Nomad in Oklahoma

The nomads have arrived in true Indian country. Oklahoma, the Native America state, lives up to its' name. Crossing the state border the first big place we drive by is Sallisaw, located in the rolling green hills of Cherokee country. Billboards invite us to visit the Cherokee Heritage Center and National Museum and of course the Cherokee Casino... On our way west to Oklahoma city on Highway 40 we pass several native nations, including the Creek (Muskogee), the Shawnee and my fellow Nomad's favourite the Kickapoo, all of which are trying to generate income from their Casinos.

When we stop for gas and I get out to pay, just before I walk through the door of the petrol station I realise I am actually going to see my first real live Native American. In a split second I suddenly become very conscious of the fact that from a lifetime of fascination and even identification with the world of the American Indian and all the indirect exposure I had to it from film and literature this was the moment I would really stand eye to eye with one. From the other side of the door I see the silhouette of a tall Indian coming out of the shop. I slow down my pace. The door opens. The man steps out. I stop to let him pass. His eyes briefly meet mine and he gives me a nod with his head.

One thing I would learn this week is that the Native Americans and their culture are very much alive and kicking. They are not characters from a story book and certainly not the cliches of Hollywood films. They are not relics from a bygone era or a chapter in a history book. Not the wild primitive nor the noble savage. They are a vibrant and proud people overcoming the hardship of generations, making their way into what we tend to call modernity without loosing their grip on their traditions.

Most Native American nations are located in the state of Oklahoma. The sad fact of the matter is that most nations do not originate from Oklahoma, but became displaced peoples when they were forced to move here after the American government passed the infamous Indian Removal Act of 1830. This Trail of Tears will remain one of the darkest pages in Americas history. One third of the Cherokee nation perished and an American soldier involved in the removal put it like this: "I fought through the Civil War and saw many men shot, but this is the cruelest work I ever knew."

Tomorrow Nomads will witness the Grand Pow Wow called the Red Earth Festival in Oklahoma City and see for ourselves how resilient a people can resist forced assimilation.