S.C.A.T. ANNUAL MEETING TO BE IN APRIL
In March the Shawnee County Allied Tribes will have its regular monthly meeting on Monday evening, Mar. 12,
at the Highland Park United Methodist Church (located at 29th and Michigan in southeast Topeka). The board
will meet at 6:30 p.m. with the general meeting following at 7:30 p.m. Any interested persons are welcome to
attend.
In April S.C.A.T. will have its Annual Business Meeting on Monday evening, Apr. 9, at the church. It will
begin with a carry-in meal at 6:30 p.m. The business session will follow and will include the election of
board members and board officers. Any persons who are interested in S.C.A.T. activities or who would like to
become a S.C.A.T. member are invited to attend.
VESTINA NONKIN IS HONORED
Vestina Nonkin, of the Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation, was recently inducted into the Jackson County Chamber
of Commerce Hall of Fame. She was honored on Thursday, Feb. 16, 2007, for her work in the community with
Jackson County residents and Prairie Band tribal members. Agnes McKinney and Glenda Stenger, both S.C.A.T.
members, attended the special dinner that was held at the Evangel United Methodist Church in Holton.
STANDING BEAR ACTIVITIES
• Mar. 8 – Standing Bear will present a program at Cap City School in Topeka.
• Mar. 30 – Standing Bear will participate in a community celebration in Havensville that will involve area
school children.
• Apr. 22 -- Standing Bear will be participating in Sunday worship at the Highland Park United Methodist
Church in Topeka.
• Apr. 29 – Standing Bear will be participating in Sunday worship at the St. Mark’s United Methodist Church
in Kansas City.
• Standing Bear continues to meet for drumming and singing and business on Wednesday evenings at 7:00 p.m.
at the Highland Park United Methodist Church in Topeka.
REMEMBERING THOSE WHO HAVE HEALTH PROBLEMS
We want to remember the following persons who are currently experiencing problems with their health: B.J.
Schirmer, Angel Shopteese, Gerald Vilander, Ed Perry and Kristy Diaz.
COOKBOOKS STILL AVAILABLE
S.C.A.T. still has copies of its cookbook that are available. They were published about two years ago and
contain recipes that were gathered by the members and friends of S.C.A.T. If you would like to have one for
yourself, or to purchase one as a gift for someone else, you may contact Hildred Vilander.
AWI AKTA NEWS
The Awi Akta Chapter of the Northern Cherokee continues to meet on the second Sunday afternoon of each month.
In March the meeting will be on Mar. 11 at the Holton United Methodist Church at 1:00 p.m. In April the
meeting will be on Apr. 15, at the Red Rock Ranch near Soldier, Kansas. For more information about meetings
and activities you may visit the Awi Akta Web Site at http://www.awiakta.org.
PRAIRIE BAND POTAWATOMI NATION WINS COURT DECISION
On February 6, the 10th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals issued a decision upholding and protecting the use of
the Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation’s motor vehicle registrations anywhere in Kansas. The Court held that the
Nation’s registrations must be permitted in Kansas in the same manner as registrations issued by other
governments.
“This is an important federal court decision supporting the sovereign governmental functions of Indian
nations,” said Tracy Stanhoff, Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation Tribal Chair. “However, it is unfortunate that
it has taken seven years of litigation in order for the Nation’s sovereign rights to be recognized.”
“We are hopeful that tribal-state relations can be improved,” said Stanhoff. “State and tribal governments
have many interests in common. All of us are seeking to govern in ways that improve the quality of life for
our people and our communities. We would like to work more cooperatively with Governor Sebelius to
accomplish this.”
PLANS APPROVED FOR NEW INDIAN CENTER
Plans for a $135 million American Indian Museum to be built in Oklahoma City have been approved. The museum
will incorporate the natural elements of earth, wind and fire, and will include stones from the states where
tribes once lived before they were forced to walk to Oklahoma during what became known as the Trail of Tears.
The design includes large halls that will be full of exhibits, sweeping promenades and courtyards honoring
the 39 federally recognized tribes in Oklahoma. The first phase of construction is expected to be completed
in 2009. Moneys for the project will come from a combination of state, federal and city funds.
BOOKS DEALING WITH NATIVE AMERICAN CONCERNS
The following books deal with Native American concerns and issues, and may be of interest to you. I found
them at a local Topeka book store and thought they looked to be of interest. I even purchased a couple of
them.
Don Anderson
“Walking on the Wind: Cherokee Teachings for Harmony and Balance” by Michael Garrett. This is a book of
stories for all ages that seeks to teach us how to see the beauty in everyday life and how to find a sense of
peace in a confusing world. Garrett draws upon the ancient wisdom teachings of the medicine elders of the
Cherokee tradition.
“Wisdomkeepers: Meetings With Native American Spiritual Elders” by Steve Wall and Harvey Arden. This book
takes a spirit-filled journey into the lives, minds, and natural-world philosophy of Native American
spiritual elders. These men and women share their thoughts and feelings, their dreams and visions, and their
humanity, as they look at today’s world through ancient eyes and with ancient wisdom.
“The Unquiet Grave: The FBI and the Struggle for the Soul of Indian Country” by Steve Hendricks. This book
looks at the hostility that has existed between governmental agencies (including the FBI) and American Indian
activists. It shows how this hostility has led to the violation of the basic rights of native people.
“Meditations With the Cherokee” by J.T. Garrett. This book seeks to help us once again find our
inter-connectedness with the natural world. It shows how we can have a healthy relationship with the
creatures and the plants that are a part of the universal web of life. Through this vast Circle of Life we
can find our way back to our natural inner spirits.
If anyone finds a book that they think our readers would be interested in, and that deals with Native
American culture, history, or values, please let us know. We are always interested in passing such
information along.
Pushing the Bear: A novel of the Trail of Tears by Diane Glancy
Reviewed by Bobbie Anderson
I enjoy reading historical fiction and this book is well written. I feel like I am a part of the family
group, not just an observer. The story begins with Maritole, a young Cherokee mother, on her farm that is
worked by her husband, Knobowtee. Soldiers turn in, on their path, one morning and make them go with others
they were rounding up to trek to Indian Territory.
Bit by bit the information of treaties, signers, historical moments filter into the story naturally – in
conversation and insights, as the family members, neighbors and soldiers make their way 900 miles west from
North Carolina to Oklahoma from October 1838 to February 1839.
I am amazed at the even handling of a very difficult experience – soldier, Cherokee and settler are portrayed
as real people with hopes, fears, depression and dreams. I found insights into a way of life where women
owned the land, into a time of westward expansion, of a people who respect others much more than the
immigrants did.
I strongly recommend this easy to read and interesting story!
INDIAN TACO SALE
The Sullivan Chapel Indian Methodist Church will have an Indian Taco Sale on March 2 from 11:00 a.m. to 4:00
p.m.
AWARDS PRESENTED TO NATIVE AMERICAN ACTIVISTSR
The University of Colorado at Boulder’s Center of the American West recently presented its highest honor, the
Wallace Stegner Award to John Echohawk (Pawnee) and Billy Frank, Jr. (Nisqually). Echohawk is the executive
director of the Native American Rights Fund (NARF) and one of the nation’s most distinguished lawyers. Frank
led many battles in the 1960s and ‘70s to secure Native fishing rights in the Pacific Northwest and is
chairman of the Northwest Indian Fisheries Commission.
YOU CAN HELP WITH THE NEWSLETTER
We would like to invite our readers to help us with the newsletter that comes out every other
month. If you happen to read or hear or learn of something that you think would be of interest to
those who receive this newsletter, please let us know by e-mail (revdona@yahoo.com) or by phone or
by regular mail. There are many things happening in this area (or beyond) that are of interest to
Indian peoples, and we would like to be able to share that information with each other. So, keep
in touch with us and we will keep providing a newsletter that people enjoy reading.
Those who are currently working on the newsletter are:
• Hildred Vilander
• Agnes McKinney
• Don Anderson
We will be glad to hear from you.
SHAWNEE COUNTY ALLIED TRIBES
P.O. Box 750284
Topeka, Kansas 66675-0284
President: Hildred Vilander
Secretary: Don Anderson
Treasurer: Mike Ballard
Editors: Hildred Vilander
Don Anderson