MVSKOKE RESERVATION- Native Praise, an all-female Native gospel choir, completed a multistate tour this June in celebration of their 25 years of ministry. The tour took the group over 1,200 miles away from Oklahoma to Fenwick Island, Del with many stops for sightseeing and performances along the route.
The choir is a ministry of Native LINK Inc, a Tulsa-based Baptist ministry focused on helping women, and is composed of 60 members from 16 Tribes. The group sings in four Indigenous languages: Mvskoke, Cherokee, Choctaw, and Kiowa.
While the group stays busy performing in Oklahoma at worship services, public events, and camps, traveling is a way the choir is able to share Native cultures and traditions while also ministering. Celebrating their 25th anniversary of their founding, this tour marked the first time they have been able to travel in four years. Augusta Smith, the choir’s director explained, “It is a trip of gratitude in many ways, but also presents an opportunity to share our culture through the singing of our Native Christian hymns that have been preserved through generations. We are going to people who are not always aware that our Native peoples still exist.” The group also performs in cultural or traditional dress, often wearing either ribbon skirts with their Native Praise shirts or in traditional cultural attire.
A major performance for the group on this tour was in Indianapolis, Ind at the National Women’s Missionary Union (WMU) meeting. Smith, the group’s director, shared that they have been invited a total of four times to the WMU, more than any other group. She stated, “Our presence signifies our appreciation for their support of our ministry.” Past performances for the WMU have been in Baltimore, Md., Phoenix, Ariz., and St. Louis, Mo.
The group also traveled to Selbyville, Del to present a concert for Fenwick Island Baptist Church. Smith shared the group’s strong connection to the church, saying, “This church has given our ministry financial support for our 25 years of ministry. They were instrumental in purchasing reading glasses for our medical mission trip to Ukraine in 2013.”
Along the way, the group was able to visit historic places and spaces like Cahokia Mounds Historic Site near St. Louis, Mo., and the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum in Springfield, Ill. They were also able to visit an Amish community in Lancaster, Pa.
Native Praise recently performed at the 2024 Tulsa Chamber of Commerce Native Nations Summit and at Indian Falls Creek. They have upcoming performances at this year’s Cherokee National Holiday. For more information on the Native Praise choir ministry, contact Augusta Smith at 918-931-2218, or visit their website, Native Praise.
