13 involved in these organizations allowed me to work with the broader Oklahoma community today. That has helped me a lot in approaching other tribal communities and getting to know people from tribes around the state of Oklahoma. “At OSU, I learned about a cohesive community and how great it was to be a part of something bigger.” REPRESENTING NATIVE AMERICANS OSU fueled another of Timberman’s passions – literature. At OSU, she was exposed to the work of N. Scott Momaday, who is credited with leading the breakthrough of Native American literature into the mainstream. The English major calls Momaday her “absolute, favorite writer.” She also calls him “friend.” At the 2000 American Indian Sovereignty Symposium in Tulsa, she met with the then-66-year-old writer. “I hold such great respect and admiration for him and his work,” she says. The reading and writing prepared her for a “healthy law school experience” that included an internship at the federal Office of Tribal Justice, which falls under the Department of Justice. Much of Timberman’s work supported the efforts of thenAttorney General Janet Reno. “Anytime Ms. Reno had a speech in Indian country our office was responsible for drafting that speech,” she says. “I had the opportunity to attend several meetings with the attorney general and I was very impressed. She just blew me away. She is a very kind woman and very knowledgeable,” she says. “There is an accessible and sincere side that I really admire. She is a woman of integrity and grace and intelligence and poise.” In 1999, Timberman graduated from law school. Fast-forward 10 years. Timberman oversees the cultural center, and the state agency she heads is encouraged to represent Oklahoma’s American Indian population at the World Creativity Forum in Stuttgart, Germany. The conference would be a stepping-stone for Timberman. She and her staff participated in planning the opening for the 2010 World Creativity Forum in Oklahoma City. She worked closely with the Chickasaw Nation to make sure all 39 American Indian tribes in Oklahoma were represented at the forum. “It was a vibrant and exciting display,” she says. “We mixed it up with beautiful, fancy shawl dancers, drummers, singers and concepts of both ancient traditions and contemporary expression.” Such events allow Timberman to be hopeful about the future of the cultural center. “We have $91 million invested in this project. The project makes sense for the state of Oklahoma and for our tribes. A piece of legislation may have died, but our vision to build a world-class American Indian cultural museum lives on.” Phil Shockley PHOTOGRAPH
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MjAxMjk=