony two years ago when Bar-bara Goodin was nomi-nated for the award,” re-calls Coosewoon. “I was her guest, so I knew of what the AARP were do-ing as far as honoring In-dians, but I didn’t think of me being a part of it.” She said she is pleased the AARP is ac-knowledging Indian El-ders. “Any elder is a treasure. Think of their lives and the things that they do and the amount of resources they have to offer. There are a lot of el-ders who want to do things for people and help, but they are not asked,” said Coosewoon. “To me, that is a waste and a loss.” Coosewoon said a lot of the healing has to do with the person’s faith. “I say, the heal-ing is there, but you have to believe that it is there,” said Coosewoon. “You have to have faith within yourself to be able to get the healing. I feel like I am an instrument for the Creator to use, and I walk in his path. When you do this for Him, you are not in charge, He is. I am here only to help and serve for His good.” She says she does not know who she will meet from day to day who will need her words of guidance and wisdom, but she knows they were sent her way for a reason. She adds she has met women in the grocery store and other places who, after visiting with her, asked for her help. “I feel humble and blessed,” she said. “Being raised by my grandpar-ents, I am who I am be-cause of them.” Kenneth Coose-woon said he began help-ing inmates in the prison system because no one would help them. He pays for his own gas to and from numerous cor-rectional facilities, and at times it gets financially tough, but enjoys what he does because he knows he is helping those who need guidance and prayers. He recalls at first, some facilities did not al-low sweat lodges on their grounds, but after some persuasion, and explain-ing what a sweat lodge is and what it is used for, he was able to put some of the first sweat lodges in Oklahoma State correc-tional facilities. A Korean War veteran, Coosewoon says he is the oldest AA mem-ber in the Lawton area. He went to his first AA meeting in 1964. He says it started him on a good road and the sweat lodge filled the gap of spiritual-ity he was missing in his life. He thanks AA for

helping him with his so-briety and saving his life. He uses what AA taught him in his counseling sessions. He is a national speaker for AA, travel-ing to Boston, Mass., and other cities. He said he has been helping those in need for over 30 years. He ran an alcohol treatment center at the Ft. Sill In-dian School in Lawton for 14-years. His clients were the ones who introduced him to the sweat lodge. “My clients were Cheyenne and Arapaho, and Kiowa. They said they had found a good spot for a sweat lodge, and I told them I would help them set it up. I re-ally did not know what a sweat lodge was. My cli-ent ran the first one I went to, and it really made me feel good,” said Kenneth Coosewoon. Little did he know it would change his life. The second one he went to was run by Wallace Black Elk at a conference for the direc-tors of alcohol and drug prevention centers. He volunteered to watch the fire during suppertime, so as the other men went to eat dinner, sitting alone in the woods near a creek, he received his “calling” to be an instrument of the Creator and to help those in need through the sweat lodge. He says he does not help people to make money; he does it from his heart to help his fel-low people. He said he especially enjoys working with adolescents and with prisoners. Because of his faith and dedication, he has witness many mira-cles. “The strongest thing on earth is the pow-er of prayer,” says Coose-woon. “It can go faster than the speed of light or sound, and can help some-one 3,000 miles away in a second.” Coosewoon said he does not go to many public events, but prefers to be around nature to re-flect and pray. He said Native Americans are the most incarcerated people in America, and many do not get paroled for years, if at all. Because of this, he stays very busy. He re-ceives several letters from inmates asking for him to visit their facility. He says he had to slow down a lit-tle on traveling for health reasons, but he will con-tinue to council and guide those who seek his help until, “Grandfather comes after me.” As the AARP honors the contributions of elders across the state, it is very important we also pay tribute to the value and contribution of all elders. They are truly irreplaceable.

ELDERSContinued from Page 1

Courtesy Photo

Courtesy Photo

Courtesy Photo

Kenneth and Rita Coosewoon sit outside their sweatlodge at Norman, Okla.

November 2011 3 The Comanche Nation News

THE COMANCHE NATION NEWS

The award-winning Co-manche Nation News, the official communication of the Comanche Nation, is available at no charge upon request. The deadline to sub-mit information for the December edition is noon November 14. Donations to help cover the cost of printing and mailing are welcome.

Contact:The Comanche Nation News

P.O. Box 908Lawton, Okla. 73502-0908

Telephone: (580) 492-3386Fax: (580) 492-3709Email: comanche_news@yahoo.com

TCNN Staff• Jolene Schonchin, Editor,

Reporter, Photographer-Email: tcnneditor@yahoo.com-Telephone Num-ber-(580)492-3382

• Paula Karty, Reporter, Photographer- Email: kartynews@yahoo.com Telephone Num-ber-(580)492-3383

• Candace Todd, Administra-tive Assistant-Telephone Number (580)492-3386

• Tomah Yeahquo, Informa-tion Specialist/Coman-che Nation Fair, Email: tomahy@comanchenation.com- Telephone Number (580)492-3384

• Candace Wilson-Reporter, Photographer-Email: wil-son.candace70@yahoo.com-Telephone Number: (580) 492-3385

• News items of interest to the local and American Indian community are welcome. Letters to the editor must be signed by a name.

• Photographs will be copied and will become the property of TCNN. To return original photographs, send a self-addressed stamped envelope. Do not send faxed photographs or newspaper copies of photographs.

• The Milestones Page (Birthdays, Anniversaries, Engagements,Memorial Pictures, Weddings, Births) are by submission only. The Passings are submitted by the Comanche Nation Funeral Home or by tribal members on a funeral home letterhead. The Milestones Page is for tribal members only. TCNN publishes all services conducted by The Comanche Nation Funeral Home without discretion. Obituaries are written for tribal members only.

• TCNN will print a Coman-che organization’s an-nual event flyer once free of charge as a courtesy to our tribal organizations. The guidelines for flyer submis-sion are: Pow-wow flyers have to be from an estab-lished Comanche organiza-tion. There has to be contact person and number on the organization’s annual flyer.

• We reserve the right to edit all material. Letters or articles that contain libelous information, slander, or personal attacks will not be printed. The letters to the editor or articles contained in the The Comanche Nation

Comanche Nation Officials

Chairman Johnny WauquaVice Chairman

Ed EschitiSecretary/TreasurerRobert Tippeconnie

Committeeman No. 1Ronald Red Elk

Committeeman No. 2Yonevea Terry

Committeeman No. 3Darrell KosechequetahCommitteeman No. 4Robert Komahcheet Jr.Tribal Administrator

William Owens

To contact officials:Comanche Nation

P.O. Box 908Lawton, Okla. 73502

Toll Free: (877) 492-4988

Physical Address584 Bingo Rd.

Lawton, OK 73505

Member of the Native American Journalist

Association since 2001Member of

the Society of Professional Journalists since 2010

Department of Justice Requesting Tribal Input Policy Regarding Eagle Feathers; Federal/Tribal Training Program on Enforcement of Wildlife and Other Environmental Laws

In meetings that the Departments of Justice and the Interior have had with federally recognized Indian tribes and tribal organizations, tribal rep-resentatives have raised questions and concerns about federal enforcement of wildlife laws protect-ing eagles and other birds. Among other things, tribes have expressed concern that federal enforcement efforts are having a chill-ing effect on tribal mem-bers who wish to engage in religious and cultural practices that involve eagle feathers. Both De-partments look forward to continuing a produc-tive dialogue with tribes and tribal organizations on these issues. In furtherance of this dialogue, the Depart-ment of Justice welcomes tribal input on two specific proposals. First, the De-partment of Justice is con-sidering adopting a formal policy that would memori-alize and clarify its prac-tice of enforcing federal wildlife laws in a manner that facilitates the ability of members of federally recognized tribes to use eagle feathers and other bird feathers and parts for cultural and religious pur-poses. Second, in response to the expressed desire of tribal representatives that tribes become more in-volved in the enforcement of laws related to eagle feathers, the Department of Justice has begun to de-velop a joint federal and tribal training program on enforcement of such laws, as well as other environ-mental laws. Tribal views and recommendations on all aspects of these two pro-

posals arewelcome. I. Should the De-partment of Justice For-malize Its Policy Regard-ing Possession of Eagle Feathers by Tribal Mem-bers? The Department of Justice recognizes that members of federally rec-ognized tribes have a sig-nificant interest in practic-ing and preserving their cultures and religions. Ea-gle feathers, and other bird feathers or parts, play a unique and important role in the religious and cul-tural life of many Indian tribes and their members. In light of the im-portant government-to-government relationship that the United States shares with federally rec-ognized tribes, the United States has a strong inter-est in accommodating the interests of tribes in pro-tecting the ability of their members to meaningfully practice their religion and preserve their culture. The Department of Justice is considering whether to adopt a formal policy that would memori-alize and clarify its prac-tice of enforcing federal wildlife laws in a manner that respects and protects the ability of members of federally recognized tribes to use eagle feath-ers and other bird feath-ers and parts for cultural and religious purposes. In particular, the Department is considering formally is-suing a prosecution policy consistent with the De-partment of the Interior’s long-standing “Morton Policy.” (The Morton Policy, which was issued in 1975 as a policy state-ment by then-Secretary of

the Interior Rogers C. B. Morton, is attached to this document.) The Depart-ment is interested in so-liciting tribal input on this proposal. The Department of Justice works closely with the Department of the Interior to enforce fed-eral laws protecting eagles and other birds, including the Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act and the Mi-gratory Bird Treaty Act. The Department of the In-terior has a long-standing policy, the Morton Policy, which recognizes tribal in-terests in the use of eagle feathers for cultural and religious purposes. In gen-eral, the Morton Policy permits members of fed-erally recognized tribes to possess and use eagle feathers and other bird feathers and parts, and to engage in other specified activities, for religious and cultural purposes. The Morton Policy has guided the Department of Jus-tice’s prosecution efforts in this area for more than three decades, but the De-partment of Justice has not formally adopted guidance or a policy to memorialize its practice of following the Morton Policy. The Department is now considering whether to formalize a policy that

memorializes its approach in applying federal bird-protection laws to tribal religious and cultural ac-tivities. In particular, the Department is consider-ing whether to issue a policy that would inform tribal members that, con-sistent with the Morton Policy and the Depart-ment’s traditional exercise of its discretion, they will not be subject to prosecu-tion merely for possess-ing or using eagle feathers or other bird feathers or parts. The policy would therefore need to make clear that the Department will continue to prosecute tribal members and non-members alike for viola-tions of federal law that involve killing eagles or other birds, or that involve the buying or selling of, or other commercial activi-ties involving, eagle feath-ers or other bird feathers or parts.Request for Tribal Views In formulating a policy in this area, the Department would seek to reflect its commitment to balance enforcement of the Nation’s wildlife laws with acknowledgment of the religious and cultural needs of members of fed-erally recognized tribes. The goals of the policy would be to clarify how

federal enforcement poli-cy affects use and posses-sion of feathers and other bird parts, and to assure tribal members that they may practice their reli-gion without fear of pros-ecution. To that end, the Department invites tribal input on the following: Should the Department of Justice formally adopt a policy, consistent with the Morton Policy, addressing tribal use of eagle feathers and other bird feathers and parts? In particular: They are seeking input from tribal lead-ers and organizations to ensure that the training meets the needs of tribal prosecutors, tribal law en-forcement, and other tribal personnel. For further inquiry or to submit comments, please contact the De-partment of Justice Office of Tribal Justice at (202) 514-8812. U.S. Depart-ment of Justice address:Office of Tribal Justice950 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20530-0001

Submitted by the American Indian Advocacy Council

On Oct. 18, the water was turned off for under 24 hours, due to air in the main pipes, according to John Shep-pard, CEO of Walters, Okla.

There was wa-ter donated to help from many different organi-zations including the Comanche Nation, and then given to the public at Center Point Ware-house. One-fourth of the water pallets were given to Walters school for the children. It was announced that the wa-ter was going to be turned off by Channel 7 news and was posted on Facebook by Carla Es-chiti along with sound-ing the warning sirens twice. Then water was delivered to the homes handicapped by the wa-ter department, since it is such a small community everyone received a pal-let of water.

Later on, it was reported tribal members did not receive water. The Comanche Nation stepped in to help. Co-manche Nation Emer-gency Management set up at the Walters Com-munity Center with In-formation Technology (IT), Environmental Pro-

Comanche Nation Helps Walters With WaterStory and Photo by Candace Wilson/News Staff

tection Agency (EPA), Maintenance, the Youth Program, Walters Com-munity Committee and Volunteers.

There was a total of 19 people working at the Community Center, 14 where employees from the tribe and five where volunteers. Water was donated from the Comanche Casino, Red River Casino, Coman-che Housing, Coman-che Nation, Comanche Museum, and the City of Duncan.

Edward Eschiti Comanche Nation Vice Chairman, became in-

volved helping Donna Wahnee make phone calls.

The Liaison Of-ficer for the tribes Emer-gency Management, Wahnee said “It was very heartwarming to see the Comanche Nation working with the Wal-ters community to show that we are a vital part of the community and will-ing to help out in time of need and also would like to thank all the people that helped out.”

Eschiti said, “No-body was turned away we helped out tribal mem-bers and non-tribal.”

Each family or individual that came out was given palettes de-pending on the family size and amount of wa-ter available. The size of the family was then taken by how much one per-son would need to drink in order to survive for 24 hours to determine how much the family would then receive a total of 465 cases where given to the residents in Walters. No one went un-checked. The Mainte-nance and Environmen-tal Protection Agency (EPA) delivered water to the elders and people that could not leave their

Maintenance Staff unloads from a truck that has brought in donated water to the Walters Community Center.

homes. 55 home’s was delivered water and 197 cases was given to elders. Each case contained 32, 24, or 15 bottles of water. Emergency Management let every family know that if they ran out of wa-ter to come back and they would help them out.

According to Christina Daly, Director of Emergency Manage-ments, main goal was to make sure the elderly and the ones that have medi-cal disabilities where cared for. By the end of day one, at the public had received eight pallets.

Also contributing to help was Bonita Pad-dyaker, Safety Officer for Emergency Manage-ment. Paddyaker went to each home with the maintenance staff to de-liver water. While there, she also checked their smoke alarms and extin-guishers. Paddyaker also checked to see if any in-dividuals needed medica-tion refills.

November 2011 4 The Comanche Nation News

On August 11, staff from the Comanche Nation’s Office of Environmental Pro-grams (CNOEP) was invited to tour Greenstar Recycling located in Sandsprings, Okla., where plastics collected by the CNOEP are taken. The staff was given a guided tour of the entire facility and shown how plastics, after being off-loaded from the truck, were sorted and placed into various holding bins. From there, it is loaded into a hoper which would then chip all the plastics and fall onto a conveyor which would take the chipped plastics to

an area where they would be dumped into cardboard con-tainers or fabric bags. The chipped plastics are shipped to a facility to be used in the manufacture of hard plastic pallets, saving valu-able timber from being used to make pallets. The plastic pal-lets are more durable, cost ef-fective, and environmentally friendly. The Comanche Nation Office of Environmental Pro-grams, with the help of Co-manche Nation Staff, depart-ments, and Tribal members collected and weighed in over

Environmental Offices Tour Plastic Recycling Facility

26,000 pounds of plastics. These plastics would have been hauled to the Law-ton landfill and taken nearly 450 years to decompose. We thank all those departments, staff and tribal members whom did make the effort to recycle their plastics and please ask you to continue recycling, said Schonchin. There are recycling barrels located throughout the Tribal complex and if they need to be picked up please call (580) 492-3754 for assis-tance.

Submitted by Lynn Schonchin/CNOEP Staff

The guide of the Greenstar Recycling Center shows Gaylon Pahdocony and Donnita Sovo of the CNOEP Dept. the chipper that breaks down plastics.

The CNOEP collects plastics from tribal members for recycling.

Campaign focused on Native Youth launches for American Indian and Alaska Native

Heritage Month in November Submitted by Thom Wallace/NCAI

The future of the al-most 1.7 million American In-dian and Alaska Native youth will be the main focus of this year’s American Indian and Alaska Native Heritage Month, celebrated every year during the month of November. The announcement of this year’s theme was made by a group of leading national American Indian and Alaska Native orga-nizations in collaboration with a number of tribal and federal government offices. The group also announced the launch of AIANHeritageMonth.org which serves as a resource for youth, the general public, and organizers of Heritage month events. “November is an im-portant time for everyone to celebrate and reflect on the contributions of American In-dian and Alaska Native peo-ples. The next generation of tribal leaders and citizens have held and will always hold a re-vered place in Native culture and society,” said Jefferson Keel, President of the National Congress of American Indians, one of the organizations lead-ing Heritage Month efforts. Keel, the Lt. Governor of the Chickasaw Nation, also serves as a member of the board of ad-visors at the Center for Native American Youth at the Aspen Institute, a Heritage Month or-ganizing partner. Native youth are a growing population with al-most 1.7 million Native youth under the age of 18, represent-ing 31.6 percent of the 5.2 mil-lion American Indian and Alas-ka Natives counted in the 2010 Census*. These numbers indi-cate a growing Native youth population that will be more active in society, including vot-ing in elections, participating in the work force, and seeking higher education. Though many statistics related to Native youth under-score various challenges, Heri-tage Month will highlight the positive stories and opportuni-ties that are inspiring the youth based resurgence of tribal cul-tures and economic opportu-nity. The viral online video, “That’s My People (watch),” recently produced by Native youth at the National Intertrib-al Youth Summit, is featured on the newly launched website and tells this story from a youth perspective. In November, the Center for Native Ameri-can Youth and the National Association of Broadcasters will release a public service announcement featuring Red Sox’s star Jacoby Ellsbury (Na-vajo), former Senator Byron Dorgan, and NCAI President Keel to raise awareness about issues facing Native youth.

“Native youth are our most sacred resource and a fo-cus on youth must start in our homes. The home is the center of our family and it’s where teaching begins,” said Nation-al American Indian Housing Council (NAIHC) Chairwom-an Cheryl A. Causley (Bay Mills Tribes of Chippewa). “As Native nations we must share with the world our reverence for Native youth, and continue to educate our youth about our cultures and traditions, and the importance of community in-volvement.” Heritage Month 2011 will focus on Native youth living in both rural and urban communities. “The National Council of Urban Indian Health believes that it is important for our Native youth to celebrate and share their culture wherev-er they may be living, further-ing their education, or working. We are looking forward to col-laborating with our fellow na-tional organizations and agen-cies during Native American Heritage Month to celebrate Native youth and wellness,” said D'Shane Barnett (Mandan/Arikara), Executive Director of the National Council of Urban Indian Health (NCUIH). The group of partici-pating Native organizations includes the Center for Native American Youth at the Aspen Institute, National American Indian Housing Council (NAI-HC), Native American Con-tractors Association (NACA), National Congress of Ameri-can Indians (NCAI), National Council of Urban Indian Health (NCUIH), and the Washington Internships for Native Students (WINS) – American Univer-sity. The theme has also been adopted by a number of tribal and federal government of-fices including the Navajo Na-tion Washington Office, Indian Health Service (a department of the Department of Health and Human Services), Nation-al Museum of the American Indian, Census Bureau, De-partment of Agriculture, De-partment of Housing and Ur-ban Development, Department of the Interior, Department of Justice, and Department of La-bor. The partners involved coordinate a number of educa-tional events for Washington, DC area residents and govern-ment employees. For a list of events being held in the month of November in the Washing-ton, DC region and for a na-tional calendar of events, visit the website: www.AIANHer-itageMonth.org. Follow Amer-ican Indian and Alaska Native Heritage Month on Twitter and Facebook.

Flu Clinic2 p.m.-5 p.m.Nov. 7, 2011

CHR/EMS OfficeFlu Shots will be provided by

Lawton Indian Hospital Public Health Nurses

For more information,call (580) 492-3521

November 2011 5 The Comanche Nation News

Elouise Cobell, an en-rolled member of Montana's Blackfeet Tribe who led a 16-year landmark legal fight to get the federal government to pay an estimated $500,000 Native Americans for mismanaging their trust accounts, died Oct. 17 in at Benefis Hospital in Great Falls, Mont. A great granddaughter of Mountain Chief, one of the legendary Indian leaders of the West, she had been diagnosed with cancer weeks before her class-action lawsuit was given final approval by a federal dis-trict judge in Washington on June 20. Born on the Blackfeet Reservation on Nov. 5, 1945, with the Indian name Little Bird Woman, Ms. Cobell was one of eight children. Her survivors include: her husband, Alvin Cobell of Blacktail, Mont., a son, Turk Cobell and his wife, Bobbie, of Las Vegas, two grandchildren, Olivia, and Gabriella, a broth-er, Dale Pepion of Browning, Mont., and three sisters, Julene Kennerly of Browning, Mont., Joy Ketah of Seattle and Karen Powell of Browning, Mont. In 1996, Ms Cobell and four other Native Americans filed a lawsuit against the fed-eral government demanding that the government give Na-tive Americans an accounting of billions of dollars it received for oil and gas leases and other uses of individual Indian lands held in trust by the United States. After a long, tenacious fight with the government, the Obama administration agreed to settle the lawsuit in De-cember, 2009, creating a $3.4 billion fund to, among other things, make payments to in-dividual Indian money account holders. This was the largest class action settlement with the government in American his-tory. After finding govern-ment records of the Indian ac-counts inadequate to support an accounting of all items of the Individual Indian Trust, a federal judge declared the In-dians could never receive a full accounting of their funds and other trust assets. He then urged the parties to engage in direct negotiations at the high-est levels, negotiations that led to the historic settlement. The settlement was ratified by both Houses of Congress and ap-proved by the President of the United States. It then went back to the United States Dis-trict Court for the District of Columbia for final approval and judgment, which was en-tered on August 4, 2011.

Ms Cobell served as lead plaintiff in the lawsuit and tirelessly led the effort from Browning, quietly raising mil-lions of dollars for expert wit-nesses and other major costs associated with the litigation. In part, Ms. Cobell used funds from her own 1997 "Genius Grant” from the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation's Fellows program to fund the cost of the lawsuit. In 2005, she received a Cultural Freedom Fellowship from the Lannan Foundation, an award that cited her persis-tence in bringing to light the “more than a century of gov-ernment malfeasance and dis-honesty” with the government-run Indian Trust. Two years later, she was one of 10 people given an AARP Impact Award (for mak-ing the world a better place), and in 2004 the National Cen-ter for American Indian Enter-prise Development presented her with the Jay Silverheels Achievement Award. This year, she was named "Mon-tana Citizen of the Year" by the Montana Trial Lawyers Asso-ciation. She received the 2002 International Women’s Forum award for “Women Who Make a Difference,” in Mexico City. Ms. Cobell was one of the founders of the Native American Bank, based in Den-ver. Her professional and civic experience and expertise in-cludes serving as co-chair of Native American Bank NA and as a former trustee of the Na-tional Museum of the Ameri-can Indian, as well as service on other boards. She served for 13 years as treasurer for the Blackfeet Indian Nation in Montana. She also served as executive director of the Native American Community Development Corp, the bank's nonprofit affiliate. With her husband, Al-vin Cobell, she operated a working ranch that produced cattle and crops. She was active in Montana agriculture and en-vironmental issues, founding the first Land Trust in Indian Country. She also served as a trustee for the Nature Conser-vancy of Montana. She graduated from Great Falls Business College and attended Montana State University, from which she later received an honorary doc-torate. She also has honorary degrees from Rollins College and Dartmouth College. For additional details on Ms. Cobell's life news me-dia should contact Bill McAl-lister (703) 385-6996

Indian Country Mourns the Passing of Cobell

Comanche Nation En-terprises, Inc. (CONEI) is a federally chartered corpora-tion, providing a for-profit busi-ness enterprise with the goal of building long term value for theComanche Nation, diversifying from and complementing gam-ing revenues. So what exactly is a federally chartered corpo-ration, and why should Tribal Members care? The following article will help explain why all Comanche Tribal Members should be very interested in the success of this exciting busi-ness venture.Frequently Asked Questions Why did the Tribe de-cide to form CONEI as a feder-ally chartered corporation? Several members of the Tribe, along with the CBC, realized that gaming revenue alone may not provide the long term stability and growth that will be needed to sustain and increase value to the Co-manche Nation. The leader-ship understood that the Tribe needed to include a profitable, growing business enterprise or enterprises to compliment the gaming revenue. The most ef-fective way to enable the Tribe to do business profitably, and to compete with other companies, was to form a federally char-tered company. The federally chartered company can operate at arm’s length from the peren-nial political climate and the problems that go along with the Tribe’s sovereign immunity as may be perceived by custom-ers, banking institutions, and investors.

How does CONEI differ

from Economic Development?

CONEI was not formed as part of Economic Develop-ment. At this point in time, the Economic Development pro-grams and companies have a purpose and objective that is uniquely different than CONEI. The most obvious difference is that CONEI’s purpose is to build a highly profitable enter-prise of large and technically competent companies,whereas Economic Development focus-es more on fostering business success for Tribal Members, stabilizing smaller companies, and providing jobs.

What are CONEI’s plans for the future?

CONEI’s strategy is to acquire successful, profitable companies and manage them as independent, wholly owned subsidiaries. Each company must have the ability to grow substantially and provide prof-its back to the parent company. CONEI is targeting companies in industries such as Govern-ment, construction manage-ment firms, business services, financial, and high technology. Highest priority is given to companies that currently work with U.S. Government organi-zations, or those that could do so easily. In time, it is expected that CONEI will have several subsidiaries.

How will this benefit the Tribe?

CONEI is an invest-ment in the future, which means that the Tribe probably won’t realize significant ben-efits in the near term. How-

CONEI – A federally chartered corporation

ever, the vision set forth by the CONEI Board is to grow the company such that it equals or exceeds the revenue achieved by gaming.Does CONEI own any com-

panies yet? Yes! In late 2009, CO-NEI formed Comanche Na-tion Construction and acquired a construction management company as its first acquisi-tion. Since then, CNC has been steadily growing. It has been awarded a special status (called an SBA 8(a) company) that allows it to win construc-tion contracts for which other companies cannot compete. In the 2nd Quarter of 2011, CNC achieved profit-ability; an outstanding feat af-ter only 18 months in business! CNC has numerous proposals submitted for new, long term contracts, and the future is very bright for the first CONEI sub-sidiary.

Are there plans to acquire more companies?

Yes! Currently, CONEI is evaluating three potential acquisition candidate compa-nies. All of them perform some sort of engineering services or high tech services. CONEI has an extensive list of companies that fit the description of likely candidates described above, and each will be evaluated in due course. In addition, the company has numerous invest-ment and acquisition special-ists who are actively working to identify potential acquisition candidates for CONEI.

Elouise Cobell

submitted by Canda Coley/CONEI

November 2011 6 The Comanche Nation News

People,Places and Things Happening

Narcomey

Comanche Nation Honors It’s Retired Military

Members Beginning Oct. 3, Co-manche Tax Commission will offer vehicle tags that honor the longevity of service by Co-manche tribal members in the U.S. military. Tribal members who have retired from any branch of the U.S. military can obtain special license plates for their vehicles. Clyde Narcomey, the sponsor of the legislation cre-ating the new tag said, “We wanted to recognize the impor-tant contribution made by our tribal members to the United States and the Comanche Na-tion through the longevity of their service.” “Tribal members who have 20 or more years of mili-tary service just need to show us their DD-214 to qualify for the special ‘Retired Military’ tag,” said Raymond Nauni, Comanche Tax Commission’s executive director. “When you see ‘RM’ on a Comanche Nation vehicle tag it shows that the owner proudly served in the United States military for over 20 years,” Narcomey said. “The Comanche Nation has had tags to honor military veterans for many years, but this tag will distinguish those who served all the way to re-

tirement,” said Nauni. And like the Veteran and Medal of Honor tags, the new Retired Military tags will be offered at a discount as the Comanche Nation’s way of honoring their service. For more information contact: Raymond Nauni at Comanche Tax Commission (580) 595-3313 or rnauni@fid-mail.com.

Comanche Nation Elders Council

The Comanche Nation Elders Council sponsored a float during the Comanche Na-tion Fair. At their monthly meet-ing there were two speakers: Keith Yackeyonny, Director of Work Force. Yackeyonny in-formed the elders of his office hours. He said he had about 400 on his list of employees. He talked about the five coun-ties his program service which are: Comanche, Caddo, Till-man, Cotton and Kiowa. Susan Nahwooksy Tay-lor informed the elders of a new program to select ambas-sadors at the college. She said by the next elder’s meeting there should be ambassadors. After the lunch break, there was Steering Commit-tee Meeting which consisted of 10 people. It was decided to put together packages for Elder Shut-ins, soldiers in Af-ghanistan and the Children’s and Women’s Shelters. The Comanche Nation offered bags with CNC emblem printed on the front and a monetary dona-tion. Names and addresses of soldiers are needed. A trip to the Oklahoma City and Norman Museums was also discussed. Nov. 7 will be the next meeting at which time there will be a election of new offi-cers. The meeting will be 10 a.m., at the Comanche Nation College.

Comanche Nation Child Support Program

On Sept. 17, the Co-manche Nation Child Support Program traveled to Tulsa, Okla., to participate in the "Su-san G. Koman, Race for the Cure" to support the program attorney, Marsha Harlan. Harlan, was diagnosed early this year with breast can-er. Harlan, has been the Co-manche Nation Child Support Program attorney since 2008. The program wanted to show it’s support and employee ap-preciation to Harlan for all the work she has done and con-tinues to do for their program, Comanche tribal families, and neighboring tribal families as well. The program also wanted to represent the tribe as a whole. They wanted to honor all Comanche women who are fighting the fight. Also, sup-port the fighters of family and friends, admire the survivors, honor the taken and never giv-ing up hope for a cure. The Comanche Nation Child Support Program would like remind all readers that Oc-tober is Breast Cancer Aware-ness month.

ID Requirements to Vote at 2012 Polls

Effective immediately as of 2012, 30 states require that you provide ID before you can cast your vote. Oklahoma does not require photo ID, but specifies which ID’s are ac-

ceptable: Oklahoma State driv-ers license, state identification card, passport, military identi-fication; state or federally rec-ognized tribe(must show name, photo and expiration date).

Don’t Lose Sight of Diabetic Eye Disease

Diabetes affects nearly 26 million people in the United States. In addition, another 79 million people are estimated to have pre-diabetes, a condition that puts people at increased risk for diabetes. All people with diabetes, both type 1 and type 2, are at risk for diabetic eye disease, a leading cause of vision loss and blindness. “The longer a per-son has diabetes the greater is his or her risk of develop-ing diabetic eye disease,” said Dr. Suber Huang, chair of the Diabetic Eye Disease Subcom-mittee for the National Eye Institute’s (NEI) National Eye Health Education Program. “If you have diabetes, be sure to have a comprehensive dilated eye exam at least once a year. Diabetic eye disease often has no early warning signs, but can be detected early and treated before noticeable vision loss occurs.” Diabetic eye disease re-fers to a group of eye problems that people with diabetes may face as a complication of the disease and includes diabetic retinopathy, cataract, and glau-coma. Diabetic retinopathy, the most common diabetic eye disease, is the leading cause of blindness in adults 20–74 years of age. According to NEI, 4.1 million people have diabetic eye disease and its prevalence is projected to increase to 7.2 million by 2020. While all people with diabetes can develop diabetic eye disease, African Ameri-cans, American Indians/Alaska Natives, Hispanics/Latinos,

and older adults with diabetes are at higher risk of losing vi-sion or going blind from it. All people with diabetes should have a dilated eye exam at least once a year to detect vi-sion problems early. In fact, with early detection, timely laser surgery, and appropriate follow-up care, people with advanced diabetic retinopathy can reduce their risk of blind-ness by 90 percent. Clinical research, sup-ported in part by NEI, has shown that maintaining good control of blood sugar, blood pressure, and cholesterol can slow the development and progression of diabetic eye disease. In addition to regular dilated eye exams, people with diabetes should do the fol-lowing to keep their health on TRACK:• Take your medications.• Reach and maintain a healthy weight.• Add physical activity to your daily routine.• Control your blood sugar, blood pressure, and cho-lesterol.• Kick the smoking hab-it. “Don’t lose sight of diabetic eye disease,” added Dr. Huang. “Don’t wait until you notice an eye problem to have an exam because vision that is lost often cannot be restored.” For more information on diabetic eye disease and tips on finding an eye care profes-sional or financial assistance for eye care, visit www.nei.nih.gov/diabetes or call NEI at (301)496-5248. The National Eye Insti-tute (NEI), part of the National Institutes of Health, leads the federal government's research on the visual system and eye diseases. NEI supports basic and clinical science programs that result in the development of sight-saving treatments.

November 2011 7 The Comanche Nation News

Yellowfish Out for the Season

An unsuspecting injury to Konawa High School Junior tailback and tribal member Alex Yellowfish occurred dur-ing an off week of practice. Konawa Head Coach Joe Daniel shared his disap-pointment of this incident and multiple injuries that has be-fallen on the Konawa Football team. Coach Daniel ex-pressed how Yellowfish out gained the number one team in class 2A, Davis, Okla., how two touchdowns were called back due to penalties. Yellowfish took his game to another level at a home game against Meeker. Yellowfish not only ran for 269 yards and three touchdowns on 24 carries, but he also inter-cepted two passes from his free safety position and recovered a fumble on special teams, to lead Konawa to a wild 41-32 victory. Before his injury Yel-lowfish led the State of Okla-homa in ruching yardage after five weeks into the 2011 foot-ball season. A full recovery is ex-pected for Yellowfish by Feb. 2012.

Wilson Leads Anadarko Warrior Football Team

Anadarko Senior Tail-back and tribal member Shel-don Wilson leads the entire state of Oklahoma in rushing yardage. Anadarko Head Coach Jackson said, “many people don’t realize Sheldon’s played first half football and played two games for three quar-ters due to the supremacy of the Warrior football team this year.” The Anadarko War-riors are ranked No. 2 in class 3A and the district title looks promising. Wilson was selected to the preseason All State football team.

Tribal Member Oberly Completes Service Based Mission at Pine Ridge, South Dakota

In August 2011, 45 Public Health Service (PHS) officers from Rapid De-ployment Force No. 4 (RDF No. 4) joined forces with the volun-teer based orga-nization, Remote Area Medical (RAM) to stage “Operation Foot-hold” at Pine Ridge, South Da-kota. The service based mission was coordinated to create relationships with the Oglala Sioux Tribe and to assist in developing the local health infrastructure. Objectives of our mission included; 1) Increase operational readiness by improving disas-ter response preparation2) Foster a cross-cultural experience3) Provide a surge in criti-cal health care services4) Identify problems and work with community to find local solutions to strengthen health infrastructure To promote the clinic in the community, PHS Officers worked closely with tribal and community news outlets such as KILI Radio Station and La-kota Country Times. To better understand our mission and community, Mr. Wayne Weston met with us to discuss the tribal history, belief systems, Oglala spirituality and decision mak-ing. Many other tribal mem-bers spent time with us at our camp and shared their knowl-

edge and history making for a shared cultural experience. Working at Pine Ridge was a first for many RDF No. 4 members. Nevertheless, PHS Officers were ready and able to meet all expectations during the four day clinic, held August 25th thru August 28th. The clinic was held at the SuAnne Big Crow Boys and Girls Club, a facility that stands as a tribute to a young lady who embodied the ideals of cooperation and community. During the clinic our main objective was to staff and provide free services in dental, vision, and medical, includ-ing women’s health, sports and youth physical exams and blood glucose screenings. In Pine Ridge where diabetes and heart disease affect a higher percentage of the population than the US average, over ap-proximately 800 patients re-ceived nearly 1200 services, with children making up over 40% of that total. With the highest demand, the Optometry

clinic served approximately 420 patients and made an equal num-ber of glasses with same day service. PHS Officers and RAM vol-unteers also provided over 400 dental services and approximate-ly 350 medi-cal services.

At the conclusion of the four day clinic, we felt we made a positive impact on the Pine Ridge community and came away with a greater under-standing of health needs within our country and a true appre-ciation for each other’s talents, time and service. The mission could not have been com-pleted without significant col-laboration and effort from the Oglala Sioux Tribe, the Indian Health Service, the Remote Area Medical, the SuAnne big Crow Boys & Girls Club and the Public Health Service. LCDR Joyce Oberly serves as Public Information Officer with RDF No. 4 and completed this mission along-side her fellow officers. LCDR Oberly is an enrolled member of the Comanche Nation and is also Osage and Chippewa-Cree. She is currently stationed at Pawnee Indian Health Cen-ter in Pawnee, Okla.

Patients waiting for clinic to begin the day. The clinic started at 9 a.m. This picture was taken at 7:30 a.m. with approximately 60 people in line.

Flying in a small plane over the Cook In-let added a bit of adven-ture to a February 2011 visit to Alaska for three National Center for En-vironmental Health staff members. The bumpy ride to the village of Ty-onek was worth the dis-comfort, however. The remote native village of less than 100 residents boasts a facility not of-ten seen in rural Alaska. The village council vice president proudly took Martin Kalis, CAPT Mark Miller, CAPT Mike Herring, and other Indian Health Service and Alaska Na-tive Tribal Health Consortium members on a tour of their new state-of-the-art water treatment plant made possible through a grant from the U.S. Depart-ment of Agriculture and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. The visit also gave village leaders an opportunity to talk about some of their un-solved environmental health is-sues, like dump sites and open burning and gave Kalis, Miller and Herring a better apprecia-tion of the challenges faced by this particular village and vil-lages throughout Alaska. Kalis, CAPT Miller, and CAPT Herring were actu-ally in Alaska to deliver a con-densed two-day version of the Environmental Health Train-ing in Emergency Response (EHTER) course to more than 50 environmental health pro-fessionals and other emergency response partners from across Alaska, as well as experts from other federal and state agen-cies. Kalis says, “We were able to incorporate some of what we

saw in Tyonek and our under-standing of the situation into our discussions in some of the modules during the train-ing. The visit opened our eyes to what many villages face throughout the state.” According to LTJG Ka-tie Burbage, Assistant Environ-mental Health Consultant with the Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium, environmental health training is particularly needed in Alaska. “Alaska is vulnerable to a number of man-made and natural disasters. It is not a matter of if an emergency will happen, but when. And here in Alaska, even normal circumstances can prove to be logistically challenging. Plan-ning and preparing for emer-gencies are imperative.” She added that the combined expe-riences of the course attendees added to the relevance of the course and “helped our CDC instructors learn a thing or two about Alaska!” LTJG Burbage says that during a disaster, “Our re-sponsibilities may include an increased need for the services we provide daily or the wear-ing of an entirely different hat.”

CDR Bryen Bartgis, RN, a case manager for the South central Foun-dation, agrees. “Although I am not the environmental health or engineer type and am in a completely different field, this course better prepared me for emer-gency deployments.” Martin Kalis, CAPT Mike Herring, Samuel Lee Bartels (environmental health practitioner, Tyonek, AK.), and CAPT Mark

Miller visiting the water treat-ment facility in Tyonek, AK Martin Kalis, CAPT Mike Her-ring, Samuel Lee Bartels (envi-ronmental health practitioner, Tyonek, AK), and CAPT Mark Miller visiting the water treat-ment facility in Tyonek, AK Many of those who took the EHTER course regu-larly work with remote Alaska Native villages even smaller than Tyonek, so the disaster management module of the training “helped identify areas for potential involvement of those environmental profes-sionals,” Burbage said. “I have already used what I learned to engage community partners in preparedness conversations with site-specific consider-ations.” As a key sponsor and supporter of the EHTER course in Alaska, the Indian Health Service Environmental Health Support Center was so impressed that the agency has requested another course in 2012, this time for Plains In-dian tribes and their state and local partners in North Dakota, South Dakota, Iowa, and other parts of the upper Midwest.

Environmental Health Specialists Brandon Parker (Bristol Bay Area Health Corporation, AK) and Paul Eaton (Maniilaq Association, AK) working on table exercise at EHTER Alaska course

Tribal Member Parker Aids in Environmental Project in Alaska

Local tribal artists are now being invited to the Native American Christmas Market hosted by the Lawton Fort Sill Art Council. The event will be held on December 2, 3 and 4. The market will be held at the Lawton Art Center located at 1701 NW Ferris Drive. The hours will be 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Registration is now open for a Beginning Silver-smith Class sponsored by the Native American Cultural Studies Program and hosted by the Lawton Fort Sill Art Coun-cil. The instructor will be Don Norris of the Academy of Sil-versmithing, Boulder, Colora-do. Don Norris is a profession-al silversmith and teacher for over 35 years. You may visit his website at: silversmithing.homestead.com/silverclasses1.html. The class is for the be-ginner and the experienced. The beginner will learn all the basics of Silversmithing and jewelry making and the experi-enced will learn to work quick-er and make better jewelry.

• All tool and supplies in-cluded.• You will choose a stone from hundreds at no extra cost.• You will design and make a sterling silver ring in a South-western or Native American style.• You will design and make a sterling silver pendant.• You will learn to set a stone and polish your project.• You will learn all the basic techniques of silversmithing.• No experience or training required. 1st ClassThursday and Friday, 9 am to 6 p.m.December 15 & 16Location: Lawton Art Center, 1701 NW Ferris Drive, Law-ton, Okla.All tool and supplies furnished.Cost is $300Enrollment is limited to eight participants. Deadline is Dec. 5

2nd ClassSaturday and Sunday, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.December 17 & 18Location: Lawton Art Center, 1701 NW Ferris Drive, Law-ton, Okla.All tool and supplies furnished.Cost is $300Enrollment is limited to eight participants. Deadline is Dec. 5

To enroll contact Eleanor Mc-Daniel, Coordinator at(580) 429-3430 or Email: mc-daniel.eleanor@yahoo.com

Yellowfish

Courtesy Photo

Courtesy Photo

Wilson

Courtesy Photo

Courtesy Photo

Native American Market Set for

December

This will be an opportunity for shoppers to find lots of unique Christmas gifts. The market will feature handmade crafts such as beadwork, dolls, dream catchers, jewelry, silverwork and original artwork by local tribal artists. Booth spaces are limit-ed and available on a first come first serve basis for a donated item. Vendors must have a trib-al ID. To reserve your booth space now contact Eleanor McDaniel at (580) 429- 3430

Registration for Silversmith Class

Tribal Offices Close in November

The Comanche Nation offices will be closed Nov. 11 for Veterans Day. They will re-open at 8 a.m. Nov. 14 for regular business. The offices will also be closed Nov. 24-25 for Thanks-giving, and will re-open 8 a.m. Nov. 28 for regular business.

November 2011 8 The Comanche Nation News

MilestonesHappy Belated

Birthday

Carolyn Spelhaug, August 28Shelby Sing, September 26Brian Wahnee, September 28Cherie Sing, October 2Jana Redbird, October 3Shirlene Miller, October 3Stefani Miller, October 5Terry Perryman, October 7Bernard Tate Nevaquaya, October 10Edward Rocke Whitewolf, October 10 Bee Saupitty, October 12Betty Chasenah, October12Emmanuel Tahhahwah, October 12Nahmie Banderas, October 12Dalilah Grace Allen, October 13Stacy Miller, October 13Marcos Gutierrez, October 15Nolan Van Kinser, October 15Evans Mowatt Jr, October 18Lavena Honea, October 20Nakoa Tahhahwah, October 20Patty Honea Mantzke, October 20Michael Gutierrez, October 27Nyveeh Burgess, October 31

Happy Birthday

Ruth Tody Myers, November 1TaSia Burgess, November 1 Angela Rochelle Knox, November 4Rosalind Ann Asetamy, November 4Brayden Parker, November 5Shantelle Sweet Laurenzana, November 5Kevin Geimausaddle, November 8Alex Satepauhoodle, November 9Debbie Pilas, November 9Kara Nagel, November 9Rhoda Tate Nevaquaya, November 9Leon Chasenah, November 14Nacona Tosee, November 14 Ashley Nauni, November 17Kayden Cooper Richardson, November 17Danny Parker, November 18Stephen Mowatt, November 18Kamille Elaine Komahcheet, November 20Bethany E. Kinser, November 21Charon McCarthy, November 21Civa Hill, November 21Cody Spenver Ray Sing, November 21Nalan Tahdooahnippah, November 21Clinton Thomas Sing, November 23Charles Tahah, November 24Tiffany Cher Henson Jones, November 24Lorene Franklin, November 27Tony Wallace, November 27Angel Rainheart Redbird, November 28Cricket Karty, November 29

Anniversary

Roland & Ramona ApauityNovember 3~Married 50 years

Sam & Nancy Allen November 4~Married 37 years

Phillip & Debbie HendrixNovember 12~Married 33 plus yrs

Brandon & Michelle AllenNovember 25~Married 4 years

Happy BirthdayAngel Rainheart Redbird

November 28

Don’t Forget to submit milestones for those special loved ones; Just married, Birth Announcements, Birthdays,

Anniversaries, etc.Deadline for December

11/15/2011Call

Public Information Office (580) 492-3752E-mail:

candacet@comanchenation.comOr mail:

Comanche Nation/PIOP.O. Box 908

Lawton, OK 73502

Happy AnniversaryEdward & Bertha

TahhahwahNovember 10

Married33 years

Happy Belated BirthdayBee SaupittyOctober 12

Happy Belated BirthdayBetty Chasenah

October 12

Happy BirthdayCharles Tahah November 24

Happy Belated BirthdayNakoa Tahhahwah

October 20

Happy Belated BirthdayNahmie Banderas

October 12

Happy Belated BirthdayEmmanuel Tahhahwah

October 12

Happy BirthdayShantelle Sweet

Laurenzana November 5

Mya Renae CollinsBorn: September 6, 20117lbs’ 13oz’ 20.5inTo:Sean & Lesley Collins

Happy AnniversaryKevin & Lou

GeimausaddleNovember 8

Married17 years

Happy BirthdayBrayden Parker

November 5

Happy Belated BirthdayNolan Van Kinser

October 15

Happy BirthdayKayden Cooper

Richardson November 17

Happy AnniversaryBernard & Rhoda Tate Nevaquaya

November 9Married55 years

Happy BirthdayKamille Elaine KomahcheetNovember 20

Cooper AllenBorn: September 23, 20118lbs’ 11oz’ 21.3/4in

To:Gregory & Emily Allen

Happy Belated BirthdayDalilah Grace Allen

October 13

Happy Belated BirthdayNyveeh Burgess

October 31

Happy BirthdayTaSia BurgessNovember 1

Happy BirthdayCricket Karty November 29

Phyllis Mowatt

Born November 10, 1939

Passed Away December 22, 2008

Ryan Jon SwiftBorn

October 7, 1986Passed Away

October 1, 2011

WeddingDennis “Dee” Pocowatchit Jr.

&Tina Corpuz

~Will exchange wedding vows

2 p.m. November 19

at Petarsy Indian Mission, Richard Spur, Okla.

They wish all monetary gifts be donated to Petarsy

Wedding You are invited to the wedding

of Shana Mae Sioan of Fall River Mills, California.

Shana is the daughter of Marlon & Judith Sioan from Redding & Burney California.

Shana is a youth pastor involved with youth ministries.to

Gerald Wayne Codynah of Lawton, Oklahoma.

~Gerald & Shana will exchange wedding vows

6 p.m. December 10, 2011

Lawton Indian Missions, 64th & Birch

followed by a receptionat

Church Fellowship Hall

Passing

New Arrivals

Congratulations

November 2011 9 The Comanche Nation News

Obituaries

Violetta Rae “Pepper” Gonzales

Funeral for Violetta Ray “Pepper” Gonzales, 43, Lawton, was Oct. 7 at the Co-manche Reformed Church with Pastor Delbert Hughes, Lighthouse Church of God, officiating and Pastor Sharon Yeahquo, Huntinghorse United Methodist Church, assisting. Pepper was called home late night on Oct. 3, from a local hospital. Prayer service was Oct. 6, at the Comanche Nation Fu-neral Home Chapel. Burial was in High-land Cemetery under direction of Comanche Nation Funeral Home. Gonzales entered this life on Nov. 30, 1967 in Law-ton Okla., the beloved daugh-ter of Gwen J. Nauni Brinkman and James Gonzales. She was the namesake of her grandpar-ents Violet and Raymond Nau-ni. She grew up in Lawton, at-tending Lawton Public Schools and was an Eisenhower High School graduate. Gonzales at-tended Cameron University for one year and a half. She worked for a time for the Ft. Sill Indian School and went to work as the Administrative Assistant and a Cosmetic Lab Tech for Edna Hennessey Cosmetics. She was the Top Sales representa-tive for Hennessey Cosmetics Labs. Gonzales was a member of the Comanche Nation and was of Hispanic descent. She enjoyed bowling, making flo-ral arrangements, texting Bible verses, being with her family and friends. Gonzales never met a stranger and had a zest for life and was a member of Comanche Reform Church. She leaves to cherish her memories: her daugh-ter, Amanda Dawn Hayden of Lawton; her son and daugh-ter-in-law, Billy Ray and De-siree Hayden of Norman; her granddaughter, Raelynn Mae Hayden of Norman; her moth-er, Gwen J. Brinkman of Law-ton; her father, James Gonza-les of Lawton; three sisters, Marcelene Soto, Lori Dawn Mowatt and Kendall Elaine Brinkman, all of Lawton; two brothers, Clinton “Deno” Ger-ald Gonzales of Lawton and Christopher James Gonzales of Fresno, Cali.; her aunts: Mary Adams of Fresno, Cali., Vicki Battise of Grand Prairie, Texas, Juanita “Judy” Hasley of Law-ton, Nellie and husband, Tony, Guevara of Lawton, Marion and husband, Weldon Sim-mons, of Geronimo, Christine and husband Gus McCarthy of Lawton; her uncles: Tony and wife Anita Gonzales of Lawton, Bobby and wife Mar-garet Nauni of Mid-west City, Raymond Jr. and wife Wanda Nauni of Lawton and Vandell and wife Sue Nauni of India-homa; special friends: Tammy Gerver, Jackie Destefano, Nik-ki Passah and Teresa BigBow, all of Lawton.

Gonzales was preceded in death by her maternal grand-parents: Violet Yellowfish and Raymond Nauni; paternal grandparents: Adela Morales and Mike Gonzalez; maternal great-grandparents: Harry Pe-vodah and Ruby Suwybitten Nauni and Timothy and Emma Eciwardy Penockquoddy Yel-lowfish; her aunts and uncles: Margaret and Ricky Kaulaity, Gerald Battise and Lazo Gon-zalez.

Jadyn “BABY Ja” Michael Rayjohn

Attocknie Funeral for Jayden At-tocknie, 12, Apache Okla., was Oct. 7 at the Comanche Nation Community Center of Apache with Pastor Sharon Yeahquo, Huntinghorse United Method-ist Church, officiating. Baby Ja was called home early Oct. 4, from a local hospital. Prayer service was Oct. 6 at the Comanche Nation Community Center of Apache. Burial was in the Cache Creek KCA Intertribal Ceme-tery under direction of Coman-che Nation Funeral Home. Attocknie entered this life on Sept. 23, 1999 in Law-ton, the beloved son of Cindy Lois Twohatchet and Patrick Elton Voris Attocknie. He was raised in the Apache area and at-tended Apache Public Schools. He was in the Fifth grade at the Apache Elementary School. Baby Ja was a member of the Comanche Nation and was of Kiowa descent. Attocknie not only enjoyed daily life at home with family but his classmates as well. He was a member of the Tabe-Eka-Chapter of the Comanche Native American Church. He enjoyed attend-ing peyote meetings with his dad, also playing basketball, dancing and pow-wow music. Attocknie always slept close to his grandmother, Phyllis, who gave him the name “Baby Ja”. Baby Ja is what he is best known by his family and friends. He gave a class on how to do the “Moon Walk”. Wrestling was one of his pas-sions and another was Art, his drawings are what most con-sidered beyond his years. He leaves to cherish his memories his paternal grand-mother Phyllis Attocknie of the home; his father, Patrick and companion, Sonia, of the home; his mother Cindy and companion A.J., of Oklahoma City; maternal grandmother, Donna Twohatchet of Hold-enville; paternal great-grand-mother, Rosalie Attocknie; seven sisters: Mam-Neta, Kaylee, Annarose, Angel, Aali-yah, Alysia and Corria; eleven brothers: Miko, Jeremy, Dion, Skye, Tremaine, Randy, Day-ton, J.J., Matthew, Sonny and Gerald, Jr.; niece and nephew: Syanne EllaRae and Payton Oliver; aunts: Nuh-Nah, Alisa Rose, Dana, Rozanna, Wuh-yah-keh, Mary Alyce, Carla, Darla, Randi

Lynn, Shawn, Sunshine, Bev-erly and Lynette; uncles: Tony Ray, Asa Albert, Buffy and Duffy; nieces and nephews: special cousins: Eric, Megan and Dakota as well as many grandparents, cousins, friends, classmates and homies. Attocknie was preced-ed in death by his uncle, T.J. “Tahkony” Alvarado Attocknie and great-grandfather: Francis “Joe” Attocknie.

Donna Kay “Kasie” Shelton

Funeral for Donna Shelton, 58, Lawton, was Oct. 8, at the Comanche Nation Fu-neral Home Chapel. Shelton was called home Oct. 4, from her earthly home. Prayer service was Oct. 7, at the Comanche Nation Fu-neral Home Chapel. Burial was in Sunset Memorial Gardens under di-rection of Comanche Nation Funeral Home. Shelton entered this life on Mar. 25, 1953 in Law-ton, the daughter of Lamont Mid and Waynema Wayse-pappy Shelton. She grew up in Lawton, attending Law-ton Public Schools and was a graduate of Eisenhower High School. She served her fam-ily as a homemaker and was a member of the Comanche Na-tion. Shelton was a member of the Trinity Baptist Church and enjoyed collecting stuff bears, spending time with family and friends and in earlier years, she enjoyed drawing and doing ce-ramics. She leaves behind to cherish her memories her com-panion, Earl Edelen, of the home; four sisters: Etta Rose Marin of Cache, Carol Shelton and husband, Fred Polowski of Indiahoma, Linda Sue Bell of Wilmington, N.C. and Marilyn Leveille and husband, Joe, of Lawton; two brothers: Toby Shelton and wife, Joyce, and David Shelton, all of Lawton as well as other relatives and friends. Shelton was preceded in death by her parents, mater-nal grandmother: Ester Way-sepappy; paternal grandpar-ents: Oscar “Obie” and Stella Shelton and two brothers: Er-nest Shelton and Billy Shelton.

Linda Kay Thompson Funeral for Linda Kay Thompson, 64, Lawton was Oct. 13, at First Baptist Church, with Pastor Doug Passmore of-ficiating. Thompson was called home early Oct. 10, from her earthly home. Prayer service was Oct. 12, at the Comanche Nation Funeral Home Chapel. Inurement was at a later date under direction of Coman

che Nation Funeral Home. Thompson entered this life on Nov. 10, 1946 in Law-ton, the daughter of William, Sr. and Charlotte Walker Mul-len. She grew up in Lawton, at-tending Lawton Public Schools and was a graduate of Lawton High School in 1965. She worked for AT&T Telephone Company as a Supervisor for over 30 years and was a mem-ber of the Comanche Nation. Thompson was a member of the First Baptist Church - East and enjoyed reading, Playing Farmville on Facebook, pho-tography, working the church library and baby-sitting. She leaves to cher-ish her memories her mother, Charlotte Mullen, of the home; four sisters and brothers-in-law: Carol Hall of Lawton, Donna Churchwell and hus-band, Mark, of Corinth, Texas, Marlene Soper and husband, Brad, of Denton, Texas and Charlene Kimmons and hus-band, Tim, of Hickory Creek, Texas; four brothers and sis-ters-in-law: Jerry Mullen and wife, Barbara, Jack Mullen and wife, Shirley and Ron Mullen and wife, Barbara, all of Law-ton and Mike Mullen and wife, Dana, of Union Mo.; 18 nieces and nephews; 30 great nieces and nephews and one great-great niece as well as other relatives and friends. Thompson was preced-ed in death by her father, Billy Mullen, Sr.; one brother: Billy Mullen, Jr.; maternal grandpar-ents: John and Ethel (Wake-field) Walker; paternal grand-parents: Samuel and Lillian Betz Mullen.

Keener Elbus Pratt Tomahsah

Keener Elbus Pratt Tomahsah, 68 of Faxon, Okla., went to his heavenly home on Oct. 12 at home. Prayer service was Oct. 14 at Comanche Nation Funer-al Home Chapel. Funeral services was Oct. 15 at Comanche Nation Funeral Home Chapel with Rev. Duke Tsoodle and Wal-lace Coffey officiating. Buri-al followed at Deyo Mission Cemetery under the direction of Comanche Nation Funeral Home. Tomahsah was born on Sept. 8, 1943 in Lawton, Okla., to Henry Pratt Tomahsah and Naomi Wanda (Wahkahquah) Tomahsah. He grew up in Fax-on and attended Faxon school and graduated from Chattanoo-ga High School. He attended University of Central Oklaho-ma and Haskell University of Kan. Tomahsah was a mem-ber of the Comanche Nation of Oklahoma and was a descen-dant of Ten Bears and Hova-rithka on his maternal side and Charles Pratt on his paternal side. He enjoyed people, good food, traveling, sports; he also loved to read, and do crossword puzzles and watch movies, his greatest joy was his grandchil-dren. Professional involve

ments; Comanche Nation El-ders Council-Vice Chairman, National Indian Council on Aging-Board of Directors for the Southern Plains, American Indian Council, Kansas City, Mo., Heart of America Indian Center, Kansas City, Mo., St. Marys Hospital - Food Ser-vice Buyer, Kansas City, Mo., Environmental Protection-In-spection and Consulting, Inc. Liberty, Mo., Xerox Corp., Or-lando, Fla., Nelson Adkins Art Gallery-Sacred Circles Exhib-it-Book Store Manager just to name a few. He is survived by two daughters: Stephanie Tomah-sah Durkin of Wichita Kan., and Michelle Tomahsah of Waukegan, Ill.; grandchildren: Alan Durkin, Brandon Tomah-sah, Aimee Durkin, Alex Dur-kin, Bianca Buentello, and Benicos Buentello; two broth-ers: John Eli Tomahsah, Gary Tomahsah and wife Vanessa of Apache; sisters Bonnetta Tomahsah-Monoessy and hus-band Anthony Monoessy, Sr. of Fletcher and Janetta Tomahsah-Gooday of Cyril; uncle: John Allen Pratt; cousins: Pauline Hawzipta, Lavoice Satepau-hoodle, Mabel Ann Blalock, Gwen Nahno-Kerchee, Phyllis Morales, Pauline Cox, Beverly Coffey, Karita Coffey, Lucin-da Kerchee, Roberta Burgess, Jewel Niedo, Alicia Ellis, Sher-ri Reynolds, Wallace Coffey, Vincent Wallace, George Wal-lace, Robert Wallace, Winston Kerchee, Harvey Yarbrough, David Lee Wahkahquad, Ray-mond Alamanza, Cheevers Coffey, Charles Kerchee, Mel-vin Kerchee Jr., Hank Alan Yarbrough, Yvette Ellis Thom-as, Julienne Ellis Mylius, Vick-ie Korrect and husband David, Kim Towns and husband Trac-ey, Johnny Pratt and wife Ruth Ann, Allen Charles Pratt and wife Jennifer; special friend: Deanna Chaunet; nieces: Nu-mutahsahs, Larrissa, Mela-nie, Maci, Dezirae, Decora, Nivynuaka, Thoseyah, Woyu-kodoy Poemoceah, Naiyah, Nzhune, Tsoontz Gooday, Vic-toria Korrect, Krystal Turner, Becky Roberts; nephews: Ray Tomahsah and Anthony Mono-essy, Jr., Will Sage Jr., Damon Korrect, Jacob Towns: other family member and friends. Tomahsah is preceded in death by his parents: Hen-ry Pratt Tomahsah and Naomi Wanda Wahkahquah; stepfa-ther: Clifton Stumblingbear; brother: Charles Ray Tomah-sah; sister: Karen Tomahsah; grandparents: Lucy and John Wahkahquah; aunts and un-cles: Anna and Robert Coffey, Anna Gover, Nettie Kerchee, Melvin Kerchee Sr., Margaret Wallace, Roxie Coffey, Marie Johnson, Blossom, Pasquerita, Anna Belle Chaat, Ruby, Lily, Minty, Josephine Tomahsah, Rubye MacDonald, Galvus Tomahsah, Willis Attocknie: Cousins: Melvin Darryl Cof-fey, Rusty Coffey.

November 2011 10 The Comanche Nation News

Dear TCNN

We’re here for you with the money you need

Advance America Cash Advance provides a quick and easy way to get the money you need when you need it.

Advance America #35585334 NW Cache Rd., Ste. A

Lawton, OK 73505(580) 591-0333

Items to Bring• Two Forms of ID (Valid State or Federal photo ID and one additional ID) • Bank Statement (Most recent checking account statement) • Paycheck Stub (Most recent paycheck stub or verification of other income) • Personal Check (Held until due date) • Verification of Social Security Number

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Dear TCNN,

I attended the Coman-che Nation Election Board Process Overview Seminar on October 8 , 2011. There are two election board members from each precinct. I learned there is much preparation done be-fore election day. The absentee ballot re-

quest process was explained. Strict rules and regulations are followed. There is more work behind the scenes and meetings to attend. I am confident that our votes will be counted and verified correctly. Sincerely, Vivian Holder

ccache22@yahoo.com

November 2011 12 The Comanche Nation News

If you are a Native American Farmer or Rancher

or the heir of one who was denied a

USDA farm loan or loan servicingbetween 1981 and late 1999,

The claims-filing period is about to end.

To receive a payment you must file a claim by December 27, 2011.

For free assistance filing a claim: call 1-888-233-5506 or visit

www.IndianFarmClass.com.

Legal Notice

Background: Native Americans in the Lawton, Okla., area, including Coman-che people, have excessive cancer incidence and mortality rates. Native Navigators may be an effective intervention to alleviate cancer disparities. Native Navigators are Native Americans who assist people in a Native American commu-nity by guiding them through and around barriers in the com-plex health care system. This is a particularly appropriate strategy for Native Americans, who have a historical mistrust of outsiders. Methods: This mul-tidisciplinary 3-year project, funded by the National Insti-tute of Nursing Research, em-ploys a community-based par-ticipatory approach. Year one activities are reported on in this abstract, which focused on tailoring and goal development related to cancer educational modules to Comanche Nation via focus groups. Native Navi-gators assisted with and mod-erated the focus groups. They

Native Navigation: Tailoring Cancer Educational Modules and

Goals for Comanche NationSubmitted by Navigation for Indian Health

contributed to data analysis and subsequent changes in ed-ucational materials and goals. Analysis incorporated content analysis, using transcribed data, field notes and observa-tions. Codes, categories, and themes were identified. Check-ing with participants regarding findings was done to validate the results. Results: Five major themes were identified: 1) Screening = Protection/Knowl-edge = Power; 2) Waiting not acting: Fears associated with screenings; 3) Living "Native Strong": Assessing personal risk; 4) Nourishing our body, mind, and spirit; Reconnecting with our past; and 5) Keeping learners interested: Education-al engagement. Conclusions: Mem-bers of the Comanche Nation community need cancer edu-cational modules and goals tai-lored to their culture in order to become engaged and maintain interest in educational sessions so that realistic, achievable goal-setting is experienced.

November 2011 13 The Comanche Nation News

Dr. Rodney Stapp sits at his Dallas, Texas office filled with a new shipment of the N-7 NIKE shoe, which in-vented and help design. He is going over some emails he received, hav-ing conference-call meet-ings, scheduling staff and director meetings, and is answering his never-ending phone calls. Fol-lowing his meetings, he facilitates the grants and contract, sends out reports, and meets with the community for their health needs. As the CEO of the Urban Indian Center of Dallas, advocate of the N7 Air Native NIKE Shoe, a council member of the U.S Department of Labor’s Native American Employment and Train-ing, a member of the In-dian Health Service(IHS) Area Office Diabetic Workgroup and Budget Formulation Workgroup, on the IHS National Committee of the Health Promotion Disease Pre-vention Committee, a podiatrist, and a board member of the Dallas/Ft. Worth Native American Chamber of Commerce, Stapp is dedicated to the advancement and health of all Native American people.

CEO of the Urban Indian Center of Dallas With 2011 being the Urban Indian Center of Dallas (UICD) 40th year in existence, Stapp has been with the center for 13-years. He began at the center by volunteer-ing to be the podiatrist, since the center did not have one on their staff. He volunteered for a year-and-a-half. Because he had corporate man-agement experience, he began helping with the administration part of the center, being the Clinic Director for a year, the Executive Director for a year-and-a-half, and fi-nally becoming the CEO in 1998. The clinic staffs around 25-30 people, and the improvements over the 13-years he has been the CEO of the center has been a team effort, ac-cording to Stapp. The center fell on hard times in the 1990s, and management and staffing was the first ob-stacle Stapp had to tackle to make the center con-sistent. The turnover was tremendous the first two years, and he said he was not very popular during that time, but after find-ing dedicated workers that represented many Native tribes, the next step was to fine-tune the structure of the programs the clinic offered. “We had to make sure we were meeting the mission of the grants, which is to provide health care and job training, or social services to our community,” said Stapp. “Following the guide-lines of the grants is our top priority.”

The cen-ter is known for its clinic, which is its biggest con-tract and biggest grant. It is a small primary care clinic, but with the improve-ments of adding additional staff, including nurses, increasing the area to make it a one-stop health facility, it ef-ficiently serves the needs of the community. With over 30,000 Native American tribal members in the Dallas/Ft. Worth area, in which they rep-resent around 115 dif-ferent tribes, the UIDC stays busy. The center has around 4,000 active patient charts, and about 450 on its diabetic regis-try. The majority are trib-al members from Okla-homa tribes, said Stapp. “A client can come in and see one or two types of doctors, get their shots, get seen for their diabetes or hyper-tension, see the dentist, and go to the pharmacy to get their medicine and walk out all in one day, and it is free,” said Stapp. Although the costs adds up for phar-maceuticals and supplies, Stapp says their number one goal is the health of the community. The continuity of service is another one of the keys to the center’s success . Clients like see-ing the same doctor when they come in, which gives them a sense of trust and they are at ease. “That is good ser-vice,” said Stapp. The center of-fers all types of counsel-ing through the family service, which includes substance abuse, a 28 day in-patient program. They offer a food bank, help with rental assistance, and a WIA Program that offers job training. They help with getting a Gen-eral Equivalent Diploma (GED), school tuition and books, and help the client get a job when they graduate. “Out of the 34 ur-ban Indian Centers, we are the only one who has all of these in one loca-tion,” said Stapp. He said he is hap-py with the team he has put together to run the UICD. “I have an Ad-ministrator Director, a Financial Director, and a WIA Director. Every-thing I decide I let them be included. No one per-son can do the job alone. The success of the pro-gram and the center itself is due to my team.”

Saving Soles through the N7 Air Native Shoe 10 years ago, Stapp saw many patients going through the com-plications of having a toe or foot cut off linked to diabetic conditions. At

the time, around 300 dia-betics were on the UICD register, averaging five to seven people a year that were going through an amputation. Because of the income burden of many patients, many did not have the proper footwear or shoe to wear, which aggravates their diabetic condition. He said wearing dollar store shoes or second hand shoes is something dia-betics cannot do if they want to improve their foot condition. “We began buy-ing shoes for the patients out of our own pocket, and we saw an over-night improvement,” said Stapp. Being a wood-worker as a hobby, Stapp had an idea, and took NIKE Monarch the shoe and cut it in half. Next, he took an ordinary black diabetic shoe and cut that in half, too. He mea-sured inside both shoes and found out they were virtually the same. With this revolation, he put to-gether a presentation for the IHS Board to distrib-ute the low cost NIKE Monarch instead of the high dollar diabetic shoe through its diabetes grant money. He explained the cost savings of amputa-tions versus distributing the shoes. Stapp said at first it was met with a lot of resistance. After some persistence, he was al-lowed to give out the shoe to patients one time a year for a limited time to diabetic patients. “After a year and a half’s time, we saw the amputations go down from five to seven, to zero to one,” said Stapp. “We made sure they not only had a new pair of shoes, but we fitted them to make sure they were the right size, had pad-ding in the right places, and made sure calluses were taken care of, any-thing that was offending the foot was fixed,” said Stapp. On average, ac-cording to IHS, an ampu-tation runs from $70,000 to $100,000 per person. Stapp’s pitch was if he could spent up to $100 a year on these shoes, then he could save them $70,000 to $100,000 per patient and improve dia-betic patient’s feet. Stapp explained he asked if

he could begin giving out the shoe every six months, because if you wear the same shoe every day, after six months it is time to replace the shoe. IHS agreed. It was reported to NIKE about the success of the off-the-shelf shoe, and they asked Stapp if there was anything unique about the foot shape of American Indi-ans, and Stapp told him, through his clinical expe-rience, he knows Indians have a wider foot in the front, with their heels be-ing normal. NIKE, being international, has mea-sured feet from people around the globe, told Stapp they have not seen the foot measurement he was explaining to them. To prove his the-ory, NIKE put a team together, and using high tech equipment, went from Florida to Washing-ton State, measuring the feet of numerous Native Americans on reserva-tions or at Native Ameri-can conferences, and at Urban Indian Centers. The end result was 80 percent of women and men have a wider fore-foot and a normal rear-foot in the American In-dian population. They told Stapp to design a shoe that would fit the feet of Na-tive Americans, and the first year Stapp and his team worked on it, it was known as the NIKE Dia-betic Shoe. “The design team included myself, Dr. Eu-gene Dannels (Chief of Podiatry for IHS) and NIKE designers,” said Stapp. “The NIKE de-signers were responsible for the outside looks of the shoe and Dr. Dannels and I were responsible for the structural features of the shoe to make sure it was good for diabetic feet and would accom-modate the unique shape of the 80% group.” For legal reasons, it was changed to a fit-ness and wellness shoe, not a diabetic shoe. It still has the same dia-betic principals in it, but if they wanted it to be called a diabetic shoe, the FDA would have to approve it, which would have slowed it going to market for another six to eight years, and their goal was to have it out in three

years. After doing some testing, making proto-types and modifications, in September 2007, the N7 Air Native made a launch at the National Congress of American In-dians Conference. Since then, an estimated 50,000 pairs of the N7 Air Na-tive have been given out to different Native tribes. Sam Cracken, Business Director for the Native American Sales Division for NIKE, paved the way for Native tribes to gain access to NIKE products at a wholesale price, as well as market-ing the shoe to tribes. Stapp explained the shoes are considered medical equipment, and not incentives, which some tribes had a NIKE program account through.Some thought the NIKE corporation was trying to take advantage of the Native people. Stapp ex-plained the purpose The amputee rate is still zero to one a year, according to Stapp. He said they are saving around five amputations a year, but that is with the patients who were in the diabetic stage of being considered an amputee. “For the other 300 to 400 patients who were destined to go there, we have prevented them from even getting to the first step of it,” said Stapp. “It’s a huge impact dollar wise, saving the govern-ment and tribes who have their own clinics money from doing less amputa-tions, but more impor-tantly, we have more In-dians now who have two feet. That is the key to the success of the program.” The shoes are given to diabetic patients every six -months. Three years ago, they expanded the program to include diabetic family members, depending on their condi-tion, calling it a preventa-tive arm to the shoe pro-gram. If diabetes runs in their family, they are con-sidered high-risk. If they had three or more health condition indicators, such as high cholesterol, high blood pressure, they are eligible for the shoe. Research has shown, if caught in an early enough stage, making minor life-style changes such as eating right and exercis-

ing, can at the very least, postpone the onset of dia-betes by 10-years. Stapp says for a lot of people, it can postpone diabe-tes for good. Stapp says prevention was another key point to the program. They give out a lot more shoes, but it prevents pa-tients from being diabet-ic. Stapp’s observa-tion of the shoe is the patients who wear the N7 Air Native shoes had more confidence when wearing them, and they were more likely to walk more and take their medi-cation, which all doctors support. “Walking is good medicine for diabetics,” said Stapp. “Without them knowing it, they are getting more exercise, which improves their self confidence.”

IHS Boards The goal of the IHS National Commit-tee of the Health Promo-tion Disease Prevention Committee, which he is a part of, is to invent new ideas of how to prevent disease from happening. He has been on the board for seven years. Some of the early ideas that have been initiated were to take soda machines out of schools, health facili-ties, and tribal facilities. Stapp says at the UICD, they have machines that sell water and diet sodas. Another initiative was to develop a kit for school age children to combine nutrition with activity and play time. When IHS had to distribute its grant money to the grantees, Stapp sat on that committee for two years, making rec-ommendations to the Na-tional Director of IHS.

Funding Urban Indian Centers

As an urban or-ganization representa-tive, Stapp meets with a separate group that looks out for the welfare and interests of Indians living in urban areas, and a na-tional organization that is based in Washington, DC that he meets with peri-odically. Stapp explains urban Indian centers are funded differently than tribes and IHS. Urban In-dian Centers exist on set aside money at the dis-cretion of tribes and IHS. Their goal is to educate tribes to let them know their existence is not in competition with their clinics or health facili-ties, but their mission is to serve tribal members. He said some tribes are still hostile to urban orga-nizations. Although two-thirds of Indians leave reservations to live in urban areas, some tribes still want the money to come to their reserva-tions, even though their tribal members do not live there anymore. Stapp said the urban Indian cen-ters provide health care to all Indian people and

See STAPP, Page 14

Dr. Rodney Stapp dedicates his time and energy to make lives easier for diabetics and advo-cates a better future for Native tribes through governmental policy.

Man of Many TalentsFrom Creating a Shoe for Diabetics, to Writing Policies that Serves Native Tribes, Dr. Rodney Stapp is

an Advocate for All of Indian CountryStory and Photos by Jolene Schonchin/News Staff

November 2011 14 The Comanche Nation News

Ryan Blackstar, grass dancer; Melanie Motah, ladies cloth; and Reyann Norberto, ladies buckskin. The narrator of the dance performance was Ruth Toahty. Representing the City of Ft. Worth were Mayor Betsy Price, Mayor Pro Tem Zim-merman, and City Manager Tom Higgins. After an array of pre-sentations of gifts from the two city representatives, Owens spoke on behalf of the Coman-che Nation. “We honor you because you honor us, the Coman-che Nation, and the city of Ft. Worth by traveling here to be-gin this relationship of peace, understanding, and friend-ship,” said Owens. Tahmahkera spoke next about the history of Ft. Worth and its relationship with the Comanche Nation. “Ft. Worth was a mili-tary outpost built for one rea-son, to monitor the movement of my ancestors, the nomadic Comanches, known as Lords of the Plains. Many books, mov-ies, and stories have been told about the struggles between Comanches and the settlers. It was a true clash of cultures,” said Tahmahkera. “Our ances-tors sat around campfires and told young Comanches about

our history, how we came from far away. Today historians be-lieve there is a link between nomadic tribes and the people of China. Only the Great Spirit knows, but it is very possible that the people of Guiyang and Comanches are relatives.” He also added the state-ment made by his ancestor, Quanah Parker, “Comanches must learn to live in peace with all people or the Comanches will be no more” is true for all nations around the world. “From this day for-ward, the people of Guiyang are welcome in our Comanche homes,” Tahmahkera said. “We give our blessing on this relationship between the two cities to grow and last until the sun sets no more.” Dance demonstrations of ladies cloth, buckskin, men’s grass dance, men’s traditional dance, and men’s fancy dance, was the highlight to a historical event of peace and friendship between the two great cities. Ft. Worth has a total of eight Sister Cities. They are Reggio Emilia, Italy (1985); Nagaoka, Niigata, Japan (1987); Trier, Germany (1987); Bandung, Indonesia (1990); Budapest, Hungary (1990); Toluca, Mexico (1998); Mba-bane, Swaziland (2004) ; and Guiyang, China (2011).

it does not cost the tribes or an IHS facility a dime. “There is no such thing as an urban Indian,” said Stapp. “I am still Comanche. It does not matter if you drove down from the reservation or if you were born and bred in Dallas, you are still Indian.”

The Dream With the need rising at the UICD, Stapp has a floor plan of a center he would like to someday build that will ac-commodate more doctors, nurses, staff and patients. “That is a $10 million floor plan. Our goal is to go to a campus-type setting with around 10 to 20 acres,” said Stapp. The plans include a community center, similar to the tribe’s centers in Walters, Okla. and Apache, Okla. Also included is a culture center, which will be a separate build-ing from the wellness centers. The extra space could initiate more outdoor activities for the diabetes awareness program. A big, covered parking place is another goal of the new urban Indian center. The building that the UICD currently operates from is around 80-years old, accord-ing to Stapp. Any minor repairs the building needs, Stapp and his staff come in on the week-ends and to their self, due to their budget constraints. Be-cause his father was a carpen-ter, he knows home building skills, which comes in handy for the center’s upkeep. He is scouting out land within the Dallas city limit for the facility. “We have to stay in Dallas, because that is where the Indians who mostly need our services were placed in the 1950s and 1960s,” said Stapp. Being near the Dallas Area Rapid Transit stops and the city bus stops are important to the clients so they can have transportation to the center.

CHINAContinued from Page 1

Tribal Administrator, William Owens, greets the Chinese visitors in their language to begin his wel-come.

Ben Tahmahkera tells the international visitors of the Comanche history

The Mayor of Guiyang, China, Li Zaiyong, holds Corbin Swift, while taking pictures with the Comanche Na-tion Dance Troop, along with other Chinese representatives.

Location is very impor-tant, emphasized Stapp.Working with the Comanche

Nation Diabetes Program Stapp remembers when the Comanche Nation Diabetes Program started 10-years ago. He had heard of the many com-plaints of patients not being seen on time at the IHS hos-pitals, with him being a foot doctor and Comanche, Stapp thought it would be a good fit to help through the tribe’s dia-betes program. He sees patients at the Comanche Nation Diabetes Awareness Office, three days a month, and he says that is not enough. He also sees patients at the Caddo Nation once a month as well.

Department of Labor Stapp is a councilman for the Secretary of Labor. There are 18 in total who come up with policies and labor laws in Indian Country and how it is implemented, and review things for the WIA Program suchas how people are assisted with education or employment, making recommendations to the Secretary of Labor. They are also the liaison from the Secretary to the tribal office.

Working His Way Up Growing up in the Law-ton area, Stapp said his family was considered poor and the only health facility they had was the IHS. He remembers how poorly the patients were treated during that time, so on top of not having the gas for the trip to the doctor, his family did not go there to be treated. When his family moved to South Texas, he was around nine-years old. He had a full time job while attending high school and a part time job when going to college. As a high school gradu-ate, he and his wife, whom he married after high school, both tested in for a corporate job with AT&T. He said he learned a lot of things from the corpo-rate experience, because of the tremendous training. After nine years with AT&T, he went back to school to be a doctor. He was studying to be an anesthesiologist. Around that time, Stapp met a foot doctor who was treating him, and he told Stapp, knowing he was an American Indian, that being a foot doctor was the best way to help his people, and this advice

changed the d i r e c t i o n Stapp was heading. He told Stapp he may not get rich, but he would be helping his fellow tribal members. He told Stapp to think of the impact he would have if he could treat them and save their feet. With his mom being diabetic and having both of her feet

cut off, Stapp was convinced to pursue a doctorate in podiatry. He attended Georgia State University in Atlanta. He was accepted into medical school in New York City, NY. He graduated in 1997. He next did his residency in New York City at two hospitals. Since he was from Lawton, and his wife was from Texas. They settled in Dallas, Texas, which was right in the middle of their two hometowns. While attending a powwow two months after he moved to the Dallas metro-plex, he saw an information booth for the Dallas Indian Tribal Center (former name of UICD), and asked if they needed help at their facility. He began volunteering at the UICD, and the rest, as they say, is history. He says working on the administrative end is just as enjoyable as doing the medical end. “You get to have a big-ger impact and help people all over on a national level with funding and policy,” said Stapp.

Recognitions Stapp has been recog-

nized by the National Indian Health Board and the Eagle Award through the Indian Health Service. They have also been recognized by the Depart-ment of Labor for the manage-ment of the UICD, as well as the State of Texas. He says prefers to stay out of the lime light, and con-tinue to work on the projects and boards he is on.

Days Off When Stapp does have time to unwind, it is valuable to him. A former golfer and rac-quetball player, he relaxes by going to country with his fam-ily. “My hobbies will have to take the backseat until I re-tire,” said Stapp. Stapp said he believes if you want something, you have to work for it. He is living proof that with hard work and dedication; you can save lives, change lives, and touch the lives of countless people He is an icon for achieving goals, and he is proud to be Comanche.

STAPPContinued From Page 13

Dr. Stapp answers his e-mail messages at his Dallas, Texas office.

Dr. Stapp stands in front of the poster that explains the design of the N7 Air Native shoe.

Courtesy Photo

November 2011 15 The Comanche Nation News

Breast Cancer Awareness ReceptionTribal Employees Support the Fight

October is National Breast Cancer month. The Co-manche Nation Complex sup-ported Breast Cancer by asking all employees to wear pink on Oct. 7. The Association of Co-manche Employees (A.C.E.) hosted a Breast Cancer Aware-ness reception on Oct. 7, at the Comanche Nation Complex. Over 40 participants, both male and female were in attendance. Comanche Nation Chairman, Johnny Wauqua spoke to the attendees, as well as Tribal Administrator, Will Owens. The guest speaker for the event was Valerie Eschiti from the Navigation for Health program. Eschiti educated every-one on Self Awareness, detec-tion, prevention and treatment. A computerized quiz was done with discussion of each question. Participants

were encouraged to ask ques-tions which they may have concerning breast cancer. Two time breast cancer survivor and tribal employee, Georgia Gibson shared her

story about dealing with breast cancer. Gibson talked about how the cancer was detected. She told about the treatment she endured, the sickness after

radiation and chemotherapy. Gibson said through many prayers by her loved ones and her will to overcome this sickness affecting her body is what helped get her through

that time of her life. Gibson encouraged the participants to get yearly ex-ams. An array of doors priz-es were given to lucky ticket holders. Several participants learned about breast cancer and the effects it could have on individuals and their families. Each participant was provided with informational brochures and pamphlets regarding breast cancer. After the presentation there was snacks available and the crowd was able to speak with Eschiti for extra informa-tion and questions. Overall the event was a great success and very educa-tional. The Comanche Nation and A.C.E. supports the fight against breast caner.

Participants of the Breast Cancer Awareness reception pose with guest speaker Valerie Eschiti, far right, by all wearing pink showing their support Oct. 7 at the Comanche Nation Complex.

A.C.E. Officers, L. to R.: Jolene Schonchin, Sec.; B.J. Anderson, Tres.; Shandel Wesaw, P.I.O.; Donna Wahnee, Vice-Pres. A.C.E. orga-nized the Breast Cancer reception at the Comanche Nation Complex.

Two time breast cancer survivor and tribal employee Georgia Gibson tells of her battle with breast cancer.

Comanche Nation Chairman Johnny Wauqua welcomes the par-ticipants and expresses the impor-tance of Breast Cancer Awareness.

Guest speaker Valerie Eschiti speaks to the crowd about breast cancer. Eschiti answers questions and educates of self examinations and early detections of breast cancer.

Story and Photos by Paula Karty/News Staff

Photo by Jolene Schonchin/News Staff

Photo by Paula Karty/News StaffPhoto by Jolene Schonchin/News Staff

M O O N L I G H T WALK AGAINST DRUGS. The Co-manche Nation Association of Em-ployees (ACE) and several support-ers lined up the evening of Oct. 19 to walk for drug prevention aware-ness. A total of 76 participants reg-istered under the ACE walk group to show their support. On hand were the Comanche Nation Law Enforcement Officers, along with the Comanche Nation Prevention and Recovery De-partment, who had an informational booth. The first 60 participants un-der the ACE walk group received a Moonlight Walk shirt, compliments of the tribe’s alco-hol and recovery program. The walk was dedicated to Oklahoma High-way Patrolman, Nick Green, who was killed in De-cember 2003 when he caught a man making metham-phetamine on the side of a rural Cot-ton County road.