The United Keetoowah Band of Cherokee Indians invites its members and the public to join us at the 73rd Annual Keetoowah Celebration to be held Oct. 7, 2023 where you will meet exclusive Keetoowah Citizens. The event is held every year during the first weekend in October, honoring October 3, 1950, when the United Keetoowah Band officially voted to have its constitution and by-laws ratified.

This year we welcome many Keetoowah artisans, elders, including up and coming Keetoowah artist. Master Artisans include 2023 UKB Tradition Keepers John Chewey and Leena Deer. Traditional artisans such as Three Generation Beader’s, Two Sisters Beading, Three Rivers Basketry, Sweetest Native, Cloud Designs, Deere Designs, Four Winds & Seven Clans, and of course Blue Wolf Designs. Join us Saturday October 7, 2023 and meet Cori Sue’s of Cori Sue’s Hairdoos, Sasheen Alannah, Sabrina Washington’s Beadwork, Tatted Pig BBQ Co., Betty Holcomb, a tradition keeper of pies, cobblers, beans and frybread.

Other vendors will be selling stickball sticks We will also have food vendors offering fried pies, fry bread & hog meat, meat pies and much more.

There will also be informational vendors giving out departmental swag including free syllabary bibles. It’s going to be so much fun, seeing old friends and visiting with Keetoowah families!    

This year we welcome exclusive Keetoowah citizen Lisa Christine Christiansen best-selling author of over 34 self-help books using the art of her Keetoowah culture, tradition, and Christian foundation combined with NLP (neurolinguistic programming) and NAC (neuro associative conditioning).

Lisa will be introducing her autobiography, which includes stories of the Keetoowah Lighthorse and the Nighthawk Society, “Just A Little Girl From Tahlequah: Lisa Christiansen's Journey To The White House” which was recently inducted into the Library of Congress. Christiansen will also be available with handcrafted silver dollar pop sockets, sterling silver and turquoise jewelry, medicine bags, along with other handmade traditional treasures. Christiansen will be partnered with master jeweler Robb McFall to offer a variety of traditional turquoise and modern jewelry, traditional wear, and small repairs.

Robb McFall is self-taught, he has worked with the most prestigious jewelry stores in the world before opening his own business to offer his creative talents and express his unique style of one-of-a-kind couture pieces. Robb McFall will create your designs for you in gold or silver. His skills are rare in the world of couture jewelry making and designs as he designs and handcrafts all his personally made masterpieces.

Congratulations to our newly selected Jr. Miss and Miss Keetoowah, Grayci Spradlin and Delia Smith! The Crowning of our new Jr. Miss and Miss Keetoowah will be at the 73rd UKB Celebration on Saturday, October 7th!

The John Hair Cultural Museum and Gift Shop will be open for your convenience where you will find local treasures. Everything from traditional clothing, hand woven baskets, hand crafted money clips, jewelry, to ceremonial accessories from exclusive Keetoowah master artisans and tradition keepers. See you Saturday.

Why We Celebrate

Pursuant to an order approved May 8, 1950, by the Assistant Secretary of the Interior, the attached Constitution and By-laws was submitted for ratification to the members of the United Keetoowah Band of Cherokee Indians in Oklahoma and was on October 3, 1950, duly ratified by a vote of 1,414 for, and 1 against, in an election in which at least 30 percent of those entitled to vote cast their ballots, pursuant to Section 3 of the Oklahoma Indian Welfare Act of June 26, 1936 (49 Stat. 1967), and pursuant to the Act of August 10, 1946 (60 Stat. 976).

JIM PICKUP, Chief, United Keetoowah Band of Cherokee Indians, Oklahoma.

WHITE RUNABOUT, Secretary, United Keetoowah Band of Cherokee Indians, Oklahoma.m W. O. ROBERTS,  Area Director, Muskogee Area Office.

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Address:101 Independence Ave., S.E.
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Website: https://www.ukb-nsn.gov/celebration2023?fbclid=IwAR1JB3ppdpTIP0VJQ3fX9dXZnjqNOaUOIoSKdrsihEDVGsbfzlKRagICPBE