Copyright © 2006 NLThomas
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News from the Cherokee Nation, OK
Copyright © 2006 CNO
TAHLEQUAH, OKLAHOMA - Fresh from its performance at worship services in the Washington National Cathedral in Washington, D.C., the Cherokee National Youth Choir will perform on Saturday, March 11, 2006 at the Tulsa City/County Library.
The Cherokee National Youth Choir 
The choir will perform under the direction of Mary Kay Henderson during the annual American Indian Festival of Words awards ceremony, which this year honors former Cherokee Nation Principal Chief Wilma Mankiller. Mankiller will receive the Circle of Honor Award for her achievements and contributions toward improving the lives of native Americans and preserving native American culture. The performance will begin at 11 a.m. at Tulsa’s Central Library, Fourth Street and Denver Avenue.
“These children show the strength of Cherokee culture by continuing to sing our songs that have survived for hundreds of years. We truly appreciate their talents, and it is good to see them get recognition on a national level,” said Chad Smith, Principal Chief of the Cherokee Nation.
The 2006 Cherokee National Youth Choir consists of 44 students, between sixth and ninth grades, who live within the 14-county jurisdiction of the Cherokee Nation. The choir, founded in 2000 by Chief Smith as a way to involve children in the perpetuation of Cherokee language and culture, performs traditional Cherokee songs in the Cherokee language to demonstrate that Cherokee language and culture not only exist but thrive in today’s world.
“The Oklahoma Centennial Celebration for the State of Oklahoma will be celebrated this fall, and we want to make sure Cherokee voices and Cherokee perspectives are heard during this important event. We will be composing and performing music specifically intended for this celebration,” said Henderson. “This year we also hope choir members can achieve more visibility in their respective communities, and we want them to perform in parades and at community events and meetings. Small groups of choir members live in Tahlequah, Stilwell and Locust Grove, for example.”
The choir’s popularity has been spurred over the last few years by high-profile public performances across the nation, including appearances last year at the White House, where the singers were introduced by President Bush, and at the Crazy Horse National Monument in the Black Hills near Custer, South Dakota, where they performed before other young native Americans to demonstrate their musical talents as well as their leadership abilities. Other performances have occurred at Ground Zero in New York City, at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C., and at Dollywood in Pigeon Ford, Tennessee.
The choir has produced four CDs, one of which features two-time Grammy® Award winner Rita Coolidge, and has won two Native American Music Awards (NAMMYs) for “Best Gospel Christian Recording” in 2002 and 2003.
This year’s roster of choir members includes Daniel Bunch, Laura Bunch, Haley Hunt, Ashley Miller, Jamie Nakedhead, Isaiah Soap, Shandi Still, Megan Taylor, Alix Watkins and Amie Watkins of Stilwell; Julia Byrd, Candice Byrd, Sarah Gammon, Todd Hutchinson, Kinsey Shade and Corey Still of Tahlequah; Angela Chuculate, Richard Chuculate and Jake Whitener of Hulbert; Shannah Cobb of Vian; Sara Downey and Jesse Wilkins of Adair; Cassie Dry and Chelsey DuVall of Woodall; Alyssa Fields, Shannon Henson, Kayla Standingwater, Autumn Vaughn and Summer Vaughn of Locust Grove; Mikah Glass, Ryan Sierra, Feather Smith, Lucinda Witte and Jessica Williams of Sequoyah; Christina Hanvey and Larod Snyder of Westville; Breanna Olaya, Jacque Sequichie, Anaweg Smith and Meaghan Williams of Briggs; Josh Smith of Keys; Sara Tanner of Grove; Elizabeth Thomas of Broken Arrow (Centennial Middle School); and Morgan Pearce (home schooled).
For more information on the choir or to request that a group of choir members perform at community events, contact Kathy Sierra, assistant, Cherokee National Youth Choir, phone: 918-453-5618.
| Related Cherokee Nation contact information: |
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Mike Miller, Cherokee Nation Director of Communications Phone: 918-456-0671 (ext.2210) Fax: 918-458-5580 E-mail: Communications@cherokee.org
Larry Daugherty, Advertising Manager |
Steven Swogger, Agriculture Liaison Natural Resources Department Phone: 918-456-0671 (ext.2546) FAX: 918-458-7673 E-mail: sswogger@cherokee.org
Bradley D. Peak, Cherokee Nation |