Tahlequah

The Cherokee National Capitol, in Tahlequah, Oklahoma, was the capitol building of the Cherokee Nation from 1869 to 1907, when Oklahoma became a... state. The Cherokee Nation had set up its government quickly after removal to Indian Territory in 1838. In addition to establishing its courts and council, the Nation built seminaries for both male and female students, as education was highly valued. The capitol was constructed from 1867-1869 following the American Civil War, the brick building was designed in the late Italianate style by C. W. Goodlander, a style unusual for Oklahoma. Originally it housed the nation's court as well as other offices. The capitol was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1961.
more

Alex L. "Sonny" Sixkiller is a former American football player and current sports commentator. Born in Tahlequah, Oklahoma, and a member of the... Cherokee Nation, Sixkiller's family moved to Ashland in southern Oregon when he was a year old, where his father worked in a lumber mill. He attended Ashland High School and was a good student and a letterman in football, basketball, and baseball. In football, Sixkiller was an All-Southern Oregon Conference selection and a second team All-State selection. He was a back-up at quarterback as a sophomore to senior Gene Willis, who later played at Washington. In basketball, he was an all-conference selection. In baseball, he was a pitcher and an all-conference selection. Sonny Sixkiller graduated from Ashland High School in 1969. He had hoped to stay in-state and play for Oregon State in Corvallis, but head coach Dee Andros declined to offer him a scholarship, wary of his lack of size On the advisement of Willis, head coach Jim Owens recruited Sixkiller and offered him a scholarship to the University of Washington in Seattle.
more

Wesley "Wes" Studi is a Cherokee actor, who has earned notability for his portrayal of Native Americans in film. He has appeared in well-received... Academy Award-winning films, such as Kevin Costner's Dances with Wolves, Michael Mann's The Last of the Mohicans , the award-winning Geronimo: An American Legend and the Academy Award-nominated film The New World . He most recently portrayed General Linus Abner in the NBC series Kings, and Eytukan in James Cameron's box office blockbuster Avatar. Studi was born Wesley Studie in Nofire Hollow, Oklahoma, the son of Maggie, a housekeeper, and Andy Studie, a ranch hand. Studi was schooled at Chilocco Indian Agricultural School in Northern Oklahoma. Until he attended grade school, he spoke only Cherokee. In 1967, he was drafted into the Army and served 18 months in Vietnam. After his discharge, Studi studied at Tulsa Junior College. Studi became an actor. He is best known for his roles as brave and ruthless Indians, such as the Pawnee warrior in Dances with Wolves, and Magua in The Last of the Mohicans .
more

Oklahoma is a state located in the South Central region of the United States of America. Oklahoma is the 20th most extensive and the 28th most populous of the 50 United States. The state's name is derived from the Choctaw words okla and humma, meaning "red people", and is known informally by its nickname, The Sooner State. Formed by the combination of Oklahoma Territory and Indian Territory on November 16, 1907, Oklahoma was the 46th state to... enter the union. Its residents are known as Oklahomans or, informally "Okies", and its capital and largest city is Oklahoma City. A major producer of natural gas, oil, and agriculture, Oklahoma relies on an economic base of aviation, energy, telecommunications, and biotechnology. It has one of the fastest growing economies in the nation, ranking among the top states in per capita income growth and gross domestic product growth. Oklahoma City and Tulsa serve as Oklahoma's primary economic anchors, with nearly 60 percent of Oklahomans living in their metropolitan statistical areas. With small mountain ranges, prairie, and eastern forests, most of Oklahoma lies in the Great Plains and the U.S.
more