Absentee Shawnee Tribe of Indians of Oklahoma

Shawnee, Oklahoma

The Absentee Shawnee Tribe is known to have lived in the Eastern United States, and it has been documented that they traveled from Canada to Florida, from the Mississippi River to the East Coast before being removed to the area which they now occupy. Originally, the Shawnee Indians lived in the northeastern parts of the United States in areas now known as the states of Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Pennsylvania, and neighboring states. Treaties in the late 1700’s and throughout the 1800’s established the Shawnee as having a large population and land holdings in the state of Ohio. They are considered a “Woodland Tribe” that speaks the Algonquian dialect as do others tribes such as the Ojibwe, Sac & Fox, and Kickapoo. Today, there are three federally-recognized tribes of the Shawnee People: the Absentee-Shawnee, the (Loyal) Shawnee, and the Eastern Shawnee.

Leadership

• Governor: John Raymond Johnson
• Lt. Governor: Diane Ponkilla
• Secretary: Misty McGirt
• Treasurer: Joseph Blanchard
• Representative: Anthony Johnson

Government Details

• Constitution
• Gaming Commission
• Election Commission
• Tax Commission

Contact Info

• Headquarters: 2025 S. Gordon Cooper Drive, Shawnee, OK 74801
• Mailing Address: 2025 S. Gordon Cooper Drive, Shawnee, OK 74801
• Phone: 405-275-4030
• Email: media@astribe.com
• Website: astribe.com

Social Media Accounts

Alabama-Quassarte Tribal Town (AQTT)

Wetumka, Oklahoma

Prior to the removal of the Muscogee Confederacy from their Southeastern homelands in the 1820’s and 30’s, the Alabama and Quassarte people each had a distinct identity as a TribalTown (or Tribe) of the Confederacy. The Confederacy consisted of more than 44 of these “Towns” scattered throughout the Southeastern woodlands. Due to the logistics (or locations) of their towns which were in near proximity to one another in what is now known as the State of Alabama, they shared many similar cultural characteristics such as certain aspects of their language, religious practices and social/familial structures.

Leadership

• Chief: Wilson Yargee
• Second Chief: Rovena Yargee

Government Details

• Constitution
• AQTT Housing

Contact Info

• Headquarters: 101 E. Broadway, Wetumka, OK 74883
• Mailing Address: 101 E. Broadway, Wetumka, OK 74883
• Phone: 405-452-3987
• Email: info@alabama-quassarte.org
• Website: alabama-quassarte.org/

Social Media Accounts

Apache Tribe of Oklahoma

Anadarko, Oklahoma

"From Generation to Generation: The Plains Apache Way” traces the cultural heritage of the Apache Tribe of Oklahoma. Known historically as the Ka-ta-kas, and later as the Kiowa Apaches, they are descendants of Apache groups who have inhabited the Plains since the 16th century. ... Arthpaskan-speaking ancestors of the Apaches and the Navajos migrated from homelands in western Canada, arriving in the Southern Plains and Southwest by A.D. 1400. The chronicles of Francisco Vasquez de Coronado’s expedition in 1341, and of other Spanish explorers, provide the earliest aucasinosonline.com descriptions of the Plains Apaches. They were nomadic people who gathered plant foods and hunted the wandering buffalo herds and other wild game. Living in tipis of smoke-darkened hides, they camped much of the year in small groups of closely related families. In seasons when food was plentiful, the local groups came together to renew ceremonial and kinship ties.

Leadership

• Chairman: Durell Cooper
• Vice-Chairman: Matthew Tselee
• Secretary/Treasurer: Ruth Bert
• Committee Member: Donald Komardley
• Committee Member: Dustin Cozad

Government Details

• Constitution
• Apache Gaming Commission
• Business Commission
• Tax Commission

Contact Info

• Headquarters: 511 E. Colorado St., Anadarko, OK 73005
• Mailing Address: P.O. Box 1330, Anadarko, OK 73005
• Phone: (405) 247-9493
• Email: info@apachetribe.org
• Website: apachetribe.org

Social Media Accounts

Caddo Nation

Binger, Oklahoma

As Caddo people, we are the descendants of agriculturalists with an intimate understanding of the world, the stars, the sky, the earth and the world below the earth, from which we emerged. This understanding of who we are and where we came from, how to live and how to treat one another was handed down to us by our Creator from our very Origin story. Our distinctive way of life was guided by deeply embedded values that are still relevant today. The different bands that made up large confederacies of our ancestors were the builders of large earthen, flat top mounds, upon which structures were built. Priests studied the night sky of stars and, from that, understood our place in the universe, the passage of time, when to plant and how to thrive.

Leadership

• Chairman: Bobby Gonzalez
• Vice-Chairwoman: Kelly Howell Factor
• Secretary: Jennifer Reeder
• Treasurer: Verna Castillo
• Anadarko Representative: Tracey Martine
• Binger Representative: Travis Threlkeld
• Fort Cobb Representative: Arlene Kay O'Neal
• Oklahoma City Representative: Jennifer Wilson

Government Details

• Constitution
• Caddo Nation Constitution Project

Contact Info

• Headquarters: 117 Memorial Lane, Binger, OK 73009
• Mailing Address: PO Box 487, Binger, OK 73009
• Phone: 405-656-2344
• Website: mycaddonation.com

Social Media Accounts

Cherokee Nation

Tahlequah, Oklahoma

Originally located in the southeastern United States in parts of Alabama, Georgia, Tennessee, and North Carolina, the Cherokee Nation was forced to relocate to Indian Territory (present-day Oklahoma) in 1838 after gold was discovered in our homelands. The thousand-mile forced removal became known as the “Trail of Tears” and came at a cost of nearly 4,000 Cherokee lives through sickness and harsh travel conditions.

Today, Cherokee Nation is one of the largest employers in northeast Oklahoma and is the largest tribal nation in the country. As the governing body of the Cherokee people, the Cherokee Nation has the right to structure its own government and constitution; make and enforce its own laws; regulate business, land, environment, and wildlife; and impose taxes within the Cherokee Nation’s jurisdiction.

Leadership

• Principal Chief: Chuck Hoskin Jr.
• Deputy Principal Chief: Bryan Warner

Government Details

• Constitution
• Executive Branch
• Legislative Branch
• Judicial Branch

Contact Info

• Headquarters: W.W. Keeler Tribal Complex, 17675 S. Muskogee Ave., Tahlequah, OK 74464
• Mailing Address: PO Box 948, Tahlequah, OK 74465
• Shipping Address: Attn: (Department Name), 22361 Bald Hill Road, Tahlequah, OK 74464
• Phone: 918-453-5000
• Phone: 800-256-0671
• Email: See Email Directory
• Website: cherokee.org

Social Media Accounts

Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes

Concho, Oklahoma

Tsistsistas, is the Cheyenne word meaning “Human Beings” or “The People.” The Cheyenne are descended from an ancient, Algonquian-language speaking tribe referred to as Chaa. They were also historically referred to as the Marsh People of the Great Lakes region, as they lived along the head of the Mississippi River in the central part of what is now Minnesota.

Hinono’ei, the Arapaho people, lived in the Great Lakes region along the Mississippi River. Around 1680, they began to migrate out of the Great Lakes area after being forcibly moved or pushed out of their established territory by the whites and traditional enemy tribes. Their adaptation to newer lands on the vast Great Plains and their will to survive and advance their people included making weapons such as the bow and arrow and the spear. As the horse and the buffalo flourished, the Arapahos became self-sustaining in their new territory.

Leadership

• Governor: Reggie Wassana
• Lt. Governor: Hershel Gorham

Government Details

• Constitution
• Tribal Codes, Acts, and Ordinances

Contact Info

• Headquarters: 100 Red Moon Circle, Concho, OK 73022
• Mailing Address: 100 Red Moon Circle, Concho, OK 73022
• Phone: 405-262-0345
• Email: info@cheyenneandarapaho-nsn.gov
• Website: cheyenneandarapaho-nsn.gov/

Social Media Accounts

Chickasaw Nation

Ada, Oklahoma

Today, the Chickasaw Nation is economically strong, culturally vibrant and full of energetic people still dedicated to the preservation of family, community and heritage. Since the 1980s, tribal government has focused most of its efforts on building an economically diverse base to generate funds that will support programs and services to Chickasaws, other First Americans and our communities. Business has flourished, programs and services have grown, and the quality of life for all Chickasaws has been greatly enhanced.

The Chickasaw Nation’s current three-department system of government was reestablished with the ratification of the 1983 Chickasaw Nation Constitution. The elected officials provided for in the Constitution believe in a unified commitment, whereby government policy serves the common good of all Chickasaw citizens. This common good extends to future generations as well as today’s citizens.

Leadership

• Governor: Bill Anoatubby
• Lt. Governor: Chris Anoatubby

Government Details

• Constitution
• Chickasaw Code

Contact Info

• Headquarters: 520 E. Arlington, Ada, OK 74820
• Mailing Address: 520 E. Arlington, Ada, OK 74820
• Phone: 508-436-2603
• Phone: See full directory
• Website: chickasaw.net/

Social Media Accounts

Citizen Potawatomi Nation

Shawnee, Oklahoma

The story of Potawatomi and other Neshnabe peoples stretches back to times that precede written histories, beginning on the East Coast of what is now North America. By the time Europeans arrived, a great migration was complete and the tribes were living around the Great Lakes, with a social structure that included a strong communal lifestyle and seasonal lifeways. The people were bound together through ties of kinship, custom and mutual necessity. Several removals devastated the Potawatomi people after Europeans moved to present-day America, but a resilient group, the Citizen Potawatomi refused to give up hope.

Leadership

• Tribal Chairman: John "Rocky" Barrett
• Tribal Vice-Chairman: Linda Capps
• Secretary-Treasurer: D. Wayne Trousdale

Government Details

• Constitution
• Government Website

Contact Info

• Headquarters: 1601 Gordon Cooper Dr., Shawnee, OK 74801
• Mailing Address: 1601 Gordon Cooper Dr., Shawnee, OK 74801
• Phone: 405-275-3121
• Phone: See directory
• Website: potawatomi.org

Social Media Accounts

Choctaw Nation

Durant, Oklahoma

The Choctaw Nation is the third-largest Indian nation in the United States, with over 225,000 tribal members and 12,000-plus associates. The first tribe over the Trail of Tears, historic boundaries are in the southeast corner of Oklahoma. The Choctaw Nation’s vision, “Living out the Chahta Spirit of faith, family and culture,” is evident as it continues to focus on providing opportunities for growth and prosperity.

Leadership

• Chief: Gary Batton
• Assistant Chief: Jack Austin, Jr.

Government Details

• Constitution
• Tribal Codes, Acts, and Ordinances
• Tribal Council

Contact Info

• Headquarters: 1802 Chukka Hina, Durant, OK 74701
• Mailing Address: PO Box 1210, Durant, OK 74702-1210
• Phone: 800-522-6170
• Website: choctawnation.com

Social Media Accounts

Comanche Nation

Lawton, Oklahoma

Considered one of the great tribes of the American Southwest, the Comanche Nation, and in our native language, “Nʉmʉnʉʉ” (NUH-MUH-NUH), which means “The People" are known as “Lords of the Plains” and were once a part of the Shoshone Tribe. In the late 1600s and early 1700s, we moved from our Shoshone kinsmen onto the northern Plains and then southerly in search of a new homeland. We Migrated across the Plains through Wyoming, Nebraska, Colorado, Kansas, New Mexico, Texas, and Oklahoma. We ultimately settled here in Southwest Oklahoma. The horse was a crucial element in Comanche culture. The people mastered their skills on horseback and gained a tremendous advantage in times of war. They fought battles on horseback, a skill unknown among other Indian peoples of that time. They were highly skilled at breeding and trading horses, which became an essential resource for the people that radically changed life on the plains. Comanche horsemen set the pattern of nomadic equestrian life that became characteristic of the Plains tribes in the 18th and 19th centuries. Bands of the Comanche were formed based on kinship and other social relationships. The buffalo was also an essential resource for the people. It provided food, clothing, tepee covering, and other economical goods.

Leadership

• Chairman: Forrest Tahdooahnippah
• Vice-Chair: Diana Gail Doyebi-Sovo
• Secretary-Treasurer: Robert Tippeconnie
• Committee Member: Hazel Tahsequah
• Committee Member: Ross Kahrahrah
• Committee Member: Alice Kassanavoid
• Committee Member: Jordan Fox
• Committee Member: Jennifer Lee

Government Details

• Constitution
• Tribal Codes and Ordinances

Contact Info

• Headquarters: 584 NW Bingo RD, Lawton, OK 73507
• Mailing Address: PO Box 908, Lawton, OK 73502
• Phone: 580-492-3240
• Phone: 1-877-492-4988
• Phone: See directory
• Website: comanchenation.com

Social Media Accounts

Delaware Nation

Anadarko, Oklahoma

We, the Delaware Nation, whose aboriginal name is Lenape or Lenni-Lenape, also known as the Grandfathers, is the oldest known nation in the Northern Hemisphere, aboriginally inhabiting the Eastern Seaboard of north America, the first indigenous Nation to treat with the United States of America (September 17, 1778, 7 Statute 13; Brotherton Reservation), consummating a total of one (1) treaty with the United States of America and descending from the Cape Girardeau Spanish Land Grant Area, invoking the guidance of the Almighty Creator with faith in the purposes of our Supreme Being, with pride in our ancient heritage and with the determination to promote, through our united effort, the general well-being of our Nation and to secure unto our Nation and nation’s descendants the rights, powers and privileges provided by the laws of the Delaware Nation and the laws of the United States of America.

Leadership

• President: Michael McLane
• Vice-President: Victoria De La Rosa-Feliciano
• Secretary: Margaret Ann Brower
• Treasurer: Phyllis Pack
• Committee Member: Deborah Dotson (Former President)
• Committee Member: Terry Williams

Government Details

• Constitution

Contact Info

• Headquarters: 31064 State Highway 281, Building 100, Anadarko, OK 73005
• Mailing Address: PO Box 825, Anadarko, OK 73005
• Phone: 405-247-2448
• Website: delawarenation-nsn.gov

Social Media Accounts

Delaware Tribe of Indians

Bartlesville, Oklahoma

The name by which we call ourselves is Lenape [pronounced as if spelled “lun-NAH-pay”], and this name means something like “The People.” It is common for many groups of people around the world to use a name that has a similar translation. We do not know how long that name has been in use, but related tribes use similar words, so we think it has been in use for many hundreds of years. ... It has long been known that the name applied to the Native people who lived along the Delaware River was taken from the title of an Englishman, Lord de la Warr, whose name was Sir Thomas West. He was appointed governor of the English colony at Jamestown, Virginia in 1610. One of his followers, Captain Samuel Argall, once sailed into a majestic bay which he named “de la Warr Bay” in honor of the governor. The river that flowed into the bay was given the same name, and they both were later contracted into Delaware.

Leadership

• Chief: Brad KillsCrow
• Assistant Chief: Tonya Anna
• Treasurer: Rusty Creed Brown
• Member: Bonnie Jo Griffith
• Member: Kay Anderson
• Member: Lindsey Harris
• Member: Shaunda Stanley

Government Details

• Constitution
• Tribal Documents

Contact Info

• Headquarters (Oklahoma): 5100 Tuxedo Blvd, Bartlesville, OK 74006
• Headquarters (Kansas): 601 High Street, Caney, KS 67333
• Phone (Oklahoma): 918-337-6590
• Phone (Kansas): 620-879-2189
• Phone: tribe@delawaretribe.org
• Website: delawaretribe.org

Social Media Accounts

Eastern Shawnee Tribe

Wyandotte, Oklahoma

The Eastern Shawnee Tribe of Oklahoma is one of three (3) federally-recognized Shawnee tribes: the Eastern Shawnee on the Oklahoma-Missouri border near Wyandotte, OK; the Absentee Shawnee near Shawnee, OK; and the Shawnee Tribe in Miami, OK. These three tribes were recognized as autonomous nations during the Indian removal era. Prior to that, most archaeologists and historians agree their original homeland was the middle Ohio Valley, between modern Louisville, Kentucky, and West Virginia.

The Shawnees once lived throughout the region east of the Mississippi River. The areas of their occupation centered around today’s states of Alabama, the Carolinas, Delaware, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, & the Virginias. Their historic geographical territories were mountainous regions, dense forests, and scattered prairies. Because of their geographic location and the focus of the subsistence pursuits, the Shawnee People are generally known as Eastern Woodlands Indians. Their loss of their homeland has given the Shawnee the reputation of being wanderers, but this was by necessity, not choice.

Leadership

• Chief: Glenna J. Wallace
• 2nd Chief : Chris Samples
• Secretary: Kathie Kent
• Treasurer: Terri Landis
• 1st Council: Clint Kissee
• 2nd Council: Shawn Daugherty
• 3rd Council: Cliff Carpenter

Government Details

• Constitution

Contact Info

• Headquarters: 10300 S. Bluejacket Rd., Wyandotte, OK 74370
• Phone: (918) 238-5151
• Website: estoo-nsn.gov

Social Media Accounts

Euchee (Yuchi) Tribe of Indians

Sapulpa, Oklahoma

The Yuchi (often also spelled Euchee) are an American Indian people of Oklahoma whose original homelands were in the present southeastern United States. At first contact with Europeans they resided in autonomous communities found in what is now eastern Tennessee, but during the colonial period they established settlements throughout the southeastern United States. In the 1700s the Yuchi became geographically and militarily associated with Creek-speaking towns settled in present Georgia and Alabama. In this context, they were forced by the United States to move west to Indian Territory in the company of their Creek neighbors. After this period of relocation in the 1830s the Yuchi established their present settlements in the northern and northwestern portions of the Creek Nation. At the end of the twentieth century the three main towns were Duck Creek (near Hectorville), Polecat (near Sapulpa), and Sand Creek (near Bristow).

Each Yuchi settlement is led by a traditional town chief and continues to hold an annual series of ceremonies at its square-ground site. The most important of these is the midsummer green corn ceremony. Traditionally Yuchi people were subsistence farmers, but today Yuchi participate in the cash economy. Population estimates are difficult to calculate, because the Yuchi are not enrolled separately within the Creek Nation, but community leaders estimate an active Yuchi population of approximately fifteen hundred people in 2001.

Leadership

• Executive Director: Geoffrey Rolland

Government Details

• Constitution Unavailable

Contact Info

• Headquarters: n/a
• Phone: n/a
• Website: n/a

Social Media Accounts

Fort Sill Apache Tribe

Apache, Oklahoma

In 1894, following almost a decade of imprisonment and exile at U.S. Army installations in Florida and Alabama, the Fort Sill Apache Tribe was relocated to Oklahoma. Today, the tribal members proudly stand as survivors and descendants of the Chiricahua Apache tribe, whose ancestral territory once spanned a significant portion of the American Southwest, encompassing eastern Arizona, western New Mexico, and areas along the United States-Mexico border. This relocation to southwestern Oklahoma was made possible through a special provision enacted by the United States Congress, specifically designed for the Chiricahua prisoners of war, making them the last American Indian group to be relocated to Indian Territory.

Leadership

• Chairperson: Jennifer Heminokeky
• Vice-Chairperson: Bryan Jones
• Committee Member: James Buckner
• Committee Member: Jeanette Mann
• Committee Member: Douglas Spores
• Committee Member: Naomi Hartford

Government Details

• Constitution

Contact Info

• Headquarters: 43187 US Highway 281, Apache, OK 73006
• Phone: 580-588-2298
• Phone: See full directory
• Email: fsat@fortsillapache-nsn.gov
• Website: fortsillapache-nsn.gov

Social Media Accounts

N/A

Iowa Tribe of Oklahoma

Perkins, Oklahoma

The Iowa Tribe of Oklahoma is the center of a Sovereign Nation with inherent powers of self-government recognized as such by treaties and legislation located in Perkins, OK. In the Iowa language, we call ourselves Baxoje (Bah Kho-je), meaning, “People of the Grey Snow.” The story of our name has been handed down from generation to generation. It was told that at one time the Iowa Tribe was 1,100 strong, meaning the warriors or men numbered that many. When men had to leave our village, upon their return, they looked down from a rise and they saw that our village had been burned. At this point, we had lost some of the translation to the story – it could have been another tribe or others that had burned it. But it appeared as though the village was covered with “Grey Snow,” even though the winter season was not upon us. For you see, the ashes had settled over the village site and all that was visible to the warriors were the burned remnants of what used to be our homes. Other versions of this story have been printed, but this is the one that we have been told.

Leadership

• Chairman: Jake Keyes
• Vice-Chairman: Perri Ahhaitty
• Secretary: Christie Modlin
• Treasurer: Judy Barnes

Government Details

• Constitution
• Government

Contact Info

• Headquarters: 335588 E. 750 Road, Perkins, OK 74059
• Phone: 405-547-2402
• Phone: 888-336-IOWA(4692)
• Website: iowanation.org

Social Media Accounts

Kaw Nation

Kaw City, Oklahoma

The Kaw Nation derived its name from the Siouan aca, “south wind,” a reference to the tribe’s role in war ceremonials, using the power of the wind when recognizing warriors. Among the many variations of the name given by French traders and other Europeans were “Kanza” or “Kansa.” By the mid-18th century, the “Wind People” were the predominant tribe in what became the state to which they gave their name (Kansas). Their territory extended over most of present-day northern and eastern Kansas, with hunting grounds extending far to the west.

Leadership

• Chair: Kimberly Jenkins
• Vice-Chair: Robert Allen
• Secretary: Little Carol Clark
• Tribal Seat 1: Wes Pappan
• Tribal Seat 2: Samantha Goodno
• Tribal Seat 3: Debbie Lewman
• Tribal Seat 4: Desiree Storm Brave

Government Details

• Constitution
• Tribal Codes

Contact Info

• Headquarters: 698 Grandview Drive, Kaw City, OK 74641
• Mailing Address: Drawer 50, Kaw City, OK 74641
• Phone: 580-269-2552
• Website: kawnation.gov

Social Media Accounts

Kialegee Tribal Town

Wetumka, Oklahoma

Based in Wetumka, the Kialegee Tribal Town’s government features a chief executive, or Mekko, who is elected every two years and is assisted by warriors, a treasurer and a secretary.

The Kialegee Tribe is based in Wetumka, but traces its roots to Alabama and Georgia. Beginning in 1835, the tribe was forcibly relocated to present-day Oklahoma during the Trail of Tears. The tribal name translates to “head off’ or decapitation, pointing toward their fighting spirit.

Leadership

• Mekko (Chief): Stephanie Yahola

Government Details

• Constitution

Contact Info

• Headquarters: 627 E. HWY 9, Wetumka, OK 74883
• Phone: 405-452-3262
• Website: Unavailable

Social Media Accounts

Unavailable

Kickapoo Tribe of Oklahoma

McLoud, Oklahoma

The Kickapoo are a Woodland tribe, speaking an Algonquian language, and were related to the Sac and Fox. They first came into contact with Europeans in the mid-seventeenth century in southwestern Wisconsin. By the mid-18th century the Kickapoo lived in two communities, the “Prairie Band,” along Illinois’s Sangamon River, and the “Vermillion Band,” east of the Wabash River in Indiana.

The Prairie Kickapoo band resisted acculturation and continued to migrate, going first to Missouri and then to the Spanish province of Texas before the 1821 Mexican Revolution. Spanish officials gave them land in Texas. However, after the Texas Revolution, the Republic of Texas did not want them. In 1839, they were forcibly removed, and many traveled to Mexico. There, the Mexican government gave the tribe a land grant and eventually placed them at Nacimiento in exchange for protecting their northern borders. Some Kickapoo decided to settle in two villages in Indian Territory. Some settled on Wild Horse Creek in the Chickasaw Nation, and the others settled in Creek Nation near the confluence of the Canadian and Little rivers. Many Kickapoo would eventually leave the Indian Territory during the Civil War and rejoin those in Mexico.

Leadership

• Chairman: Darwin Kaskaske
• Vice Chairman: Marlon Frye
• Secretary: Patricia Gonzales
• Treasurer: Vacant
• Councilperson: Evel Green

Government Details

• Constitution

Contact Info

• Headquarters: 105365 S. HWY 102, Mcloud, OK 74851
• Mailing Address: P.O. Box 70, Mcloud, OK 74851
• Phone: (405) 964-4227
• Website: kickapootribeofoklahoma.com

Social Media Accounts

Kiowa Tribe

Carnegie, Oklahoma

It has been archaeologically recorded that the Kiowa originated in the Kootenay Region of British Columbia, Canada. The tribe then migrated to Western Montana and continued to move until they inhabited present day Nebraska, Kansas, Oklahoma and Texas. Historically, earliest written records indicate Kiowas in the northern basin of the Missouri River, but they migrated south to the Black Hills around 1650 where they lived with the Crow tribe.

The Kiowas moved down the Platte River basin to the Arkansas River area after they were pushed southward by the invading Cheyennes and Sioux who were being pushed out of their own lands in the great lake regions by the Ojibwa tribes. There they fought with the Comanches, who already occupied the land.

Leadership

• Chairman: Lawrence SpottedBird
• Vice Chairman: David Sullivan
• Secretary: Kathie Kent
• Treasurer: Terri Landis
• 1st Council: Clint Kissee
• 2nd Council: Shawn Daugherty
• 3rd Council: Cliff Carpenter

Government Details

• Constitution

Contact Info

• Headquarters: PO Box 369, Carnegie, OK 73015
• Phone: (580) 654-2300
• Website: kiowatribe.org

Social Media Accounts

Miami Nation

Miami, Oklahoma

In our language, we are myaamia - the downstream people. Today you will hear our name pronounced Miami, a derivation of our traditional name. The United States government recognizes us as a Sovereign Nation, the Miami Tribe of Oklahoma. We originate from the Great Lakes region where our homelands lie within the boundaries of the states of Indiana, Ohio, Illinois, lower Michigan, and lower Wisconsin.

We were among those Nations exposed to early European contact, first through the Jesuit mission in the late 1600s, followed soon after by the French and British invasion and struggle for control of the Great Lakes region. In those days we numbered into tens of thousands. The following years of struggle toward the establishment of the United States of America is a history that includes, by necessity, accounts of the efforts of our people to retain their homeland and connection to that landscape. Stories of our Chiefs and War Chiefs, their wisdom, victories, and defeats, are all recorded in history. We are known.

AACIMWAKI - Elected Leaders

• Akima (Chief): Douglas G Lankford
• Niišonaminki Akima (Second Chief): Dustin Olds
• Aacimwa (Secretary-Treasurer): Donya Williams
• Aacimwa (First Councilperson): Tera Hatley
• Aacimwa (Second Councilperson): Scott Willard

Government Details

• Constitution

Contact Info

• Headquarters: 3410 P. Street NW, Miami, OK 74354
• Mailing Address: P.O. Box 1326, Miami, OK 74355
• Phone: (918) 541-1300
• Website: miamination.com

Social Media Accounts

Unavailable

Modoc Nation

Miami, Oklahoma

The ancestral home of the Modoc Nation, or Captain Jack’s Band of Modoc Indians, consisted of over 5,000 square miles along what is now the California-Oregon border. On the west loomed the perennially snow-capped peaks of the majestic Cascade Mountains; to the east was a barren wasteland of alkali flats scaling to the peaks of the Warner Mountains in the Sierra-Nevada range; towering forests of Ponderosa pines and shores of majestic bodies of water and rivers were to the north while the Lava Beds, now a National Monument, and the Medicine Lake volcano range to Mount Shasta formed their southern boundary.

Leadership

• Chief: Robert Burkybile
• 2nd Chief: Gina McGaughey

Government Details

• Constitution

Contact Info

• Headquarters: 22 N. Eight Tribes Trail, Miami, OK 74354
• Phone: 918-542-1190
• Website: modocnation.com

Social Media Accounts

Muscogee Nation

Okmulgee, Oklahoma

Before the desecration, for millennia before the Removal Treaty of 1832, the Muscogee (Creek) people inhabited most of what is now Alabama. The Muscogee (Creek) Nation was composed of Tribal Towns, including the Tribal Town site called Oce Vpofv by the Muscogee (Creek) people, and known as “Hickory Ground Tribal Town” by English speakers.

Hickory Ground is of major importance in the history of the Muscogee (Creek) Nation, Hickory Ground Tribal Town, and the United States. Hickory Ground was critical to the very formation of the United States. When European nations questioned the sovereignty of the newly born United States, President George Washington lent legitimacy to the nascent country by signing treaties with Indian Nations, including the Muscogee (Creek) Nation, whose sovereignty had previously been affirmed through treaties with Spain and England. Thus, in 1790, nearly two centuries before Poarch was recognized as a tribe, President George Washington executed a treaty with the Muscogee (Creek) Nation.

Leadership

• Principal Chief: David Hill
• Second Chief: Del Beaver

Government Details

• Constitution
• Tribal Codes

Contact Info

• Headquarters: 1000 OK-56, Okmulgee, OK 74447
• Mailing Address: PO Box 580, Okmulgee, OK 74447
• Phone: See full directory
• Website: muscogeenation.com

Social Media Accounts

Osage Nation

Pawhuska, Oklahoma

Our Osage ancestors controlled millions of acres in what is now known as Missouri, Arkansas, Kansas, and Oklahoma before the existence of the United States. Their lives changed drastically after the Louisiana Purchase in 1803. At that time, the United States Government claimed ownership of Osage land, leading to a period of forced displacement and land loss.

By 1864, our ancestors had been removed to a reservation of fertile land in southeastern Kansas known as the Osage Diminished Reserve. However, as a result of railroad expansion, “Manifest Destiny,” and the want of white “pioneers” to settle on our lands, our ancestors were once again forced to leave their lands. By an Act of Congress on July 15, 1870, our ancestors would be forced to sell our land in Kansas to the U.S. government for $1.25 an acre.

Leadership

• Principal Chief: Geoffrey Standing Bear
• Assistant Principal Chief: R.J. Walker

Government Details

• Constitution
• Tribal Code

Contact Info

• Headquarters: 1449 Main Street, Pawhuska, OK 74056
• Phone: 918-287-5555
• Website: osagenation-nsn.gov

Social Media Accounts

Otoe-Missouria Tribe

Red Rock, Oklahoma

At one time the Otoes and Missourias, along with the Winnebago and Iowa Tribes, were once part of a single tribe that lived in the Great Lakes Region of the United States. In the 16th century the tribes separated from each other and migrated west and south although they still lived near each other in the lower Missouri River Valley.

The Otoes also call themselves Jiwere (jee-WEH-ray) and the Missourias who call themselves Nutachi (noo-TAH-chi) were related to each other in language and customs, but they were still two distinct people.

The state of Nebraska gets its name to the Otoe-Missourias. It is from two Otoe-Missouria words “Ni Brathge” (nee BRAHTH-gay) which means “water flat”. This name came from the Platt River which flows through the state and at some places moves so slowly and calmly that it is flat.

The state of Missouri and the Missouri River are both named after the Missouria Tribe, which once lived in the region and controlled traffic and trade along the Missouri River and its tributaries. Trade was a vital part of Otoe and Missouria life for centuries. They traded with the Spanish, French and Americans for various goods. All three nations courted the Otoes and Missourias for exclusive trading agreements.

Leadership

• Chairman: John R. Shotton
• Vice Chair: Susan Arkeketa
• Tribal Secretary: Darrell Kihega
• Tribal Treasurer: Courtney Burgess
• First Member: Wesley J. Hudson
• Second Member: Myra Pickering
• Third Member: Alvin Moore, Sr.

Government Details

• Constitution

Contact Info

• Headquarters: 8151 Hwy 177, Red Rock, OK 74651
• Phone: 580-723-4466
• Website: omtribe.org

Social Media Accounts

Ottawa Tribe

Miami, Oklahoma

The name "Ottawa" is from the Indian word "adawe" meaning to trade. This name was appropriate because of the extensive trading with other tribes and their eventual involvement with the French. The Frenchman, Champlain, in 1615, recorded meeting the Ottawa near the French River in Canada. The Ottawa were very important to the fur trade. The Ottawa would go out and trade the other tribes for their fur and then they would trade that to the French. The Ottawa were generally counted as allies of the Huron and the French during the French and Indian war. The Ottawa lived in wigwams, or wikis. They wore buckskin clothing.

One of the greatest Indian chiefs to appear on the American continent was Chief Pontiac. Pontiac was the head of a loose confederacy consisting of Ottawa, Ojibwa, and Pottawatomies.

Leadership

• Chief: Ethel E. Cook
• Second Chief: Kalisha Burtrum
• Secretary/Treasurer: Mary King
• First Councilman: John Charles Dawes
• Second Councilman: Mikal Scott-Werner

Government Details

• Constitution

Contact Info

• Headquarters: 13 S. 69 A, Miami, OK 74354
• Mailing Address: P.O. Box 110, Miami, OK 74355
• Phone: 918-540-1536
• Email: adawe.oto@gmail.com
• Website: ottawatribe.org

Social Media Accounts

Unavailable

Pawnee Nation

Pawnee, Oklahoma

The Pawnee Nation of Oklahoma (Pawnee Nation) has a long and proud history spanning more than 700 years. Early in the 18th century, more than 60,000 members of the Pawnee Tribe inhabited the area along the North Platt River in Nebraska. The Tribe then, as it is now, was composed of four distinct bands: the Chaui “Grand,” the Kitkehahki “Republican,” the Pitahawirata “Tappage” and the Skidi “Wolf.”

The Pawnees, classified as a “friendly tribe” by the U.S. Government, were men and women of great courage and endurance. Some of the Pawnee warrior battles fought to preserve lives, lands and possessions were considered legendary.

Leadership

• Madame President: Misty M. Nuttle
• Vice President: Jordan D. Kanuho
• Treasurer: Carol Chapman
• Secretary: George Gardipe
• Member Seat #1: Cynthia Butler
• Member Seat #2: Dawna Hare
• Member Seat #3: Dr. Gene Evans
• Member Seat #4: Sammye Kemble

Government Details

• Constitution

Contact Info

• Headquarters: 881 Little Dee Dr., Pawnee, OK 74058
• Mailing Address: P.O. Box 470, Pawnee, OK 74058
• Phone: 918-762-3621
• Website: pawneenation.org

Social Media Accounts

Peoria Tribe

Miami, Oklahoma

The Peoria Tribe of Indians of Oklahoma is a confederation of Kaskaskia, Peoria, Piankashaw, and Wea Indians united into a single tribe in 1854. The tribes which constitute The Confederated Peorias, as they were then called, originated in the lands bordering the Great Lakes and drained by the mighty Mississippi. They are Illinois or Illini Indians, descendants of those who created the great mound civilizations in the central United States two to three thousand years ago.

Leadership

• Chief: Rosanna Dobbs
• Second Chief: Paul J. Attocknie Jr.
• Treasurer: Jason Dollarhide
• Secretary: Isabella Clifford
• First Councilman: Nick Hargrove
• Second Councilman: Kara D. North
• Third Councilman: Scott Myers

Government Details

• Constitution

Contact Info

• Headquarters: 118 S. Eight Tribes Trail, Miami, Ok 74354
• Mailing Address: P.O. Box 1527, Miami, OK 74355
• Phone: 918-540-2535
• Directory: See full listing
• Website: peoriatribe.com

Social Media Accounts

Ponca Tribe

Ponca City, Oklahoma

The Ponca Tribe of Oklahoma is a federally recognized tribe that has more than 3,500 registered members. In order to be eligible for Ponca Tribal membership, applicant must be at least one-eighth (1/8) Ponca and an application will need to be submitted to the Ponca Tribe of Oklahoma with a copy of a certified birth certificate.

Leadership

• Tribal Chairman: Earl T. Howe, III
• Vice-Chairman: Rene' Kemble

Government Details

• Constitution

Contact Info

• Headquarters: 20 White Eagle Drive, Ponca City, OK 74601
• Phone: 580-762-8104
• Website: ponca-nsn.gov

Social Media Accounts

Quapaw Nation

Quapaw, Oklahoma

Many generations ago, the Quapaw were a division of a larger group known today as the Dhegiha. The Dhegiha split into the tribes known as the Quapaw, Osage, Northern Ponca, Ponca, Kansa, and Omaha today. Oral history describes this group lived together near the confluence of the Ohio and Wabash Rivers, which would be near modern-day Evansville, IN. Later they would live along the confluence of the Missouri and Mississippi Rivers, near modern-day St. Louis. Tribal history indicates that near this location the people were moving, they came upon the river, and a dense fog had arisen. The people created a rope by braiding a grapevine and while crossing the river, the vine snapped.

The Omaha people continued against the current, which is the origin of their name. The Quapaw believe our people were at the end of the rope and we floated down the river after the rope broke, separating our people from the group. The Quapaw moved down the Mississippi River into Arkansas, this is the origin of the word Ogaxpa, which can be translated as "downstream people".

Leadership

• Chairman: Wena Supernaw
• Vice-Chairman: Jesse C. "Manz" McKibben
• Secretary Treasurer: Linda Valliere
• Business Committee Member: Joey Giveswater-Smith
• Business Committee Member: Linda Davis
• Business Committee Member: Larry Mercer
• Business Committee Member: Lloyd Buffalo

Government Details

• Constitution

Contact Info

• Headquarters: 5681 South 630 Road, Quapaw, OK 74363
• Phone: 918-542-1853
• Website: quapawtribe.com

Social Media Accounts

Sac and Fox Nation

Stroud, Oklahoma

The Sac and Fox culture is based upon respect for the life within themselves, their families, their communities, and all of creation. The Creator gave this way of life to the Sac and Fox people. Culture is the way things are done in relation to each other and all of creation. The Sac and Fox way of life is spiritually-based. They seek the guidance of the Creator in how to live. The oldest continuing religious practices are ceremonies like clan feasts, namings, adoptions, and burials. More recent religious practices include the Drum Dance, the Native American Church, and Christianity.

Leadership

• Principal Chief: Randle Carter
• Second Chief: Audrey R. Lee
• Treasurer: Carla Wallace
• Secretary: Lana Butler
• Committee Member: Robert Williamson

Government Details

• Constitution

Contact Info

• Headquarters: 920963 S. Hwy 99, Stroud, OK 74079
• Phone: 918-968-3526
• Email: Send Email
• Website: sacandfoxnation-nsn.gov

Social Media Accounts

Seminole Nation of Oklahoma

Wewoka, Oklahoma

For decades after removal, the Seminoles struggled to find their identity and a safe home in the West, having been forced to live under Creek rule. Since 1866, the tribe has been headquartered in its capital of Wewoka, the county seat of Seminole County, Oklahoma.

Most of the existing Seminole County is a portion of the Seminole Nation as it existed before statehood and covers approximately 633 square miles. The county is a checkerboard of tribal trust property, Indian allotments, restricted Indian lands, and dependent Indian communities.

Leadership

• Chief: Lewis J. Johnson
• Assistant Chief: Brian T. Palmer

Government Details

• Constitution

Contact Info

• Headquarters: 36645 US-270, Wewoka, Oklahoma 74884
• Phone: (405) 257-7200
• Directory: See full listing
• Website: sno-nsn.org

Social Media Accounts

Seneca-Cayuga Nation

Grove, Oklahoma

Geography was critical to the Seneca and Shawnee. In the rugged Appalachian Mountains, riverways provided key routes of transportation. The Allegheny River flows through the Seneca Nation’s Allegheny reservation in western New York and then south through western Pennsylvania for total of 325 miles. The Monongahela River begins in north central West Virginia and flows for 130 miles north into southwestern Pennsylvania. The two great rivers meet at the Forks of the Ohio (at what is now Pitsburgh, Pennsylvania) to form the Ohio River. The Ohio River then flows south and west for 981 miles to the Mississippi River. The name Ohio comes from the Seneca word Ohi-yo which translates to “Good River.” This extensive transportation network made the Ohio River region valuable for the Seneca, Shawnee, and other tribes for trade and other purposes.

Leadership

• Chief: Charles Diebold
• 2nd Chief: Curt Lawrence
• Secretary/Treasurer: Kim Guyett
• 1st Councilperson: Cynthia Donohue Bauer
• 2nd Councilperson: Amy Nuckolls
• 3rd Councilperson: Jason WhiteEagle
• 4th Councilperson: Tonya Blackfox

Government Details

• Constitution

Contact Info

• Headquarters: 23701 S. 655 Rd (Street), Grove, OK 74345
• Mailing Address: PO Box 453220, Grove, OK 74345
• Phone: 918-787-5452
• Directory: See full listing
• Website: sctribe.com

Social Media Accounts

Shawnee Tribe

Miami, Oklahoma

The Supreme Governing body of the Shawnee Tribe is the Shawnee Tribal Council (“Tribal Council”). The Tribal Council consists of all Tribal citizens enrolled in accordance with the requirements of Article III of the Constitution of the Shawnee Tribe. Voting Tribal Council Members must be eighteen years of age.

Leadership

• Chief: Ben Barnes
• Second Chief: Roy Baldridge
• Treasurer: Mark McDowell
• Secretary: Carolyn Foster
• Business Council Seat 1: John Sparkman
• Business Council Seat 2: Diana McLean
• Business Council Seat 3: Drew Dixon
• Business Council Seat 4: Corey Winesburg
• Business Council Seat 5: Monty Coombes
• Business Council Seat 6: Lee Bluejacket
• Business Council Seat 7: Keni Hood

Government Details

• Constitution

Contact Info

• Headquarters: 29 S Hwy 69A, Miami, OK 74354
• Phone: 918-542-2441
• Website: shawnee-nsn.gov

Social Media Accounts

Thlopthlocco Tribal Town

Okemah, Oklahoma

Thlopthlocco Tribal Town was formed toward the end of the eighteenth century and was an upper Creek town of the old Creek Confederacy that was situated in Alabama and Georgia in historical times. Thlopthlocco meant "Tall Cane" or "Big Reed" and was situated in the vicinity of a stream on which there was an abundance of cane or reed from which blow guns were made. Thlopthlocco was known as a Red Town aka Red Sticks, that carried red beads and administered the war functions in Creek society. Thlopthlocco Tribal Town was one of the forty-four (44) or more Creek tribal towns that were forcibly removed to Indian Territory after the infamous Removal Treaty 1832.

Leadership

• Town King (Mekko): Ryan K. Morrow
• Warrior: Brent Brown
• Secretary: Celesta Johnson
• Treasurer: Max Trickey
• Warrior: Keith Humble

Government Details

• Constitution

Contact Info

• Headquarters: 109009 N. 3830 Rd., Okemah, OK 74859
• Mailing Address: PO Box 188, Okemah, OK 74859
• Phone: (918) 560-6198
• Website: tttown.org

Social Media Accounts

Tonkawa Tribe

Tonkawa, Oklahoma

The Tonkawa name for themselves is “Tickanwa-tic”. Meaning: ‘real people’.

The Waco (Wichita) name for the Tonkawa is “Tonkaweya”. Meaning: ‘They all stay together’.

The Tonkawa belong to the Tonkawan linguistic family, that was once composed of a number of small sub-tribes that lived in a region that extended west from south central Texas and western Oklahoma to eastern New Mexico. The Tonkawa had a distinct language, and their name, as that of the leading tribe, was applied to their linguistic family.

They were one of the most warlike tribes during nearly two centuries of conflict with their enemy tribes on the Western plains and with the Spanish and, later, American settlers in the Southwest. Their men were famous warriors, and their chiefs bore many scars of battle. The Tonkawa women were also strong physically and vindictive in disposition.

Leadership

• President: Russell Martin
• Vice President: Patrick Waldroup
• Secretary Treasurer: Racheal N. Starr

Government Details

• Constitution

Contact Info

• Headquarters: 1 Rush Buffalo Road, Tonkawa, OK 74653
• Phone: 580-628-2561
• Website: tonkawatribe.com

Social Media Accounts

United Keetoowah Band

Tahlequah, Oklahoma

Our stories tell us that our name "Anigiduwagi" was given to us by the Creator after seven of the wisest Cherokee men fasted for seven days and nights atop a high peak. Today it is written as "Keetoowah" or "Kituwah" and pronounced as: "Kih-too-wah."

We are also known as the Western Cherokee, or Old Settlers, as many of us were already moving west to avoid U.S. encroachment before the Trail of Tears officially began.

>Today we number more than 14,000 tribal members strong. Our members reside in several states throughout the U.S., though the majority are located in Oklahoma. To be eligible for tribal membership, members must prove at least a 1/4 Cherokee blood quantum.

Leadership

• Chief: Jeff Wacoche
• Assistant Chief: Amos Ketcher
• Secretary: Caleb Grimmett-Smith
• Treasurer: Sonja Gourd
• Cooweescoowee District Representative: Clifford Wofford
• Delaware District Representative: Tishaleta Guevara
• Flint District Representative: Frankie Still
• Goingsnake District Representative: Willie Christie
• Illinois District Representative: Fanelle Adair
• Saline District Representative: Charles Smoke
• Sequoyah District Representative: Donald Adair
• Tahlequah District Representative: Sammy Allen

Government Details

• Constitution

Contact Info

• Headquarters: 18300 W. Keetoowah Circle, Tahlequah, OK 74464
• Mailing Address: P.O. Box 746, Tahlequah, OK 74465
• Phone: 1-918-871-2800
• Phone: info@ukb-nsn.gov
• Website: ukb-nsn.gov

Social Media Accounts

Wichita and Affiliated Tribes

Anadarko, Oklahoma

The culture, history and ancestors of the Kirikir?i:s–the Wichita and Affiliated Tribes–can be traced back to the Central and Southern Plains since prehistoric times. Our people include the Wichita Proper, Waco, Taovaya, Tawakoni and Kichai.

Wichita legends tell us that the history of our people forms a cycle. With the world’s creation, the gifts of corn and the bow and arrow were bestowed upon the people by the spirits of the first man and woman, Morning Star and the Moon. The cycle is complete with the days of darkness, when the earth becomes barren. Just as disaster seems, imminent, the cycle begins again, and the world is renewed through the new creation.

Leadership

• President: Amber Silverhorn-Wolfe
• Vice President: Tasha R. Mousseau, J.D.
• Secretary: Starr Chavez
• Treasurer: Vanessa Vance
• Committee Member: Claudia Spybuck
• Committee Member: Matt Roberson
• Committee Member: John Bowman

Government Details

• Constitution

Contact Info

• Headquarters: 1.25 Miles North on Hwy 281, Anadarko, OK 73005
• Mailing Address: PO Box 729, Anadarko, OK 73005
• Phone: (405) 247-2425
• Website: wichitatribe.com

Social Media Accounts

Wyandotte Nation

Wyandotte, Oklahoma

The Wyandotte Nation consists of remnants of the Tionontati, Attignawantan and Wenrohronon (Wenro), all unique independent tribes, who united in 1649-50 after being defeated by the Iroquois Confederacy.

Leadership

• Chief: Billy Friend
• Second Chief: Norman Hildebrand, Jr.
• Council Person: Vivian Fink
• Council Person: Eric Lofland
• Council Person: Rob Nesvold
• Council Person: Keith Gray

Government Details

• Constitution

Contact Info

• Headquarters: 8 Turtle Drive, Wyandotte, OK 74370
• Phone: 918-678-2297
• Email: Send Email
• Website: wyandotte-nation.org

Social Media Accounts