And now:Ish <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> writes: Tribes Fighting Times 06/21/1999 By Melissa Nelson Staff Writer http://www.oklahoman.com/cgi-bin/shart?ID=335837&TP=getarticle A buffalo herd follows Dewayne Candy Fire's pickup as he makes his way through fields of waist-high prairie grass. The caravan traverses the western Oklahoma landscape to a pasture near the parking lot of the Lucky Star Casino where it stops for a mid- morning graze. Buffalo are both a tourist attraction and a form of cultural preservation here at the Cheyenne-Arapaho tribal headquarters off U.S. 81 just north of El Reno. The animals form an odd picture as they graze in front of the Las Vegas-style casino, the ancient guardians of the American plains contrasted with a modern-day temple of economic enterprise. Candy Fire, a Cheyenne Indian, sees himself in the buffalo. "You can just sit here and watch them and feel what it was like in the old days," he said while leaning against the side of the truck and watching the herd from about 20 yards away. "The buffalo are like the Indians. The white people tried to kill them out and destroy them, but they were strong and they are still here." Today, the Cheyenne-Arapaho are fighting a new battle as they struggle to preserve the cultural and religious practices of their ancestors while living on the outskirts of a growing metropolitan area of 1 million people. They are just five minutes away from El Reno and less than 25 minutes from Oklahoma City. Maintaining tribal identity on the edge of urban sprawl is a constant balancing act of adapting to change while clinging to tradition, tribal leaders say. "We shouldn't fear growth," said Cheyenne Chief Gordon Yellowman. "But we have to be smart. We have to anticipate the growth in our decision making." Across the metro area to the east, the Kickapoo Tribe is fighting a similar battle against urban encroachment. A prophet of the Kickapoo people once warned of a day when all of the cities would grow together and cover the land to form a vast metropolis. According to the prophet, the cities would overtake tribal lands and leave the American Indians with nothing. For 34 years, La Veda Salazar has seen signs that the prophecy is coming true.>>> end excerpt Reprinted under the fair use http://www4.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.html doctrine of international copyright law. &&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&& Tsonkwadiyonrat (We are ONE Spirit) Unenh onhwa' Awayaton http://www.tdi.net/ishgooda/ &&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&
