Commentary
Cherokee Nation’s Rescue Efforts and Support Should Not Go Unnoticed
by Levi Rickert, editor-in-chief in Native Condition. Discussion »
It was a quiet afternoon before the EF3 tornado hit the Cherokee Nation. The storm that went through Delaware County, Oklahoma with speeds up to 140 miles per hour produced destruction in its wake. Witnesses said the tornado sounded like a train. In its aftermath, there were 20 damaged homes and debris on the Cherokee Nation.
Then the storm headed towards Joplin - an hour’s drive away.
By the time, the storm hit Joplin, it turned into a deadly EF5 tornado. It left behind a city that was 30 percent destroyed; at last count 132 dead and 10 unaccounted for. It is reported the tornado is the deadliest single tornado in the United States since modern record-keeping began in 1950.
Even with the difficulties experienced on their reservation, the Cherokee Nation sent people to aid with the relief and rescue operation in Joplin. Fourteen students and two instructors from the Talking Leaves Job Corps, operated by the Cherokee Nation went there to assist in the efforts. Additionally, the Tribe sent members of its Cherokee Nation Marshal Service to assist with the rescue and recovery efforts.
The Cherokee Nation also began collecting personal supplies, such as toiletries, water, diapers, baby formula and batteries to be taken to Joplin.
American Indians are taught to be humble and I would suppose the Cherokee Nation would not choose to gloat or revel in their humanitarian efforts.
The Cherokee Nation’s rescue effort should not go unnoticed. Their effort should be recognized and applauded.
posted June 1, 2011 4:57 pm et
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About Levi Rickert
Levi Rickert is the editor-in-chief and co-producer of the Native News Network. Mr. Rickert is a tribal member of the Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation and is the former executive director of the North American Indian Center of Grand Rapids.
Mr. Rickert writes book reviews for The Grand Rapids Press and has had several articles dealing with American Indian concerns published in various periodicals. In 2000 he contributed to the American Indian Review, a national American Indian magazine with an essay entitled American Indian Grandparents Raising Grandchildren. Additionally, Mr. Rickert has contributed to numerous American Indian tribal newspapers across the nation.
He has had two essays published in two different books. An essay he authored in 1999 was published in Grand Rapids Indians at the Millennium for Heart and Soul: The Story of Grand Rapids Neighborhoods (November 2003 by William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company). In May 2007 Mr. Rickert became a contributing essayist for Thin Ice: Coming of Age in Grand Rapids with his essay Even Though I Was Not “Raised Indian” (William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company).
Levi Rickert, editor-in-chief
Mr. Rickert has been a guest lecturer on college and university campuses, speaking on American Indian affairs. For the past two years, he has served as a moderator for two different presentations at Grand Valley State University in Grand Rapids, Michigan featuring Dennis Banks, a co-founder of the American Indian Movement. In November 2009, he moderated “A Conversation with Dennis Banks” and in November 2010, he moderated “Dennis Banks: A Vision for Our Nation’s Future.”
In June 2010, Mr. Rickert served as the lead planner for Indigenous People representation at the World Communion of Reformed Churches’ Uniting General Council held at Calvin College and a one-day powwow at Ah-Nab-Awen Park in downtown Grand Rapids.
Mr. Rickert is a resident of Grand Rapids, Michigan.
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