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Gaylord News is a reporting project of the University of Oklahoma Gaylord College of Journalism and Mass Communication

Gaylord News

Gaylord News is a reporting project of the University of Oklahoma Gaylord College of Journalism and Mass Communication

Gaylord News

Gaylord News is a reporting project of the University of Oklahoma Gaylord College of Journalism and Mass Communication

Gaylord News

Citizen Potawatomi Community Development Corporation Building

“Access to capital”: Oklahoma tribes are recipients of federal money to help tribal small businesses

Dacoda McDowell-Wahpekeche June 28, 2023

WASHINGTON – Three Oklahoma tribal nations will receive almost half the initial funding from a new small business initiative from the Biden-Harris Administration announced this week. The Osage, Chickasaw...

Gordon Yellowman is one of Four Principal Chiefs for the Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes. Yellowman is also a father, husband, administrator, artist, educator, historian, and community leader. (Photo provided)

Cheyenne chief discusses heritage, resiliency

KaraLee Langford and Brooklyn Wayland May 19, 2021

NORMAN — A chief for the Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes spoke on the Gaylord News “Survive & Thrive” podcast about the impact the COVID-19 pandemic has had on Indigenous communities. “I strongly...

Jacob Keyes, a member of the Iowa Nation, owns and operates SkyDance Brewing Co. in Oklahoma City. It's a dream Keyes and his late father shared. (Photo courtesy Jacob Keyes)

Iowa Nation member to expand first Native-owned brewery

Jazz M. Wolfe, Reporter May 10, 2021

Oklahoma’s first Native American-owned brewing company, inspired by the recipes of the owner’s father, will open an independent location this summer. Jacob Keyes, a member of the Iowa Nation, opened...

The decision by leaders of the Muscogee (Creek) Nation to rebrand the tribe's name without "Creek" has not been unanimously received. Keegan Williams / Gaylord News.

Muscogee Nation drops colonial era name

Keegan Williams, Reporter May 5, 2021

Tribal leaders of the Muscogee (Creek) Nation say they are dropping “Creek” from its name as part of a rebranding effort. But members of the nation are not all on board with the change, and some...

Run the land: Native women across the U.S. take to the roads and trails

Joseph Perez, Reporter April 29, 2021

TUCSON — “Getting lost is the best part of trail running,” Marlinda Bedonie said with a chuckle as we shielded our eyes from the morning sun, searching for our cars. We spoke on a recent morning...

Cherokee Ballard has been the communications manager for Oklahoma Natural Gas since 2011. Her career spans a variety of experiences as a journalist, Cherokee Nation leader, nonprofit advocate and cancer survivor. (Photo provided)

Native advocate talks “new normal” after loss, pandemic

KaraLee Langford and Brooklyn Wayland April 28, 2021

NORMAN — The communications manager for Oklahoma Natural Gas said she is still adjusting to a “new normal” after both her husband’s death and the COVID-19 pandemic altered her life dramatically. “It’s...

Chickasaw Nation vital to success of Oklahoma vaccination rate

Emma Sears, Reporter April 5, 2021

NORMAN — Oklahoma has one of the best vaccination rates in the U.S., and the state's Native American tribes have contributed to this success. Across America, more than 100 million doses of the COVID-19...

The Cheyenne and Arapaho Language Department staff: Left to right, back row: Carol Whiteskunk, Jazmine Johnson, Michael Elizondo, Brendan Haag and James Sleeper; Left to right, front row: Regina Youngbear, Rebecca Risenhoover, Shaynna Walker and Michelle Johnston.

Tribal nations ramp up, reflect on language preservation efforts after American Rescue Plan allocation

Nancy Marie Spears, Reporter March 30, 2021

Justin Neely, director of language for the Citizen Potawatomi Nation, grew up among elders who told him that if the Potawatomi language is lost, so are the Potawatomi people. Now, the tribal elders...

A Choctaw language lesson. Photo by the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma.

Oklahoma tribes making plans to use American Rescue Plan funds in Native language programs

Nancy Marie Spears, Reporter March 30, 2021

Tribal leaders across Oklahoma say they are looking forward to seeing how American Rescue Plan funds for language preservation are distributed. “We could use the money, whether it be making more programming...

Source: Oklahoma Department of Transportation and U.S. Bureau of Land Management

Economic impact of tribes increases substantially as tribes anticipate future economic relief

Kaitlyn Deggs, Reporter March 29, 2021

The economic impact of the tribes in Oklahoma has increased substantially during the past few years, and funds from the American Rescue Plan are only going to continue this trend. The Oklahoma Native...

Arizona National Guard Spc. Paige Curtiss speaks with a COVID-19 patient at an alternate care facility on the Navajo Nation in Chinle in this June photo. The Navajo Nation was hit hard by the coronavirus, with some of the highest infection rates in the country at one point. (Photo by Tech. Sgt. Michael Matkin/National Guard).

Tribes welcome COVID-19 relief funds, say deep-rooted problems remain

Molly Hudson, Reporter March 25, 2021

WASHINGTON — Advocates said the billions in aid slated for Native Americans under the latest COVID-19 relief bill is welcome, but they told a House committee that a one-shot infusion will not solve all...

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi speaks at dedication of Chief Standing Bear statue in Statuary Hall of the U.S. Capitol.

Native Americans to receive record funding from American Rescue Plan

Joseph Tomlinson and Libbey Dean March 18, 2021

WASHINGTON — Oklahoma tribes are both hopeful and anxious as they wait for the funds and spending rules from the American Rescue Plan that President Biden signed last week. Native American tribes...

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