TULSA, Okla. – The Living Legends Ceremony took place on Thursday, June 26 at River Spirit Casino to honor citizens of the Mvskoke Nation who have made an extraordinary impact on the lives of others in their community.
This year’s Living Legends inductees are Mvskoke Language teacher Gracine Hicks, former MCN Representative James Jennings, artist and author Mike Pahsetopah, language translator Steve Randall, and Traditional Cultural Advisor Robin “Chubs” Soweka. Poet Joy Harjo, and Hero and Advocate Raymond Lee Washburn were honored with the Chief’s Choice honor.
The event was attended by tribal leadership, such as Principal Chief DavidHill, Second Chief Del Beaver, National Council Speaker Hicks, and Former Chief A.D. Ellis, as well as previous Living Legends inductees, such as Henry Monroe Beaver and Mona Lowe.
Hicks has been a Mvhayv with the Muscogee Language Department for 18 years and has taught more than a thousand students across numerous schools the Mvskoke language. Hicks shared the importance of living and speaking the Mvskoke.
“This language is important. When we talk the language and share the language you’re sharing the language that your ancestors brought all the way over here from the Trail of Tears. They wanted us to hold this up.”
Jennings, who has served as a National Council member and is a member of the College of Muscogee Nation’s Board of Regents, took time to thank members of the tribe who currently or previously served in the military.
Pahsetopah, a public speaker, musician, and Fancy Dancer, gave a performance on his flute. He also took time to dedicate his induction to the audience and to the Nation.
“I’ve got trophies and awards at home, but this one means the most to me, because it represents all of you,” Pahsetopah said. “This journey is not over yet just because I received this. I’m going to keep going, because that’s the way I was taught.”
Randall has become known for his work in translating and printing the Bible into the Mvskoke language, as well as preserving and sharing Mvskoke hymns through the Mvskoke Hymnal.
“Several years ago, my name was put in for this honor, but I withdrew, because my church elders had told me ‘Whatever you do for the Lord, don’t broadcast it, don’t put no light on yourself, stay humble. … But this time, when I was asked, I felt pretty good…” Randall said in his speech.
Soweka has served as medicine maker at Hickory Ground and has worked to clean, fence, and protect more than a hundred Mvskoke cemeteries across the Mvskoke Reservation. Newly retired after 18 years with the MCN, he stressed how the language was the most important part of Muscogee culture, and that we must not lose it.
World-renowned Mvskoke poet, performer, and writer Harjo was honored with the Chief’s Choice Award. In her remarks, Harjo expressed the love she was brought up in. “I’m not up here alone. I have so much help. I appreciate this honor and being a part of the story of our people,” she said.
“Our people – that’s why I do what I do, because of the love that was planted in me by my father and his people, my mother, and my relatives, and all of those that I meet. It’s a love that all of us carry, and all have a responsibility to share it.”
The second Chief’s Choice Award was its first ever posthumous award and was presented to the family of Raymond Lee Washburn, who passed away in 2022. Washburn, who lost his sight as a child, was a large part of the blind community, previously serving as a president of Randolph-Sheppard Vendors of America, the Oklahoma Council of the Blind, and the Oklahoma League of the Blind Credit Union.
Washburn became known for his heroism while working in the snack bar he owned on the 4th floor of the Murrah Building when it was bombed on April 19, 1995. He would lead four customers and one employee to safety, and his story would become known in the animated short film “Walk In The Light”, which was released on June 18, 2025.
