CHEROKEE NATION

Good morning, good morning, good morning, and welcome, welcome, welcome. It is time now for community connection right here on K one, the one you trust, and we're talking to Cherokee Nation Net Counselor Dora Smith Paskowski and Bye Gully. Things are changing, things are popping, things are happening, and it's almost spring and we're talking gardens and everything else. How are you doing today?

I am well, thank you. How about yourself? Tom?

Well, I could stand calm down a little, but I'm okay.

Good.

I understand that we have spring just coming from knocking on our nor it's been feeling like that off and on. But we have a thing called the Heirloom Seed Bank. Tell us a little bit about this and about the applications.

Dude, sure, I'd love to. First, I would like to take the opportunity just to say that Chief Hoskin couldn't be here today as he is speaking at a National Housing com difference in Washington, d C. And he does send his greetings to everyone. So the Heirloom Seed program, which has been going on for a long time, that is going to open on February the eighteenth at ten am. You access those applications through the Goadoogie portal.

Everybody's starting to get more and more familiar with that. I'm glad you.

Gus me too.

And the application time period will run through March the fourth. Now in the past, like last year, within four hours of the very first day we ran out. So this year we're taking a little different approach and it's going to be a draw system versus the first come, first serve, So I think it'll be a little more fair there, and I hope it goes well.

I have no reason to think that it won't.

So yeah, now, these heirloom seeds, what are we looking at here?

We are looking at primarily Cherokee corn varieties that are Cherokee white eagle and Cherokee yellow flower. There are also beans, squash, pumpkin, and gourds, and then there are some native plants as well, like the sun choke and the American basket flower.

These seeds.

Are they're representative of centuries of Cherokee agriculture and cultural heritage, and they are heirloom seeds which they were brought here by or through the trail of tears, and those heirloom seeds are kept at the Cherokee Nation. Then they are cultivated and grown there, and so they are definitely not replica, replicated, or you can't buy them in stores, and you have to get them through the Cherokee Nation.

And that's what keeps them unique and very special. That's right now. The Cherokees move, of course westward with the trail of teers, but primarily from the Carolina's correct correct came to Florida after their island tank and kind of moved northward and then forced to move westward in the trail of tears. But to keep these seeds around for centuries, that's something that's that's some thinking there.

Yes, sir, it is, thank you, it is.

Speaking of geography, we're talking off area just a little bit ago. There's going to be an election coming up for a little bit and that's because the district changed on us a little.

Yes, that goes into effect August this year, the redistricting. So currently District twelve does include about the southern.

Half of No what A County.

And once that redistricting goes into effect No What A County will not be in District twelve any longer. It will go to District eleven. So, yes, we have a general election in June and Victoria Basquez, the preceding counselor for District eleven, she retired, Kendra mcgety was appointed, and so Kinder is now going to be running for that.

Position, just like all the rest of us did.

And yeah, you have kind of staggered elections because you just wrapped up yours not long ago.

Yes, twenty three, yeah, yeah, twenty three.

Time flies. It just seems like the other day you were at the community center with Chip Hoskin.

I'm here until August of twenty seven.

You've got to be here with us for a while.

I'll be here around the little bet you.

Let's get back to food here. We've got the food distribution program coming out, but can you tell us about that please.

Yes, that is the Hawaiia Community and Cultural Outreach Food Distribution and that kicked off last week and that provides sausage, beef and pork from our eighteen thirty nine Cherokee Meat Company.

Which is relatively new.

Yes it is, and it's doing very well, really thriving.

I'm very proud of that.

But that was something that they collaborated with the CEO organization, and so that distribution comes to these community organizations and they are the ones that then put it out to the members in their communities.

Very good.

It just helps, sir, you know, address the food insecurity and some nutritious food.

So you might have something that resembles a grocery store in your neighborhood, but sometimes that grocery store just has canned food, box food, frozen food, not necessarily fresh stuff.

Yeah.

Yeah, so that's kind of where we get that term sh food desert. So and I get that that's that's not just a problem in spots of Washington County. That's all over the right, all over the country.

And all three of the community organizations in District twelve are participating in this program.

Nice. Yes, see how you pull them all together?

Yeah, Ocelida, No Water and Dewey.

So yeah, now we've talked a little bit about our communities. Do we We have a beautiful center up there, and my golly, I remember being there when you had the open house. Huge. I mean, it looked like cool little building on the outside. You walk in, it's like, my gosh, you know, I didn't think we could fit any more people in there, but they just kept coming and there

Sure, yes, we have two permanent departments there, Career Services and Human Services.

Wonderful.

So Career Services is there Monday through Friday from eight to five and Human Services is there Monday, Wednesday and Friday from eight to five.

What is human services involved in? Just putting people in touch with things they need for help and correct well being correct? Okay, there you go. And a lot of people already know this because they're using it. I see cars right, right, So this is really great. Now you've talked about Chief being in Washington, d C. Talking about housing. We've got some housing projects that are going on. We have things going on. She's smiling, she's happy about this.

Well, specifically in District twelve, we have invested six point four million dollars in housing and that's certainly been under the guidance and leadership of Chief Hoskin and Deputy Chief Warner. Cherokee Nation has done a study over this past year, over twenty twenty four. It's a housing study that will show or does show that there will be a need for more than eight thousand, eight hundred units wow, or one point seventy five billion dollars in housing investment.

In order to keep up with the population in the next ten years.

Goodness sake.

So we've got a lot of work to do, and I'm grateful that Chief is in Washington, d C. Pulling for that support that we need from there to help us continue with the housing projects that we have going on. We since twenty twenty we have begun or completed five hundred and twenty five homes across the reservation. Nice and we have repaired, remodeled three thousand, five hundred privately owned homes.

That's amazing.

Yeah, yeah, all done with local workers.

Yes, keeping that money right here at home, that's right, wonderful. Yes, my happens age. You Thinds are busy. I'm just asking Dora before we got on, you know, does Chief ever sleep? And the word is, we haven't checked lately because you've been moving all right for the place. Now, I understand that where the Cherokee Nation is going to start having some at large gatherings, especially one in Florida this weekend. Nice time to get away, Yahtleivty.

Yeah, it would be and Chief will go there, I'm sure, probably straight from Washington, d C. That is the Cherokees of Central Florida group that they will meet with, and those meetings are very well attended. Normally two to four hundred people will come for those, which is awesome because we have really made great efforts to visit with these organizations monthly. We're getting out there to see them and do events on an annual basis.

So it has just really done very well.

We have two at large councilors and so they have worked very hard to cultivate and make you know, the arrangements for these events, and that is awesome. We are national, We are national.

I lived in Central Florida for quite a while, about ten years, I guess, and you know, I was aware of the Cherokee population. You know, they have so many other different native tribal folks in the peninsula right there in Central Florida, Turkey, and it's nice that the connections are being made and everybody's you know, feeling like everybody's all included. So this is cool.

Absolutely, they are all included.

Yes, it's also a nice way to kind of, you know, plan a vacation. Hey yeah, yeah, you doing. But this is really neat now a counselor. We have the facility in Oceanida, and I understand good things are happening there too.

At the Washington County. Yes, yes, sir, we have the Washington County. They have been undergoing a remodel project on the inside and they are getting ready to start an expansion of their parking lot, I believe solar parking lots. They're going to get a storage building outside, and.

They have a meeting actually this Thursday.

Today is Wednesday, thank you, so tomorrow night, and I'm looking forward to going there and seeing the inside how that's come along. The guest will be our delegate to Congress, Miss Kim t.

Yes, yes, so you know you can visit with her and get a little bit knowledge what's going on in Capital Skisse. She is so connected in Washington, d C.

Yes she is.

And you know, finally, when you get this thing taking care of it's a little about two hundred years too late, but when you get this thing finally solidified. She's going to be even a bigger asset is right now. She's doing fantastic work.

Yes she is.

She's so well educated and just presents so well.

She beautiful soul, and she's got a very sharp mind too, very she doesn't forget anything. I'm jealous, but this is this is all good. And if folks have a question about what's going on in twelve, they can just get a hold of you. You're plenty available. I see you on Facebook all the time.

Oh yeah, yes, absolutely call me nine one eight three one six five two one six Mail me Dora dash Patskowski at Cherokee dot org. And I have Facebook and I'm out about all around. I see people all the time.

Oh yeah. It's not like she's in hiding, folks, that is for sure, Miss Dora. Thank you for being with us today.

Is like, well, I just wondered, is it okay if I go ahead and wish you a happy birthday for tomorrow? Thank you, Happy birthday, tom Thank you very much.

Oh I'm blessing big time. Oh my goodness. Okay, the folks, you've been watching and listening to our community connection with Cherokee Nation and with the counselor Dora Smith, Patkowski right here on K what the one trust