Video: White Bison group visits Sequoyah and Cherokee Nation

Tahlequah, OK

Video: White Bison group visits Sequoyah and Cherokee Nation

Mitch Walking Elk, Cheyenne/Arapaho, leads participants in their “Journey for Forgiveness” walk from the Cherokee Nation Tribal Complex in Tahlequah, Okla., to Sequoyah Schools, a boarding school, in an effort to reflect and forgive what was done to children in Indian boarding schools. (Photo by Jami Custer)

By Jami Custer
Staff Writer

TAHLEQUAH, Okla. – White Bison, an American Indian, non-profit group from Colorado, visited the Cherokee Nation and Sequoyah Schools June 4 while on its “Journey for Forgiveness” walk.

The CN and Sequoyah visit, walk and presentation was part of the group’s 40-day, 6,800-mile journey across the country visiting present and former Indian boarding schools. Sequoyah Schools is a federal Indian boarding school.

“White Bison’s mission is to have 180 Native communities in healing by the year 2010,” Don Coyhis, White Bison president, said.

The Sequoyah walk began at 8 a.m. at the Tribal Complex, and walkers traveled west to Sequoyah where a special presentation in the school’s old gym included a performance from the CN Youth Choir, a welcome from Deputy Principal Chief Joe Grayson and a speech by Coyhis regarding the organization and what it is trying to accomplish.

“The mission of this hoop journey of forgiveness is to seek to get an apology from the U.S. government for its role in boarding schools that was started out of Carlisle, Penn., in 1879,” he said. “We are visiting a number of these boarding schools creating this awareness because a lot of people don’t know of the boarding school era or what happened.”

The group plans to visit 23 boarding schools by the journey’s end before reaching its Washington, D.C., destination. Along the way, White Bison members are having individuals sign a petition asking President Barack Obama to issue a formal apology for what the U.S. government allowed to happen to Native American children in the schools.

Tahlequah-area artist Dana Tiger said for her the day meant celebration and remembrance.

“This is a day that we can celebrate because we are strong Indian people and we are together, but it is also a day to remember the past,” she said. “The past was not beautiful in many ways, the way our people were treated in many of the boarding school situations.”

Tiger said even though she didn’t attend a boarding school, she is a product of the suffering boarding schools caused.

“I didn’t go to a boarding school, yet I do know that some of the trauma issues that I had to suffer as a child were a result of my ancestors having gone to boarding school,” she said.

Coyhis said the treatment of the children who attended boarding schools are a direct result of problems with substance abuse, diabetes, parenting skills, mental health disorders and limited job and education opportunities. He said these effects continue to affect Native American individuals, families and communities.

“We are starting to see the truth about the lie coming out,” he said. “Once the truth starts to be spoken about community secrets and the things that happened in the boarding schools, then we start to see among the people an emotional response because somebody said out loud what has been previously unsayable.”

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5 Total Comments (0 Pending Approval)

6/13/2009	We agree that President Obama should apologize to the Cherokee Nation . We all need to stick together. You would think he would want to support the Cherokee Nation as he does others , even out of our country more then the USA.
steve-gwen

6/13/2009	I would like to sign that petition to have President Obama make a formal apology to the Native Nations for what the government did to the Native American children. I have watched documents ("We Shall Remain," etc.), and my heart was crushed to see how those children must have suffered when they were taken from their families and hauled off like cattle and cut off from their parents and were forced to live like the white man, even being disciplined for speaking their own languages. And the irony of it all was those white men claimed to be Christians. It is no wonder so many Native Americans refused the white man's religion. He NEVER practiced what he preached. Jesus Christ must have cried Himself. I commend the White Bison group for their endeavors. I do recall, that there was a story going around on the Internet recently, BEFORE President Obama took office, whereby, he claimed he wanted to help the Native American people. He can start with his apology. We must never allow our culture, heritage and languages to be taken away from us again. Wado, CheTan Lampasas, Texas
iamcherokee17

6/15/2009	I would love to sign that petition also if it isn't too late. But do you think the apology will happen? I hope it does. I for one am still trying to learn about my heritage and it's language. According to my Grandmother I am Cherokee and Irish with Blackfoot DNA. I was raised in the white-man's world. My heart yurns for My Native American ways of life and spiritual living. So yes...I would love to sign the petition. An apology is long overdue.
tjkalian

6/16/2009	iamcherokee this would be a good place for the U.S. to start, from there he could apolgize for the children stolen and adopted out to white families. At least the children in the "schools" had each other. Breaks my heart. "to have President Obama make a formal apology to the Native Nations for what the government did to the Native American children."
GatorSogmc

7/17/2009	Forgiveness brings healing. I have great-grandparents (born in the 1870's)who were at boarding school. Most of their experiences went with them to the grave. My grandparents(born in 1899 and 1900)and father( born 1928)escaped the experience because the families fled south in the 1890's. A formal apology for "The trail where they cried" and boarding schools is long overdue. Wado White Bison group.
john.sirmans.ctr

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