[music playing] ANNOUNCER: The following program is a production of Ozarks Public Television.

Good evening and welcome to Sense of Community, I'm Jennifer Moore.

The first people to live in the Ozarks, those who are Indigenous to these lands, still have a strong presence and identity tied to this place.

On this evening's program, we're learning more about our Native American community by talking to our guest, Valerie Falcon, a board member with the American Indian Center of Springfield.

Please join us as we learn more.

[music playing] ANNOUNCER: Welcome to Sense of Community.

Sense of Community is a public affairs presentation of Ozarks Public Television.

Valerie Falcon, thank you so much for joining us tonight.

Thank you for inviting us.

Can you first of all tell us about the American Indian Center of Springfield?

What is the purpose of the center exactly and what do you do?

Well, we just started a couple of years ago.

We've been working under the Drew Lewis Foundation.

Wonderful people, have been very good about guiding us and what we need to do as far as grants and things like that.

We were able to get a grant with the Missouri Humanities Council.

And we had classes, it helped with us doing powwows.

We had many classes, teaching different cultural things, making ribbon skirts, shawls for dancing.

We had some beadwork classes, which they were all free to everyone, thanks to the grant.

Wow.

We were able to buy all of the craft supplies to do so.

And then everybody was able to make something and take it with them.

So that it was also giving them that item to go.

Like so that they could dance or whatever the circumstance may be.

So you mentioned that it's at the Drew Lewis Foundation which is housed at the Fairbanks Inn, on I think North Broadway, in Springfield.

Yeah, the facility is there.

And so you have classes.

You also have some events, right?

I know there was a powwow there recently.

Yes we have had numerous powwows since then there.

We've kind of outgrown the space a little bit.

So-- but it has given us the opportunity to grow.

It's given us the opportunity to reach out to other Natives in the town, get them involved, and just people that were in generally wanting to know about who we are and what we do.

Our classes were completely filled to way more than what we needed to happen there.

We had limited them to 10 or 15 people and most of our classes were over 20.

So we had a lot of interest.

And even more interest now, now since people know who we are and coming out.

So our goal is to help other Native people and to educate.

Educate the community about who we are as Natives, in general.

And then also within our own Native community, people don't know like what different tribes do or how they speak their language.

We all have different languages.

We all live differently as far as Woodland people or Plains Native.

We just had a different culture within our own people that some people just don't know.

I was just going to ask you about that actually.

So when we speak about Springfield's Native American population, or even the Ozarks Native American community, we're not talking about a monolithic group here.

There's a lot of diversity within the Native community.

You mentioned tribes and different heritage, different ancestry, of course.

What are some of the other differences that they bring to the table and how does that enrich the Indian Center and our community as a whole?

Well, we have different levels, I guess, of tribal members.

Some people they may be a tribal member and not know much about like other tribes.

Like I'm Ojibwe from Minnesota and, Kay that is the chairman of our board, is Cherokee from Oklahoma.

And so she doesn't necessarily know the same things that I do.

And I don't know necessarily the same-- you know, what Cherokee people are known for basket weaving and different things, bead work.

Their language is completely different than mine.

My tribe is from Minnesota up by Canada.

So we're not originally from this area.

But my whole family lives here.

Like my mom and my sisters and we all practice who we are.

And so it's just it's a good thing.

So that we're able to teach not just Natives within our group, but we're also able to go into schools and say, have you learned about Cherokee people?

This is what we do.

Yeah.

Or whatever.

So I know we're not going to get much into history today.

And yet history is such an important element when understanding the journey that the Indigenous people of this country and this region have been on.

And you mentioned the Cherokee.

And so we should probably point out that the Trail of Tears, one of its route-- Yes.

Goes through, went through Springfield.

Yes.

What can you tell us about that?

Well there's plaques up on the highways, I'm sure that people have seen those.

There's different-- they've had different presentations here.

Things like that.

The Trail of Tears came I believe from Georgia and they moved them through here to Oklahoma, the Cherokee Nation.

So yeah there's just so much history here when it comes to that.

And that's the other thing that we do is we do school presentations.

And we have people who or historians, that are teachers, that are involved with our organization, that is able to teach those kind of things.

We have people that are more cultural, they're more powwows, you know that they can teach that kind of thing.

But yeah I mean, there's just so much diversity within even our own Indian Center.

That's fascinating.

And I think most of our viewers would know, of course, the history of the Trail of Tears as forced migration, forced relocation.

But I'm not sure many would know that we have markers and we have an actual trail here in Springfield marking that.

So I want to ask you about the difference between Native Americans living in the city versus those who live in the more rural parts of the Ozarks.

It's my understanding that there were some American Indians who left reservations to come to work in cities, to try to find work, who may not have such a strong identity or they may have kind of lost touch with some of their heritage or traditions.

I wonder is that even more so the case in rural areas or what's the difference do you see?

I would think a lot of us are the same but different, I guess.

It kind of goes back to that level of maybe people who are in more rural areas practice a little bit more as far as living off the land a little bit more than urban natives would.

Considering being in a city you can't always when you're working in 9 to 5 job, you can't always do the things that you need to do.

You can't always make sure that you are up in the morning to greet the sun.

Or give your nightly prayers before you go to bed when the sun goes down, you know.

And whenever seasons change, you can't always be there to do those things because you have a work life that you have to be at.

Where maybe if you're not working that 9 to 5 job, you know that you're still able to meet all of those traditional ways.

And are those-- you mentioned those traditional ways almost as spiritual or religious practices.

Can you talk anymore about that?

And don't want to put you on the spot but do you and people close to you incorporate that into your own lives?

We do.

We teach our kids and we hold things at our house, you know, dinners and things like that that we need to do.

We do that.

Sometimes you can't always get it on the exact day that it needs to be done on those particular times.

Because like I said you have a 9 to 5 job.

But we do the best that we can for the situation.

Yeah.

What are some of the challenges that you feel the Ozarks region faces in becoming a more inclusive region?

And so when I say inclusive, I mean a place that is fair and equitable for everyone in terms of opportunity.

Is there anything that you see that we could do better?

Well, it could be more inclusive as far as-- lots of times we do a lot, as I said before, we do a lot of presentations in schools.

And the kids still think that we are either gone, that we are no longer here, or that we still live in teepees.

They don't understand that our children are wearing name brand clothes and playing Xboxes or whatever.

It's just that at different times there's things that they have to do differently.

And they don't understand that.

They don't understand that we're religious.

We practice our religion.

We are a part of who we-- it's a part of who we are.

And I think that is the most important is just the educational part of it.

That if people understood that more I guess than it would be easier for our children or even for us.

To be understood?

Yeah.

So it sounds like awareness, which is an ongoing effort, right?

An ongoing challenge.

That's what I mean-- that's the whole reason why we have the American Indian Center is just to teach, to educate, and to bring awareness to who we are as a people.

So to further that thought this might be a good time to mention I know coming up in November, the American Indian Center is hosting another powwow that's open to the public.

Yes.

And let me just tell our viewers this event is special.

I went to one somewhat recently as a journalist and was just blown away.

So tell us what people can expect at the November powwow, which is going to be at Greenwood Laboratory School in the MSU campus in Springfield.

Yes, we've worked really hard in conjunction with MSU to get this dance put together.

We have a lot of people coming in, a lot of different tribes coming in, from all over.

When you come you can experience fry bread, our foods, our dancing.

We're very open people.

I keep saying educate.

We are very welcoming to that.

We want to teach.

And we want you to ask questions.

So feel free to come up and if you see me, talk to me.

I'll be happy to talk with you.

We will have a drum.

They sing at this drum.

The drum is the heartbeat of our people, which is a whole different aspect to go into.

But it has a bottom and a top head to it and then the lacings in between is the way your life goes, it puts them together.

Those songs are meanings, they have meanings to us.

Some are word songs, some are vocals.

But it's speaks to us, per se.

You know, it means something to us to hear those songs.

It brings back those memories from when you were younger or so-and-so singing that song.

And then when you're out there dancing, it's a different feeling when you're out there.

And I understand so this will be a intertribal powwow, right?

Uh huh.

So all tribes, all Indigenous peoples welcome to come celebrate their heritage.

And also open to the wider public, which is just a really neat thing to experience.

I want to talk a little bit about the Native American community here in Springfield.

US Census data shows that our local Native population has in recent years had the highest poverty rate among ethnic groups.

And nationally Native Americans have experienced higher mortality rates than any other racial group during the pandemic.

What are some of the factors that make the native population vulnerable?

Well I think one of them is-- when it comes to COVID not a lot of-- we'll use the Navajo reservation, they had a lot of deaths on there.

But a lot of them were not-- they don't venture out a you know so they don't have the same immune system as others.

The other thing is a lot of us are diabetic, which any kind of disease or anything like that affects us differently.

And we have a very high for the being diabetic.

It's like a really big thing.

Alcoholism is always a high with our people.

So unfortunately that brings the mortality rate up as well.

So it's just there's just a lot of different plays in that, unfortunately.

What do you think that the Native American population in Springfield needs from the community?

It sounds like awareness and understanding.

Support Support.

Yes, we really need that support.

That just being there visiting with us.

And just helping.

Just being a part of it.

I want to go back to the classes that the American Indian Center hosts.

I understand that crafts have been part of that.

I was just wondering if you could tell us about the jewelry that you're wearing today.

Oh yeah.

It's all hand beaded.

Each bead is put on separately.

And this is one of the things that we had done in our classes.

I did not make this one but, the earrings-- Someone did, right?

Yeah the earrings is one of the things that was made.

One of our teachers made these during our class.

So it's just it's flat stitch beading.

And they're all glass beads and then strung together.

Beautiful.

If people want to get involved should they just contact the American Indian Center in Springfield if they want to get involved in some of the classes?

Yes.

OK.

Yes that is the greatest thing.

We love to talk to anyone.

Kay usually is the one who answers our phone with the Indian Center.

And she would love to talk to any of you.

And we will at the end of the program include some websites and phone numbers where people can go for more information.

But can you give a few more details about the classes?

I don't know if you have any others that are coming up this fall or into the winter?

We did apply for another grant.

So we're waiting to hear back from that.

Some of the classes that we're hoping to offer is a moccasin making class, which we had got a lot of requests for that last year.

But that's quite a big doing to get those kind of things together.

We had a flute making class before.

We've had an offer from someone to do like a flute made out of branch, like just a simple branch and turn it into a flute.

We've done some-- the upcoming classes like foraging.

We have a garden, gardening.

We have a garden at the Fairbanks that is a native garden.

And so we have that that is going to be part of the classes.

And some more beadwork classes.

I have so many questions.

I have so many questions.

So they keep coming up, though.

Would you tell me a little bit more about the native garden?

Oh it is wonderful.

We got some native seeds that were heirloom seeds from different tribes.

And they planted them and it's just it's great.

I mean they have beautiful flowers.

And we get a lot of different vegetables from there that we donated to different places and then also to our community as well.

So it's just beautiful.

One thing that I've been really impressed by in learning more about the American Indian Center of Springfield is how supportive it is of the local Native community.

Yeah.

And I'm wondering if you can share a few of those details.

I know, for example, when there is someone in the community who is experiencing health challenges or may have fallen on hard times, your community really steps in.

And I'm wondering if you can just share a little bit more about that?

Yeah I mean, we've had people who've called and said that they need a school supplies.

So we rallied around and at one of our powwows at the last minute, put it out there that bring school supplies.

You know and personal hygiene products.

And they did.

I mean, we were really shocked at how much we got.

But at one point or another we've asked for food, they brought us food.

Just to like stock when we first opened up there.

People donated all sorts of stuff for us that we didn't have to use cash money for.

We've had people that have called and said, well, I need this.

I need diapers or I just had a baby and we've rallied around to get them what they needed.

That's what we do as a tribe.

We take care of each other.

I'm wondering if you can just touch on how the pandemic impacted the local Native community?

You know, I know this is a community that's used to getting together in person.

Yes.

And you couldn't do that, right?

No and it was very difficult.

It caused a lot of issues because people felt alienated.

They were alone, which I'm sure that was with any culture, but our culture is so tight-knit that it was very hard.

It was hard not to have those dinners, and those get-togethers, our powwows.

We even had to cancel a couple of powwows because of it and had to reschedule them.

So it was a challenge.

It's nice to be back in person.

Yes.

I know entire books could be written on this but in a nutshell I'm wondering if you could just give us a broad overview of what Indigenous tribes have called the Ozarks region home?

Well, I know Osage they consider this their homeland.

I know Shawnee were here.

I believe there was like some other like other tribes, Quapaw, Cherokee came through here.

But the main is Osage, they consider this their homeland.

And when you are at an event at the American Indian Center here at Springfield there are people representing tribes all across North America really.

Can you talk a little bit about that?

Well, they-- in powwows, everyone is family.

And so when you have a dance, you call up people and it's like, well hey, we're having a powwow.

Could you come on this date?

And we always have had staff.

And those people bring and they start all of our dances for us and things like that.

And you have an emcee that explains what's going on and kind of keeps everything on track because we sometimes run behind on Indian time.

So it's just they come from everywhere.

Our dance in November, our Gourd Club, or not Gourd Club, our Color Guard is coming from Lawton, Oklahoma, which is six hours or so away.

And they come because they love powwows.

They love what we do and to share who they are.

I was really struck at the powwow I went to by how much honor and attention was given to the military veterans in the Native American community.

And I understand the powwow coming up on I think it's November 5th.

November 5th.

November 5th here in Springfield is going to contain-- involve several different dances but really one of the main reasons is to honor military veterans, right?

Yes.

Yes and we've reached out to various VFWs.

You don't have to be native to come and be a part of this.

That we want to honor all veterans.

So it is a big thing in our culture.

And we're almost out of time but I'm wondering if you could just give us a little bit of detail on what to expect for the powwow.

So I know there are many different types of dances that will occur that night.

But if somebody is coming to the powwow for the first time, there's fry bread they can buy, there's jewelry, right?

What else?

There will be jewelry.

Most vendors have t-shirts and clothes and drums and just jewelry, beaded jewelry, turquoise, silver.

I'm sure someone-- I think we have one that is a moccasin maker that's going to be bringing some moccasins.

It's just, yeah it's going to be fantastic.

We have vendors that are coming from all over the United States that will be selling the stuff that-- the items that they make.

And it'll be-- we have room for a lot of vendors so be sure to bring your cash.

Bring some cash.

And then the powwow, so the dance portion.

So there's a drum circle in the middle.

There will be-- we have two drums coming for sure.

And they sing differently.

So one is more Northern type and one is a Southern type.

So you'll notice that there's different songs that they'll sing and even a different way of singing.

And then you'll have many different dancers.

So you'll have men and women, kids, our little tiny tots, which are seven and under, that are dressed out in their Native clothes, and be out there doing their thing.

And then lastly, is there a fee to attend the powwow?

Is there an admission?

No.

It's free and open to the public.

It is free.

OK.

So yeah, we will have t-shirts for sale.

And other things for sale.

Just saying.

And that benefits a lot of the American Indian Center.

Yes we'll have t-shirts and sweatshirts for sale that will benefit the American Indian Center.

And then all the other vendors they're their own and that will help to get them home and buy wood for the winter and things like that.

Wow.

All right.

Well Valerie, we're out of time.

But thank you so much.

Valerie Falcon of the American Indian Center of Springfield.

Thank you for sharing this with us.

Thank you for asking us to be here.

You're welcome.

And we want to leave you with some websites and phone numbers where you can go to learn more.

I'm Jennifer Moore, thanks for watching and good night.

ANNOUNCER: Here is where you can find more information about the topics covered in this program.

[music playing]