Native America
Osage Nation member earns national award for dedication to improving Indigenous education
TOPEKA — An assistant professor of education leadership at Kansas State University and a citizen of the Osage Nation in Oklahoma earned a national human rights education award for work to improve Indigenous education. Alex Red Corn, executive director of the Kansas Association for Native American Education, was chosen by Human Rights Educators USA to […]
Oklahoma governor hosts event to honor Native American heritage, families
OKLAHOMA CITY — Gov. Kevin Stitt hosted several dozen tribal members at a special event Tuesday designed to celebrate and honor Native American heritage and families. Attendees said the event at the Oklahoma Governor’s Mansion was a fitting way to commemorate the end of Native American Heritage Month, but also served as a way for […]
Where the 2024 presidential candidates stand on Indigenous issues
WASHINGTON — Marianne Williamson, a 2020 presidential hopeful, promised before an auditorium of Indigenous leaders, elders and voters that under her administration the White House would formally apologize and atone for the horrific treatment of Native Americans by the federal government, alluding to genocidal policies enacted by the United States. In 2019, Williamson was one […]
Opinion: Thanksgiving stories gloss over the history of US settlement on Native lands
Too often, K-12 social studies classes in the U.S. teach a mostly glossed-over story of U.S. settlement. Textbooks tell the stories of adventurous European explorers founding colonies in the “New World,” and stories of the “first Thanksgiving” frequently portray happy colonists and Native Americans feasting together. Accounts of the colonies’ battle for independence frame it […]
Stitt says Oklahoma tribal tags present fairness issue, urges tribes to compact
OKLAHOMA CITY — Gov. Kevin Stitt said he didn’t know an Oklahoma Highway Patrol trooper was going to ticket an Otoe-Missouria citizen for having a tribal license plate while living outside her tribe’s boundaries, but that he “100%” supports the action. In an interview, Stitt said he did not direct the Oklahoma Department of Public […]
Report: Oklahoma to pay $3.3 million for Stitt’s tribal legal fees
OKLAHOMA CITY — As Gov. Kevin Stitt’s administration continues to clash with Oklahoma’s tribes in the courtroom, the state is paying his legal costs using gaming compliance fees from the tribes. The state will pay at least $3.3 million in legal fees associated with ongoing tribal disputes, according to a report issued by a legislative […]
Muscogee (Creek) Nation sues Tulsa over traffic ticket enforcement
OKLAHOMA CITY — The Muscogee (Creek) Nation has accused Tulsa of unlawfully prosecuting Native Americans for traffic offenses within its tribal boundaries, despite multiple court rulings that strip the city of this authority. In a lawsuit filed Wednesday, the tribal nation asked the Tulsa federal court to forbid the city to pursue any criminal court […]
Tribal leaders ask Congress for help with fentanyl crisis in Native American communities
WASHINGTON — Leaders of Native American tribes detailed the fentanyl crisis in Indigenous communities during a Wednesday U.S. Senate hearing. “This growing crisis is rooted in the longstanding structural inequities in Native communities,” said Sen. Brian Schatz, Democrat of Hawaii, who chairs the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs. Alaska GOP Sen. Lisa Murkowski said she […]
Opinion: Oklahomans deserve and should expect a fully functioning state-tribal relationship
The feud involving Gov. Kevin Stitt and tribal leaders has gone on long enough. People deserve a fully functioning relationship between our 39 federally recognized tribes and the state. It’s time for someone — anyone — to step up and lead Oklahoma out of the morass. For nearly four years now, residents have watched in […]
Tribes, Oklahoma law enforcement clash over tribal license plate citation
OKLAHOMA CITY — Multiple Native American tribes said they were caught off guard Thursday by an alleged change in how the state enforces tribal license plate protocols. Otoe-Missouria Tribe officials accused the Oklahoma Department of Public Safety of unexpectedly altering its position on tribal vehicle registration after one of its members received a $249 ticket. […]
Oklahoma tribal leaders urge collaboration, respect in crafting state compacts
OKLAHOMA CITY — Although Gov. Kevin Stitt wasn’t in attendance at a Tuesday legislative hearing, his presence loomed large as key tribal leaders spoke about the importance of compacts between the state and Oklahoma’s tribes. Four tribal leaders told lawmakers collaboration, cooperation and mutual respect are key to the state and tribes working together to […]
South Dakota inspired ICWA but still has high rate of Native children in foster care
Cheryl Spider DeCoteau was nervous. It was the Sisseton Wahpeton tribal citizen’s first time in Washington, D.C., and she sat in front of two senators, multiple congressional aides, lawyers and clerks in a large, wood-paneled committee room, bright lights shining down. Two of the 23-year-old’s sons, ages 5 and 3, sat in the audience while […]