Oklahoma Educators Hall of Fame Inducts Cornel Pewewardy

On Friday, November 1, Comanche Nation Tribal Member Cornel Pewewardy was inducted into Oklahoma Educators Hall of Fame at Oklahoma City Golf and Country Club in Nichols Hills, Oklahoma.

He said it takes years of work in schools focusing on kindergarten through 12th grade. Inductees are also evaluated on recognitions and awards, research, community service and leadership.

Pewewardy got his start at Sequoia Indian School.

“It took all my life, all my career, and not just in K-12 schools, but higher education, and it's all been in Indian education,” he said.

Pewewardy said Comanche Academy Charter School is important to Native American sovereignty, and learning with the community and his students has been his favorite part of education.

“Because of the opportunity to really understand where we came from as indigenous people, to know how we've been miseducated by the public school system, and how we can deconstruct and decolonize our future using critical thinking,” he said.

Pewewardy said it’s important for the youth because they evolve into their personalities and identities, especially if they’re native and exercise sovereignty. He said they must know they have self-determination in things they do.

“It's important for them to not only be a good student but also be a good citizen of their nation, and that's what we try to do,” he said. “The mission for many of us as Indigenous scholars and educators is to produce a student as a good relative, somebody that could be cordial, nice to one another, but also understand that we live in a multicultural, multi-tribal society and that we try to respect one another and sometimes, you know, resolve our conflict through negotiations.”

Pewewardy said he was honored to be inducted and was surrounded by family and friends from all over Oklahoma at the banquet, and coming together is important.