Lori Enlow: The Gift of Life
L Despite my best efforts and self-awareness, my mind will still sometimes take a word and then pop-up a stereotype. A quick image in my mind of what X should look like. When you hear the words “ultra-marathoner” and “endurance athlete,” what do YOU think of? My friend Lori Enlow has forever changed those words […]
Candessa Tehee: From the Inside, Out
C In previous posts about Julie Reed and Melissa Lewis, I’ve made reference to a group of Cherokee educators and scholars that are collectively listed at Think Tsalagi and given the name ᏗᎦᏓᏤᎵᎢ (digadatseli’i) by the late Cherokee elder Benny Smith, meaning “we all belong together” – as in, we are actively caring for or […]
Greg Bigler: Screw Shoes
G 2020 was full of sadness and grief, but it also brought the joy of reconnecting in a meaningful way with my old friend Greg Bigler. Here I use “old” both in terms of the time we’ve known each other and the fact that he’s sort of an elder now, at least in the Indian […]
Dora Smith Patzkowski: Small Steps, Big Strides
D For the most part (with noted exceptions), Cherokee people are incredibly positive. I find this elsewhere around Indian country as well. Communities full of people that for many generations, have every reason to get down on life, but they still focus on the positive and enjoy a deep belly laugh regularly. Resiliency is a […]
LaNice Dorlac: Victim to Victor
LaNice Dorlac (Cherokee Nation) | Age 22 | Hometown: Tahlequah In 2013, I met LaNice. At that time, she was one of the fiercest 15 year olds I have ever encountered. I had the good fortune to judge the Junior Miss Cherokee competition when she was crowned and instantly fell in love with her in […]
Mike Stewart: Choices
Michael Stewart (Choctaw Nation) | Age 48 | Lawrence, KS Although this a blog was created with Indigenous women in mind, we will include men’s health stories as well, especially if there’s a special tie. In this post, I introduce Mike Stewart: my ex-husband and the father of my son. He’s the only person to […]
Corey Upchurch Johnson: Damn Ticks
Corey Upchurch Johnson | Age 48 | Wagoner, OK You know those friends that just get you? The kind of friend that you can go years without seeing, and then pick right up as if you just saw them last week? I’m blessed with several of those kind of friends and I hope that in […]
Daniel Schlittler: Finding Your Medicine
Daniel Schlittler (Cherokee Nation) | Age 41 | Alajuela, Costa Rica For the next health story, I’d like to introduce you to Dan, the first member of my family to willingly agree to be featured on this blog (as opposed to my parents, son and husband, who get dragged in to prove my points, for […]
Gabe Galanda: Everything Changes
Gabe Galanda (Round Valley – Nomlaki/Concow | Age 44 | Seattle, WA Health stories have different origins, motivations, paths. If we are lucky, being deliberate about our own physcial, mental and spiritial health will lead to one shared outcome: living longer, fuller lives. If that happens, the higher the likelihood we will help our communities […]
Not Andrew Jackson’s Tennessee
My 12 year old son is a history buff, but a Cherokee/Choctaw one. After riding along (in a car) on a thousand mile journey following the Cherokee Nation Remember the Removal riders from New Echota, Georgia to Tahlequah, Oklahoma back in 2016, he became obsessed with Andrew Jackson and his wicked ways. Every time he […]