Society of Native American Gentlemen share fellowship

NORMAN, Okla. (AP) — Sigma Nu Alpha Gamma was founded in 2004 at the University of Oklahoma, but the small fraternity's traditions go back much further.

They're not homecoming or date party traditions.

They are Native American cultural practices that the men of SNAG want to carry into the next generation, according to the Norman Transcript.

"It's all about cultural identity," fraternity pledge Sam Riding In said. "We all leave home, but we want to find that rhythm. You can't go back home every weekend, so this is close as you can get. And you build connections with people."

The Society of Native American Gentlemen continues to grow through a shared oral tradition. It's a legacy that SNAG alumni like Oliver Plumley continue to cultivate by teaching traditional Native American singing and drumming.

"We wouldn't be singing if it weren't for the alumni," SNAG President Joshua Morgheim said. "(Alumni) Oliver Plumley and John Hamilton are the ones who keep the songs and make sure we can all learn it and it can be shared with future generations. It's not written. It's all oral. So, without them, we wouldn't have any songs to teach or learn. We wouldn't have this."

What they have is a slice of home away from home.

"When you leave home, when you leave the reservation or where you're from, you miss it," fraternity pledge Lance Harden said. "You miss being around it. So, when I came here and saw this was here, it was a way of getting that culture, that good way."

The fraternity meets weekly to practice singing and drumming at the Main Street Events Center.

They will return to the Jacobson for another demonstration and will alternate Wednesdays after that, switching between the Main Street Events Center and the Jacobson House.

"I, myself, tried to make sure that there's always a place for our young people, our Native American community," Jacobson House Executive Director Tracey Satepauhoodle-Mikkanen said. "I believe so much in the mission at the Jacobson House and the power that we have through art created by Native Americans. It can do so much to reach our non-Native friends and help build a bridge there to understand each other's culture."

Emma Hainta, who works at Main Street Event Center, said it's a joy to "hear the boys play" and grow.

"I love listening to the young kids," she said. "I am Kiowa, and what they're teaching is what all tribes know. It's not just Kiowa or certain tribes. All the tribes know the songs they're teaching these boys."

Hainta said some of them are starting to find their voice. The freshmen start off quiet, but she said by the time they become seniors, they are belting.

"They find their voice and they find their drum," she said. "It's interesting. They're finding themselves and their taking a piece of home with them."