CHAIRPERSON MESSAGE: March 2026
ᎣᏏᏲ ᏂᎦᏛ osiyo nigad! (hello, everyone!)
ᎪᎨᏱ Gogeyi (Spring) is here!
We have many more events this year, filled with Cherokee fellowship, our wonderful community, and Cherokee cultural and language events.
The theme of this newsletter is service and culture - and what is more central to Cherokee culture than service?
Please join us at our Cherokee Nation Community & Cultural Outreach Annual Meeting and Chief's Picnic on Sunday, April 26 at a brand-new location this year. We are excited to visit with our Principal Chief and other Cherokee Nation representatives. Registration will also be on site to provide photo ID cards for registered citizens. There will be plenty of fellow Cherokees to visit with and crafts for the kids. We hope to see you there!
We’re looking for volunteersto help serve lunch to our hungry community.
We’re still looking for one more Cherokee Nation citizen and veteran who has not yet been honored with the Medal of Patriotism. Every year at our Annual Meeting with our Principal Chief, we are able to honor up to two veterans with the Medal of Patriotism. Please email cncv.communications@gmail.com if this is you.
On April 4, CNCV will be at the UC Davis Powwow. Come stop by to visit and enjoy fellowship, dancing, music, and tasty food.
On Saturday, May 23, we’ll have our Annual John Rollin Ridge Cemetery Plot Cleanup. All are welcome. We’ll do some very light yard work and then have lunch together.
As background, we caretake this historic Cherokee plot and last year, dedicated a plaque honoring the connection with Cherokee Nation, our community, and our partnership with our sister community, Marble City Activity Organization. Our sisters at Marble City have been part of this caretaking project since the beginning, donated the marble needed for two missing headstones, and came out last year for the plaque dedication.
RSVP here for this 5/23 event.
Make sure to mark your calendars for our CNCV Annual Campout held July 17-19. You can make your reservations now!
We’ll be joined by our friend and Cherokee Nation arts and crafts extraordinaire, Pam Bakke, who will lead us in making mini gourd masks. We’ll have games, activities, and a tasty bison Indian taco dinner.
We reflect on our recent community events:
We had a very special membership gathering on February 28, featuring Cherokee Nation citizen and chef Taelor Barton. It was our largest community turnout ever, filled with knowledge sharing, practicing cracking and grinding nuts, enjoying tasty traditional food, and laughing with Cherokee friends and family. Taelor led us through a kanuchi demonstration (and tasting), a hickory nut dish traditional to Cherokees. Eating the kanuchi that day tasted like coming home.
The Cherokee Nation brought us our fourth installment of the Language class. We have many pictures to share. It was an impactful experience for all, complete with language and cultural learnings. If you still want to learn the language and have not been able to attend a class, we have current options for you and we will be organizing another class. ALL levels of learners are welcome.
Gadugi Corps is starting “Gadugi Summer”, a six-week long service experience for at-large Cherokee Nation citizens who are 18 and older and in college. It will run from June 1 to July 13. Come join the mission of Cherokees helping Cherokees and strengthening our communities through meaningful service. Travel, lodging, and meals are included. Participants will volunteer across the Cherokee Nation Reservation, surrounded by culture, history, and fellow Cherokees. Projects will vary in size and focus, but all will contribute to improving the lives of Cherokee citizens and the communities we serve.
Apply here. Questions can be sent to gadugicorps@Cherokee.org.
It’s the time of year to get out in the garden and enjoy Spring’s early fruits! I’ll be starting my Cherokee tan pumpkins and squash (aka, “Georgia Candy Roaster”), Cherokee colored flour corn, and a few varieties of heritage beans. I’ve started my tobacco and it is going strong! My baby rattlesnake master and corn beads (“Job’s tears”) are also looking good so far. My
The CNCV is finalizing a recipe book as part of a collaborative project with our Sister City, Marble City Activity Organization. We need more recipes from our members. Please share a family recipe for inclusion in the book. We want to showcase a variety from our wonderful Cherokee community! Please send to cncv.communications@gmail.com.
As a reminder, the CNCV has a resource webpage for you with many informative links for citizenship, language, culture, history, health, education, veterans, and more. Let us know if you'd like to see something specifically there.
We’re looking forward to visiting together at these events throughout the year and enjoying community, culture, history, and language with you!
ᏙᏓᏓᎪᎲᎢ dodadagohvi (‘til we meet again),
-- Sabrina McKinney
