Alan H. Kelly, a member of the Citizen Potawatomi Nation was selected as a 2010 AARP Oklahoma Indian Elder honoree after being nominated for the award by AARP Local Chapter 1527.
An award ceremony will be held Aug. 30 at the Cowboy Hall of Fame in Oklahoma City.
Kelly, whose tribal name is “Knotko”, which means low-flying eagle, is a tribal elder for the CPN tribe in Shawnee.
He is a veteran of the U.S. Navy and the CPN Color and Honor Guard.
Kelly retired from the cellular telephone industry where he was an international project director and trained indigenous people to operate systems all across the world.
After retirement, he moved back to Oklahoma where he immediately became involved with the CPN and their efforts to understand and preserve their cultural histories.
He is learning his native language and ceremonies so he can pass them on to future generations.
Kelly makes traditional medicine pouches and wooden pieces for feather fans and creates entire feather fans.
These handcrafts are given to family members for CPN ceremonies, such as the annual festival and the Gathering of Nations.
He also is a member of Sustainable Shawnee, which promotes environmental sustainability.
His deep respect for the environment makes him an effective spokesperson, which was seen when he recently spoke to several local clubs about water conservation and encouraged the city to promote recycling during its negotiation of the new solid waste contract.
Kelly is proud to be a veteran and more specifically, to be a Native American veteran, and is an active contributor.
His skills and concern for people and the planet make him a civic and tribal elder treasure.
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Alan H. Kelly, a member of the Citizen Potawatomi Nation was selected as a 2010 AARP Oklahoma Indian Elder honoree after being nominated for the award by AARP Local Chapter 1527.
An award ceremony will be held Aug. 30 at the Cowboy Hall of Fame in Oklahoma City.
Kelly, whose tribal name is “Knotko”, which means low-flying eagle, is a tribal elder for the CPN tribe in Shawnee.
He is a veteran of the U.S. Navy and the CPN Color and Honor Guard.
Kelly retired from the cellular telephone industry where he was an international project director and trained indigenous people to operate systems all across the world.
After retirement, he moved back to Oklahoma where he immediately became involved with the CPN and their efforts to understand and preserve their cultural histories.
He is learning his native language and ceremonies so he can pass them on to future generations.
Kelly makes traditional medicine pouches and wooden pieces for feather fans and creates entire feather fans.
These handcrafts are given to family members for CPN ceremonies, such as the annual festival and the Gathering of Nations.
He also is a member of Sustainable Shawnee, which promotes environmental sustainability.
His deep respect for the environment makes him an effective spokesperson, which was seen when he recently spoke to several local clubs about water conservation and encouraged the city to promote recycling during its negotiation of the new solid waste contract.
Kelly is proud to be a veteran and more specifically, to be a Native American veteran, and is an active contributor.
His skills and concern for people and the planet make him a civic and tribal elder treasure.
