Native OK 2/15 Weekly Newsletter

Lake Sun Leader Provided photo

Acquisition More than Doubles the Size of Ocmulgee Mounds National Historical Park

Sacred Muskogean ancestral land threatened with incompatible development protected with Land and Water Conservation Fund and private funding

MACON, Ga. (Feb. 9, 2022)—The Muscogee (Creek) Nation, National Park Service, Ocmulgee National Park and Preserve Initiative, National Park Foundation, and the Open Space Institute (OSI) announced today a historic addition to the Ocmulgee Mounds National Historical Park (Park). The property more than doubles the size of the park and provides additional protection for some of the most significant prehistoric Indigenous mounds in North America. (See map and photos: https://openspaceinstitute.canto.com/s/JJVOA?viewIndex=0.)

The newly protected 951-acre property is located adjacent to the park and inside the city limits of Macon. The property was under threat of incompatible industrial development before OSI negotiated a deal to purchase the land in 2021. The project is the result of a major expansion of the park in 2019, quadrupling the authorized boundary from 701 acres to more than 3,000 acres, setting the stage to expand a unique urban park that tells the story of 17,000 years of continuous human habitation of the Ocmulgee basin.

With the protection of the property, 906 acres will be immediately transferred to the National Park Service (NPS) as an addition to the park. Meanwhile, the remaining 45 acres will be transferred to the Ocmulgee Land Trust, which will hold the land while wetlands restoration occurs, and then donate it to the NPS. The Open Space Institute negotiated the contracts and managed the transactions until transfer to NPS and Ocmulgee Land Trust.

The newly acquired property is located to the east of the previous park boundary and situated within the “Ocmulgee Old Fields,” also known as the Macon Reserve, a three-by-five-mile site revered as a sacred place to Muskogean people. The Ocmulgee Old Fields-Macon Reserve is comprised of lands specifically retained by the Muscogee (Creek) Nation from 1805 until the 1826 Treaty of Washington, which in addition to other treaties culminated in removing the Muskogean people from their ancestral home to present-day Oklahoma.

“This additional property includes some of our most important unprotected ancestral lands. The Muscogee (Creek) Nation have a long-standing history of preserving the Ocmulgee Old Fields-Macon Reserve. We have never forgotten where we came from and the lands around the Ocmulgee River will always and forever be our ancestral homeland, a place we consider sacred and a place with rich cultural history,” said David Hill, principal chief of the Muscogee (Creek) Nation.

“It is our solemn duty and honor to protect our nation’s most significant lands. It’s even more critical that we work collaboratively with Tribal nations to ensure proper conservation and access. The National Park Service will continue to work with willing sellers to preserve the culturally significant land associated with the Ocmulgee Old Fields,” said National Park Service Director Chuck Sams.

“Our gratitude to all who worked on one of the most significant projects in Middle Georgia’s and our country’s history is hard to put into words,” said Chris Sheridan, board president of the Ocmulgee National Park and Preserve Initiative. “To the landowners and partners who want to see their land put to its highest and best use, and to the donors whose farsightedness and generosity are unmatched, the stewards of these sacred lands we call home are forever grateful.”

“This addition to Ocmulgee Mounds National Historical Park demonstrates the importance of collaboration between the National Park Service, Tribal governments, and other partners,” said Will Shafroth, president and CEO of the National Park Foundation. “The National Park Foundation is committed to the collective effort to preserve this land that honors and expands our understanding of the past and present contributions of the Muskogean people.”

“OSI is proud of our role in the protection and expansion of Ocmulgee Mounds National Historical Park,” said Kim Elliman, president and CEO of OSI. “This land is incredibly special, holding history dating back thousands of years. With this transaction, we are ensuring its permanent protection and acknowledging the Muscogee (Creek) Nation’s historic and ancestral connection to this hallowed place.”

The park contains some of the most significant Native American mounds in North America and was the largest single archeological excavation in American history, producing more than two million artifacts, in the 1930s. The park’s striking mounds are marvels of highly skilled Indigenous engineering, that today constitute one of America’s most important cultural landscapes. Seven of the mounds can be found at the park, including the 55-foot-high Great Temple Mound, located on a high bluff overlooking the floodplain of the Ocmulgee River. The Muskogean people who built these mounds spoke unique dialects reflecting lingual divergence from other tribes more than 3,000 years ago, making Muskogean — which is still spoken today — the only truly native southeastern language.

The conservation project was funded by the NPS using Land and Water Conservation Funds, Knobloch Family Foundation through a grant to OSI, Peyton Anderson Foundation through a grant to the Ocmulgee National Park and Preserve Initiative, and the National Park Foundation.

Efforts to protect the park would not be possible without the partnership of the Ocmulgee Land Trust, National Parks Conservation Association, The Nature Conservancy, and Georgia Conservancy.

The newly acquired land will initially be closed to the public as the NPS develops a management plan to identify effective ways to preserve the integrity and interpret the site, while also providing access to it. The NPS will invite public involvement in planning for the site.

CPN Behavioral Health Department plans for 2022 expansion

By Mary Leaver, Citizen Potawatomi Nation Public Information Department

More health care providers should begin to focus on behavioral health treatment for their patients, according to a 2021 report from the American Psychological Association. The Monitor on Psychology report said Americans have been profoundly impacted by the ongoing pandemic, political conflict, economic downturn and other factors, which could yield serious health and social consequences for years to come.

Citizen Potawatomi Nation Health Services seeks to extend its offerings as well. As behavioral health becomes a bigger part of whole patient care, CPNHS patients will soon benefit from the construction of a new facility.

The U.S. Indian Health Service awarded $2 million to the CPN behavioral health department to build a 6,700 square foot clinic. The federal grant program is intended to help tribal nations construct, expand or modernize facilities.

“CPNHS has been very blessed,” said Dr. Adam Vascellaro, CPNHS director. “This award from IHS is the first one of its kind we’ve ever received. It says that we’ve matured enough as a health service to be able to qualify. We have 20,000 users and 10,000 active patients. There has been a lot of demand for behavioral health due to COVID, lockdowns, ill family members and personal illness. It’s been challenging.”

“Most behavioral health and substance use disorder programs I’ve visited around Oklahoma and the U.S. are housed in old or outdated buildings, often not designed with the unique needs of our patients in mind,” said Dr. Ryan Adams, CPNHS behavioral health coordinator and staff psychiatrist. “While our current building has served us well for many years, CPNHS patients will be excited to see that CPN values and is prioritizing behavioral health and substance use disorder treatment by constructing a brand new building designed from the ground up to serve the needs of our patients.”

The current clinic is 4,300 square feet with care provided by eight professional staff, including one psychiatrist, three psychologists and five counselors. The new building is expected to house more providers, therapy rooms, a larger space for group therapy and a planned observation deck.

“Our staff will have the space and resources necessary to affect their assessments and treatment modalities to the fullest degree since the building is being designed with those services in mind,” Adams said. “After growing in our current building to the point we had to repurpose so many areas, we are planning to once again have a dedicated conference room where we can come together to collaborate on cases, team build and help each other grow through educational events.”

Adams said while they haven’t finalized the specific treatment services that will be offered in the new building, the potential to add new services is great and will likely include bringing in additional providers and staff.

The Nation is one of the few behavioral health providers in Pottawatomie County, with more than half of the patients residing in the Shawnee and Tecumseh areas. The current waiting period to be seen by a provider averages two months. A larger facility will help the Nation provide quicker access to care, long-term patient monitoring and increased engagement for existing patients.

In a state hit hard by the ongoing coronavirus pandemic and other challenges, Adams said he believes access to behavioral health services will continue to be necessary. Current CPN patients have been adversely impacted by financial or employment-related challenges; healthcare or illness; and many other stressors.

“Demand for behavioral health and substance use disorder services will continue to grow in the coming years,” Adams said. “As long as there is stress in the world, there will be a need for good, caring providers who can help people manage them.”

Recruiting providers to rural Oklahoma can be difficult for health care systems, Vascellaro said. Something as simple as offering new or updated facilities can help.

“Tribal health care facilities face challenges trying to recruit and retain providers, the turnover rate can be high, If we can deliver more comfortable care, so many little things matter,” Vascellaro said.

CPN applied for the federal funds in 2020. In fiscal year 2020, IHS awarded a total of $25 million to qualified applicants. The Nation received the maximum award amount of $2 million.

Applicants had to demonstrate their need for the project, capacity to deliver services and construction capability as well as its own financial contribution. On Nov. 12, 2020, the Nation’s legislature approved a contribution of $275,000 toward the project, bringing the total estimated project value to more than $2.2 million.

Once construction begins, it is scheduled to be completed within 24 months. The land for the facility sits only a half mile from the CPN East Clinic.

CPN integrates behavioral health into a patient’s primary care in order to support physical, emotional and mental well-being. Primary care providers often refer their patients to behavioral health, while many other patients are self-referred. The Nation’s behavioral health department offers patient-centered and cultural-based assessments and evaluations; evidence-based therapeutic services to individuals, couples and families; group therapy; medication evaluation and management; and crisis interventions to Indigenous people living in the area.

The Citizen Potawatomi Nation Behavioral Health Department is accredited through the Association for Ambulatory Health Care. Read more at cpn.news/CPNBH.

A photo with the Osage Agency Superintendent, employees and Osages, circa 1875. Courtesy Photo/Oklahoma Historical Society website

Osage Nation to seek input on sesquicentennial

OSAGE RESERVATION – The year 2022 marks the sesquicentennial, or 150th year, of the Osage removal from Kansas to the present-day Osage Reservation. The sesquicentennial planning committee has chosen Saturday, Oct. 22, as the commemoration date, according to a news release.

The planning committee consists of Osage Nation Historic Preservation Officer Andrea Hunter, Language Department Director Vann Bighorse, Wahzhazhe Cultural Center Director Addie Hudgins, Museum Director Marla Redcorn-Miller and Human Resources Generalist Jane Perrier. Perrier has been instrumental in past Osage Nation Sovereignty Day events.

Deputy Director of Operations James Weigant is serving as committee facilitator with the Osage Nation Communications Department, supporting event planning and promotions. The committee will seek input from Osage Nation constituents to help shape event details. As planning progresses, the committee will present all plans to the Osage Nation Cultural Advisory Committee for review.

“We’re excited to continue planning for this celebratory event,” Weigant said. “There are so many things to consider and we want to make sure that all Osages are able to provide input while plans continue moving forward.”

The Osage constituent feedback form is available at osagenation-nsn.gov and osageculture.com.

James Coody Johnson (1864-1927)

Black History Month in Native Oklahoma

James Coody Johnson

(1864-1927)

James Coody Johnson was born in 1864 to Elizabeth Davis and an African Creek named Robert Johnson.

Robert acted as an interpreter for the Seminoles in their dealings with the federal government. For this reason, the Johnsons lived in the Seminole Nation following the war and James Coody Johnson, who went by Coody, attended the Ramsey Mission School north of Wewoka.

Coody was a good student, so the Seminoles paid his tuition to attend Lincoln University in Pennsylvania. This school was the first historically black college in the nation, established in 1854, and had changed its name to Lincoln, in honor of the Great Emancipator, in 1866. Coody Johnson graduated from Lincoln in 1884.

Johnson returned to Indian Territory and worked for a time as a cowboy for a ranch that ran cattle in Texas, New Mexico and Arizona. But when Robert, his father, died in 1886, Johnson returned home to help care for his mother and siblings.

Because he was bilingual, Johnson was hired as an interpreter at the federal court in Fort Smith. This gave him the opportunity to study the law, and he was admitted to practice before the federal courts.

Johnson had dual citizenship among the Creeks and the Seminoles and was often called upon to advise the political leaders in both tribes. He became an outspoken advocate for full citizenship and legal rights for Creek and Seminole freedmen and continued after Oklahoma statehood to oppose segregation and push for equal rights for blacks.

He practiced law in Wewoka, OK and pursued a number of business endeavors. He died in 1927, but his presence is felt in Wewoka where his office building, today known as the J. Coody Johnson Building, stands and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Located at 124 N. Wewoka