Thirty Tribal Nations Impacted, Including Shawnee Tribe
Contact: media@shawnee-tribe.com
MIAMI, OK – The Kansas State Legislature recently enacted a provision which will give residency status for the purpose of tuition to citizens of tribal nations with historical ties to the State of Kansas when they enroll at Kansas public institutions of higher learning.
“For quite some time, the Shawnee Tribe has endeavored to obtain in-state tuition for our students in our homeland states,” said Chief Ben Barnes. “The Shawnee Tribe, our government and her people preexist all state lines, and we appreciate the diligence of the Kansas Association for Native American Education with their efforts to secure this for all our Nations.”
The full list of tribal nations whose students are eligible for Kansas in-state tuition includes:
The Kickapoo Tribe of Indians of the Kickapoo Reservation in Kansas;
The Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation;
The Iowa Tribe of Kansas and Nebraska;
The Sac and Fox Nation of Missouri in Kansas and Nebraska;
The Apache Tribe of Oklahoma;
The Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes of Oklahoma;
The Cherokee Nation;
The Chippewa;
Comanche Nation of Oklahoma;
The Delaware Tribe of Indians;
The Kaw Nation of Oklahoma;
The Kiowa Indian Tribe of Oklahoma;
The Miami Tribe of Oklahoma;
The Oneida Nation;
The Osage Nation;
The Otoe-Missouria Tribe of Indians of Oklahoma;
The Ottawa Tribe of Oklahoma;
The Little River Band of Ottawa Indians;
The Grand Traverse Bay Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians;
The Pokagon Band of Potawatomi Indians;
The Little Traverse Bay Band of Odawa Indians;
The Bay Mills Indian Community;
Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians;
The Michigan Bands of the Ottawa/Odawa;
The Pawnee Nation of Oklahoma;
The Peoria Tribe of Indians of Oklahoma;
The Quapaw Tribe of Indians;
The Shawnee Tribe;
The Wichita and Affiliated Tribes (Wichita, Keechi, Waco and Tawakonie) of Oklahoma;
and The Wyandotte Nation
(Source: Kansas Association for Native American Education)
“This legislation takes us one step closer to education sovereignty and the fair and just access to higher education that is our right as Shawnee citizens,” said Joshua Shawnee, Education & Social Services Director at the Shawnee Tribe. “It is our hope that other states will follow suit and provide in-state tuition to all sovereign nations forcibly and fraudulently removed from their ancestral homelands. This is a great first step in acknowledging the incalculable debt our state legislatures owe to Native peoples as they continue to profit from educational institutions built on stolen land.”
Dr. Alex Red Corn, an Osage citizen and Executive Director of Kansas Association for Native American Education (KANAE) expressed appreciation for the collaborative efforts of KANAE, the Kansas Board of Regents and the Kansas Advisory Council for Indigenous Education Working Group in passing this legislative provision.
“On behalf of the American Indian communities who stand to benefit from this, I want to thank the leadership at the Kansas Board of Regents for their hard work in making these Nations histories and ongoing presence visible in tangible ways in our systems,” said Red Corn. “We have much more work to do, but this is a great step forward.”
The provision is valid from July 1, 2023, to June 30, 2024, with anticipated annual renewal through the Kansas State Legislature.
###
About the Shawnee Tribe
The Shawnee Tribe is a sovereign nation of more than 4,000 citizens living across North America and abroad. Tribal headquarters are located in Miami, Oklahoma, and Shawnee Chief Benjamin J. Barnes was elected in 2019. For more information, visit shawnee site.
DOMINANT AGGRESSOR DETERMINATIONS On March 27, the Shawnee Tribe & Native Alliance Against Violence co-sponsored a Domestic Violence Training event titled Dominant Aggressor Determinations. The training event was held in the Shawnee Tribe’s Community Building and had over 30 attendees, mainly law enforcement officers and DV victim advocates. “The event was successful, and we received […]
Contest open to citizens, students, CLPs or apprentices from any of the three Shawnee Nations or Shawnees enrolled in other federally recognized tribes. Entrants must use the official orthography of either the Shawnee Tribe or Absentee Shawnee Tribe for their project. Prizes will be awarded to the top three winners in each category. 1st Place […]
Miami, OK — Business Council Secretary Carolyn Foster and Rosanna Dobbs, Shawnee Tribe Section 106 Manager, were in attendance at the February 23 groundbreaking for the new Northeastern Tribal Health System (NTHS) Wellness Center. “This is an exciting and needed addition to the services our clinic currently offers,” said Rosanna Dobbs, who also serves as […]
The Shawnee Tribe’s Golden Mesa Casino and Oklahoma Panhandle State University celebrated their partnership at the 2024 Oklahoma State Regents Business Partnership event on March 8. Golden Mesa Casino has supported OPSU in many facets, including OPSU Athletics, the Business Department, and the College of Business and Technology. Read more at OPSU News!
The 2024 Higher Education Achievement Banquet will be on Sunday, June 2 at the Shawnee Tribe Community Building. RSVP here for the Achievement Banquet by Monday, May 6. *Graduation regalia requests are now closed – the deadline was April 15. Congratulations to the Shawnee Graduates of 2024! LaCinda Attocknie, Haskell Indian Nations University Dominic Biddle, Miami High School […]
The Great Circle Alliance (GCA) is pleased to announce an Ohio-America 250 project, “Recovering Ohio’s Indigenous Voices.” A core part of the project invites artists whose lineage traces back to Ohio’s Removed Tribes—Miami, Delaware, Wyandot, Seneca-Cayuga, Potawatomi, Shawnee, Ottawa, and others—to submit an application to participate. The selected artists will visit Ohio, tour the Hopewell […]
15-PASSENGER VAN GIFTED TO GROVE VETERANS RITUAL TEAM Last year, the Tribe retired a 15-passenger van from use. Rather than placing the vehicle up for sale, the Business Council found a worthy beneficiary in the Grove Veterans Ritual Team. The Grove Veterans Ritual Team’s eleven members, including the Shawnee Tribe’s own Herb Adams (US Army, […]
Miami, OK – The Shawnee Tribe’s Language Immersion Program (SLIP), received official notice and release of funds from the Indian Affairs Office of Indian Economic Development’s Living Languages Grant. The Living Languages Grant awards SLIP $280,200 annually for three years, resulting in a grand total of $840,600. The project period began on January 1. “My […]