April 7, 9:00 - 12:00   Pre-K through 5th Grades

Doors open at 8:00 for Check-In. 

Students should be lined up and ready for the opening Parade of Programs at 8:45.

April 8, 9:00 - 3:00  6th -12th Grades

Doors open at 8:00 for Check-In.

Performances break from 12:15-1:00 for lunch.

Every spring, the Oklahoma Native American Youth Language Fair (ONAYLF) brings together 600-800 students who are learning their Native languages. The Fair honors these students and their teachers by giving them an opportunity to publicly present their languages. The Fair celebrates language diversity in Oklahoma and the US. In addition to student and teachers, the Fair also involves the university community, tribal communities, families, and over 100 volunteers.  More about the goals and history of the Fair.

Students participate according to age in categories:

• Individual, small group, or large group Spoken Language Performance
• Individual, small group, or large group Song in Native Language 
• Language Masters Performance 
• Poetry Writing and Performance
• Spoken Language with PowerPoint 
• Poster Art on the yearly language theme 
• Book & Literature
• Cartoon & Comic Book (NEW for 2013!)
• Film & Video 
• Language Advocacy Essay (in English)  
• More about the categories.

Students perform for elders and teachers who score the children on 1) amount of language used, 2) fluency, 3) spirit of the performance, and 4) stage presence. The top three performances in each age category receive a trophy that they can take back to their schools. Every child who participates receives a medal and a Fair T-Shirt, created by the winning artwork from the last year’s Fair.  More about our judges and the judging process.

If you are learning your language or passing on your language at home or in a classroom and have never come to the Fair, we invite you to the Fair. If you are just interested in knowing more about the beauty and diversity of Native languages in Oklahoma, please come by.  Your presence will support these dedicated youth and the continued use of all languages.

Day 1 Performances

Pre K – 2nd Spoken Categories

Pre K – 2nd Individual Spoken Language

1st Place My Language Follows Me
Alex Elizando
Osage Nation Language Program
Language: Osage

2nd Place Iki re hintato
Rita Compton
Edmond Indian Education/Otoe-Missouria Language Department
Language: Jiwere-Otoe

3rd Place My Language Follows Me
Emmary Elizando
Osage Nation Language Program
Language: Osage

Pre K – 2nd Small Group Spoken Language

1st Place Fishing in Osage
Osage Nation Language Program
Language: Osage

2nd Place My Language Follows Me
Osage Nation Language Program
Language: Osage

Pre K – 2nd Spoken Poetry
1st Place Nashoba
Paris Burdex
Riverside Indian School
Language: Choctaw

Pre K – 2nd Large Group Spoken Language

1st Place Why the Possum’s Tail is Bare
Cherokee Immersion Charter School, 2nd Grade
Language: Cherokee

2nd Place In the Deep Blue Sea
Fred L. McGhee Learning Center, Poarch Creek Indians

Language: Creek

3rd Place Gigosek Meenah O Jajak
The 4’s, Citizen Potawatomi Nation
Language: Potawatomi

Pre K – 2nd Song with Language Categories

Pre K – 2nd Individual Song

1st Place Khoiye- Northern Style
Phillip Tahlee Tsonetokoy
Tsonetokoy Family
Language: Kiowa

2nd Place Ketan Xanje
Rita Compton
Edmond Indian Education/Otoe-Missouria Language Department
Language: Jiwere-Otoe

3rd Place Amazing Grace
Logan Oosahwe-Dushane
Cherokee Immersion Charter School
Language: Cherokee

Language: Cherokee

Pre K – 2nd Small Group Song

1st Place Mowa Chata Taloa
Sunray Chuka Achafa
Language: Kiowa

2nd Place Turtle Story
Edmond Indian Education/Otoe-Missouria Language Department,
Edmond Public Schools, Edmond, OK
Language: Otoe

3rd Place Muskogee Creek Hymns
Oklahoma City Muscogee Creek Association
Language: Creek-Muskogee

Pre K – 2nd Large Group Song

1st Place I’ll Fly Away
Cherokee Immersion Charter School, Kindergarten, Tahlequah, OK
Language: Cherokee

2nd Place Our Animal Song
Numunu Turetu ECDC
Language:

3rd Place God’s Children
Cherokee Immersion Charter School,

3rd – 5th Spoken Language Categories

3rd – 5th Individual Spoken Language

1st Place Wahpttigwek’s Summer
Mae Joslin
Prarie Band Potawatomi Nation Language & Cultural Department
Language: Potawatomi

2nd Place Xra Mitawe
Drake Hassler
Edmond Indian Education/Otoe-Missouria Language Department
Language: Jiwere-Otoe

3rd – 5th Small Group Spoken Language

1st Place Iki re!
Rita Compton and Maddie Fixico
Edmond Indian Education/Otoe-Missouria Language Department
Language: Jiwere-Otoe

3rd – 5th Large Group Spoken Language

1st Place Tdine Kheiye Tdaw Gyah (Star Wars)
Kiowa Kids
Language: Kiowa

2nd Place The Little Red Hen
Cherokee Immersion Charter School 3rd Grade
Language: Cherokee

3rd Place The Great Stickball Game
Glenpool Etvlwv, Glenpool Creek Indian Community
Language: Creek Mvskoke

3rd – 5th Song with Language Categories

3rd – 5th Individual Song

1st Place Taloa Chahta
Sydney Anderson-Cullum
Anderson-Cullum Family
Language: Choctaw

2nd Place Ekvnv herusat with guitar
Jariah Eyachabbe
Eyachabbe Family
Language: Creek - Mvskoke

3rd – 5th Small Group Song

1st Place Comanche Hymn
Walters Service Club
Language: Comanche

2nd Place Uba Isht Taloa Chahta 21
Chokka’ Kilimpi Family Resource Center
Language: Chickasaw

3rd Place Muskogee Creek Hymns
Oklahoma City Muscogee Creek Association
Language: Creek-Muskogee

3rd – 5th Large Group Song

1st Place The Little Red Buffalo Song
Anadarko Indian Education
Language: Kiowa

2nd Place Saynday’s Gkaugh Bote
BIE Kiowa Children’s Language Class
Language: Kiowa

3rd Place Singing Jesus My All in Cherokee
Rocky Mountain Cherokee Pride
Language: Cherokee

Day 2 Performances

6th – 8th Spoken Language Categories

6th – 8th Individual Spoken Language

1st Place My Mamo
Nikki Gardner
Riverside Indian Junior High School, Anadarko, OK
Language: Choctaw – Mississippi

2nd Place Ketan Mitawe
Anevay Greenwood
Edmond Indian Education, Otoe-Missouria Language Department
Edmond Public Schools, Edmond, OK
Language: Jiwere – Otoe

3rd Place The Turtle Story
Chyna Chupco
The Chupco Family
Language: Seminole

6th – 8th Small Group Spoken Language

1st Place Sungkenye Shuwe Lagunsta (Do You Want Puppies?)
Otoe-Missouria Language Department
Edmond Indian Education, Otoe-Missouria Language Department,
Edmond Public Schools, Edmond, OK
Language: Jiwere - Otoe

2nd Place Osage Prayer and Indian Sign Language
Osage Nation Language Program
Osage Nation Language Program, Pawhuska, OK
Language: Osage

3rd Place Show Off Turkey
Broken Bow Middle School
Broken Bow Public Schools, Broken Bow, OK
Language: Choctaw - Oklahoma

6th – 8th Large Group Spoken Language

1st Place A Visit from St. Nick
Byng Native Voices
Byng Public Schools, Byng, OK
Language: Chickasaw

6th – 8th Poetry Performed

1st Place Choctaw Poem
Madaleine Freeman
Chatah Ulla Ahleha, Oklahoma City, OK
Language: Choctaw – Oklahoma

6th -8th PowerPoint Presentation

1st Place Sewe
Jaiden Wamego
Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation Youth Class,
Language: Potawatomi

2nd Place Mati Kwe
Keanu Shopteese
Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation Youth Class,
Language: Potawatomi

6th – 8th Song with Language Categories

6th – 8th Individual Song with Language

1st Place Daw Gyah Taloa
Niigan Sunray
Kiowa Kids
Language: Kiowa

2nd Place Otoe Hymn
Anevay Greenwood
Edmond Indian Education, Otoe-Missouria Language Department
Edmond Public Schools, Edmond, OK
Language: Jiwere - Otoe

3rd Place Wichita Hymn
Charlie McAdams
Wichita Language Class, Lawton, OK
Language: Wichita

6th – 8th Small Group Song

1st Place Caddo Song
Metro Caddo Cultural Club
Metro Caddo Cultural Club, Oklahoma City, OK
Language: Caddo

2nd Place Comanche Song
Best Friends
Riverside Indian Junior High School, Anadarko, OK
Language: Comanche

3rd Place Wichita Prayer Song
Wichita
Language: Wichita

6th – 8th Large Group Song

1st Place Sequoyah
Cherokee Immersion Charter School 6th Grade
Cherokee Immersion Charter School, Tahlequah, OK
Language: Cherokee

2nd Place Lean On Me
Cherokee Immersion Charter School 7th & 8th Grades
Cherokee Immersion Charter School, Tahlequah, OK
Language: Cherokee

9th – 12th Spoken Language Categories

9th – 12th Individual Spoken Language

1st Place Apache Trickster Story
Richard Childs
Riverside Indian School, Anadarko, OK
Language: Apache - Western

2nd Place Little Ant Helps Turtle
Lanesha Wilson
Riverside Indian School, Anadarko, OK
Language: Choctaw – Mississippi

3rd Place Chickasaw Prayer
Ezra Johnson
Byng Public Schools, Byng, OK
Language: Chickasaw
9th – 12th Small Group Spoken Language

1st Place Skit in Chickasaw
Dale and Katy Shackleford
Shackelford Family,
Language: Chickasaw

2nd Place Show off Turkey
Broken Bow Public Schools
Broken Bow Public Schools, Broken Bow, OK
Language: Choctaw

9th – 12th Large Group Spoken Language

1st Place Big Foot Returns
Broken Bow Public Schools, Broken Bow, OK
Language: Choctaw

2nd Place Little Red Hen
Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation Teen Class
Language: Potawatomi

3rd Place Go Get ‘Em
Shawnee Youth Singers, Eastern Shawnee Tribe, Wyandotte, OK
Language: Shawnee

9th – 12th Poetry Performed

1st Place My Language Follows Me
Lane Rust
Jones Academy Alternative School, Hartshorne, OK
Language: Choctaw – Oklahoma

2nd Place Frybread
Cade Redeagle
Osage Nation Language Program, Pawhuska, OK
Language: Osage

3rd Place Father
Glenda Redfeather
Jones Academy Alternative School, Hartshorne, OK
Language:

9th – 12th PowerPoint Presentation

1st Place Comanche Language Visual Recognition
Comanche Nation Youth Program
Language: Comanche

9th – 12th Song with Language Categories

9th – 12th Individual Song

1st Place Ponca Hymn
Me-Way-She Greenwood
Edmond Indian Education, Otoe-Missouria Language Department,
Edmond Public Schools, Edmond, OK
Language: Ponca

2nd Place Kiowa Flag Song
Nokose Foley
Stillwater Indian Student Association, Stillwater Public Schools,
Stillwater, OK
Language: Kiowa

9th – 12th Small Group Song

1st Place Choctaw Hymn #21
Broken Bow High School
Broken Bow Public Schools, Broken Bow, OK
Language: Choctaw - Oklahoma

2nd Place Momis Komet Vpeyvkvres
Vocal Small Ensemble
Edmond Indian Education, Edmond Public Schools, Edmond, OK
Language: Creek - Muskogee

3rd Place Silent Night
Hartshorne School

Language: Choctaw – Oklahoma

9th – 12th Large Group Song

1st Place Amiboo (My Girl)
Chipota Chikashashanompoli, Ada, OK
Language: Chickasaw

2nd Place Celebrate
Sequoyah High School Choir, Cherokee Nation
Language: Cherokee

3rd Place Comanche Hymns
Comanche Nation Youth Program
Language: Comanche

Pre Judged Categories

2013 ONALY Written Poetry Category
Trophy List

Pre-K – 2nd

1st Place Nashoba
Paris Burdex
Riverside Indian School, Anadarko, OK
Language: Choctaw - Oklahoma

3rd - 5th

1st Place Choctaw Poem
Ryan Duncan
Chahta Ulla Ahleha, Oklahoma City, OK
Language: Choctaw – Oklahoma

6th – 8th

1st Place The Snow Fell
Madeleine Freeman
Chahta Ulla Ahleha, Oklahoma City, OK
Language: Choctaw – Oklahoma

9th – 12th

1st Place Vmmi (It is Mine)
Ashleigh Walden
Fort Towson Public Schools, Fort Towson, OK
Language: Choctaw - Oklahoma

2nd Place What is Spring?
Courtnie Meikle
Chahta Ulla Ahleha, Oklahoma City, OK
Language: Choctaw - Oklahoma

3rd Place Turtles ( Lucv)
Aaliyah Haney
Moore High School Native American Student Association, Moore, OK
Language: Seminole

Honorable Mention Frybread
Cade Redeagle
Osage Nation Language Program, Pawhuska, OK
Language: Osage

2013 ONALYF Poster Category
Trophy List

Grand Prize My Language Goes With Me
Nikki Gardner
Riverside Indian School, Anadarko, OK
6th – 8th Grade Category
Language: Mississippi Choctaw

(This artwork become the T-shirt art for the 2014 Fair.)

Pre-K – 2nd

1st Place My Language Goes With Me
Ian Kohnle
Osage Nation Language Program, Pawhuska, OK
Language: Osage

2nd Place My Language Follows Me
Justice Robertson
Osage Nation Language Program, Pawhuska, OK
Language: Osage

3rd Place My Language Goes With Me
Henry Pratt
Osage Nation Language Program, Pawhuska, OK
Language: Osage

3rd - 5th

1st Place Am anumpa isht iali
Sydney Anderson-Cullum
Chahta Ulla Ahleha, Oklahoma City, OK
Language: Choctaw – Oklahoma

2nd Place
Darin Allerson

3rd Place Chikashshanompa
Johnathon Delfrate
Byng Public Schools, Byng, OK
Language: Chickasaw

6th – 8th

1st Place My Language Goes With Me
Angel Manniette
Riverside Indian School, Anadarko, OK
Language:

2nd Place I Travel With My Language
Holli Benton
Edmond Public Schools, Edmond, OK
Langauge:

3rd Place My Language Goes With Me
Israel Kohnle
Osage Nation Language Program, Pawhuska, OK
Language: Osage

9th – 12th

1st Place My Language Goes With Me
Mindy Martinez
Riverside Indian School, Anadarko, OK
Language:

2nd Place Tut Pakoo
Chayton Vogele
Vogele Family
Language: Pawnee

3rd Place Untitled
Jenna Hodge
Caddo Public Schools – Choctaw Nation School of Language, Caddo, OK
Language: Choctaw - Oklahoma

2013 ONALY Film & Video Category
Trophy List

3rd – 5th

1st Place Mshike Migadiwat (Turtles Go To War)
Citizen Potawatomi Nation
Language: Potawatomi

2nd Place Native School Desk Dreamer
The Fillmore 7, Oklahoma City Public Schools, Native American
Student Services
Language: Choctaw – Oklahoma

3rd Place Training for ONAYLF
Chado Daffron, Cutxogul
Language: Kiowa

6th – 8th

1st Place My Language Follows Me
Osage Nation Language Program
Language: Osage

9th – 12th

1st Place Young Yuchis
Micckah Brown, Euchee (Yuchi) Language Project
Language: Euchee-Yuchi

2nd Place My Heart Speaks Sauk
Sauk Language Class, Shawnee Public Schools
Language: Sauk – Sac and Fox

3rd Place Ee wa wat oo soo koo We Kitu
Chayton Vogele
Language: Pawnee

2013 ONALY Advocacy Essay Category
Trophy List

9th – 12th

1st Place What If?
Katy Shackleford
Shackleford Family

2nd Place Heart of My People
Rachel White
Osage Nation Language Program

3rd Place Tradition is Like the Wind
Lyle Maze
Riverside Indian School

Honorable Mention My Language is My Heart
Mandy Martinez
Riverside Indian School

Our Language
Vince Cheykaychi
Riverside Indian School

2013 ONALYF Comic Book and Cartoon Category
Trophy List

6th – 8th

1st Place Katiohi Ho Luksi Im Hakshup Ishi Tuk
Aeneas Freeman
Chahta Ulla Ahleha, Oklahoma City, OK
Language: Choctaw - Oklahoma

2nd Place Chukka Himmona
Madeleine Freeman
Chahta Ulla Ahleha, Oklahoma City, OK
Langauge: Choctaw - Oklahoma

9th – 12th

1st Place Untitled
Stevanna Meikle
Chahta Ulla Ahleha, Oklahoma City, OK
Language: Choctaw - Oklahoma

2nd Place Accvke
Tyler Ratcliff
Glenpool High School, Glenpool, OK
Language: Mvskoke Creek

3rd Place Difficulty
Kevin Elam
Osage Nation Language Program, Pawhuska, OK
Language: Osage

Honorable Mention:

I got myself into trouble
Tanner Carter
Osage Nation Language Program, Pawhuska, OK
Language: Osage

Stickball
Ty Craig
Glenpool High School, Glenpool, OK
Language: Mvskoke Creek

2013 ONALYF Book Category Trophy List

Pre-K – 2nd

1st Place Mom and Me
Trinty Kohnle
Osage Nation Language Program, Pawhuska, OK
Language: Osage

2nd Place First Day of School
Julia Lookout
Osage Nation Language Program, Pawhuska, OK
Language: Osage

3rd Place Feather
Aerica Olsen and Emily Olsen
Colbert Public Schools, Colbert, OK
Language: Choctaw - Oklahoma

3rd - 5th

1st Place Ducks
Colbert 3rd through 5th Grades
Colbert Public Schools, Colbert, OK
Language: Choctaw - Oklahoma

2nd Place Holisso
Sydney Anderson – Cullum
Chahta Ulla Ahleha, Oklahoma City, OK
Language: Choctaw - Oklahoma

3rd Place Feathered Man
Colbert 3rd through 5th Grades
Colbert Public Schools, Colbert, OK
Language: Choctaw - Oklahoma

Honorable Mentions:
The Zoo Animals
Isaiah Kohnle
Osage Nation Language Program, Pawhuska, OK
Language: Osage

Dihanawa Datililosddanv gawotlvnv Galilo
Kelsey Morgan
Cherokee Nation Charter Schools, Tahlequah, OK
Language: Cherokee

6th – 8th

1st Place Am Anumpa isht iali
Isabella Cornell
Chatah Ulla Ahleha, Oklahoma City, OK
Language: Choctaw

2nd Place My Language Goes With Me
Autym Benton
Edmond Public Schools, Edmond, OK
Language: Osage

3rd Place Squirrel Dumplings
Israel Kohnle
Osage Nation Language Program, Pawhuska, OK
Language: Osage

9th – 12th

1st Place The Unusual Friend
Haileyville Choctaw Class
Haileyville Public Schools, Haileyville, OK
Language: Choctaw - Oklahoma

2nd Place Sally the Shorty
Whitesboro Choctaw I
School of Choctaw Language, Whitesboro, OK
Language: Choctaw - Oklahoma

3rd Place Turtle Spreads Osage
Avri Benton
Edmond Public Schools, Edmond, K
Language: Osage

Honorable Mentions:

Nursery Rhymes
Haileyville Choctaw Class
Haileyville Public Schools, Haileyville, OK
Language: Choctaw - Oklahoma

How the Deer Got Its Antlers
Fort Towson Class
Fort Towson Public Schools, Fort Towson, OK
Language: Choctaw – Oklahoma

Sulke Opvnvkvn
Raymond Williams
Glenpool Public Schools, Glenpool, OK
Language: Mvskove Creek

Registration for the 2013 Oklahoma Native American Youth Language Fair is now closed. Go to our Facebook page to see photos from the 2013 Fair.  

Check back soon for registration info for the 2014 ONAYLF April 7 & 8, 2014.

Media Reports- 

Watch KFOR's Great State Report on the 2013 Fair here

Watch a youtube video by CATV 47 about the fair here

Read KGOU's report about the record attendance at the 2013 Fair here

Read an article about the growing Language Fair by the Native American Times here

Read an article by the Broken Bow Public Schools celebrating their performances here

Read an article by the Sam Noble Museum about the fair here

Honoring Fair students at the State Capitol - Students and teachers who have participated in the Fair were honored by the American Indian Caucus at the state capital on April 9, 2012. See the citation and read more here.

The 2013 ONAYLF Guest Speakers were Dr. Toni Tsatoke and Dr. Gus Palmer, Jr.

Dr. Toni Tsatoke is a Kiowa Language Instructor in the University of Oklahoma Anthropology Department.  She graduated with a Bachelor of Science Degree from Haskell Indian Nations University. During her undergraduate studies, she earned many honors including the Miss Haskell Scholarship and title and the Miss American Indian Higher Education Consortium scholarship and title. After receiving the AILSA Fellowship at the University of Oklahoma, she earned her M.Ed and has since completed doctoral studies. She is a past recipient of the Christian A. Johnson Fellowship administered through the American Indian Graduate Center. Dr. Tsatoke has been named a Barbara L. Jackson Scholar by UCEA, a David L. Clark Scholar by AERA, and a Holmes Scholar. She was inducted into theGamma Beta Phi Honor and Service Society in 2003 and the Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi in 2004. 

Toni Tsatoke is a proud member of the Kiowa Tribe of Carnegie, Oklahoma. 

Dr. Gus Palmer, Jr. is an Associate Professor of Anthropology and Native American Studies and the Native Languages Program at the University of Oklahoma.  Dr. Palmer's  research is focused on traditional story telling and oral tradition.  He is currently serving in an advisory capacity for Vocal and Oral Verbal Arts (VOVA), based at the U. of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC. Dr. Palmer contributes mainly to verse analysis, performance models for language revitalization programs, and some song lyrics editing. Dr. Palmer attended the University of Oklahoma for his undergraduate work and has attended OU and Stanford for his graduate work in English and creative writing. Palmer's poetry has been strongly influenced by Yvor Winters. Dr. Palmer has also written, directed and produced the film "Mina. " Additionally, Palmer writes short fiction and translates Kiowa narratives.

Dr. Palmer is a member of the Kiowa tribe from Anadarko, Oklahoma.

Over 20 languages are represented each year!

Apache, Arapaho, Cayuga, Cherokee, Cheyenne, Chickasaw, Choctaw, Comanche, Coushatta, Dakota, Euchee (Yuchi), Hasinai (Caddo), Hochunk, Jiwere (Otoe), Kanza (Kaw), Keres, Kickapoo, Kiowa, Mohawk, Mvskoke (Creek), Navajo, Osage, Pawnee, Pima, Prairie Band Potawatomi, Sauk, Seminole, Seneca, Shawnee, Shoshone, Ute, Wichita, and Zuni.

Nowhere else can more Oklahoma Native languages be heard!