Filming four stories in Oklahoma over the past several weeks for the Growing Native series, producer Charles "Boots" Kennedye covered a lot of ground.

First stop was with Loretta Oden Barrett and her presentation, "Taste of Native America 101," at the Will Rogers Theatre in Oklahoma City. Loretta prepared traditional dishes for an audience and talked about the importance of native health. Later, she sat for an interview and talked about her passion for traditional cuisine, and she voiced her concerns about the future of frybread and the poor diet system in place for our Native communities. The following Saturday, they found Loretta at the Farmers Market in Oklahoma City where she explained that healthy food can be found locally. 

Traveling to the Osage Country, the Growing Native crew visited the Osage Language Program located in Pawhuska. Filming continued on Thursday night at a language class, where Herman Lookout endorsed the newly developed immersion program that is making an impact with children, while acknowledging the need for an adult program.

Next stop, the 2016 Language Fair at the Sam Noble Museum of Natural History, where Herman spoke to a group of Osage adults and children attending the fair. Interviews with language fair coordinator, instructors and children provided a rich understanding of the significance of the event.

The next visit was to the Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes to film the buffalo pilot program, which provides a traditional healthy food source for their elders. Nathan Hart, the Cheyenne and Arapaho economic development director, furnished insight into the program and explained how it aligns with Tribal traditions and today's direction of his Tribe. Gordon Yellowman, Tribal elder and spiritual leader explained the buffalo's importance to the Tribal culture. Additional interviews with ranch managers explained the difficulties and scope of the program. Another important Tribal initiative is the health and wellness program which will be filmed later in the year. 

Finally, the crew visited traditional Kiowa artist Vanessa Jennings, the granddaughter of Steven Mopope, one of the famed Kiowa Five Artists. Vanessa, a Kiowa tribal elder, is known for her traditional Kiowa crafts such as moccasins, cradle boards and buckskin dresses. In 1998 she was made a National Heritage Fellow and named a living treasure by the U.S. President and Congress. She lives on the original Mopope land allotment in Red Stone east of Fort Cobb. Vanessa showed her original dresses and traditional cradle boards made by her hands. Later, she took the crew to the U.S. Post Office located in Anadarko where nine large murals painted by her grandfather still hang. Vanessa talked about the significance of his work and her love for their people. 

Thank you to everyone who helps support the production of these important Native stories. One of our goals is to continue to tell stories about how Tribes use traditional healthy food sources to improve the lives of their people. 

The cost to provide these stories often reaches $108,000 per episode, which makes your support extremely important. If you have a story idea to share, contact Charles "Boots" Kennedye: ckennedye@netad.unl.edu    More Growing Native Stories