OKMULGEE- The Mvskoke Nation Youth Services (MNYS) hosted a Father’s Day War Club Painting workshop on June 9th. The workshop was open to any Mvskoke citizens between the ages of 12 to 24. Participants were allowed to bring one guest, who could be a father, grandfather, or uncle. The class was taught by Mvskoke artist Dan Beaver.
The MNYS Digital and Social Media Coordinator, Ticara Turner (Mvskoke), spoke about how successful their Mother’s Day event in May was, which led them to coordinate an activity for Father’s Day. The program is working to incorporate more family activities for its youth that involve their parents.
The program served barbecue, and MNYS gave a presentation about the fathers and men in their lives. For the activity, Beaver provided the wooden War Clubs, and the participants got to paint them.
“We’re very excited to kind of bring more cultural aspects this time to our class. Just getting them involved even more with the culture and the activities we do here at Youth Services. We thought that the Father’s Day event would also be perfect to follow up with that,” stated Turner.
Turner had known about Beaver and his artwork when the program asked him to do the program for Father’s Day. She explained that they also have another upcoming project that will involve him.
“We’ve always been familiar with his work and especially the more simplified version that he does for the kids as well, so we thought that it would be a great activity to have at our program,” Turner said.
One of the core benefits of hosting events like this is building stronger bonds with their families that will lead to future participation in activities.
“I think it’s just getting that time to spend time together with your loved ones, and getting to learn more about our culture, learn from other Mvskoke men as well,” Turner said.
Turner enjoys activities like this because of the community involvement. “It offers a lot of healthier and more friendlier ways of bonding with our families and our sons and our fathers,” Turner said.
“So I think there’s a lot more healthier outlets that we’re able to offer and the path that we’re trying to explore. This is just one of those ways that we’re trying to do that.”
For more information about the program, you can call 918-549-2557. To stay up to date on events in their program, follow them on their Facebook page, Mvskoke Nation Youth Services.
