FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Arkansas women’s basketball hosted Oral Roberts for the team’s Native American Heritage Appreciation Month game on Thursday, Nov. 21. In honor of NAHM night, the Razorbacks wore the N7 jerseys for the second consecutive year; the jerseys debuted last season against Central Arkansas.
It was also the second consecutive year that Illinois District Representative-elect Janelle Adair was invited to give a storytelling presentation before the game. Adair is also a Keetoowah Tradition Keeper.
UKB Media Director Troy Littledeer presented a brief history of the Keetoowah Cherokee people and their origins in the Southeast to prepare the Razorbacks for their trip to Cherokee, North Carolina. Arkansas will compete in the 3rd Annual Cherokee Invitation at Harrah’s Casino and Resort in Cherokee on Dec. 18-19.
Jr. Miss Keetoowah Grayci Spradlin attended the game to represent the United Keetoowah Band of Cherokee Indians in Oklahoma, along with other tribal representatives.
“I sincerely appreciate the efforts that the Arkansas women’s basketball team and their entire staff are putting out to make sure they honor Native Americans in the best and proper way,” said Littledeer. “I couldn’t touch on that enough when I spoke to them. I hope they understand that events like this are all building blocks that support us in letting the world know who we in Indian Country are and that we are still here.”
The NAHM game was a near-perfect match-up for Native American Heritage Night, with the Arkansas roster featuring two Native American athletes, Carly Keats of the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians and Comanche Kiki Smith, in addition to Tyla Heard (Seneca Cayuga), Taleyah Jones (Cherokee), Emily Robinson (Choctaw) and Assistant Coach/Director of Operations Wayne Anderson (Creek) for Oral Roberts.
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