"the People's Paths!" Cherokee News Path - CNYC Presented with Governor’s Award

"OK Lt. Governor Jari Askins (right) presents the Oklahoma Music Hall of Fame Governor’s Award to the CNYC. Accepting on behalf of the choir are choir director Mary Kay Henderson (left) and Cherokee Nation Chief Chad Smith (center)."

TAHLEQUAH, OK - The Cherokee National Youth Choir was presented with the coveted Governor’s Award by the Oklahoma Music Hall of Fame at a concert and induction ceremony held in Muskogee this week.

“This is a great moment for the Cherokee National Youth Choir,” said Chad Smith, Principal Chief of the Cherokee Nation. “Through the songs of our choir, the people in attendance understood the majesty of our language and the greatness of our nation.”

The Oklahoma Music Hall of Fame and Museum honors notable talent within the field of music and song annually. Established in 1997 to educate the public about the influence Oklahomans have had on the music industry, the organization has since honored 53 individuals/groups for their talent and contributions.

“This is the twelfth year that the Oklahoma Music Hall of Fame has presented awards, but this is only the third time that a Governor’s Award has been given,” said Jari Askins, Oklahoma’s Lieutenant Governor, who was on-hand to present the award. “This is a special award for notable achievement in the realm of Oklahoma music. The Cherokee National Youth Choir is the first musical group to win recognition of the Governor’s Award. The youth choir bring great pride, not just to the Cherokee Nation, but also to the state of Oklahoma.”

In accepting the award on behalf of the choir, Mary Kay Henderson, choir director, spoke of the hard work and dedication made by choir members and their families. “I just want to say thank you to all the parents of these children and young people that sacrifice to bring them to practices, and thank you to the state of Oklahoma for recognizing our contribution to music.”

The Cherokee National Youth Choir performs traditional Cherokee songs in the Cherokee language. The Cherokee National Youth Choir came into existence from the vision of Principal Chief Smith, who saw it as a way to keep children involved in the Cherokee language and culture. They function as an important symbol to the world, demonstrating that Cherokee language and culture continues to thrive in modern society.

Since being founded in 2000, the group has recorded six CDs, including Voices of the Creator’s Children, featuring two-time Grammy® Award winner Rita Coolidge, which garnered two Native American Music Awards (NAMMY) nominations and a win for “Best Gospel Christian Recording” in 2002. In total, the group has received four NAMMYs. Precious Memories, an acapella compilation, was released in 2007.

The Youth Choir acts as ambassadors for the Cherokee Nation, their beautiful voices showing the strength of the Cherokee Nation and its culture more than 160 years after the Cherokees’ forced removal from its eastern homelands. The goal of the choir is to increase awareness of Cherokee culture both within the Cherokee Nation as well as among the dominant culture.

Through the success of the group, interest in the Cherokee language has been rekindled among young people throughout the Cherokee Nation. Several area schools now use the CDs as learning tools, and other schools are interested in developing curriculum to teach Cherokee language and music. Principal Chief Smith and Deputy Principal Chief Joe Grayson, Jr. have pledged to make preserving language and culture a priority at the Cherokee Nation, and the success of the Cherokee National Youth Choir has helped spark a cultural renaissance among the Cherokee people.

For more information about the youth choir, contact Mary Kay Henderson phone: 918-478-4473 or Kathy Sierra, phone: 918-453-5638.