Oklahoma Culture

Because of Oklahoma's central location in the United States, the cultures of the Midwest, the Southwest, the West, and the Southeast all have a distinct impact. For example, Guymon, in the state's panhandle, hosts one of the largest rodeos in the nation,[14] typifying western Oklahoma's Southwest cultural influence. Meanwhile, Northeast Oklahoma is influenced in large by midwestern and western cultures, while Southeast Oklahoma is known as Little Dixie because of its heavy southern cultural influence. Most of Oklahoma, furthermore, shares some degree of Native American cultural influence, dating to pre-statehood Indian Territory. The various government sponsored arts, community, and tourism programs emphasize Oklahoma's Native American heritage heavily. There are many central areas of Native American heritage in Oklahoma, including one of the most notable, Tahlequah which is near Muskogee in eastern Oklahoma, is known for being the Capitol of the Cherokee Nation. Native American culture runs deep in the lives of Oklahomans and one may experience it through various cultural programs including pow wows, the Tsa-La-Gi village in Tahlequah, and the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum. Oklahoma is a center for Native American culture with a rich history before and after statehood in 1907, quickly developing a tradition of strongly embracing the state's roots, and there are 10 Native American languages with over 10,000 speakers.[citation needed]

Other ethnic celebrations include those of the large Irish-American community, most notably during the month of March for St. Patrick's Day, also Yukon and Prague (celebrating the towns' Czech heritage of some early immigrants), Tulsa's Greek Holiday, the Tulsa Scottish Games, Shalomfest (in Tulsa) celebrates Jewish culture, Tulsa's German Oktoberfest, the Mennonite Relief Sale (in Enid) but Mennonite communities are located in the northwest and eastern parts of the state, Italian festivals and neighborhoods in the McAlester and Krebs area, traditional Asian (especially in Oklahoma City's prominent Vietnamese community), African American, and Hispanic (Mexican and other Latin American) celebrations in Oklahoma City and Tulsa, as well as the Oklahoma City pride parade and festival in the city's GLBT district, and the Juneteenth African American celebrations found all across the state.

Oklahoma Prairie