Fifth Native American Day celebrated in Tulsa, around the world
TULSA, Okla. (KTUL) — The customs of dozens of tribes that make up Oklahoma put on display for the world to see.
"Last year we had worldwide watchers from Australia, and Scotland, and Great Britain. We were pretty lucky that our reach is a little broader," said Cheryl Cohenour.
Cohenour, Chair of the Greater Tulsa Area Indian Affairs Committee, says while she's disappointed the delta variant canceled their in-person event plans for this year, it was a prudent step to take after the devastation the virus has caused in tribal communities.
"Native Americans and people of color are 39% more likely to die of COVID once they get it. So we thought it was best to pull back and go virtual," she said.
This year's theme is "Rise to Resilience", and in the face of this pandemic, that is what was highlighted.
"Tribes have emerged as leaders in COVID-19 recovery and administering vaccinations. The Indian Health Service - Oklahoma City area office praised our work recently, praising our tribal nations have administered more than 350,000 COVID vaccinations," said Cherokee Nation Principal Chief Chuck Hoskin Jr. in a recorded speech.
Chief Hoskin took part of his time today to address efforts to roll back the McGirt ruling.
"The state of Oklahoma has illegally acted outside of its jurisdiction in prosecuting cases on our land. Let me be clear, we will not stand for this governor nor the Oklahoma attorney general destroying our reservations in an attempt to overturn McGirt," he said.
The main goal of today is to make Native American contributions visible to all.
"As we come together to celebrate Native American Day, it is important to recognize that we are still here because our ancestors were resilient," said Joseph Byrd with the Quapaw Nation.
Cohenour hopes that isn't just reserved for one day a year.
"We should look at it every day and we should be thankful that we have these good tribes that do good things for the communities in which they live."
You can watch the broadcast by clicking here.