{"id":33954,"date":"2023-11-29T13:26:56","date_gmt":"2023-11-29T18:26:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/?p=33954"},"modified":"2023-11-29T13:31:41","modified_gmt":"2023-11-29T18:31:41","slug":"oklahoma-voice-tribal-leaders-left-out-of-republican-governors-event","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/2023\/11\/29\/oklahoma-voice-tribal-leaders-left-out-of-republican-governors-event\/","title":{"rendered":"Oklahoma Voice: Tribal leaders left out of Republican governor’s event"},"content":{"rendered":" \"Native<\/a>
Garland Thomas, of Tahlequah, shows an attendee at Native American Family Day how to throw a hatchet. Photo by Janelle Stecklein \/ Oklahoma Voice)<\/figcaption>\r\n
Oklahoma governor hosts event to honor Native American heritage, families<\/div>\r\n
Cherokee, Choctaw and Chickasaw tribal leaders were not invited to attend<\/div>\r\n
Wednesday, November 29, 2023<\/div>\r\n
By Janelle Stecklein, Oklahoma Voice<\/a> <\/div>\r\n

<\/p>\r\nOKLAHOMA CITY \u2014 Gov. Kevin Stitt hosted several dozen tribal members at a special event Tuesday designed to celebrate and honor Native American heritage and families.

<\/P>\r\nAttendees said the event at the Oklahoma Governor\u2019s Mansion was a fitting way to commemorate the end of Native American Heritage Month, but also served as a way for them to share some of their cultural and tribal beliefs with the Republican governor who has recently been at odds with many tribal leaders.

<\/P>\r\nMelissa Jumper, a Cherokee member, who was one of about 60 people invited to the small gathering, said Stitt was doing an \u201cawesome job\u201d trying to understand the roots of Native American culture.\u00a0

<\/P>\r\n\u201cI\u2019m excited to see the culture and the history of Native American tribes evolve and our government support them in culture, history and the way tribal business can be handled civilly,\u201d said Jumper, of Tahlequah.

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\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\"Governor\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\n\t
\n\t\t\n\t\t\tGovernor Kevin Stitt\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/div>\n\t
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It was a blast bringing people together at the Governor\u2019s Mansion for Native American Family Day. It’s the beginning of a beautiful tradition, where cultures are shared, stories are exchanged, and…<\/p>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/div>\n\t

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<\/p>\r\nJumper said the more Stitt learns about Native culture and the history of how tribal governments work and how Indigenous families function in their day-to-day lives, the better he\u2019ll \u201cunderstand how to support tribal government in history and culture.\u201d

<\/P>\r\nStitt has feuded with tribal leaders as he\u2019s attempted to renegotiate compacts on gaming, hunting and fishing licenses, tobacco tax revenue and motor vehicle registrations. He also recently backed the Oklahoma Highway Patrol\u2019s controversial decision to begin ticketing tribal citizens who have tribal plates but live outside their traditional boundaries. He\u2019s pushed back against tribal sovereignty and sought to negotiate compacts that give the state a greater share of revenue.

<\/P>\r\nSpokespeople for the Cherokee, Choctaw and Chickasaw nations said Tuesday their tribal leaders were not invited to attend the governor\u2019s event.

<\/P>\r\n\u201cWe appreciate the gesture of a Native American Family Day at the Governor\u2019s mansion,\u201d said Chickasaw Nation Gov. Bill Anoatubby in an email. \u201cUntil you inquired, we were not aware of the event.\u201d

<\/P>\r\nOutside on the mansion lawn, attendees threw hatchets at a target and introduced Stitt to stickball, a traditional Native game. Inside a pavilion, visitors ate traditional Indian tacos.

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\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\"Governor\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\n\t
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As part of Oklahoma Family Month, I proudly proclaimed today as Native American Family Day. Native American families have built strong communities and bring value to our state through rich culture and traditions\u2014 and it\u2019s worth celebrating! #OklahomaFamilyMonth<\/p>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/div>\n\t

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<\/P>\r\nStitt said the entire month of November has been about promoting families of all cultures.

<\/P>\r\n\u201cWe thought this would be really fun to invite Native American friends from around the state to come and bring their families, their children, and then do a stickball game,\u201d Stitt said.

<\/P>\r\nHe said Tuesday marked his first time playing the game. He even received his own set of sticks from a Cherokee member. He stopped briefly to speak to the media before heading inside for some \u201cauthentic Indian tacos.\u201d

<\/P>\r\nStitt, who said he is part Cherokee, said he learned Tuesday that tribes used stickball to settle differences like disputes over hunting or grazing grounds.

<\/P>\r\n\u201cIt was really fun,\u201d Stitt said. \u201cI really enjoyed it. My two sons were out here. And man, they did not take it easy on the governor. They were shoving around, and they certainly didn\u2019t let me win, I\u2019ll tell you that.\u201d

<\/P>\r\nAt one point during the event, Stitt was hip-deep in a scrum of people jockeying for a ball.

<\/P>\r\nStitt said he also heard from attendees how important it is to pass Native American culture \u2014 and traditional sports like stickball \u2014 down to the next generation.

<\/P>\r\n\u201cIt\u2019s really fun to meet these cultures and meet people that really want to live it, that speak the language, that want to share it with the next generation,\u201d he said.

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