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Felix Clary
ICT + Tulsa World
MUSKOGEE, Okla. — The Ataloa museum at Bacone College was burglarized, and the campus’s sweat lodge was picked to the bone.
Bacone’s campus has seen multiple acts of vandalism and break-ins since the Indigenous-serving college closed before spring semester.
The sweat lodge on campus grounds appears dilapidated with missing tarps and items. It once housed spiritual sweats for students looking for a meditative place for prayer. It now needs to be “torn down and rebuilt respectfully,” said Brandy Silvester, Bacone’s USDA liaison.
Leslie Hannah, on the Bacone board of trustees and director of education for the United Keetoowah Band of Cherokees, was working to move items from the campus to the John Hair Cultural Center and Museum in Tahlequah.
“On two occasions, while I was moving stuff, I noticed someone had broken into the museum,” Hannah said. “Some of the other buildings on campus were broken into as well.”
The Ataloa museum was the target of a January break-in. Ancient Indigenous art pieces and artifacts were stolen, and the cash register was smashed.
The perpetrators stole an inventory list, leaving it difficult to identify which items are missing. Hannah said his tribe applied for grant funding to hire an archivist for the investigation.
Campus’s list of problems is long
Nicky Michael, interim president of Bacone, said she’s grateful for those stepping up to help in the college’s time of need.
A local volunteer, Mark Winters, repaired shattered glass front doors with boards to keep Bacone’s athletic building secure.
Michael said the campus buildings are like “sitting ducks.” After she expressed concern that Bacone’s campus would need police patrols, Muscogee Lighthorse Tribal Police said they would be “ready and willing to help investigate any issues Bacone might have,” according to agency spokesman Jason Salsman.
Many windows have been smashed or damaged in break-ins, but even before the vandalism, the campus had issues.
An HVAC company began doing some work on campus, but Michael said the air-conditioning units were not fit for the large, historic buildings. The company, MHEC, has filed a lawsuit against Bacone for nonpayment and breach of contract.
“We can’t always pay our water bills, either,” Michael said. “We have had to go without running water for long periods of time.”
Michael lived in a small camper on campus for two years while the president’s house had no running water.
She said leaking water pipes have caused the basement of Barnett Hall to be flooded up to several feet. Nearby grass lots are soaked and muddy.
Future plans for Bacone up in the air
Benjamin Wacoche Hall, which also had windows and glass doors broken, is the first building targeted for renovation, Michael said, so it can be rented out again for weddings and events to bring in some extra money.
Because of roof leaks, mold has been able to damage Native feathered items from Ataloa, including an ancient headdress visibly covered in mites.
Tiffany Golightly, mother of a former Bacone student athlete, said the campus “clearly needs some TLC.”
While noting the interim president is “doing the best that she can,” Golightly mentioned the dorms were in bad shape.
“The mattresses were pillow-tops, not plastic covered,” she said. “So they have all the stains from previous people, and you can just imagine.”
If Bacone can’t afford plastic covers for mattresses, Golightly said, she is concerned for the college’s financial future.
Bacone is two years behind on audits, Michael said, which determine the administrative capacity of Bacone.
“Now that I’ve had a chance to look back over the last few years, it’s pretty incredible that we have all of these buildings that are old and we pay electric and gas, whenever we can, while there are schools who are independent and are also closing,” Michael said.
If the college can clear both audits, she said, Bacone may be eligible for a USDA loan.
Michael said she is still asking for donations to help save the campus and hopes the school will eventually reopen with enough help from the communities Bacone serves.
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