Art, culture join forces to keep ‘Comanche Strong’

Members of the Comanche Nation shared how art and culture strengthen community, build resilience and foster community-wide well-being Wednesday morning.

From one of the meeting rooms at the Hilton Garden Inn Hotel, Comanche Nation Chairman Mark Woomavovah, Indian Health Services (HIS) therapist and tribal member Shailah (Red Elk) Ramos, and founder of the Comanche Youth Dancers Theresa Lopez shared their views with an audience gathered for the Oklahoma Arts Conference being held this week.

Woomavovah welcomed the full audience.

“Good morning,” he said. “I want to welcome everyone to Indian Country.”

Speaking of the tribe’s rich history of being known as the “Lords of the Plains,” Woomavovah shared his philosophy that’s been adopted as creed for the tribe: Comanche Strong, Stronger Together.

Before working with alcohol and addiction with the HIS, Ramos, who is also a known artist, worked for Comanche Nation Prevention and Recovery. One of her proudest moments with the program was working with those in recovery to discover the art they have inside them. It culminated in an exhibit at the Comanche National Museum and Cultural Center called “Art of Recovery.”

“It was such a great experience,” she said.

Some of those artists have now gone on to study at the Native American Art Institute in Santa Fe, N.M. Others continue to create their art for themselves.

Taking that experience into her new position with HIS, Ramos spoke of leading three 40 minute art therapy sessions with students at Riverside Indian School in Anadarko. There is no standing art program offered there. At its end, she saw a payoff.

“We just turned up the music and messed around with watercolors and brushes,” she said. “Every single negative emotion they had flipped to a positive emotion.”

Over 30 years ago, Lopez founded the Comanche Youth Dancers. It began with four kids. At that time, she was also director of the tribe’s Substance Abuse Program.

“One of the activities we did was dancing,” she said. “We wanted to offer a strong message to stay positive, stay drug free.”

Promoting a positive lifestyle that was rooted in Comanche culture was intended to boost self-esteem, Lopez said.

“This is where it starts,” she said. “Be proud of who you are, be proud of being Numunu, be proud of being Comanche.”

Taking a question from the audience, Ramos spoke of the importance of learning the Comanche language has been for her and others. A graduate of Indiahoma High School, she spoke of tribal elders who taught the Native tongue. When attending Cameron University, she took two more years of the language when it was offered.

“I hope they bring it back,” she said.

Now, from the Life Ready Center, Lawton Public Schools is offering instruction in the language. New generations keep it alive, she said.

“It’s not lost, we’re still here,” she said. “There is a need for it.”

Keeping your language arts alive is another way of keeping your tribal culture alive especially after a history meant to suppress it, according to Ramos.

“We want to be able to speak our own language because we weren’t allowed to speak if for so long,” she said.