Eternal Powwow

A LAUGH FOR TODAY❤
When NASA was preparing for the Apollo moon landings of the late 60s and early 70s, they did some astronaut training along a Navajo Indian reservation in the SW. One day, a Navajo elder and his grandson were herding animals and came across the space crew. The old man, who only spoke Navajo, asked a question, which the grandson translated: "What are the guys in the big suits doing?" A member of the crew said they were practicing for their trip to the moon." Then, recognizing a promotional opportunity for the spin-doctors, added, "We will be leaving behind a special record with greetings in many languages and such. Would the old man be interested in giving us a greeting to include?"
Upon translation, the old man got really excited and was thrilled at the idea of sending a message to the moon with the astronauts. The NASA folks produced a tape recorder and the old man recorded his message at which the grandson fought back the urge to laugh... but he refused to translate.
After Apollo 11 had successfully landed on the moon and brought its astronauts homes, a new group were training in the desert when one of the NASA officials recognized the Navajo elder and his grandson and went to tell them that the old man's message was indeed on the moon which was met with laughter.
Finally, the NASA rep caught on that not everything was as simple as he had originally thought and asked for a translation. With a chuckle the youngster replied: "Beware of white man; they come to steal your land!"

146 years ago, on this day, the Lakota/Dakota/Nakota, Northern Cheyenne and Arapaho defeated General George Armstrong Custer along with the U.S. 7th Calvary, June 25, 1876 at the Battle of Greasy Grass/Big Horn, MT. After General Custer found gold in the Black Hills, SD, he tried to use the 7th Calvary to help force our ancestors out of the Black Hills and onto reservations and overtake the Paha Sapa (Black Hills). Crazy Horse, Sitting Bull, Inkpa Duta and our Oceti Sakowin warriors, joined with Northern Cheyenne and Arapaho Warriors to defeated General Custer and the 7th Calvary, saving the lives of many women and children…and to this day, we have never sold the Black Hills. Happy Victory Day relatives!

Cherokee Women and Their Important Roles:
Women in the Cherokee society were equal to men. They could earn the title of War Women and sit in councils as equals. This privilege led an Irishman named Adair who traded with the Cherokee from 1736-1743 to accuse the Cherokee of having a "petticoat government".
Clan kinship followed the mother's side of the family. The children grew up in the mother's house, and it was the duty of an uncle on the mother's side to teach the boys how to hunt, fish, and perform certain tribal duties. The women owned the houses and their furnishings. Marriages were carefully negotiated, but if a woman decided to divorce her spouse, she simply placed his belongings outside the house. Cherokee women also worked hard. They cared for the children, cooked, tended the house, tanned skins, wove baskets, and cultivated the fields. Men helped with some household chores like sewing, but they spent most of their time hunting.
Cherokee girls learned by example how to be warriors and healers. They learned to weave baskets, tell stories, trade, and dance. They became mothers and wives, and learned their heritage. The Cherokee learned to adapt, and the women were the core of the Cherokee.
Photo : ~ Cherokee mixed Native American actress, Faye Warren.

Thank you for your interest in this post !❤️❤️❤️

Amazing house

Abram B. Burnett was a Potawatomi chief who played a significant role in the history of the Potawatomi people. Born in 1812, Burnett was a member of the Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation, which was located in present-day Kansas. He became a prominent leader and advocate for his people during a tumultuous time when Native American tribes were being forcibly removed from their ancestral lands.

Burnett was known for his efforts to negotiate treaties with the U.S. government to protect the rights and lands of the Potawatomi people. He played a crucial role in the negotiation of the 1833 Treaty of Chicago, which resulted in the removal of the Potawatomi from their lands in Indiana, Illinois, and Michigan to reservations in Kansas.

Despite his efforts to secure the best possible terms for his people, the Potawatomi and other tribes still faced great hardships during their forced removal, known as the Trail of Death. The journey to the Kansas reservation was treacherous, and many Potawatomi died along the way due to harsh conditions and lack of provisions.

Burnett continued to advocate for the rights and well-being of the Potawatomi throughout his life. He served as a chief and leader of his people until his death in 1870. His legacy as a Potawatomi chief and his efforts to protect his people's interests during a difficult period in history are remembered and honored by the Potawatomi Nation today.

On June 25, 1876, a battalion of the 7th Cavalry, led by George Armstrong Custer, was wiped out by an overwhelming force of Lakota, Dakota, Northern Cheyenne, and Arapaho.

There are many stories that come from this most famous battle of the Indian Wars. However, the most overlooked account is of the women warriors who fought alongside their male counterparts.

Minnie Hollow Wood, Moving Robe Woman, Pretty Nose (pictured), One-Who-Walks-With-The-Stars, and Buffalo Calf Road Woman were among the more notable female fighters.

Pretty Nose fought with the Cheyenne/Arapaho detachment.

One-Who-Walks-With-The-Stars (Lakota) killed two soldiers trying to flee the fight.

Minnie Hollow Wood earned a Lakota war-bonnet for her participation, a rare honor.

Lakota Moving Robe Woman fought to avenge the death of her brother.

And Cheyenne Buffalo Calf Road Woman holds the distinction of being the warrior who knocked Custer off his horse, hastening the demise of the over-confident Lt. Colonel.

Indigenous Peoples Movement

NATIVE AMERICANS – THE FIRST OWNERS OF AMERICA
Native Americans, or the indigenous peoples of the Americas, are the pre-Columbian inhabitants of North and South America and their descendants. Those who live within the boundaries of the present-day United States are composed of numerous, distinct tribes, bands and ethnic groups, many of which survive as intact, sovereign nations.
Most authorities agree that the first evidence of people inhabiting North America indicates that they migrated here from Eurasia over 13,000 years ago, most likely crossing along the Bering Land Bridge, which was in existence during the Ice Age. However, some historians believe that people had migrated into the Americas much earlier, up to 40,000 years ago. These early Paleo-Indians spread throughout the Americas, diversifying into many hundreds of culturally distinct nations and tribes.
Application of the term “Indian” originated with Christopher Columbus, who, in his search for Asia, thought that he had arrived in the East Indies. However, there is considerable evidence in support of successful explorations which led to Norse settlement of Greenland, the L’Anse aux Meadows settlement in Newfoundland, and potentially others some 500 years prior to Columbus landing in the Bahamas. From the Native American aspect, many tribes’ oral histories indicate they have been living here since their genesis, as described by a wide range of creation myths.
By the time European adventurers arrived in the 15th century, scholars estimate that more than 50 million people were already living in the Americas. Of these, some 10 million lived in the region that would later become the United States. As time passed, these migrants and their descendants pushed south and east, adapting as they went. With these new arrivals came centuries of conflict and adjustment between Old and New World societies. Today, Native Americans account for about 1.5 percent of the United States population, many of whom continue to take pride in their ancestral traditions — still practicing the music, art, and ceremonies that took place many years ago.

“We Indians know about silence.
We aren’t afraid of it.
In fact, to us it is more powerful than words.
Our elders were schooled in the ways of silence, and they passed that along to us. Watch, listen, and then act, they told us.
This is the way to live. Watch the animals to see how they care for their young.
Watch the elders to see how they behave. Watch the white man to see what he wants. Always watch first, with a still heart and mind, then you will learn.
When you have watched enough, then you can act.”
Charles Eastman - Ohiyesa, later in life Charles Eastman--Ohiyesa--states in The Soul of an Indian: “...
silence-the sign of perfect equilibrium.
Silence is the absolute balance of body, mind, and spirit.
The man who preserves his self hood ever calm and unshaken by the storms of existence...
is the ideal attitude and conduct of life. What are the fruits of silence?
They are self-control, true courage or endurance, patience, dignity, and reverence. Silence is the corner-stone of character.”
The Lakota elder continues:
“With the white people it is just the opposite. You learn by talking.
You reward the kids who talk the most in school.
At your parties everyone is talking all at once. In your work you are having meetings where everyone interrupts everyone else.
You say it is working out a problem.
To us it just sounds like a bunch of people saying whatever comes into their heads without listening to others.
Lakota elder continues regarding the sensibilities of traditional First People: “
You don’t convince anyone by arguing.
People make their decisions in their heart.
Talk doesn’t touch my heart.
People should think of their words like seeds. They should plant them, then let them grow in silence.
Our old people taught us that the earth is always speaking to us, but that we have to be silent to hear her.
I can understand all the trees.
The wind.
All the animals.
The insects.
I can tell what a color of the sky means. Everything in the natural world speaks to me.
Teaching our children well
- American Hunger Lakota elder continues:
“I watch TV and every ad I see tells me something is new.
That means I should get it because what I have is old.
There’s no reason to get something just because it”s new.
Your way teaches people to want, want, want. What you have is no good.
What you don’t have is new and better....
White people have an endless hunger.
They want to consume everything and make it part of them.”
Consider consumerism.
Things and Food.
Credit card debt & obesity in this country has become epidemic.
Eastman’s words echo many Native writers throughout decades:
“The native American has been generally despised by his white conquerors for his poverty and simplicity.
They forget, perhaps, that Native religion forbade the accumulation of wealth and the enjoyment of luxury.
Eastman continues: ...
“the love of possessions has appeared as a snare,
and the burdens of a complex society a source of needless peril and temptation.
Thus the Native American kept his spirit free from the clog of pride or envy...”
In Profiles in Wisdom,
Grandfather William Commanda concurs: “Dominant society has forgotten their Creator. It’s the money that rules today, even though God in their book tells them you cannot serve two masters.
Either you serve Creator or you serve the money.
So who are they serving?”
Regarding possessions Eastman continues:
“It was our belief that the love of possessions is a weakness to overcome.
Therefore, the child must learn, early, the beauty of generosity.
He is taught to give away what he prizes most, and that he may taste the happiness of giving. If a child is inclined to be grasping, or to cling to any of his little possessions, legends are told to him, teaching of contempt and disgrace that fall upon the ungenerous person.
Also, public giving,
known as give-aways,
is an important part of ceremony.”
Families give-away much of their treasured possessions in honoring weddings, funerals--yet,
Another example of Partnership model of society.

CHULA (AKA: Bull Head, Little Chief & Stamixo'tokan). He was the head chief of the Tsuu T'ina at the signing of Treaty 7 in 1877. Chief Bull Head was born in 1833 to a long lineage, and a fine tradition of Tsuu T'ina chiefs. The Tsuu T'ina were originally from a northern Deane tribe (Beaver people) who split hundreds of years ago. Oral tradition story tellers recall that after a disagreement between two of the chiefs brothers (possibly over the accidental death of a prized dog). An estimated two hundred members of the tribe led by one of the brothers moved into the territory of the Niitsitapi (Siksika/Blackfoot).
Here is the Tsuu T'ina's own creation story:
About 3,000 years ago when the Athabascan were one Nation (Tsuu T'ina means ‘a great number of people’), a great separation occurred in the north.
As the People were crossing a frozen lake in the deep cold winter, a small child noticed a horn sticking up from under the ice. He cried for the horn to play with, and to stop the child from crying, his grandmother took out her stone axe to try pry the horn free, thinking that someone ahead of them had dropped the horn.
What she did not realize was the horn was attached to the head of a monster sleeping under the ice. The grandmother unknowingly woke up the monster and it stood up, busting through the ice and separating the People.
Instead of re-grouping, the Athabascan branched out and settled to our present day locations.
This story of separation is similar in all Athabascan history. For example, The Dene say the horn was an Elk horn attached to a frozen carcass. Their story says that the weight of the carcass, combined with the grandmother chipping the ice and the weight of the People crossing, was the reason the ice broke through. The Navajo have the same story, except the horn was on a Buffalo carcass. The moral of the story is ‘ never spoil the children.
After the great separation, the Tsuu T ’ ina travelled south with a smaller population and came into Blackfoot territory. This area covered the North Saskatchewan river south to the Yellowstone river in Montana, and from the Rocky mountains east to the Cypress Hills and on into Manitoba.
Previous historical sources refer to the group as the Sarcee. "Sa arsi" is a Blackfoot word meaning "not good", often interpreted as "Stubborn", perhaps referring to the Tsuu T'ina's resolve not to be displaced despite raids and battles. Over time the Tsuu T'ina were adopted by the Blackfoot as part of their confederacy. During that time they lived in the area of Great Slave Lake and the edge of the Rocky Mountains. In 1865 Bull Heads older brother was killed by the Cree, by 1870 he had adopted his brothers name "Bull Head" and became chief. Described as a wiley warrior his war tally includes thirty battles, five enemy kills, three scalps, and numerous horses, and war trophies captured. As chief Bull Head promoted a nomadic and traditional lifestyle and is remembered for his abiding and steadfast dedication to his people.
By November 1880 Bull head and his people were starving, the buffalo were long gone, and his tribe aimlessly wandered the plains. Bull Head and his warriors approached Fort Calgary and told the four guards that if the tribe was not given food they would take over the Fort, Hudson Bay store and the I.G. Bakery. Thirty two soldiers responded from Fort Macleod to quell the unrest and find a resolution. As a result the Tsuu T'ina were allowed a winter camp at Fort Macleod, and in spring 1881 Bull Head and his followers moved to a temporary reserve S.W. of Fort Calgary.
When the government and Chief Crowfoot settled on a permanent reserve for the Blackfoot in southern Alberta the Tsuu T'ina initially went along and they shared a reserve near Gleichien, but there were problems. Bull Head, using his persuasive skills, lobbied the federal government for a reserve located next to Fish Creek, southwest of Calgary. He wrote a letter to Ottawa outlining the problems encountered at Blackfoot Crossing, and explained that since the Tsuu T'ina had a distinct language, culture and tradition they deserved to be treated as a sovereign nation with its own land.
On June 27, 1883 the Tsuu T'ina were given their own reserve near Elbow River and Fish Creek, the reserve was 108 square km. in the rolling foothills along the mountains. Although the land was difficult to cultivate, and the Tsuu T'ina initially did not take to farming Bull Head inspired willingness in his people to succeed. Being next to the town of Calgary brought drinking, prostitution, and grifters to influence the first nations people. Bull Head himself made the paper several times with alcohol getting the better of his considerable size and strength, although his warrior nature was generally unaffected. At the same time he also protected his people. Once when a wash basin was taken to be turned into a drum for a ceremony he confronted the arresting officers looking for the thief by telling them "(His people) need a drum more than the town folk need a wash basin" and that was the end of that.
By 1895 the Tsuu T'ina were devastated, indian agent Samual Bringham Lucas observed "Until recently they considered themselves doomed to extinction in the near future and did not appear to wish to exert themselves to avoid what they considered their inevitable fate." Although Bull Head was described by Superintendant McIllree as "...a very bad man who exhibits a most pernicious influence over people", it was that attitude which saved his tribe and his land. Despite the struggle and starvation the Tsuu T'ina never gave up, and continued to survive and adapt. They also resolved to never give up their land, and to this day a carin of stones on the reserve has grown over time added to by the tribal members in rememberance to always keep their bit of land. Bull Head always maintained his traditional religion and values. Bull Head is to be remembered as an outstanding leader and pivotal player in Tsuu T'ina culture and history. He succumbed to consumption in 1911 and his successor was Jim Big Plume.🍀

Eagle Arrow. A Siksika man. Montana. Early 1900s. Glass lantern slide by Walter McClintock. Source - Yale Collection of Western Americana, Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library .

CLEGHORN, MILDRED IMOCH (1910–1997).
Traditional doll maker, schoolteacher, and Fort Sill Apache tribal leader, Mildred Imoch (En-Ohn or Lay-a-Bet) was born a prisoner of war at Fort Sill, Oklahoma, on December 11, 1910. Her grandfather had followed Geronimo into battle, and her grandparents and parents were imprisoned with the Chiricahua Apache in Florida, Alabama, and at Fort Sill. Her family was one of only seventy-five that chose to remain at Fort Sill instead of relocating to the Mescalero Reservation in New Mexico in 1913.

Mildred Cleghorn attended school in Apache, Oklahoma, at Haskell Institute in Kansas, and at Oklahoma State University, receiving a degree in home economics in 1941. After she finished her formal education, she spent several years as a home extension agent in Kansas, Oklahoma, and New Mexico, and then worked for sixteen years as a home economics teacher, first at Fort Sill Indian School at Lawton and then at Riverside Indian School at Anadarko. Later, she taught kindergarten at Apache Public School in Apache. She was married to William G. Cleghorn, whom she had met in Kansas, and their union produced a daughter, Peggy. In 1976 Mildred Cleghorn became chairperson of the Fort Sill Apache Tribe, newly organized as a self-governing entity. Her leadership in that government revolved around preserving traditional history and culture. She retired from the post at age eighty-five in 1995.

Cleghorn's many awards and recognitions included a human relations fellowship at Fisk University in 1955, the Ellis Island Award in 1987, and the Indian of the Year Award in 1989. She also served as an officer in the North American Indian Women's Association, as secretary of the Southwest Oklahoma Intertribal Association, and as treasurer of the American Indian Council of the Reformed Church of America.

Above all, Mildred Cleghorn was a cultural leader. She spent a lifetime creating dolls authentically clothed to represent forty of the tribes she had encountered in her teaching career. Her work was exhibited at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C. Her life ended in an automobile accident near Apache on April 15, 1997

Billy Mills, also known as Tamakhóčhe Theȟíla, a member of the Oglala Lakota tribe, has become a symbol of Native American excellence and perseverance.
Born and raised on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota, Mills faced numerous challenges growing up. Poverty, racism, and health issues were constant obstacles. However, he refused to let these hurdles define him. Instead, he worked hard to excel in both academics and athletics.
Mills became a standout athlete in high school and went on to attend the University of Kansas on a track scholarship. Despite facing discrimination and cultural misunderstandings, he persevered and eventually became a two-time NCAA champion.
At the 1964 Tokyo Olympics, Mills was considered a long shot to win the 10,000 meters. He was up against world-record holders and seasoned veterans, but Mills remained focused and determined. In an incredible upset, he surged ahead in the final stretch and crossed the finish line in first place, setting a new Olympic record.
Mills' victory was not just a win for himself, but for his entire community. He became a hero to Native Americans around the country, inspiring them to believe in their own capabilities and pursue their dreams.
In recognition of his accomplishments, Mills has been awarded numerous honors, including induction into the National Track and Field Hall of Fame and the U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame. In 2023, he was presented with an Eagle Feather at Lake Andes School, a prestigious honor in Native American culture.
Today, Mills continues to inspire others through his advocacy work and motivational speeches. He reminds us that with hard work, determination, and a strong support system, anyone can overcome adversity and achieve greatness.
By John Gonzalez

A BLACK Cherokee woman in the 1860's.

Our ways will never die, while our ancestors are in our hearts.
Much love and respect out to all my family and friends.

While running the Boston Marathon in 2019, Jordan Marie Brings Three White Horses Daniel dedicated every mile in prayer to an Indigenous woman or girl who had been murdered.
Picture by Devin Whetstone

There was a little boy who was out for a walk with his Grandfather and they came upon a Eagle soaring in the sky and he said to the little boy can you hear the Eagle speaking to your heart? The little boy said no Grandfather i do not hear the Eagle. Years later when the boy grew up to a young teen he and his Grandfather were sweating in the sweat lodge and as they came out they seen a Eagle perched in a tree and Grandfather asked the boy do you hear the Eagle speaking to your heart? The boy said no Grandfather i do not hear the Eagle. A few years later this boy now an adult and his Grandfather passed to the Spirit world a year earlier, he was at a healing camp and he seen a Eagle flying overhead he was silent and while watching the Eagle he heard his Grandfathers voice, can you hear me speaking to your heart? The young man said yes Grandfather i can hear you. His Grandfather said my dear grandson you are no longer lost on your path. Ekosi 🦅💕🦅

"Before our white brothers arrived to make us civilized men,
we didn't have any kind of prison. Because of this, we had no delinquents.
Without a prison, there can be no delinquents.
We had no locks nor keys and therefore among us there were no thieves.
When someone was so poor that he couldn't afford a horse, a tent or a blanket,
he would, in that case, receive it all as a gift.
We were too uncivilized to give great importance to private property.
We didn't know any kind of money and consequently, the value of a human being
was not determined by his wealth.
We had no written laws laid down, no lawyers, no politicians,
therefore we were not able to cheat and swindle one another.
We were really in bad shape before the white men arrived and I don't know
how to explain how we were able to manage without these fundamental things
that (so they tell us) are so necessary for a civilized society."
- John (Fire) Lame Deer, Sioux Lakota - 1903-1976

He is feeling sad . because no one appreciate his work .❤️

Mary Louise Defender-Wilson was born near the rural town of Shields, North Dakota, where she now lives on the Standing Rock (Sioux) Indian Reservation. She is primarily Dakotah Sioux, though a grandmother was Hidatsa. Her tribal name is Wagmuhawin -- Gourd Woman.

Defender-Wilson was born into a family of storytellers. The first story she remembers hearing was the tale of how the Dakotah culture hero Stone Boy was tricked out of his fancy clothes by Unktomi (Spider Man), a trickster figure. By the time she was in fifth grade, she was telling stories to her classmates. "Sometimes I got off the beaten path, but everyone laughed, especially at the Spider Man stories," she recalled.

The stories taught that people came to Earth in animal form and had a lot to learn in order to live in harmony with others. Many stories also related to the land. "We lived by gardening and as sheep herders," she said. "We would follow along with the Old Ones and the dogs who tended the sheep. We could walk all over the land. There were no fences, and Grandfather would tell us about the rock formations, hills, streams and buttes we came across." Double Woman Hill west of Shields, for instance, takes its name from a mythical being who appears in dreams and is linked to artistry, design, and industriousness.

Defender-Wilson's personal story is as compelling as the traditional tales she tells. A tall, physically attractive woman, she was once named Miss Indian America. She held administrative jobs with Indian-related government agencies and struggled with the issue of her identity. In 1976, she returned to the reservation, having realized that forcing herself to assimilate into white culture would be a form of su***de. For several years in the 1980s, she taught tribal culture and language at Fort Yates Community College.

She has taught Dakotah storytelling through the North Dakota Council on the Arts Traditional Arts Apprenticeship Program, given lecture demonstrations throughout the region and educated teachers in Dakotah-Hidatsa storytelling and culture. She has produced a radio program to teach the Siouan language and to promote the intellectual value of traditional knowledge.

Defender-Wilson has been widely recognized for her accomplishments, serving as a board member for Arts Midwest, the North Dakota Council on the Arts, and the North Dakota Centennial Commission. For her, though, the reward is not the public recognition but knowing the value of her stories and teaching them to others. "The entire life I've come through so far with our stories has helped me relate to, communicate with, and respect other people because I relate to, communicate with, and respect my own culture." The power of stories, she said, illustrates that "history is always there- - you're standing there dragging all these things behind you."

Warriors are not what you think of as warriors. The warrior is not someone who fights, because no one has the right to take another life. The warrior, for us, is one who sacrifices himself for the good of others. His task is to take care of the elderly, the defenseless, those who cannot provide for themselves, and above all, the children, the future of humanity. —Sitting Bull (c. 1831 - 1890), Hunkpapa Sioux.

⭐FRYBREAD RECIPES FROM VARIOUS TRIBES! ⭐
Old Fashioned
4 cups flour
2 tbsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
1/2 cup shortening
1 cup warm water
Mix flour, baking powder and salt. Gradually add in the shortening and water. Add only enough water to make dough stick together. Knead dough until smooth, make into fist-sized balls. Cover them with a towel for 10 minutes then pat them out into circles about the size of a pancake. Fry in hot cooking oil in cast iron skillet until brown on both sides. Drain on paper towels, serve with jam.
Traditional
1 pkg. dry yeast
3 cups warm water
1 tbsp. salt
1 tbsp. sugar
6 cups flour
2 tbsp. oil
1/2 cup cornmeal
Dissolve yeast in warm water then add salt and sugar. Let stand for 5 minutes covered with a towel. Add flour and oil to liquid mixture. Mix and put on floured bread board and knead until mixture is smooth. Put dough in a greased bowl, cover with towel and let it rise for 1 1/2 hours. Remove from bowl and put on bread board, knead in the 1/2 cornmeal. Make dough into 2 balls rolling each into 12 inch circles 1/2 inch thick. Cut into 2 inch squares and drop into hot cooking oil. (Works best with cast iron skillet.) Fry 5 to 6 pieces at a time for only a few moments. Drain on paper towel and sprinkle with white powdered sugar.
Blackfeet
4 cups flour
1 Tbsp. powdered milk
1 Tbsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
11/2 cups warm water
Oil for frying
Mix all dry ingredients thoroughly. Add water. Knead until soft, then set aside for one hour. Shape into small balls. Flatten each ball into a circle with or rolling pin or by hand. Fry in a skillet half-full of oil until golden brown on both sides.
Cherokee
1 cup flour
1/2 tsp. salt
2 tsp. baking powder
3/4 cup milk
Mix ingredients adding more flour if necessary to make a stiff dough. Roll out the dough on a floured board till very thin. Cut into strips 2 X 3 inches and drop in hot cooking oil. Brown on both sides. Serve hot with honey.
Chickasaw
2 cups sifted flour
1/2 tsp. salt
4 tsp. baking powder
1 egg
1/2 cup warm milk
Stir first three ingredients then stir in the beaten egg. Add milk to make the dough soft. Roll it out on floured bread board, knead lightly. Roll dough out to 1/2 inch thick. Cut into strips 2 X 3 inches and slit the center. Drop into hot cooking oil and brown on both sides. Serve hot.
Pumpkin Fry Bread
Add the following to the ingredients shown above to make Pumpkin Fry Bread
2 cups fresh pumpkin or 1-16oz. can pumpkin
1 tbsp. milk or water
3/4 cups brown sugar
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
1/4 tsp. vanilla
Drop into hot cooking oil and brown on both sides. Serve hot with butter or powdered sugar.
Creek
2 cups flour
1 cup buttermilk
1 tbsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
Sift flour,salt and baking powder then add milk and more flour to make dough stiff. Roll out onto floured bread board and cut into 4 X 4 squares with a slit in the center. Fry in hot cooking oil until golden brown. Drain on plate with paper towels.
Navajo #1
1 C flour
1 t baking powder
1/4 C powdered milk
1/4 t salt
warm water
Combine the ingredients and slowly add enough warm water to form dough. On a lightly floured surface, knead dough until it is smooth soft and not sticky. Cover and let rest 1 hour. Shape into small balls and pat into flat circles about 1/4-1/2 inch thick. Set aside.
In skillet, heat 1/2 inch vegetable oil. Brown dough circles on each side and drain on paper towels.
Serve with chile beans and your favorite taco toppings for "Navajo Tacos."
Navajo #2
3 cups unbleached flour, sifted
1/2 cup dry powdered milk
1 Tbs. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 cup warm water or milk
2 quarts oil for deep frying
Combine the first 5 ingredients in a large mixing bowl and knead until smooth and soft, but not sticky. Depending on the altitude and humidity, you may need to adjust the liquid or the flour, so go slowly and balance accordingly. Be careful not to overwork the dough, or it will become tough and chewy. Brush a tablespoon of oil over the finished dough and allow it to rest 20 minutes to 2 hours in a bowl covered with a damp cloth. After the dough has rested, heat the oil in a broad, deep frying pan or kettle until it reaches a low boil (375º). Pull off egg-sized balls of dough and quickly roll, pull, and path them out into large, plate-sized rounds. They should be thin in the middle and about 1/4 inch thick at the edges. Carefully ease each piece of flattened dough into the hot, boiling oil, one at a time. Using a long-handled cooking fork or tongs, turn the dough one time. Allow about 2 minutes cooking time per side. When golden brown, lift from oil, shake gently to remove bulk of oil, and place on layered brown paper or paper towels to finish draining.
Serve hot with honey, jelly, fine powdered sugar, wojape, or various meat toppings.
Hint:
The magic is in frying the bread quickly! The hotter the oil, the less time it takes to cook. The less time it takes to cook, the lighter the texture and lower the fat content.
Osage
4 cups all purpose flour
2 tsp salt
1 tbsp and a half baking powder
1 tablespoon melted shortening
2 cups warm milk
Shortening for deep frying
Sift flour, salt and baking powder into bowl. Stir in shortening and milk. Knead the dough into a ball. Roll out dough on lightly floured board. Cut into diamond shapes and slice a slit in the center.
Heat shortening in deep fryer to 370 degrees. Fry 2 or 3 at a time until golden brown on both sides. Drain on paper towels.
Seminole
2 cups flour
3 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
1 cup milk
Mix flour, baking powder and salt. Add milk gradually making sure the dough is stiff. Put on floured bread board and pat it out with your hands until it is 1/2 inch thick. Cut into strips with a slit in the center. Fry in hot oil until both sides are golden brown.