(L to R) Front Row: Tribal Youth Council Cierra Fields, Ja-li-si Pittman, Ashlee Fox, Cassidy Henderson, Ashton Shelley, Abigail Shepherd and Haley Teehee. Back Row: Cherokee Nation Deputy Chief S. Joe Crittenden; Principal Chief Bill John Baker; Tribal Youth Council members Sarah Pilcher, Elizabeth Hummingbird, Kaley Teehee, Summer Eubanks, Morgan Mouse, Haylee Caviness, Jacob Chavez, Blake Henson, Taylor Armbrister and Bradley Fields; and Tribal Council Speaker Tina Glory-Jordan.

TAHLEQUAH, Okla. — Seventeen Cherokee students from across northeastern Oklahoma pledged Monday to protect the Cherokee Nation Constitution and promote the tribe’s culture and traditions.

With hands raised in the air, the newest members of the Cherokee Nation Tribal Youth Council were sworn into office by Supreme Court Justice Darrell Dowty during Monday night’s regular Tribal Council meeting.

The Cherokee Nation Tribal Youth Council program started in 1989 and has 161 alumni, many who now work for the tribe. The 2014-15 youth council will meet monthly, and each member serves a one-year term.

“The Cherokee Nation Tribal Youth Council offers the tribe an opportunity to invest in the tribal leaders of tomorrow,” said Cherokee Nation Tribal Council Speaker Tina Glory-Jordan, of Hulbert. “As with past youth councils, this will be an experience that develops their leadership potential. Getting this firsthand education and exposure will allow these talented young people to one day take their place as a leader in their community and the Cherokee Nation. The Cherokee people can rest assured that the Cherokee Nation will be in good hands in the years to come.”

The council learns the Cherokee Nation Constitution and youth council bylaws and identifies issues affecting Cherokee youth to potentially shape tribal policy. Students also serve as tribal ambassadors, learn leadership skills and volunteer in the community.

“The Tribal Youth Council is an opportunity for me to serve my tribe and repay it for everything it has done for me,” said Tribal Youth Council member Ja-li-si Pittman, 20, NSU student and Tahlequah resident. “It’s also a really good opportunity to represent and serve our people.”

Tribal Youth Council members joining Pittman include Haylee Caviness, 17, of Tahlequah; Jacob Chavez, 17, of Tahlequah; Haley Teehee, 17, of Tahlequah; and Kaley Teehee, 17, of Tahlequah; Morgan Mouse, 16, of Welling; Ashton Shelley, 17, of Park Hill; Summer Eubanks, 17, of Stilwell; Elizabeth Hummingbird, 17, of Stilwell; Sarah Pilcher, 16, of Westville; Cierra Fields, 15, of Fort Gibson; Blake Henson, 16, of Fort Gibson; Taylor Armbrister, 15, of Kansas; Bradley Fields, 15, of Locust Grove; Ashlee Fox, 17, of Bartlesville; Abigail Shepherd, 15, of Ochelata; and Cassidy Henderson, 15, of Welch.

Also during Monday night’s Tribal Council meeting, Luke Barteaux of Tulsa was appointed to the Cherokee Phoenix Editorial Board. Barteaux graduated with a bachelor’s degree in public affairs and administration from the University of Oklahoma and Juris Doctor from the University of Tulsa. He currently serves as an editorial board member for the Oklahoma Bar Association’s Family Law Section Practice Manual.

The Tribal Council also appointed Kendra McGeady, of Vinita, to the Cherokee Phoenix Editorial Board. McGeady received an associate’s degree from Northeastern Oklahoma A&M College. She has more than 10 years of journalism experience as a newspaper reporter for the Vinita Daily Journal and currently serves as the director of planning and development at Home of Hope, Inc.

The next Tribal Council meeting is scheduled for Thursday, Nov. 13, at 6 p.m., at the W.W. Keeler Complex in Tahlequah. The meeting is being held later in the week due to Veterans Day.

Cherokee Nation News Release

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