Felix Clary
ICT + Tulsa World
TULSA, Okla. — Osage singer and Oscar nominee Scott George led the 2024 Tulsa Indigenous Peoples’ Day Parade as marshall Monday, on a day celebrated across Indian Country.
The theme of this year’s event in Tulsa was “Voices,” and George advised the young people in the crowd to listen to their elders’ voices.
“I was given a choice as a young man or a young boy, what do you want to do, do you want to sing or do you want to dance?” George said at the event. “From age 14, I came up trying to sing, trying to learn our ways, trying to learn our people’s songs.
“You’re young people,” he said. “I’m going to tell you, find your elders. Go talk to them, ask them questions, because you’re going to find yourself in my position one of these days where nobody is left to talk to. So go find that elder, respect them, love them, cherish them, because they’re not here forever.”
The parade was among hundreds of other parades, powwows and gatherings across Indian Country celebrating on Monday, Oct. 14, with a holiday that previously had been recognized as Columbus Day in the United States.
George is a traditional singer, drummer and composer and was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Song for his piece,”Wahzhazhe (A Song for My People),” from Martin Scorsces’ film, “Killers of the Flower Moon.” George performed his piece with his singers and drummers at the Oscars ceremony earlier this year.
“I’ve been on a journey here for the last year, going different places and being recognized for something that is just something that I do,” he said. “I’ve been a singer for over 40 years, and that’s all I wanted to do was sing in our dances.”
Several tribal leaders spoke at Monday’s event held at Dream Keeper’s park in downtown Tulsa. The city of Tulsa includes three reservations: the Muscogee, Cherokee and Osage.
The city of Tulsa designated the second Monday in October as Indigenous Peoples’ Day in 2018, as a way to celebrate tribal culture and people. In 2021, President Joe Biden issued a proclamation commemorating the second in October – which is also Columbus Day – as a day to recognize the perseverance and determination of Native people. Many states and cities have adopted Indigenous Peoples’ Day, but it has not yet been approved by Congress as a federal holiday.
The switch was made as a way to stand against colonization of Indigenous peoples marked by Christopher Columbus’ arrival.
“I’m so proud to stand alongside the Great Cherokee Nation and the great Osage Nation here today,” said Muscogee Nation Chief David Hill. “We collectively represent rich histories that have endured hardship to take our claims to our story in history, as well as our growth and contribution to the modern economy, lifestyle and culture.”
The Greater Tulsa Area Indian Affairs Commission hosted the tribal speakers on Monday, followed by a parade through downtown. Indigenous singers and dancers were featured wearing traditional regalia and clothing, including several tribal nation royalty. Each Indigenous princess and royal figure introduced herself in her Native language.
“It is indeed appropriate that the theme for this year’s event is voices. We are at a crucial juncture in our history where our voices have never been more necessary, and when we have perhaps never been more amplified,” Hill said.
“We see it in authentic telling of Native stories, both past, present, and on the big screen, and our favorite streaming platforms regularly now,” Hill said. “Judges now side with sovereignty. We’re trying to now find victory instead of broken promises in government-to-government relations.”
Cherokee Nation Deputy Chief Bryan Warner spoke at the event about Native voices that were stifled in the past due to various hardships tribal nations faced: federal Indian boarding schools, assimilation, colonization, removal and relocation.
“I can’t help but think about those Native voices that stood in the balance, that stood in the wake of things that were trying to destroy everything that was sacred to us, our sovereignty, our family, our way of life,” said Warner.
Warner remarked how vital Native people have been to the United States military, both past and present.
“About veteran codetalkers, if you want to know how sacred, how important your Native language is, you don’t have to travel back very far to see the difference that it made in World War I and World War II. Let’s give them a round of applause,” said Warner.
Warner was referring to the Native men who were selected to create and speak in codes based on their Native languages in the two world wars. These codetalkers were usually graduates of federal Indian boarding schools, where they were beaten and disciplined for speaking the same language they used to save American lives during wartime.
The tribal leaders also emphasized the importance of voting in the upcoming elections. Booths were available for event-goers to inquire about various candidates and were encouraged to make informed decisions that benefit Native communities.
This story is co-published by the Tulsa World and ICT, a news partnership that covers Indigenous communities in the Oklahoma area.
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