Indigenous Collection Celebration November 6 at Chickasha Public Library 

The Chickasha Public Library will be celebrating the opening of its new Indigenous Collection on Thursday, November 6, at 6:30 p.m. This program will include presentations by Stanley Nelson, senior staff writer for Chickasaw Press, Katherine Witzig, Chair of the Oklahoma Library Association Tribal Libraries Committee, Donna Courtney, Storytelling Program Manager of the Chickasaw Nation Arts & Humanities Division, and a presentation of a variety of Indigenous food by Youth Services Librarian Drew Wilson. 

Afterwards, there will be a tour of the collection, with additional time to browse and check out books, and to sample the different kinds of food. There will be sweet corn bisque, which comes from Cherokee and Choctaw culinary traditions, Three Sisters salad, Cheyenne batter bread, wojapi (wild plum jam), and more. There will also be a beadwork demonstration by USAO student Hayla Wilson.

Additionally, there will be an American Indian Nations of Oklahoma in the Modern Era trunk from the Oklahoma History Center Museum on display at the Library from November 1-8. This trunk contains flags, artwork, and books from twenty-three different Native nations, as well as information on all thirty-eight federally recognized tribes of Oklahoma.

The Indigenous Collection includes around 300 books about languages, cultures, stories, histories, art, governments, biographies, sports, and current events. There are also graphic novels, photography books, and fiction for both adults and children written by Indigenous authors. There is a focus on language preservation, so you can find many language learning resources, including dictionaries, vocabulary and grammar books, bilingual books, and texts in several different languages. 

The Chickasha Public Library is located within the Chickasaw Nation, and the Indigenous Collection contains many books published by Chickasaw Press. If you have ever wanted to learn how to speak Chickasaw, learn about the people who Tuttle and Pauls Valley were named after, find some new recipes, or read about astronauts and artists from Oklahoma, you can find them all here.

The Chickasha Public Library is proud to bring this new collection to Chickasha and Grady County, and everyone is invited to attend the celebration. Books in this collection will be available for the public to check out beginning at the celebration on November 6.

Community Resources in Chickasha