Native American United

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Today My Brithday No body wish me !šŸ˜‘šŸ„¹
04/29/2026

Today My Brithday No body wish me !šŸ˜‘šŸ„¹

Many great stories from southwest Oklahoma came from the award-winning journalist Paul McClung. They were wonderfully w...
04/29/2026

Many great stories from southwest Oklahoma came from the award-winning journalist Paul McClung. They were wonderfully written and published in the Lawton Constitution.
Of the well-known Comanche George Smith "Woogie" Watchetaker, Paul had written the following about him in 1966:

"145 pounds, and the winningest war dancer in the world." And "he was declared world champion at the American Indian Exposition in Anadarko in 1953, 1958, 1962, 1964, and 1965. He was named world champion at the Ponca City Powwow in 1959, 1963, and 1965. In 1964, Woodgee won first at Mancus, Colorado. Woodgee's war dance opponents have begun to say they can't win until Woodgee retires, and it looks like he may never retire, they say his eagle wing fan may have big medicine.
He got the nickname years ago when he used to play Shortstop and Third Base for the Mount Scott baseball team, and became widely known for his base stealing. People would yell, come on, steal one, would you, would ya, woodgee, woodgee, woodgee . . . "

A remarkable historical picture of the noted Comanche artist and champion war dancer George Woogie Watchetaker at the Oklahoma State Fair, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, circa 1977. Courtesy of Phillip Fritch. Additional information from the Lawton Constitution, Lawton, Oklahoma.

People who love Native America say yes ā¤ļø
04/29/2026

People who love Native America say yes ā¤ļø

Greet me if you're a man of respect. šŸ„°ā¤ļø
04/29/2026

Greet me if you're a man of respect. šŸ„°ā¤ļø

When a Cherokee woman wanted a divorce, she just put her husband's belongings outsideā€”and that was legally binding. No l...
04/29/2026

When a Cherokee woman wanted a divorce, she just put her husband's belongings outsideā€”and that was legally binding. No lawyers. No judges. No permission from male relatives. If she decided the marriage was over, she gathered his things, placed them on the doorstep, and he left. Because in Cherokee society, women owned the houses. The land. The food. The tools. Everything in them.
When European colonizers arrived in what is now the southeastern United States, they were shocked. They expected a world where men ruled, and women obeyed. Instead, they found a society where women held real power. Cherokee women sat in councils alongside men, debating war, treaties, and tribal policies. Some earned the title of "Beloved Women" or "War Women," a position of authority so great their words could spare prisonersā€™ lives or decide whether the nation went to battle. Nancy Ward, one of the most famous Beloved Women, negotiated directly with colonists and influenced decisions during the Revolutionary War era.
But power wasnā€™t only political. Cherokee society was matrilineal: identity came from the motherā€™s clan, children belonged to their motherā€™s family, and property passed from mother to daughter. When a couple married, the husband moved into his wifeā€™s home. If he failed as a father or husband, her brothersā€”not his male relativesā€”held authority over him.
Irish trader James Adair, living among the Cherokee in the 1700s, was scandalized. He called it a ā€œpetticoat government,ā€ unable to imagine a world where women werenā€™t property. Yet women werenā€™t just making lawsā€”they ran the economy. They cultivated corn, beans, and squash, the ā€œThree Sistersā€ that fed the nation. They wove baskets that held water, tanned hides into soft leather, built houses, and raised children. They preserved stories, dances, and traditions that kept Cherokee identity alive. Men hunted, fished, and foughtā€”but the women controlled the distribution of food. Men might provide, but women decided its fate.
This wasnā€™t utopia. There was hierarchy, conflict, rules. But it worked on a fundamentally different principle: women and men were different but equal partners, each with authority over vital aspects of life.
Then came forced removal, boarding schools, and federal policies meant to erase Cherokee culture. The U.S. recognized only male leaders, imposed patriarchal laws, and taught women to be submissive. Yet Cherokee women resisted, preserving language, stories, and traditions. Today, Cherokee Nation citizenship is still traced through maternal lines in many families, keeping alive the principles of centuries past.
The power Cherokee women held wasnā€™t a quirk. It was proof that patriarchy is a choice, not inevitability. In the 1700s, Cherokee women owned property, divorced freely, and shaped governmentā€”rights most American women wouldnā€™t see for centuries. The next time someone says gender inequality is ā€œjust how things have always been,ā€ remember the women who placed their ex-husbandsā€™ belongings on the doorstep, on land they inherited, in a nation where their voices mattered. Different worlds are possible. We know because they existed.

Under a dramatic, fiery Sky, an elder stands as a testament to resilience and history. šŸŒ…āœØSurrounded by the rustic elemen...
04/29/2026

Under a dramatic, fiery Sky, an elder stands as a testament to resilience and history. šŸŒ…āœØ
Surrounded by the rustic elements of the plains weathered tipis, wooden wagons, and grazing horses he embodies the enduring spirit of his people.
Clad in traditional buckskin and feathers, his stoic presence commands respect. A poignant tribute to the heritage, strength, and deep connection to the land. šŸ¦…

Sioux men. South Dakota. Late 1890s. Photo by Jesse Hastings Bratley.
04/29/2026

Sioux men. South Dakota. Late 1890s. Photo by Jesse Hastings Bratley.

š—¦š—”š—¬ š—¬š—˜š—¦ š—œš—™ WE ARE REALLY BEAUTIFUL šŸ˜šŸ˜
04/26/2026

š—¦š—”š—¬ š—¬š—˜š—¦ š—œš—™ WE ARE REALLY BEAUTIFUL šŸ˜šŸ˜

Eagle Arrow. A Siksika man. Montana. Early 1900s. Glass lantern slide by Walter McClintock. Source - Yale Collection of ...
04/26/2026

Eagle Arrow. A Siksika man. Montana. Early 1900s. Glass lantern slide by Walter McClintock. Source - Yale Collection of Western Americana, Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library.

This is the kind of moment people donā€™t always think aboutā€”but it matters.A Navajo woman brushes her husbandā€™s hair whil...
04/26/2026

This is the kind of moment people donā€™t always think aboutā€”but it matters.

A Navajo woman brushes her husbandā€™s hair while their daughter watches nearby in 1948. Itā€™s a simple act, part of daily life, but it reflects care, family roles, and connection.

These quiet moments are just as important as the bigger ones.

Sicangu Lakota group at Rosebud Agency in South Dakota - circa 1890
04/26/2026

Sicangu Lakota group at Rosebud Agency in South Dakota - circa 1890

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