By Troy Littledeer | @troylittledeer
NORMAN, Okla. — For many, Native American Heritage Month is a time to look back at history. For Ralph Keen, it is a living reality, visible even in the middle of a football game.
Keen, a senior aviation major, stands on the sidelines of Gaylord Family-Oklahoma Memorial Stadium as a member of the Ruf/Neks, the university’s oldest spirit squad. His role is loud and public: driving the Sooner Schooner, firing ceremonial shotguns after touchdowns, and maintaining the energy of 80,000 fans.
But amidst the crimson uniforms and game-day traditions, Keen wears a specific, personal detail on his left shoulder: the seal of the Cherokee Nation.
For Keen, a Cherokee Nation citizen, the patch is more than decoration. It is a deliberate assertion of identity.
“By wearing the Cherokee Seal on my shoulder, I serve as a reminder that Native Americans can, and will, be around forever,” Keen said. “I often have families, from the youngest to the oldest, come and talk to me. They find pride in knowing that other Natives are doing what was once thought impossible.”
Keen’s path to the Oklahoma sideline was not a straight line. He was raised in Elkhorn, Nebraska, deep in Cornhusker territory, hundreds of miles from the Cherokee Nation’s jurisdiction in northeast Oklahoma.
Despite the geographic distance, Keen said his upbringing was defined by his Cherokee family. He credits them with instilling the values of resilience and progress, traits he identifies as central to Cherokee history since the Removal era. Keen also has deep family ties to Adair County, where several relatives have served the Cherokee Nation for many years. He said their long service to the government shaped his understanding of responsibility and community.
“From our creation, we have always been forward-thinking,” Keen said. “When the times have gotten tough, we have always looked forward, staying resilient.”
He brought those values to Norman his freshman year. While the Ruf/Neks are best known for their stadium presence, Keen noted the group’s service work, citing volunteer efforts at hospitals and food banks.
However, Keen found that even in a supportive university environment, misconceptions about Indigenous people persist. He balances his time on the field with advocacy in the classroom.
As president of the OU Speech Team, Keen uses his platform to address legal and political realities facing Indian Country. His work focuses on the Treaty of New Echota and the Cherokee Nation’s unseated delegate to the U.S. Congress. He also addresses modern sovereignty issues, pushing back against what he describes as “uninformed remarks” that can damage the public perception of tribal nations.
“I wish people would take more time to understand how tribal nations operate as independent nations before making uninformed comments,” he said.
Now in his third and final year with the squad, Keen is preparing to graduate and begin a career as an airline pilot. As he prepares to leave the sidelines, he views his time in uniform, and the seal he wore on it, as an extension of his community.
“I’m nothing without my Native community,” Keen said. “For everything, I’m forever grateful.”
