Cherokee Messenger
October 2000


CCS Monthly Meeting


The next Monthly Meeting of the Cherokee Cultural Society will be a Family Fun Night:
Potluck Supper & Item Exchange
Thursday, November 2, 2000 7:00 p.m.
Tracy Gee Community Center
3599 Westcenter (one block south of Richmond and east of the Sam Houston Tollway West Belt in Houston, Texas.)

Free admission. Meeting is open to all who are interested. Guests are eligible for the door prize awarded at the meeting. In November we are munching our way through a fun evening and "cleaning house" too!

Singles or families, you are right at home with us. Bring your potluck dish, plus a usable item that you no longer want or need. We will exchange with others at the meeting. Your item can be a duplicate of something you want to keep or just something in good condition that you no longer need - a kitchen utensil, tool, book, tape, desk gadget.

Fun Filled Family Events


Thursday, December 7:
The Annual CCS Holiday Party at Tracy Gee Community Center

Bring the wacky, wonderful "White Elephants" for roaring good fun. "Wrap them pretty", whether old straw hat or backward clock! Contact with questions: Deborah Scott, dpscott@sageways.com

Other Events & Projects


As with all pow wows and other events, double check before making travel plans; events may change unexpectedly.

See the Oklahoma Indian Times and click on "Events" for lists of pow wows in various locations.

Upcoming Culture Class


Back by popular demand is Houston's unique course on Cherokee Culture sponsored by the Cherokee Cultural Society of Houston Enjoy this exciting discovery of our rich cultural heritage as we present another Cherokee History, Mythology & Genealogy Class. Offered by Deborah Scott, Gayle Ross & Marjorie Lowe, Cherokee Nation Certified Teachers.

Saturday, December 9, 2000
10:00 a.m. to 4:45 p.m.
at the Bear Creek Library
16719 Clay Road, Houston, TX 77084
(Next to the Harris County Court House Annex)

Bring your sack lunch and enjoy a visit with others who share similar interests. Be sure to call early. Seating is limited! Information/registration contact: Barbra (B.J.) Callihan, 281-208-1751 or e-mail trbjc@fondren.com

Video Legacy


REMINDER: "Cherokees of the New Millennium - The Captured Heart and Soul of the Cherokee," an initial tape for the CCS video tape library project by CCS members, will be used for educational purposes and to leave as a cultural legacy from CCS for future generations. Tapings continue on the following dates.

Thursday, November 2, 6:00 to 7:00 p.m., at Tracy Gee Center, before the CCS meeting OR Sunday, November 12, 4:00 to 7:00 p.m., at the residence of Judith Bruni.

Contacts for questions:


New Native Organizations Plus Oldies But Goodies


The Tribal Hands United to Network and Determine Educational Resolve (THUNDER) Alliance, Inc., was initiated by American Indian students from post-secondary institutions in the State of Texas to act as a liaison between the American Indian community and the various American Indian students. Both faculty members and students are involved and all interested are invited to participate. Their mission statement is: "To nurture the path of American Indian people who choose to pursue an education, while promoting a lifestyle imbued with American Indian values and beliefs." Contact: Joe Bohanon, President, 817-545-9403/e-mail jthunder@flash.net or Lendi Williams, Vice-President-PR, 817-790-7729/e-mail lendi@mallard.com

Choctaws United for Enrichment has been established for Houston area Choctaws to develop a network for discussion of employment, education, enterprises, health and other issues. Newcomers are most welcome. Contact: Joe Bohanon, 713-528-1996 or Brenda Kidd, 713-956-7078

Cherokees and the International Space Station


Not Your Usual "Government Work"!
As Discovery, the 100th Space Shuttle launch, ascended in October, 2000, the world counted on Cherokees who played a major role in the success of its principal payload to the International Space Station. Cherokee Nation Industries produced the major truss work that was delivered to become a vital part of the station. The finely crafted parts, the Zenith-1 Truss Structure, typifies the precise work rendered by CNI employees.

"The part is really the centerpiece of the station," said Karen Martinez, a CNI employee with the project. "It contains gyroscopes that will maintain the steadiness of the space station, the heating and cooling systems and the electrical power and telecommunication lines using a KU band antenna that will be deployed after docking with the ISS."

CNI manufactured each of the nearly 100 cables that are installed onto the structure, continuing involvement in the aerospace industry from previous mission projects. (Their website is www.cnicnd.com)

Sometimes we Cherokees keep things going up, up and away!

Excerpted from an October 2, 2000 Cherokee Nation Press Release by Mike Miller, 918-456-0671, ext. 2210 / mmiller@cherokee.org

CCS Appreciation


Our CCS Appreciation to DEBORAH WYNN, Executive Director of the American Diabetes Association, Houston, for her very interesting presentation at our October 5 meeting. She brought a multitude of handouts plus the 2000 Day-by-Day Diabetes Calendar, which also includes a cookbook with plenty of helpful survival tips - great for any year.

Facts to set us in motion: Native American populations suffer this disease in greater numbers than any other single ethnic group, an upsurge that only began about 1940. Only one third of all Americans who have diabetes are aware of their illness. More people die of diabetes than from heart disease or cancer.

The ADA developed the program "Awakening the Spirit, Pathways to Diabetes Prevention and Control", which is designed especially for Native peoples. For more information contact ADA at 1-800-DIABETES (342-2383) or in Houston at 713-977-7706 or see their website.

Many are eager to participate in America's Walk for Diabetes, and in Houston it will be held in Downtown, Saturday, November 4, 2000. Be sure to lend your support in any way possible in your own city. Contact their offices or website for details.

Cultural Moments


(Courtesy of our friend Barbara Warren, of the Cherokees of California, Inc.
October 3, 1790: John Ross, destined to become one of the most famous Cherokee Chiefs, was born in Rossville, Georgia. While Ross was only one-eighth Cherokee, he spent his entire life working for the tribe.

October 1, 1969: In Ridgeville, South Carolina, Marshals turned Indian parents, and children, away from a local school. The Indians wanted to be desegregated. A court order prohibited the Indians from attending white schools.

Got Soup?


Actually we are searching for Campbell's Soup LABELS. Next time you attend a CCS meeting in Houston, bring the paper labels from any Campbell's brand of food product including soups, juices, etc. CCS is collecting the labels for the Bacone College in Muskogee, Oklahoma. Bacone borrowed 30,000 Campbell Soup labels from the Murrow Indian School in order to obtain a much needed van before the cost of the vehicle increased. They now have to repay the labels. For more questions, please contact Marjorie Lowe, hunter@hal-pc.org. She has a box ready to fill at the next meeting! Check the Bacone website for more news.

Vote


Tuesday, November 7, 2000!
It is your day to express yourself. Use the democracy we have and remember the issues that impact our lives.

Purpose


The purpose of the Cherokee Cultural Society of Houston is to build community, to preserve Cherokee heritage, to perpetuate the Cherokee culture, and to build the future of our people. CCS, an independent Houston-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization established in 1992, is not affiliated with any other Native American Indian organization. CCS membership is open to all who are interested. Contact us for details: vhenrichs@earthlink.net
Copyright © The Cherokee Cultural Society of Houston