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.
The 2023 U.S. Capitol Christmas Tree will be harvested from Monongahela National Forest, which is part of the Shawnee ancestral homeland. The tribe’s THPO is teaming up with National Forest staff to ensure the Capitol Tree includes representation of the Shawnee Tribe. On Friday, September 15 at our General Council dinner & stomp festivities in […]
Early voting by absentee ballot (vote-by-mail) is offered in 2023. All voted ballots must be received by the Election Committee by 5:00 PM (Central) on the Thursday before the election, September 14. Voters may return their ballots by mail or deliver the ballot in person to the Election Committee. Any citizen participating in early or […]
CHIEF BEN BARNES As the celebration of Independence Day fades into the background, this is the time of year that the Business Council begins to look toward the next fiscal year and plan programming for Shawnee families. We generally have two sorts of programs: those that come from federal funding sources and those that are […]
In February of 2023, the Shawnee Tribe Business Council approved a revision to Title 6, The Shawnee Tribe Elections Act. This amendment of…
MORRIS BLUEJACKET HOMETOWN: BLUEJACKET, OK CURRENT CITY: BLUEJACKET, OK OCCUPATION: RETIRED Born in Vinita raised in BlueJacket. Graduate of BlueJacket High School. I am married to Pattie (McLain) BlueJacket for 46 years. We have One son Tab & wife Tiffany, 5 Grandchildren. I have worked in state & county government for the past 34 years, […]
HEIDI BIGKNIFE RANKIN HOMETOWN: DENVER, CO CURRENT CITY: TULSA, OK OCCUPATION: ARTIST Hatito or hello friends and fellow citizens, I am Heidi BigKnife. My Shawnee roots stretch from Vinita, Oklahoma to our tribal lands in Kansas and Ohio. I am an artist and live and work in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Most of my art practice is […]
BEN BARNES (Incumbent) HOMETOWN: MIAMI, OK CURRENT CITY: MIAMI, OK OCCUPATION: CHIEF OF THE SHAWNEE TRIBE For over 25 years, I have served in leadership roles in Indian Country, professionally at director-level positions in Tribal Gaming. Since 2008, it has been a true honor and privilege to work for my own community, working to bring […]
Shawnee Tribe Behavioral and Mental Health invites you to join an upcoming trauma support group centered around the book The Body Keeps the Score by Dr. Bessel van der Kolk.