# aatotankiki myaamiaki (2025) > Briefs, arguments, decisions, and more. URL: https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/documents/tribal%3Amiami_oklahoma%3A6e3a6bc159e6091e ## Record - **Collection:** Tribal code - **Document type:** Tribal code ## Text M I A M I N A T I N N E W S aatotankiki myaamiaki Myaamia Publications – Vol. 19, No. 3, Win ter 2025-26 – Section A – News – Noošonke Siipionki Myaamionki Celebrating Historic Moments: A Look Back at the 29th Annual Winter Gathering Pg 5A meehtikoošionkiši aapooši iiyaayaanki ‘Once Again We Travel to France:’ Celebrating an Exhibition and Commemorating History Pg 4B Myaamia Moment: My experience at saakiiweeyonki ‘the Coming Out Place’ Pg 1C Preparing the Next Generation of Miami Tribe of Oklahoma Leaders Myaamia Heritage Award Program at Miami University plays key role Pg 3D CRO Represents the Miami Tribe at the FAM’s TEK Fest Pg 1E Young Myaamia community members enjoy storytelling at this year’s Winter Gathering. Photo by Karen Baldwin, Miami Tribe of Oklahoma. SAVE THE DATE: Annual Meeting will be June 27th, 2026 Find the National Gathering Week schedule and more information on Pg 2C 2A Aatotankiki Myaamiaki - News, Vol. 19, No. 3, 2025-26 aatotankiki myaamiaki MIAMI NATION NEWS is published by the Sovereign Miami Tribe of Okla- homa for our enrolled citizens. Aatotankiki Myaamiaki is distributed by mail and made available for download from the Miami Nation’s website. A single copy is mailed free of charge to each tribal household. College students living away from home may request a copy be mailed to their campus, or off-campus, address. This publication is printed in Stigler, Oklahoma by Stigler Printing. Publication design and layout is done in-house by the Miami Nation Cultural Resources Office staff. Requests for special articles or publication of community information, including births, deaths, marriages, family news, anniversaries, etc., are welcomed and encouraged. MYAAMIA PUBLICATIONS Miami Nation Cultural Resources Office P.O. Box 1326 Miami, OK 74355 918-541-1300 Email: mtocro@gmail.com Editorial Staff: Julie Olds, Diane Hunter, Joshua Sutterfield, Doug Peconge, Meghan Dorey, Bobbe Burke, Madalyn Richardson. Submission Requirements: Photos: Must be submitted electronically and should be saved at a resolution of 300 dpi, sized at standard 4x6 or larger, and saved in jpg, tif, or pdf formats. Section A: News The Chief’s Report 3A ‘Land of the Myaamiaki the Beautiful Place’ in Ft. Wayne, Indiana 4A Celebrating Historic Moments:...29th Annual Winter Gathering 5A Police Department awarded for service in active shootings 6A Introducing the Myaamia Heritage Foundation 7A Shop with a Cop & Eddie the Eagle 8A Section B: History & Culture They Awaken and Preserve it for Each Other a presentation at Newberry Museum 1B Our People Believe in Education Now Available 2B Ganondagan – Indigenous Music & Arts Festival 3B meehtikoošionkiši aapooši iiyaayaanki ‘Once Again We Travel to France’... 4B What Makes Something Myaamia? 6B Obituaries, Birth Announcements and other time sensitive submissions will be amended to show past tense text unless the family submitting the information expressly requests the text remain unaltered. Stars, Planets, and Heavenly... 6B Advertisements: Enrolled citizens of the Miami Nation who are business owners, artists or crafts persons, etc. are eligible to receive free ad space once per year. Allotted ad size is 5” x 5” and should be sized at 300 dpi and saved as a jpg, tif or pdf file. Ad layouts, or links to download such from your Dropbox or other cloud storage site, should be emailed to mtocro@gmail.com. All 2026 MTO/CRO/CREO Events 8B MIAMI NATION ELECTED OFFICIALS MYAAMIA CITIZENS STAY CONNECTED VIA INTERNET Chief: Douglas Lankford Second Chief: Dustin Olds Secretary Treasurer: Donya Williams 1st Councilperson: Tera Hatley 2nd Councilperson: Nate Poyfair Miami Nation Website, www.miamination.com MIAMI NATION HEADQUARTERS Physical/Shipping Address: 3410 P Street NW Miami, OK 74354 918-541-1300 Mailing Address: P.O. Box 1326 Miami, OK 74355 Facebook: “MYAAMIAKI Miami Tribe of Oklahoma” “Aatotankiki Myaamiaki” Public Page, listed as “Miami Nation Events” MHMA Page, Listed as “Myaamia Heritage Museum & Archive” TRIBAL CITIZEN IDENTIFICATION AND ENROLLMENT CARDS The Miami Tribe of Oklahoma Tribal Citizen/ Member Identification and Enrollment Card card allows for the inclusion of a photograph of the Enrolled Citizen/Member and also allows the inclusion of a Myaamia name. Tribal citizens who wish to obtain the new card should contact Tera Hatley, Member Services Manager, at thatley@ miamination.com or by phone at 918-541-1324. TRIBAL MEMBER ADDRESS UPDATES: Contact Tera Hatley at thatley@miamination.com or by phone at 918-541-1300. Myaamia Community Resources 8B Section C: Community Myaamia Moment: My experience at saakiiweeyonki ‘the Coming Out Place’ 1C National Gathering Week Info 2C Myaamia Autism Center Ribbon... 3C A Dream Come True: Bear Hunting in the Ouachita’s 4C Prairie Sky Market 5C toopeeliyani ‘You accomplished it!’ 6C peenaalinta ‘One who is born’ 6C waanantakhšinka ‘Lying quietly’ 6C Scholarships & Back-to-School Funds 8C Section D: Myaamia Center MC celebrates 25th Ann. This Year 1D ...How We Revitalize the Myaamia Language 2D Preparing the next generation of Miami Tribe of Oklahoma leaders 3D Register for the 11th Biennial Myaamiaki Conference on April 18 5D aašitehkawaataawi katakimaankohkwa ‘Let’s Meet Gretchen Spenn’ 6D wiiyaakiteeheetaawi weehki-kihkatwi ‘Let’s Celebrate the Lunar New Year!’ 7D Myaamia Metaphoric Expression 8D Section E: Eemamwiciki eeweentiiyankwi ‘Family’ 1E CRO Represents MTO at the FAM’s TEK Fest 1E ‘Myaamia people celebrate the New Year in Miami, OK’ 2E Hometown History Event 2E Cultural Corner 3E Eemamwiciki Events 8E Aatotankiki Myaamiaki - News, Vol. 19, No. 3, 2025-26 3A aacimwita akima ‘The Chief’s Report’ Aya ceeki eeweemakiki, On behalf of our elected leaders, I send greetings to all Myaamia citizens and their families from your Nation’s headquarters in noošonke siipionki myaamionki. Here, winter’s cold has subsided, and the transition time of spring has begun. Ciinkwia has sounded, and the peepers have answered, so our winter stories have been put away until the fall brings the hard freeze again. Of course, the departure of storytelling means it is time to get out our lacrosse sticks. I am looking forward to the first community game on April 11 here in myaamionki. Be sure to check out the new edition of our annual lunar calendar, which should have arrived by mail recently, and check out any event dates you may be able to attend. This time also marks the beginning of planning for our National Gathering Week and our annual General Council meeting. Our National Gathering week events begin on June 22 and continue through Saturday, June 27th, 2026. The 2026 meeting of the Miami Tribe of Oklahoma General Council will convene at 9 a.m. on Saturday, June 27th at our Nation’s Council House in Miami, OK. Be sure to check out the events line up included in this edition and watch our website and social media outlets for updates. We enjoyed our 29th annual Myaamia Winter Gathering, held the last weekend in January. There were several events which included an open house at our wonderful Myaamia Heritage Museum, a presentation celebrating the 25th year of the Myaamia Center at Miami University, storytelling, and of course social dancing. Representatives of Strawtown Koteewi Park traveled from Noblesville, IN, to bring a special gift to our Nation, a beautiful, custom engraved copper gorget to show their great appreciation for the relationship we share with the park, our help with signage, and to show respect for their presence within our homeland. However, the highlight of this year’s gathering was the ethical return of a personal tobacco bag that once belonged to Chief Little Turtle by the Fort Orange Club of Albany, NY. Two representatives of the Club made the journey to personally present the bag back to the Miami Nation. Our Winter Gathering is a favorite event among our community members, and this year’s gathering will be long remembered for these experiences. I will begin my legal report with an update about our networking and outreach in Indiana. You may recall in the Fall Report I commented about misinformation in the Fort Wayne, Indiana area regarding the Tribe’s property located on Fritz Road, which we call Peehkahkionki, meaning the beautiful place. Various Indiana media reports included false information that the Tribe was planning to build a casino on its Ft. Wayne property. The Tribe provided multiple statements to media to correct this misinformation. The Tribe sent correspondence to the Mayor of Fort Wayne and local state officials and state representatives explaining the work of the CREO and again affirmed the Tribe has no intent to conduct casino activities on the Fritz Rd. property. Further the Tribe informed that it is precluded from gaming on the land because of affirmations made to the Department of Interior that no gaming would occur on that property in its fee to trust application. In early January I traveled to Indiana and met with several Indiana Senators and Representatives communicating this same information in person. The state representatives were appreciative of the Tribe’s transparency and outreach efforts. The Tribe has always and remains fully committed to establishing and building on Cultural Resources Extension Office and Myaamia Community Center at activities and programs at Peehkahkionki. Illinois Legislation I have some exciting news related to the Tribe’s legislation to permit the Tribe to bring a land claim for its loss of historic tribal lands in southeast Illinois. As you may recall, Senator Markwayne Mullin (Cherokee), a staunch advocate for the Tribe for the past eight years, reintroduced the bill last session S 550, entitled A Bill to provide for the Equitable Settlement of Certain Indian Land Disputes Regarding Land in Illinois, and for other Purposes. Oklahoma Congressman, Tom Cole (Chickasaw) joined the bill again last winter as a sponsor. Congress- man Cole is a longtime advocate for tribes and Indian Country and has been a good friend and staunch supporter of the Tribe for years. On December 15, 2025, the bill passed the Senate without amendment by Unanimous Consent. The bill, H.R. 2827, was then scheduled to go before the House Committee on Indian Affairs. On March 4th I had the great honor to travel to Washington DC with Second Chief Dustin Olds, Tribal General Counsel Robin Lash, Special Counsel Joe Halloran, and Attorney/Lobbyist Reid LeBeau to testify before the House Subcommittee on Insular and Indian Affairs. Once the bill is authorized by Congress, H.R. 2827, a bi-partisan bill, will grant jurisdiction to the Court of Federal Claims to consider and decide the Tribe’s land claim. We are committed to continuing our important work on this bill to get our day in Court. Federal Litigation As you may recall, in December 2023, the Miami Tribe, joined by the Eastern Shawnee Tribe, Ottawa Tribe, and Seneca Cayuga Tribe filed federal lawsuits in Northern District Court in Tulsa, requesting that the Court declare the reservation lands of the plaintiff tribes to be intact, never having been disestablished. The litigation was initiated to help the Tribe secure essential federal funding for the Tribe’s court to address its criminal docket, which has increased nearly 2,000 percent. This follows the United States Supreme Court’s 2020 landmark decision in McGirt v. Oklahoma, which held that the Muscogee Creek Nation reservation was never disestablished by Congress, the Miami Tribe, like other Oklahoma tribes actively assumed its governmental responsibilities policing and exercising jurisdiction over its reservation lands. The Department of Interior, post McGirt, without any federal directive, tied federal funding allocated for Oklahoma tribes for policing and court needs to tribes with formal court rulings upholding a tribe’s reservation. On February 17, 2026, after nearly a year that the Tribe’s motion for partial summary judgment was taken under advisement United States District Court for the Northern District of Oklahoma Judge John D. Russell issued a decision denying the motion. The Court’s order does not reject the reservation status of the Tribes, rather the Court found that the Tribes and the state appear to agree about the status of the reservation and therefore was no “real earnest and vital dispute” for the court to resolve. The Court must conclude that there is a real, earnest, and vital dispute to exercise its authority under Article III of the U.S. Constitution. The legal landscape has changed significantly since the Tribes initially filed this lawsuit. Other cases such as State v. Brester, State v. Lee, State v. Dixon, and State v. Fuller decided by the Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals rejected arguments that Tribes’ reservations were disestablished. The Tribes have discussed the decision among themselves and will continue to engage with the State in efforts to clearly allocate our respective jurisdiction, so we effectively and cooperatively ensure the public safety of our citizens. SAUSA The Miami Tribe and other Northeast Oklahoma Tribal Consortium Tribes (Eastern Shawnee Tribe, Wyandotte Nation, Ottawa Tribe, Seneca Cayuga Nation, and Shawnee) continue to work with Special Assistant United States Attorney David Youll, a legal professional from Tulsa retained by the Consortium Tribes to prosecute federal offenses which occur on the Tribe’s reservation lands. David Youll brings years of legal experience serving as a prosecutor, Judge and as SAUSA in the Eastern District. Funding for this position is through a Justice Department Coordinated Assistance Solicitation (CTAS) Grant. We are pleased to have David Youll working with us as our federal representative in the United States Attorney’s Office. Miami Tribe District Court The Miami Tribe District Court remodel project is in its final year with interior remodel work completed and exterior remodel work scheduled to begin. The Tribe’s first jury trial docket to be held in the new Court space was Akima Eecipoonkwia Chief Douglas Lankford scheduled the week of December 8th but the prosecutor and defendants reached plea agreements. The next jury trial docket is scheduled for the week of May 11th. Some hearings have taken place in the new court space, and all have been pleased with the aesthetics of the court. The new court space includes a courtroom with a new Judge’s bench large enough to seat three Appellate Justices for cases appealed to the Miami Tribe of Oklahoma Appellate Court, a witness stand, clerk desk, a jury box and seating for those attending court. Beautiful ash furniture designed and hand crafted by Tribal Member Jody Gamble fills the courtroom with unique Myaamia inlay designs. Ash paneling crafted by Jody Gamble also covers sections of walls with inlay wood design throughout the courtroom. The beautiful woodwork and furnishings in the court room are enhanced by a state-of-the-art audio/video recording system. The interior of the court is truly something to be proud of and is likely one of the nicest tribal courtrooms in Northeast Oklahoma. Outside of the court entryway, designs are underway for a portico to protect court attendees from inclement weather entering and exiting the building. Plans to enhance the exterior include a fence to hide existing HVAC equipment in that area as well as landscaping. New court signage and flags are yet to be placed in and around the court parking area as well. The court improvements are funded by a Department of Justice Coordinated Tribal Assistance Solicitation (CTAS) Court Remodel Grant. The Tribe’s District Court holds a criminal docket twice a month and family court and civil dockets once a month, or more frequently as needed. The Tribe holds trial dockets twice a year in the fall and spring and holds quarterly cost dockets to ensure fines and fees are paid timely. The Tribe looks forward to using this new beautiful space in its work to exercise the Tribe’s inherent authority on its reservation lands. FERC In the ongoing Grand River Dam Authority (GRDA) application for relicensing before the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) you may recall back in September of 2025 FERC issued a long-awaited decision on the Tribes’ and the City’s request that GRDA conduct a “contaminated sediment transport study.” The Tribes wanted FERC to consider the fact that when GRDA floods land, the flood water carries contamination in the form of zinc, cadmium, and lead and, when the waters recede, the contamination settles on the flooded property and that contamination gets into the plants that tribal members harvest and some that are essential to tribal cultural practices. The Tribes asked for this study nearly a decade ago and many thought it very unlikely. Requiring GRDA to conduct a contaminated sediment transport study consulting with Tribes indicated clearly that it will consider the effects of transportation of contaminated sediment. On February 5, 2026 Cultural Director JuContinued on pg 4A >> 4A Aatotankiki Myaamiaki - News, Vol. 19, No. 3, 2025-26 << Continued from pg 3A lie Olds and I provided the Miami Tribe’s formal comments about the negative impacts on the Reservation to include negative impacts to reservation wildlife, vegetation, berries, trees, pecan groves, fish, fowl, water quality, clays harvested for pottery, bark and textile plants harvested for baskets and other weaving crafts, the health of tribal members and the community in general on the Tribe’s reservation. During preparation for this testimony we worked with our expert Dr. Ean Garvin, who is responsible for studies investigating the presence of elevated levels of zinc, cadmium, and lead in plants harvested in the floodplain and the human pathways for those heavy metals. Trust Land On January 12, 2026, the Tribe concluded its work with the BIA for the fee to trust transfer for Miami Tribe Lot 8 Property adjoining the north side of the Miami Tribe headquarters trust parcel. On this 30-acre parcel the Tribe remodeled an old existing storage space into new offices for the Tribe’s Environmental Department. The work to place this parcel in trust began some 15 years ago and was delayed due to boundary and metes and bounds issues. The Tribe is happy to see this important piece of real estate finally in trust status. On January 28, 2026, the Tribe concluded its work with the BIA for the fee to trust transfer for Miami Tribe Allen Property on E. 65 Rd. This 150-acre farm property once belonged to the sister of Chief Richardville. The Tribe has remodeled the existing house on the property for office space for the Tribe. The Tribe is so happy to see this big piece of property in trust status. Federally recognized tribes are eligible to apply for trust land acquisitions for any land owned by the tribe in fee simple status. Fee-simple means the landowner may sell or encumber the land. Once land is in trust status, state law, with a few exceptions, does not apply, nor is a tribe required to pay state property taxes associated with the land. Fee to trust land acquisition applications are evaluated by the Secretary of the Interior according to criteria published in the Code of Federal Regulations (25 CFR 151). Since September 2017, the Tribe has successfully moved into trust status 14 parcels of land including the Fritz Road property in Ft. Wayne Indiana – the first Miami lands in the Tribe’s historic homeland owned and under the jurisdiction of the Miami Tribe in almost 180 years. The 14 parcels now in trust represent some 620 acres. Currently, the Tribe has one more parcel in process for fee to trust applications. And several other properties under discussion to begin the fee to trust process for. In closing, I encourage all Myaamia citizens to follow Tribal social media, visit our website, and take advantage of the new text service (see sign up information in this edition) to stay up to date. I wish the very best to all Myaamia citizens, send prayers and good thoughts to you and yours, and look forward to seeing those who can travel home to Myaamionki this summer. Myaamionki Kiihkayonki Peehkahkionki ‘Land of the Myaamiaki the Beautiful Place’ in Ft. Wayne, Indiana Robin Lash General Council In August 2021, the Miami Tribe of Oklahoma purchased 45-acres on Fritz Road in Fort Wayne as the site of a Cultural Resources Extension Office (CREO) serving the Tribe’s 1,200 enrolled members living in and around Kiihkayonki – Fort Wayne, Indiana. The Fritz Road property provides a working location for the Tribe’s cultural resource staff in furtherance of its Food Security and Myaamia Learning Recovery Projects. The Tribe named the property is Peehkahkionki, meaning “the Beautiful Place,” because of its lovely, wooded areas, large The pond on the Cultural Resources Extension Office property in Fort Wayne, Indiana. Photo by Claudia Hedeen, Miami fishing pond and roll- Tribe of Oklahoma. ing grass expanses. The dedication of Peehkahkionki for CREO oped as a quiet space, allowing tribal members of the property for its cultural programs. activities represents a historical step in the re- to observe the four seasons through floor-to“A piece of our homelands is fully restored to turn of the Tribe to its homelands that began ceiling glass windows facing the forest. The the Tribe 178 years after the forced removal of my in 2014 when the Tribe acquired property on Center also provides space for tribal citizens people,” said Chief Lankford. “Peehkahkionki is a Trentman Road in Fort Wayne and established to gather for community meals, tell winter sto- place for our tribal citizens to reconnect with one a governmental presence through its CREO. ries, and conduct cultural workshops such as another and to participate in the traditional culturThe governmental and cultural presence at that basket making and sewing ribbonwork. al activities of our ancestors,” he said. location were incredibly successful, serving Peehkahkionki includes open spaces to Fort Wayne sits within the heartland region an enrolled membership hungry for close con- play lacrosse, plant big gardens to grow many of the Myaamionki, the land of the Myaamia nection to their Tribe. The overwhelming re- varieties of traditional Myaamia foods, and has people. Following decades of warfare and sponse meant that the CREO quickly outgrew walking trails and dense woods with a wide va- treaty negotiations, in 1846 the Miami Tribe the Trentman Road location which resulted in riety of trees native to the area. The Tribe’s was forcefully removed from its Great Lakes the sale of that property and the purchase of vision is to preserve, protect, and enhance Pee- homelands, to lands west of the Mississippi in the Fritz Road land. hkahkionki as a diverse natural setting for the present-day Kansas and was again forcibly reIn 2024, Peehkahkionki was transferred to CREO and tribal members. moved just 20 years later from Kansas to the be held by the United States in trust for the Because Peehkahkionki is held in trust Indian Territory, now the State of Oklahoma benefit of the Miami Tribe of Oklahoma. The for the Miami Tribe by the United States, the - ultimately occupying a Reservation and seat Tribe’s application to transfer the property to Tribe has exclusive authority to regulate the of its sovereign tribal government in Ottawa the U.S. made clear that the Tribe intended use of the property and will be doing so under County, Oklahoma. only to use the property precisely as it is being Article II of its Constitution and its land use But the Tribe maintained its connection to used – as a cultural resources, education, and regulations. Nevertheless, the Tribe designed its homelands, which continued to hold great gathering place for members. The Tribe’s ap- and built the Myaamia Community Center to significance to Myaamia people. The acquisiplication to transfer the land, and the United comply with all state and local codes and reg- tion of Peehkahkionki, the development of the States acceptance, both make clear that Peeh- ulations and worked closely with Fort Wayne Myaamia Community Center, and the reestabkahkionki was not acquired to be used for ca- City Officials to connect the Miami infrastruc- lishment of intergovernmental relationships sino gaming activities. ture to city services. “We have a great relation- with the city, county and state are the next steps On this land, the Tribe recently complet- ship with our city and county governmental in the Tribe’s return home, and a testament to ed the construction of the Myaamia (Miami) counterparts in Miami, Oklahoma,” said Chief its resilience as a people through two centuries Community Center, an 8,000-square-foot Douglas Lankford, “and we plan to be a great of difficult times. Peehkahkionki will serve the building providing significant space for Food community partner here as well.” Myaamia community for generations to come. Security and Myaamia Learning Recovery acThe Miami Tribe celebrated the restoration It will remain a uniquely Myaamia place – a tivities. The Center houses a commercial kitch- of Tribal land and jurisdiction by holding a place of cultural sharing, learning, and being en to educate the Myaamia community about Welcome Event in June 2024 inviting State, a people. “oowaaha niiloona Myaamiaki,” said traditional approaches to food harvesting and City and County officials, local businesses and Chief Lankford, “we are Myaamia People.” preparation from on-property gardens and wild neighbors. The Tribe shared its rich history edible plants. A portion of the facility is devel- and ties to the land, along with the planned use Aatotankiki Myaamiaki - News, Vol. 19, No. 3, 2025-26 5A Myaamia community members enjoy Stomp and Social Dances. Photo by Doug Peconge, Miami Tribe of Oklahoma. Celebrating Historic Moments: A Look Back at the 29th Annual Winter Gathering Stella Beerman Communications Specialist, Myaamia Center For nearly three decades, the Myaamia community has gathered in Noošonke Siipionki ‘Miami, Oklahoma’ during the last weekend of January for the Miami Tribe’s Winter Gathering event. This year, the two-day event, held on January 30-31, 2026, brought Myaamia people together to celebrate culture and learn important updates within the community. In addition to participating in Stomp Dances and listening to Winter Stories, tribal leadership shared information about the return of an 18th-century quillworked bag that once belonged to Akima Mihšihkinaahkwa ‘Chief Little Turtle’, the Tribe’s developing relationship with Strawtown Koteewi Park in Indiana, and the 25th anniversary of the Myaamia Center at Miami University. Before dinner and storytelling on Friday evening, leadership and staff from the Miami Tribe were joined on stage by representatives from Fort Orange Club, a country club in Albany, New York. Miami Tribe leadership and staff are joined on This club had been stage by representatives from the Fort Orange in possession of an Club. Photo by Jonathan Fox, Myaamia Center. 18th-century quilled bag, once belonging to Mihšihkinaahkwa. While the club is unsure when or how they came to possess this bag, their leadership made the important decision to return it to its rightful owners, the Miami Tribe, in recent years. The bag is now being stored in the Miami Tribe’s Na- Winter Gathering attendees view a replica of the tional Archive in Mi- 18th-century bag. Photo by Doug Peconge, Miami ami, Oklahoma, while Tribe of Oklahoma. it is prepped for display in the Myaamia Heritage Museum. This year also marks the 25th Anniversary of the Myaamia Center at Miami University. Daryl Baldwin, executive director of the Center, kicked off the celebrations during the gathering by sharing plans for a major (Left to right) Julie Olds, Cultural Resource Ofcapital campaign to ficer, Haley Shea, director of Assessment and expand and renovate Evaluation, and Daryl Baldwin discuss the imthe Center’s home in pact of the Myaamia Center at Miami University. Photo by Doug Peconge, Miami Tribe of Oklahoma. Oxford, Ohio. Akima ‘Chief’ Lankford wears a metal gorget gifted to the Miami Tribe on behalf of Strawtown Koteewi Park. Photo by Doug Peconge, Miami Tribe of Oklahoma. Following Daryl’s announcement, historian Cameron Shriver shared insights on Myaamia education he found while researching for the new book, Our People Believe in Education: the Unlikely Alliance of the Miami Tribe and Miami University. A panel featuring Julie Olds, Haley Shea, and Daryl Baldwin reflected on how the “unlikely alliance” between the Tribe and the University has transformed from a small research project into a cornerstone of the Tribe’s cultural revitalization work. On Saturday, community members received an update regarding Strawtown Koteewi Park in Indiana, a nearly 800-acre park that was once home to a Myaamia village. For 10 years, thousands of ancestral graves and funerary items buried on this land were disturbed without Tribal consultation. In 2012, the Miami Tribe of Oklahoma, along with the Shawnee and Eastern Shawnee Tribes, filed federal complaints with the National Park Service, which oversees the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA). This forced the organization to repatriate the funerMyaamia community members enjoy Stomp ary objects and ancestral and Social Dances. Photo by Doug Peconge, Mi- remains as well as pay a ami Tribe of Oklahoma. federal fine. The immeasurable harm caused by this disturbance led to very little engagement and communication between the Tribe and the park for many years. Since 2024, the Tribe has been working with new leadership at the park to mend this fractured relationship. What was once a site of harm and mismanagement Community members and guests from Miami is being transformed University play seenseewinki ‘bowl game’ to- through an intentional gether at Winter Gathering. Photo by Karen collaboration led by the Baldwin, Miami Tribe of Oklahoma. Continued on pg 6A >> 6A Aatotankiki Myaamiaki - News, Vol. 19, No. 3, 2025-26 << Continued from pg 5A College Students of Indiana Myaamia youth are captivated by the stories being told at the Miami Tribe’s Council House. Photo by Karen Baldwin, Miami Tribe of Oklahoma. The Indiana Native American Indian Affairs Commission provides scholarships to Native American residents of Indiana attending an Indiana college or university? Apply today! This year’s storytellers act out a scene from one of the stories told at Winter Gathering. Photo by Karen Baldwin, Miami Tribe of Oklahoma. For more information and application, visit: www.in.gov/inaiac/resources /education-resources/ scholarshipresources/ Myaamia community members enjoy Stomp and Social Dances. Photo by Doug Peconge, Mi- ami Tribe of Oklahoma. Staff Article YOU R HE S! YOUR H U E TO IMPORTA NT US! TO IS TH L A Police Department awarded for service in active shootings IMPOR T A NT The Miami Nation Chief of Police, Abel Stose, had the honor of accepting an award on behalf of the entire Miami Nation Police Department from the city of Miami the evening of March 19th, 2026. The award states, “Presented with profound gratitude for your actions in the 2024 and 2025 critical incidents. Your distinguished assistance and support rendered during and after the incidents was invaluable. Your leadership and dedication reflect the highest standards of law enforcement service.” The plaque references the three shootings the Miami Nation Police Department assisted with, or were directly involved in here in Miami which took place in December 2024, May 2025, and September 2025. We are grateful for their dedicated service to our tribe and community. – Did You Know... IS TH AL Cultural Resources Office. The team is in the process of installing interpretive signage that will welcome visitors to the park, introduce the Miami Tribe, incorporate the Myaamia lunar calendar to help visitors recognize and learn from seasonal ecological knowledge, and share the history of Myaamia prairie burn practices. While the history of this relationship is heavy, park leadership assured the Tribe that they are taking these steps to ensure that the Myaamia homelands are spaces where Myaamia people feel a sense of belonging and pride. Cultural activities throughout the weekend included the Winter Storytelling event on Friday night and a Stomp and Social Dance on Saturday night. Hearing aalhsoohkaana ‘Winter Stories’ is a highlight of the weekend, as these stories can only be told in the wintertime, and often involve beings that are treated with special respect by Myaamia people. Eight stories were shared with the large crowd, some being told in both Myaamiaataweenki ‘the Miami language’ and English. The final event of the weekend occurred on Saturday, January 30th, when the community gathered at the Miami Tribe’s Council House for Stomp and Social Dances. The event opened with a gourd dance before dinner was provided by the Miami Tribe. Stomp and social dances began after dinner and carried on until about 1 a.m. The event was hosted by the Miami Tribe, but shakers and callers from different Tribal nations, including the Wyandotte, Shawnee, Absentee Shawnee, Seneca-Cayuga, Euchee, and others, joined us to lead their own songs and dances. Mihši neewe ‘thank you so much’ to the countless individuals and teams who led the dances, shared stories, cooked meals, and planned arrangements for this weekend. We can’t wait to gather in Noošonke Siipionki again! Originally published February 5, 2026 at aacimotaatiiyankwi.org/2026/02/05/29thannual-winter-gathering/ CONTACT FOR PUBLIC HEALTH Award given to the Miami Nation Police Department by the City of Miami, OK. Photo courtesy of Abel Stose. Alright, spill the tea. Public Health Mission: Through excellence in public health nursing practice, we will empower communities to support a healthier, safer, and higher quality of life for members and their families. Rachel Ramsey, RN Email: rramsey@miamination.com Phone: (918) 541-2175 The mission of the Community Health Representative (CHR) is to provide quality outreach health care services and health promotion/disease prevention services to American Indians and Alaska Natives within their communities. Kaitlyn Luttrell Email: kluttrell@miamination.com Phone: (918) 541-1300 THE MIAMI TRIBE OF OKLAHOMA Learn more online at www.miamination.com/chr-program/ MTOnewspaper@miamination.com 7A Aatotankiki Myaamiaki - News, Vol. 19, No. 3, 2025-26 Introducing the Myaamia Heritage Foundation Morgan Lippert Who We Are The Myaamia Heritage Foundation consists of five board members appointed by tribal leadership. The Myaamia Heritage Foundation (MHF) is Once appointed, board members vote to determine a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization established officer positions, which serve two-year terms. by the Miami Tribe of Oklahoma. The MHF fur- Aašitehkawaataawi ‘let’s meet’ the MHF Board! thers the Tribe’s cultural mission by promoting Morgan Lippert, Chair and funding research that advances Myaamia Morgan is a non-Native cultural heritage procultural knowledge, supporting Myaamia art- fessional who serves the Miami Tribe of Oklaists and scholars, and providing educational op- homa as Curator of Exhibitions for the Myaamia portunities for both Myaamia citizens and the Heritage Museum and Archive, coordinating exbroader public. Through this work, the MHF hibition research and development and consulting provides a path for non-Myaamia people and with organizations seeking to create exhibits and organizations to support the Tribe’s cultural re- educational materials about the Myaamia comvitalization initiatives. munity. She holds a B.A. in History from Beloit College and is currently pursuing an M.A. in Museum Studies at the University of Oklahoma. Morgan joined the Myaamia Heritage Foundation when it derstands the challenges of sharing his Myaamia was founded in 2024. work with the public. He sees the foundation as an As Chair, she focuses opportunity for those within the Tribe to share their on supporting initia- art, history, language, and cultural knowledge with tives that strengthen the public. Myaamia cultural pres- Pikolakitisaata ‘Dani Tippmann’, Board Member ervation and education, Dani is a citizen of the Miami Tribe of Oklaworking closely with homa and has been an involved learner with her Tribal departments, Myaamia relatives since she was young. She community members, serves as the Tribe’s Kiihkayonki ARPA Commuand external partners nity Food Program Director, working with tribal to foster collaborative citizens on gardening and the use of wild plants Doug Peconge, MHF Secretary-Treasurer, helping a Myaamia youth projects that promote for food, health, and craft. As an artist and culmake a pakitahaakani ‘lacrosse stick’ at the 2025 Taste of the Arts Fes- broader understanding tural knowledge bearer, Dani has been a multitival. Photo by Morgan Lippert, Myaamia Heritage Foundation. of Myaamia history and time mentor for Traditional Arts Indiana and a culture. four-time Artist in Residence at the Eiteljorg Background Amehkoonsihkwa ‘Kelli Huth’, Vice Chair Museum. She is also a recipient of the Indiana In 2022, the Miami Tribe of Oklahoma leadKelli is a community engagement professional Heritage Fellowship Award, which honors tradiership authorized, through resolution, the estab- with over 18 years of experience in higher educa- tional artists who have made outstanding contrilishment of the Myaamia Heritage Foundation. tion. She currently serves as the Associate Vice butions to their artistic tradition and communiThey identified a need to formally establish a President for Community Engagement at Ball ty. In 2024, she was named a national Taproot non-profit corporation to advance, promote, State University, focusing on building authentic Fellow by the Alliance for California Traditional and administer charitable and educational ac- partnerships that advance both the university’s Arts for her work with plants and community. tivities and projects that further the Tribe’s cul- and the community’s priorities. Kelli received a tural mission of perpetuating Myaamia heritage Bachelor of Arts in philosophy from Anderson What’s Next and sharing history, language, and culture with University and a Master of Arts in executive de2026 holds a lot in store for MHF! One of our Myaamia tribal citizens and the larger commu- velopment for public service from Ball State. She goals for this year is to take steps towards increasnity. The Myaamia Heritage Foundation was has served as a director for many nonprofit boards ing visibility of Myaamia language and culture in officially recognized as a private 501(c)(3) focused on sustainability, community develop- public spaces, particularly in the tribe’s ancestral non-profit organization by the IRS in 2024. ment, arts and culture, and public history. She is Lower Great Lakes homelands. Among the many a citizen of the Miami Tribe of Oklahoma and is impacts of the Tribe’s forced removal is a lack of Our Work passionate about engaging in cultural revitaliza- understanding among non-Myaamia communities The Myaamia Heritage Foundation aims to in- tion and education initiatives. about the continued presence and cultural vitality crease awareness and understanding of Myaamia Alaamhkihkamwa ‘Doug Peconge’, Secre- of the Miami Tribe of Oklahoma, and the Foundahistory, language, and traditions through pro- tary-Treasurer tion hopes to support efforts that address these gaps grams, events, and collaborative partnerships— Doug is a citizen of the Miami Tribe of Oklaho- through education and collaboration. both with departments within the Miami Tribe of ma and works for the Tribe in its Cultural Resource In the next few months, we will be meeting Oklahoma and with non-Myaamia organizations. Office. For the last decade, his focus has been con- with non-tribal partners to discuss how they can Below are our past projects: necting myaamia (Miami) tribal citizens to their support our mission and Myaamia cultural reviAwakening: A Sacred Story of Contemporary tribe and culture. Doug’s position with the Tribe talization through initiatives such as: Myaamia Art is the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) Project • Incorporating Myaamiaataweenki ‘the MiIn May 2025, MHF contributed $4,000 to Manager and the Cultural Resource Extension Ofami language’ into high-visibility areas Crete Creative Gallery & School for Awaken- fice Director (CREO) located in Fort Wayne, Indithroughout Myaamionki, such as park and ing: A Sacred Story of Contemporary Myaamia ana. Doug joined the Myaamia Heritage Foundation trail signage and public interpretive spaces Art, an exhibition celebrating the revitalization when it was founded in 2024. As an accomplished Continued on pg 8A >> of Myaamia culture. Featuring works by over photographer and lacrosse stick maker, Doug untwenty Myaamia citizens, the show shared powerful personal stories of reconnecting with heritage and identity through art. The MHF’s funding helped cover artist travel and the delivery of art, ensuring these voices would be shared with the public and furthering our mission of supporting cultural growth for the Miami Tribe of Oklahoma. Then-president of Crete Creative and Myaamia citizen Waapankihkwa ‘Kathy Carter Young’ reflected on the impact of MHF’s support, saying that “the Foundation’s patronage empowered Myaamia artists to share their stories and connect with community on a deeper level.” Eugene Brown Art Show In June 2025, the MHF funded prize money for the 4th Eugene Brown Memorial Art Show held at the Miami Tribe of Oklahoma’s Myaamia Heritage Museum. By recognizing outstanding Myaamia art, this contribution encourages the show’s growth and nurtures the continued excellence of Myaamia artists. Taste of the Arts Festival In August 2025, the MHF sponsored three Myaamia artists at the Taste of the Arts festival Written and Illustrated by in Fort Wayne, Indiana. This event provided an important platform for Myaamia artists to gain myaamia wiintaakani mi Tribe ofrecognition Oklahoma for their work, while also educating MIAMI TRIBE OF OKLAHOMA miamination.com the broader community about what it means to be Myaamia and the significance of Myaamia art. Additionally, it allowed us to introduce the Tribe The Very Hungry Anikwa, coming soon! Photo courtesy of Madalyn Richardson, Miami Tribe of Oklahoma. to17:20 residents of Fort n 2025-12-19, order: 1565445 [22.11"Wayne X 8.50"] and Northern Indiana. MHF, Chair and MHMA Curator of Exhibitions Megan Sekulich 8A Aatotankiki Myaamiaki - News, Vol. 19, No. 3, 2025-26 << Continued on pg 7A • Hosting art workshops for Myaamia community members and the general public • Collaborating on projects that highlight Myaamia history, culture, and art The Foundation also plans on returning to the Taste of the Arts Festival this summer in Kiihkayonki ‘Fort Wayne, Indiana.’ Hosted by Arts United of Greater Fort Wayne, the Taste of the Arts festival aligns with our goals of outreach, helping non-Myaamia and non-Native neighbors learn about the Tribe’s presence, culture, and history. MHF looks forward to sponsoring Myaamia artists there again in 2026! The Miami Tribe’s Cultural Resources Office—in collaboration with the Myaamia Center in Oxford, Ohio—is currently in the final stages of publishing a Myaamia language children’s book by Myaamia artist Megan Sekulich. The Myaamia Heritage Foundation is partnering with the Miami Tribe of Oklahoma Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF) and Indian Child Welfare (ICW) programs to distribute the book free of charge to tribal members with young children. The Foundation believes that when we invest in our youth, we invest in the future of Myaamiaataweenki ‘the Miami language,’ and we are proud to support this work and look forward to seeing this book in the hands of Myaamia children and families! The Foundation hopes to fund additional language projects for our tribal youth in the years ahead. Frequently Asked Questions How can Myaamia community members get involved? Myaamia community members can get involved in a variety of ways. One of the goals of the MHF is to develop grant programs and other funding opportunities that tribal members will be able to apply for in support of specific arts and culture-related projects. Until these programs are established, the MHF invites tribal members who are interested in getting involved with the Foundation to contact MHF Chair Morgan Lippert at mlippert@miamination.com. How can people support the Foundation? There are many ways that both tribal members and non-Myaamia people and organizations can support our work: • Follow us on social media. The Foundation has accounts on Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn. Stay connected and keep up to date with our current and future projects! • Share our work with friends, family, and colleagues. Help spread awareness of the Foundation’s mission and the work we do. We are actively looking for organizations to partner with that are interested in supporting Myaamia cultural revitalization efforts! • Make a financial contribution. As MHF is a registered 501(c)(3), donations to the Foundation are tax-deductible. If you or someone you know is interested in giving monetary support, the Foundation has a Square account accepting online donations at their website myaamiaheritagefoundation.org and at the tribe’s website at miamination.com/myaamia-heritage-foundation/ Is this related to the Myaamia Heritage Program at Miami University? No. While both the Myaamia Heritage Foundation (MHF) and the Myaamia Heritage Program support the cultural revitalization efforts of the Tribe, they are separate initiatives with different missions, governance, and funding structures. Shop with a Cop Abel Stose Miami Nation, Chief of Police The Quapaw Nation Marshal Service’s annual Shop with a Cop event on December 10th at Quapaw Schools and December 11th at Commerce Schools was a great success. They partnered with other law enforcement agencies to provide gifts for underprivileged youth. Miami Nation Police Officer Corey Miller and Officer Dustin Hoffer participated in the event. This program provides local students with the opportunity to shop independently with the support and guidance of law enforcement officers. It’s a meaningful way to strengthen relationships, build trust, and make a positive impact during the holiday season. The program’s directors seek annual assistance and participation from partner agencies to help support these events. Additional personnel help ensure each student has a great experience. Officers help local kids with holiday shopping. Photo courtesy of Abel Stose. Miami Tribe of Oklahoma and Miami Nation Enterprises Employee Positions If you are interested in working for the Miami Tribe of Oklahoma or Miami Nation Enterprises, contact us below or look online. Miami Nation police officers help local kids with holiday shopping. Photo courtesy of Abel Stose. Miami Tribe of Oklahoma Charla Gibson Human Resource Officer cgibson@miamination.com (918) 541-1364 Miami Nation Enterprises Donna Smith Director of Human Resources dsmith@mn-e.com (918) 541-2100 www.miamination.com/employment www.mn-e.com/careers Miami Nation police officers help local kids with holiday shopping. Photo courtesy of Abel Stose. Eddie the Eagle Abel Stose Miami Nation, Chief of Police On Tuesday, December 16, 2025, Investigator Michael B. Mullin Jr. with the Miami Nation Police Department, Investigator Mark Byfield with the Quapaw Nation Marshal Service, and Lieutenant Trevor January with the Bureau of Indian Affairs - Office of Justice Services, instructed approximately ninety (90) children from kindergarten through fourth (4th) grade on the National Rifle Association (NRA) Eddie Eagle GunSafe program at the Quapaw Elementary School, Quapaw, Oklahoma. The Eddie Eagle GunSafe program is a gun accident prevention program that seeks to help parents, law enforcement, community groups and educators navigate a topic paramount to our children’s safety. The Eddie Eagle GunSafe program and its namesake character were developed in 1988 by the NRA for children who are generally considered too young to be allowed to handle firearms. The Eddie Eagle program is intended for children in pre-school through fourth grade. Eddie and his Wing Team are on a mission to help you teach Pre-K through 4th graders what to do if they ever come across a gun. Eddie Eagle GunSafe, has taught over 32 million children how to stay safe if they ever find a gun. The team plans to deliver the program to Area students participating in “Eddie the Eagle” program conducted by local all public schools and childcare facilities in the area in the coming year. law enforcement. Photo courtesy of Abel Stose, Miami Nation Police Department. M I A M I N A T I N N E W S iiši-mihtohseeniwiyankwi aatotamankwi Myaamia Publications – Vol. 19, No. 3,Winter 2025-26 – Section B – History & Culture – Noošonke Siipionki Myaamionki They Awaken and Preserve it for Each Other: a presentation at Newberry Library Morgan Lippert Curator of Exhibitions and Programming, MHMA On December 2, staff from the Miami Tribe of Oklahoma’s Cultural Resources Office traveled to the Newberry Library in šikaakonki ‘Chicago’ to present on Myaamia cultural revitalization and preservation. Titled eemamwiciki neehi kaakiihsitaatiiwaaci: They Awaken and Preserve it for Each Other, the presentation explored how archives like the Newberry are essential to tribes’ cultural revitalization efforts. Presenting was Second Councilperson Nate Poyfair, Deputy Tribal Historical Preservation Officer Jared Nally, and MHMA Curator of Exhibitions Morgan Lippert. Each speaker shared their perspectives on various Myaamia cultural revitalization projects, including language, textiles, and the establishment of the Myaamia Heritage Museum and Archive (MHMA). Together, they demonstrated how community-driven research and institutional partnerships work hand-in-hand to revitalize and preserve Myaamia culture for future generations. The presentation was part of the library’s McNickle Distinguished Conversation series, a lecture series that “celebrates Indigenous scholars, writers, and artists who consistently demonstrate excellence in their work concerning Indigenous peoples and histories and who From left to right: Nate Poyfair, Morgan Lippert, and Jared Nally presenting at the Newberry Library. Photo courtesy of Morgan Lippert, Miami Tribe of Oklahoma. actively address contemporary issues faced by American Indian and Indigenous communities.” The series is hosted by the library’s D’Arcy McNickle Center for American Indian and Indigenous Studies. Founded in 1972 and named after Native author and activist William D’Arcy McNickle (Cree-Métis, enrolled Salish Kootenai), the McNickle Center “brings together scholars, teachers, students, tribal historians, and Native community members to promote research and improve the representation of Native peoples and histories in education and writing.” The McNickle Center is currently directed by Dr. Madison Bastress, who spent two years at the Myaamia Center as a visiting scholar conducting research for her dissertation, “Sustaining Lands: Enduring Myaamia Connections to Place, 16001702.” Her work focused on how Myaamia people made, maintained, and remade connections to land during what is often called the “Beaver Wars” or “Fur Trade Wars,” when warfare pushed Myaamia people away from the Wabash River Valley. The Tribe’s Cultural Resources Office thanks Dr. Bastress and her colleagues at the Nate Poyfair presenting at the Newberry Library. Photo courtesy of Morgan Lippert, Miami Tribe of Oklahoma. Dr. Madison Bastress presenting at the Newberry Library. Photo courtesy of Morgan Lippert, Miami Tribe of Oklahoma. Newberry Library for the invitation to participate in this meaningful series and for its ongoing commitment to supporting Native scholarship, community collaboration, and cultural revitalization. We look forward to collaborating with the Newberry on projects in the future! Want to learn more about the Myaamia Culture? Explore online at aacimotaatiiyankwi.com 2B Aatotankiki Myaamiaki - History & Culture, Vol. 19, No. 3, 2025-26 wiintanto wiintaakani ‘You read a book!’ Our People Believe in Education Now Available for Purchase - Includes Coupon Code! Myaamia Center Staff Our People Believe in Education: The Unlikely Alliance of the Miami Tribe and Miami University is now for sale, and you can get it at a discount! This powerful new book explores how two very different communities, the Miami Tribe of Oklahoma and Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, came together to support the revitalization of the Tribe’s language and culture. What began as a chance meeting in the 1970s grew into a lasting, meaningful collaboration rooted in respect, education, and shared history. The book provides a reflective examination of why this relationship developed and how it has evolved since the 1970s, when Chief Forest Olds first visited with President Phillip Shriver at Miami University. Author Dr. Cameron Shriver, a historian at the Myaamia Center and grandson of former Miami University President, tells this remarkable story with the help of Bobbe Burke, Miami Tribe Relations Coordinator Emerita. Together, they bring decades of experience, research, and personal insight to this moving and important narrative. In addition to history, the book is also about relationships, resilience, and the power of education. Our People Believe in Education is a must-read for anyone interested in the university-tribal partnership and exploring a Myaamia perspective of education. The book is available now, and the Miami Tribe is invited to use the exclusive author’s discount code: 6D40 for 40% off at checkout! www.nebraskapress.unl.edu/nebraska/9781496237798/our-people-believe-in-education/ Q&A with an Author: Cam Shriver Nate Poyfair keetanka aya! In the past I have done book recommendations and book reviews as a resource for tribal citizens to take reading ideas from. Luckily, in the last few months, we have a book that has been released that is entirely focused on the Miami Tribe of Oklahoma and the Myaamia Center at Miami University. Our People Believe in Education by Cameron M. Shriver and Bobbe Burke goes in depth into the history of the Miami Tribe and Miami University creating an unlikely relationship that began in 1972. This relationship, which began with very few similarities, one being the name of a nation of people and an educational institution, has blossomed into a unique and groundbreaking educational agreement that benefits everyone involved. In the past, I have largely written book reviews or recommendations without speaking to or even knowing most of the authors. This time, as we all have working relationships (and friendships for that matter), I wanted to give Cam an opportunity to speak about his own book. Below, I pose a few questions for him to answer about his book. Instead of writing a 300-word summary about a book of such importance to our own community, I reached out to Cam, and he was gracious enough to give us his own sort of review and summary of Our People Believe in Education. I posed multiple questions to Cam below, and here are his answers: What’s the book about? In 1972, Chief Forest Olds visited Miami University in Oxford, Ohio. Today, a lot of Myaamia educational materials, Myaamia educators, and Myaamia students come through Miami University. So, what’s the backstory? I think of the book as a braided narrative; a history of education grounded in the Miami Tribe and Miami University. When I put the tribe and college in the same frame, I have to think differently than if I just consider one or the other. Hopefully that braided narrative is thought-provoking. Why did you write this book, and did that change through the process? In 2020, the tribe and university were preparing to do some celebrations about the 50th anniversary of their relationship, which began formally in 1972, and some folks asked if I would consider writing a book about that history for 2022. It sounded like a fun challenge, in part because Bobbe Burke’s archive of correspondence was in the Myaamia Center on campus where I work, and during the pandemic precautions I knew I could still access those sources safely. Bobbe Burke is a co-author of this history not only as the archivist of so much of it, but because she had most of the main beats established, the characters, examples that illustrated the larger trends, and so on. Another reason to embark on this project was that some years ago I was part of a project edited by Chief Ben Barnes and Steve Warren, called Replanting Cultures. It was a collection of case studies of community-engaged scholarship. One of the reviewers noted that the core of the book were the chapters about Shawnee and Miami projects, and that maybe someday, someone would write a full-length book about Miami or Shawnee community-engaged scholarship. So there were two audiences that might be interested in the story—those who know something about this Miami-specific relationship already, and academics who are thinking about the larger relationship between Indian Country and higher education. It would be useful to examine this long-term collaboration in a way that wasn’t too theoretical. I don’t know if I was successful in writing to those audiences (I know I wasn’t successful in getting the book published by 2022!) but that was in my mind throughout the process. The book is a story of great success. Do you believe this is a distinctly unique relationship that can’t be replicated? First, I hope the book avoids being promotional about the relationship, or the university, or the tribe. I think historians have an obligation to be objective within their limits. But given that the relationship between the tribe and college is in a relatively strong position, I do expect some readers from other schools or tribal nations to ask: can (or should) I try to replicate this thing? I asked that question to many smart people who know the ins and the outs of it, and mostly got a shrug. Really late in my revisions, Jim Oris gave me the perfect word: serendipity. I’m not convinced that one could road-map this relationship. But, it demonstrates that new relations are possible. We can be open about some of the hurdles, trip-ups, or failures along the way, too. Andrew Strack told me a relationship like this “can’t start at step ten, you have to start at step one.” This is a book about those steps, who took them, and why. This Miami-Myaamia partnership isn’t magical or pre-destined. It’s an ongoing conversation. What has been the overall reception of this book? Jim Richardville bought two copies. My parents told me they liked the later chapters. What stories got cut from the final draft of the book? Plenty! The most that come to mind are narratives about individuals who attended boarding schools. That chapter was really long, and reviewers and editors rightly thought that it wasn’t adding much to the scholarship about boarding schools in general. I wrote pages on Jesse White and Esther Miller Dagenett and some others that I ended up withdrawing because I could make my argument without their inclusion. But I still have to figure out what to do with those examples. I also pulled out detail from the early chapters, such as the leaseholding system that provided revenue to Miami University. It’s hard to make land leasing interesting. And my drafts always mentioned so many individuals by name, I think it was overwhelming to the average reader. I tried to streamline the chapters even though it meant removing references to lots of folks who played a real part in the story. What do you want readers to come away with? There’s a word in Myaamiaataweenki, kiinteelintaakani ‘computer’ which basically glosses as “a tool for thinking fast.” A book is longform examination of a subject; it’s a technology for thinking slowly. Both thought processes are good and necessary. I hope this book is a tool for thinking deliberately. Perhaps it can aid Myaamiaki considering the long-term changes in Myaamia education, but also the other topics that bear on education, like economics or athletics for instance. Myaamia folks have tried to do innovative things, even in a context where a lot of choices have been made for the tribe. I think the Myaamia-Miami University relationship is one of those innovative things. Aatotankiki Myaamiaki - History & Culture, Vol. 19, No. 3, 2025-26 3B Ganondagan – Indigenous Music & Arts Festival George Ironstrack Assistant Director, Myaamia Center This summer, a team of Myaamiaki from the Miami Tribe of Oklahoma’s Cultural Resource Office and the Myaamia Center made a visit to the Indigenous Music & Arts Festival at Ganondagan State Historic Site in Victor, New York. At the festival, Myaamia artists shared knowledge about their artistic practice and the tribe’s story of revitalization with the general public. When not presenting to the general public, Myaamia artists also spent time creating art alongside Haudenosaunee artists. Overall, the festival was a wonderful example of public education and cultural exchange. Myaamiaki ‘Miami people’ have deep connections to Ganondagan that extend backwards to a terribly dark time of warfare and disruption. In 1687, perhaps as many as 100 Myaamia men joined a French-led campaign against the Haudenosaunee in their homelands in what is today New York. During this campaign, these Myaamiaki participated in an attack that led to the destruction Graphic created for the event. Design by Megan Sekulich, Miami Tribe of Oklahoma. of the Seneca village of Ganondagan. The Miami Tribe’s current-day connection to Ganondagan resulted from our friendship with crosse stick making and photography), and myself Michael Galban (Washoe & Mono Lake Paiute (stomp dance shaker making and storytelling). and State Historic Site Manager for Ganondagan) The two days of the festival went by quickly and Jamie Jacobs (Tonawanda Seneca and Manag- as our delegation presented our arts to the gening Curator of the Rock eral public under a tent Foundation collections that was set up near the at the RMSC). Myaamibeautiful reconstructed aki first met with Mibark longhouse that sits chael and Jamie through on Ganondagan’s site. the Reclaiming Stories From 10am to 5pm each project, in which the day, the public was able Miami Tribe and Peoto visit the tent on their ria Tribe are working own and could stop and Jared Nally talks about finger weaving and the together to reclaim the interact with each of our revitalization of Myaamia arts with the public practice of hide paintartists, chat about our as they pass through the “All Our Relations ing through reconnectart, and learn about who Tent” at the festival. Photo by Doug Peconge, ing with the minohsyawe are as a community Miami Tribe of Oklahoma. ki ‘painted hide robes’ Tsioianiio Galban (Mohawk) and Scott Shoe- today. cared for by the Musee maker work together on ribbonwork under the Each day, we also aged to join in and dance with us. du quai Branly in Par- “All Our Relations Tent” at the festival. Photo gave a public storytellThe entire Myaamia delegation enjoyed our is, France. Michael and by Doug Peconge, Miami Tribe of Oklahoma. ing performance on the time visiting Haudenosaunee homelands, visiting Jamie both attended a festival’s main stage. with other Indigenous arts, and sharing our stoworkshop and helped our community learn about The goal of our story was to talk about how our ries with the general public at the festival. We are both iconography and the practice of painting language and culture reclamation work impacts hopeful that we made a positive impression on hides. Our friendship with Michael and Jamie has our artistic practices as Myaamiaki living in the everyone and that a small part of our story sticks deepened since that first visit, as they have since 21st century. Each performance began with a bi- with each of them in some positive way, large or made many trips to Miami, Oklahoma, and we’ve lingual recounting of the small. made trips to visit them at Ganondagan. Coming Out Story. Kara Mihši neewe ‘a big In the summer of 2024, Michael asked if the then followed this stothank you’ to Michael Miami Tribe would be interested in participating ry with a recounting of Galban and Jeanette in the Indigenous Music & Arts Festival, and our how our revitalization Jemison for the invitaresponse was an enthusiastic “iihia!” Early that work made this storytion to attend the festival fall, we were put in touch with Jeanette Jemison, telling possible. Next, and for arranging our Program Director for the Friends of Ganondagan, Jared and Scott shared visit, and to the Friends who arranged our visit. how the revitalization of Ganondagan and the At the end of July (2025), our group arrived work made their work staff of Ganondagan in Victor, New York. The Myaamia delegation as artists possible. Our State Historic Site for included: Kara Strass (ribbonwork and storytell- group closed out each welcoming us into such ing), Claudia Hedeen (program support), Scott performance by shara beautiful event. We’re Shoemaker (ribbonwork and storytelling), Jar- ing a stomp dance. The From L to R: Kara Strass, Jared Nally, and already looking forward ed Nally (fingerweaving and storytelling), Nate dance was shared in the Scott Shoemaker on the main stage at the fes- to the next time we Poyfair (historical and contemporary education), spirit of friendship, and tival recounting the story of Myaamia revital- can visit Ganondagan ‘ Logan York (hide painting and jewelry making), members of the general ization. Photo by Doug Peconge, Miami Tribe of Town of Peace.’ Megan Sekulich (graphic art), Doug Peconge (la- audience were encour- Oklahoma. INSTALL THE NEW APP Install the Myaamiaataweenki Dictionary! ILDA Dictionary 4B Aatotankiki Myaamiaki - History & Culture, Vol. 19, No. 3, 2025-26 meehtikoošionkiši aapooši iiyaayaanki ‘Once Again We Travel to France:’ Celebrating an Exhibition and Commemorating History George Ironstrack Eemamwiciki Director, Myaamia Center Representatives from the Choctaw, Osage, Otoe Missouria, Quapaw, Peoria, and Miami Nations are welcomed to Versailles by museum staff. Photo by Nate Poyfair, Miami Tribe of Oklahoma. from the Peoria Tribe In November of Indians of Oklahoof 2025, a team of Original copy of the 1701 Peace Treaty of ma made the journey. Myaamiaki took an- Montreal. Photo by Doug Peconge, Miami Tribe They were representother important trip of Oklahoma. ed by staff from their to Paris, France for a cultural office and by a series of historic events. This was the fourth number of their elected officials. Other tribal trip that Myaamia teams have made to Meeh- nations that sent delegations included the Quatikoošionki since we launched the Reclaiming paw Nation, the Choctaw Nation, the Osage Stories Project with our Peewaalia ‘Peoria’ rel- Nation, and the Otoe-Missouria Tribe. atives. That project’s focus is the revitalization of hide painting for our communities and the What Sites Were Visited? earlier trips to Paris focused on connecting with During the trip, the group visited three main the examples of Peewaalia ancestral hide paint- locations in France. The first was the Musée du ing art that are cared for in the collections of the quai Branly - Jacques Chirac (MQB-JC) which Musee du Quai Branly Jacques Chirac in Paris. hosted a symposium discussing museum collabThe most recent trip to France was orga- oration and offered groups an opportunity to visnized to celebrate the opening of an exhibition it in private with many objects of ancestral art at the Palace of Versailles, which resulted from from North America. The MQB-JC is located in collaborative discussions and investigations the heart of Paris about a 10 minute walk from that date back to 2021 when the Reclaiming the Eiffel Tower along the Seine (the river that Stories Project team linked up with our friends runs through the center of Paris). The second was at the quai Branly who worked on their CRoy- the Château de Versailles (Palace of Versailles) AN project team. Additionally, this trip coincid- for the unveiling of the exhibition “1725. Native ed with the 300th anniversary of the visit of a American Allies at the Court of Louis XV.” Todelegation of Native leaders to France. French day, Versailles is a western suburb of Paris about institutions planned a gathering during this time 30-40 minutes away via train. Our group particto commemorate that historic visit. ipated in both the private and public openings of the Versailles exhibition. The third location was Who Traveled to France? the Château de Fontainebleau (Palace of FonThe Myaamia team that traveled to France tainebleau) where the group commemorated the for this trip included: Nate Poyfair (Second 1725 visit of Osage, Otoe-Missouria, and PeoCouncilperson and Noošonke ARPA Project ria leaders. Fontainebleau is about an hour and a Manager), Logan York (Tribal Historic Preser- half south of Paris via train. vation Officer for the Miami Tribe), Doug Peconge (Tribal photographer and Kiihkayonki Symposium - November 19 & 21 ARPA Project Manager), and George Ironstrack The official visit began with a two-day sym(Assistant Director of the Myaamia Center). All posium titled “Sharing collections, Co-Writing four of us have been involved in various aspects History: New Collaborative Practices withof the Reclaiming Stories project. Logan and in Indigenous North American Contexts.” The George collaborated directly with the team that gathering was tightly focused on collaborations curated the exhibit that opened at Versailles. between museums and North American IndigNate had the responsibility of representing our enous scholars and knowledge bearers. Logan tribal government in France and Doug had the and George participated in a panel session toextremely important role of documenting the gether with our relative and colleague, Dr. Elizexhibit through photography. abeth Ellis from the Peoria Tribe. Our panel was The Myaamia team was just one amongst titled: “Visiting with Ancestral Art: Minohsaymany tribal representatives in France for these aki (Painted Robes) at the Musée du quai Branevents. As with our previous trips, our relatives ly – Jacques Chirac.” During the session we talked about the work of the Reclaiming Stories project and the importance of reclaiming from the archives the knowledge and practice of hide painting. Nine other panels covered an array of collaborative work. Of particular note were the sessions that included our good friends from Seneca country: Michael Galban (Washoe and Mono Lake Paiute and the Director of the Seneca Art & Culture Center at Ganondagan State Historic Site); Jamie Jacobs (Tonawanda Seneca Nation and the Curator of the Rock Foundation at the Rochester Museum & Science Center); and Peter Jemison (Seneca Nation and the former Director of the Seneca Art & Culture Center at Ganondagan State Historic Site). The symposium was an amazing globe spanning summary of the wonderful work that can happen when museums collaborate with the descendant communities that have ties to the ancestral objects in their care. Each discussion highlighted how Indigenous communities, the museum, and the general public all benefit from this collaboration. Museums gain better cultural and communal context for their interpretations of their collections, which leads to new exhibitions that allow the museum going public to have a richer experience. Indigenous communities benefit from learning from objects of ancestral art through time spent visiting with the objects and by learning from the scientific investigations conducted by museum professionals. Opening the Exhibition at Versailles November 21 & 23 One of the highpoints of the journey for the entire Myaamia team was participating in the opening of the exhibition at the Château de Versailles (Palace of Versailles). The exhibit, 1725. Native American Allies at the Court of Louis XV, had at its centerpoint the story of the leaders of the Peoria, Osage, and Otoe-Missouria who visited France in November of 1725. Around this center curators wove the story of the context of the ambassadorial visit. This context included Indigenous and European concepts of place through the display of maps Continued on pg 5B >> Aatotankiki Myaamiaki - History & Culture, Vol. 19, No. 3, 2025-26 << Continued from pg 4B 5B It was a cold and wet evening at Versailles, the grounds even though this was decades after but the pictures of the outdoor spaces almost the 1725 ambassadorial visit. from the period; ancestral objects of art, many capture how beautiful the evening was. After the tour, the group convened in a gathof which were given as gifts to the French as a ering hall within the palace to officially compart of Indigenous diplomacy; early European Traveling to the King’s Woods: memorate the 1725 visit. Chairman Shotton of representations of Indigenous peoples; and a Fontainebleau - November 25 the Otoe-Missouria Tribe, Chief Dobbs of the history of the evolution of the relationship beOur last day together in France took us on Peoria Tribe of Indians of Oklahoma, and T.J. tween Native Nations our longest journey Redcorn of the Osage Nation all spoke about and the French empire. via train from Paris to the importance of commemorating the 1725 visOn November 21, the city of Fontaineb- it and continuing the connections between their Logan and George atleau, forty miles to the nations and the French people. tended a small private southeast. Our whole viewing of the exhibigroup was a big fan of eewaankiaanki neehi keetwi noonki ‘Giving tion for the community all the trains in France, Thanks and What’s Next? partners who collabobut this ride was espeThe four of us want to take time to exrated on the exhibition. cially comfortable and press our gratitude to all the people working It was a chance for beautiful. The regional at the Musee du Quai Branly - Jacques Chipartners to spend a quitrain we rode had lots rac, the Château de Versailles, the Château et moment in the exhiof comfortable seat- de Fontainebleau, and the Louvre for all their bition space with moing and great window work hosting us and organizing all the promentous examples of views for following the gramming. We are grateful for the efforts of ancestral art that were journey. The journey tribal representatives from the Osage Nation, wrapped into the story began in urban Paris, Peoria Tribe of Indians of Oklahoma, Quapaw of the 1725 delegation. which has its own kind Nation, Choctaw Nation, and Otoe-Missouria It was a powerful moof beauty, but for the Tribe. We are also grateful to Dr. Robert Morment to see years of the last 20 minutes or so rissey, the staff of the history department, and team’s work take physof the trip we passed the Mellon Foundation - Humanities Without ical form in a world rethrough a large and Walls Initiative all at the University of Illinois nowned museum. naturally beautiful na- for their support with the Reclaiming Stories Two days later, a tional forest. project and for their support in helping our much larger group of On this trip we staff make this trip. A special neewe goes to all the visiting Native Indigenous guests of the Musee du quai Bran- continued to follow all those involved in making the exhibition at delegations returned ly are given a private tour of the Louvre. Photo in the footsteps of the Versailles such a resounding success. We also to Versailles for the by Doug Peconge, Miami Tribe of Oklahoma. Peoria, Osage, and want to personally say mihši neewe to Paz public opening of Otoe-Missouria lead- Nuñez-Regueiro, Jonas Musco, Leandro Varithe exhibition. The Native delegations were ers who visited France in 1725. The forest of son, and Éléonore Kissel. Your friendship and welcomed into the exhibition space about 45 Fontainebleau, through which we passed, was hard work over numerous years is deeply apminutes before it was opened to the broader a good part of the reason why these leaders preciated. We look forward to the next time we public. It was exciting to share the experience traveled south in November of that year. They can sit down together over a coffee or a café of the exhibition with friends and family. We came to Fontainebleau because it was the pal- and talk about subjects deep in time as well as all pour so much of ourselves into this work. ace that King Louis XV liked best when he the deeply meaningful present day. But it is rare to be able to share that work wanted to enjoy the hunt. It was on November We hope that at some point in the not-toowith our family, and George was particular- 25, 1725 that these leaders first met the French distant future that the Versailles exhibition ly grateful to be able to spend time with his King at his Fontainebleau palace. A few days will travel to North America, specifically Indaughter and mother walking through the ex- later, they went out into these same woods and dian Country in Oklahoma. George, Logan, hibition at Versailles. hunted together in both the French style and Nate, and Doug all recognize how lucky we After the first 45 minutes were up, the exhi- using hunting practices indigenous to North were to be able to make this trip and visit with bition opened up to everyone else in attendance. America. these awe inspiring objects of ancestral art. The crowd was so large that there was barely The staff of the Château de Fontainebleau We hope that Myaamiaki, as well as the pubany room to move within the exhibition space. gave our large group a wonderful tour of the pal- lics of all involved tribes, can get a chance to It was amazing to watch the public enjoy the ace with a focus on what Native leaders would do the same. The best way to ensure that this fruits of everyone’s labor. have experienced in 1725. The palace was also happens is to have the exhibition travel to our Eventually, the crowd moved to an event a favorite of Napoleon Bonaparte, so it was also homelands and we will do our part to bring this space within the palace for celebratory and fun to learn about his use and modification of dream to life. commemorative speeches. The President of Château de Versailles Christophe Leribault and the President of the Musée du quai Branly - Jacques Chirac and Emmanuel Kasarhérou both gave speeches recognizing the importance of the exhibition and their institutions’ roles in preserving this history and sharing the story. There were also speeches from tribal representatives. Akima Roseanna Dobbs of the Peoria Tribe of Indians of Oklahoma gave a beautiful heartfelt speech recognizing the importance of walking in the footsteps of Akima Šikaakwa, who traveled to France and visited Versailles in November 1725. Chairman John Shotton of the Otoe-Missouria and Marla Redcorn, Director of the Osage Nation Museum, each spoke about the importance of the exhibit and the visit from their nations’ perspectives. The public celebration concluded with a toast and two beautiful songs from T.J. Redcorn (Osage, Ponca, Kiowa, & Caddo) Brent Greenwood (Chickasaw & Ponca), and Vann Bighorse (Osage). The songs were especially powerful to hear echoing through the room at Versailles. Many of us collectively wondered how long it had been since those walls had heard songs Jamie Jacobs, Peter Jameson, and MTO THPO Logan York visiting with staff of Versailles. Photo by Doug Peconge, Miami Tribe of Oklahoma. from North American peoples? 6B Aatotankiki Myaamiaki - History & Culture, Vol. 19, No. 3, 2025-26 Lacrosse game. Photo by Doug Peconge, Miami Tribe of Oklahoma. What Makes Something Myaamia? Haley Shea Director of Assessment and Evaluation, Myaamia Center As many of us navigate our multifaceted identities, it is really common to ask this question – “What makes something Myaamia?” It is important to note here that when I say “thing” throughout this post, I am talking both about material goods and also about thoughts, ideas, beliefs, and more. This is an important question as differentiating helps us perceive and understand the boundaries both between and across the various components of our lives that make us who we are. However, I don’t think there is necessarily a “right” answer to this question. As with any philosophical pondering, it is normal to have variation and diversity of thought within the community. I wanted to share my personal, current perspective on this after reflecting on it for some time throughout the creation of the nahi meehtohseeniwinki model. We needed to attempt to answer this question when considering the concept of “health” through solely a Myaamia lens. So my response comes from many discussions with Myaamia Center staff, I imagine some of these were easy to answer, others were “well, it depends,” and others you might be torn on. This is inherently a question dealing with ownership, relationality, kinship, aesthetics, sovereignty, individual and collective identity, intellectual property, and more. It is complicated, and I imagine makes many of us feel sort of uncomfortable – that’s okay and to be expected. Individual and Community Acceptance One of the first things to consider is individual and community acceptance of Myaamia features. Let’s take the table example from above. A person might buy a table from IKEA and claim, “This is my table, and I’m Myaamia, so it is a Myaamia table.” This may or may not be true. But what happens when that table is used to share family and community meals? When it is passed down from one Myaamia generation to each subsequent? When they paint ribbonwork designs on it? When a little Myaamia kid writes their Myaamia name on the underside of it? At what point in this process does it become example, particular colors show up in clothing and artwork, sounds within Myaamia songs, and values within Myaamia stories. Many of the elements that have persisted through generations into the present are well-established thoughts, beliefs, and actions, which can then transform any contemporary object or event into something uniquely identifiable as possessing a Myaamia trait. In order for continuity to persist over time, knowledge has to be shared, promoted, reinforced, and encouraged among the community. It is the interaction and reinforcement of commonality that leads to expressive elements that can be said to be myaamiinaakwahki Planting and caring for miincipi, a species of corn unique to the Myaamia community, is a generations-old summertime activity for Myaamiaki ‘Myaamia people.’ Photo by Karen Baldwin, Miami Tribe of Oklahoma. T-shirt given to Eemamwiciki Summer Program participants in 2019. Photo by Karen Baldwin, Miami Tribe of Oklahoma. tribal leadership, and tribal citizens. It is challenging to define something as being Myaamia or as possessing Myaamia qualities. Many of us start this journey by assuming “anything I have/make is Myaamia because I am Myaamia.” I want to pose a few scenarios and ask you, “Are these things Myaamia?” • A table that a Myaamia citizen buys from IKEA • A song written by a Myaamia citizen • A poster created by a non-citizen tribal spouse and hung in the home • A t-shirt designed by a non-citizen Miami Tribe of Oklahoma employee for a community event • A Polish garment owned and worn, passed down for generations within a Myaamia family • A necklace made by an Anishinaabe artist and purchased by a Myaamia citizen Artwork made by Megan Sekulich for her Myaamia Heritage Program senior project, 2022. Photo by Jonathan Fox, Myaamia Center. Myaamia? Again, no right or wrong answer. I do think when an object is new/different or on the periphery, there is a point where something shifts from being identified as Myaamia by an individual to when the community as a whole recognizes and accepts it as Myaamia. When that happens is really based on conversation, relationships, time, and a general vibe. ‘it is Myaamia (expressively).’ Contextual Origin Next is the question of the historical context of the particular thing. The context in which a thing was created (where, when, and by who) matters and connects that thing to a cultural story. At the same time, the identity of the individual(s) creating the thing is not the only factor that matters. Things can be made by Myaamia people, but not representative of the Myaamia community. Conversely, things can be made by non-Myaamia people and be representative of the Myaamia community. Therefore, we know that the features or elements of the thing itself are critical to our ability to define it as Myaamia (or not). Though we likely have always approached the world around us with questions like these, identifying things as Myaamia was made both necessary and difficult because of the historical oppression our community faced. It is through revitalization efforts that we are more readily able to delineate these boundaries and use them to understand and promote our own Myaamia identities. Transgenerational Acceptance Originally published on March 12, 2026 at There are particular features or qualities aacimotaatiiyankwi.org/2026/03/12/whatthat are recognizably Myaamia across time. For makes-something-miami/ Aatotankiki Myaamiaki - History & Culture, Vol. 19, No. 3, 2025-26 7B Stars, Planets, and Heavenly Bodies in Myaamiaataweenki pihkontee-kiilhswa, which has a corresponding verb peehkonteeki ‘it is dark, night’ and tipehki kiilhswa. And, you guessed it, there’s a verb Myaamiaki ‘Myaamia people’ have always teepihkiiki ‘it is night’ that’s related to that secbeen stargazers. So how do we talk about stars, ond word for ‘moon’! planets, constellations, and other celestial objects But what about the rest of our neighborhood? in Myaamiaataweenki ‘the Miami language’? Planets The Moon and the Sun Over the last few decades, we have reWe’ve talked a lot about the Myaamia Kiil- viewed many thousands of pages of historical hswaakani ‘lunar calendar’ on the blog over the sources describing the language. So far, across years. That word kiilhswaakani is built off of all of those pages, we’ve only found the name the word kiilhswa, which you may have noticed of one planet: Venus, our brightest neighbor means both ‘sun’ AND ‘moon’. (and usually the closest, depending on the time of year). Hunter Thompson Lockwood Language Specialist names in the language. In the dictionary, you’ll find meenankweepiaki (literally ‘they are clustered together’), but they were also called kaakaathsolaankwaki ‘the six stars’, after the brightest six stars in the cluster. That’s the word used in one of my favorite Myaamiaataweenki sentences of all time: kaakaathsolaankwaki waahsee peemawatooka ‘the Pleiades carry the daylight along’. The Pleiades aren’t visible all year round. Their reappearance in the pre-dawn morning sky signals the coming of summer; they “carry the daylight”! Moon and Jupiter Some sources use the word mihcalaankwa for Venus. That word literally means ‘big star’, but nowadays we also use it as the generic word for any planet. But Venus is special (and noticeable) enough that it gets a few different names! That turns out to be pretty common across the world’s languages. You may have heard Venus referred to in English as both the morning star and the evening star. The same thing happened Myaamiaataweenki – šayiipaawe mihcalaankwa is ‘morning star’ and eelaakwiki mihcalaankwa is ‘evening star’. However, over the years, we have also come up with names for the other planets. So if you search the dictionary, you’ll also find neehpikalaankwa ‘Mars’ (‘red star’) and kiihkaapiikhšinka mihcalaankwa ‘Saturn’ (kiihkaapiikhšinka describes Saturn’s rings)! The moon. Photo by Doug Peconge, Miami Tribe of Oklahoma. Full moon Since we’re focused on astronomy, let’s set aside the meanings of ‘month’ and ‘clock’. It’s usually pretty obvious from context whether someone is talking about the sun or the moon when they say kiilhswa. But we can be more specific! We can use waahsee-kiilhswa for ‘the sun’ – compare that with the verb waahseeki ‘it is daylight’ – and we have two slightly different words for ‘the moon’. In no particular order, there’s Constellations There are so many other interesting bits of astronomical vocabulary in Myaamiaataweenki, but I’ll end here with two constellations of alaankwaki ‘stars’. The North Star isn’t the brightest star in the sky, but it’s important because of the way it lines up with the north pole, making it appear to stand still while the other stars around it rotate constantly throughout the year. The word for this is aciika alaankwa ‘the fisher star’ – fisher the mammal, not the occupation. It gets that name because the constellation that we know in English as the Great Bear is called aciika ‘fisher’ in Myaamiaataweenki! The Pleiades also have several different Moon and Jupiter. By Wikiolo – Own work, CC BY- SA 3.0, commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=31353116 The End? Myaamiaki astronomers figured out long ago that watching the sky was important for understanding the natural world, which is why there are so many beautiful and interesting ways of talking about celestial objects in Myaamiaataweenki! Originally published on February 13, 2026 at aacimotaatiiyankwi.org/2026/02/13/starsand-planets/ 8B Aatotankiki Myaamiaki - History & Culture, Vol. 19, No. 3, 2025-26 MYAAMIA COMMUNITY RESOURCES Myaamia citizens and families have many language and cultural education opportunities available on the web. The following sites regularly post videos, photos and current news clips from the Miami Tribe of Oklahoma and the Myaamia Center at Miami University. MIAMI NATION WEBSITE www.miamination.com ________ MYAAMIAKI Miami Tribe of Oklahoma (closed group for Tribal citizens & their immediate family members) AATOTANKIKI MYAAMIAKI Miami Nation News Miami Nation Events Where public events are posted EEMAMWICIKI Facebook (our summer youth programs) MYAAMIA CENTER Facebook AATOTANTAAWI “Let’s Talk About It” Myaamia Community Discussion Group for books, movies, MIAMI TR IBE OF OKLA H OM A 2026 EVENTS IN NOOŠONKE SIIPIONKI ‘MIAMI, OK’ & KIIHKAYONKI ‘FORT WAYNE, IN’ wiiyaakiteeheelo February 21 weehki-kihkatwe February 28 noošonke siipionki ‘Miami, OK’ Happy MYAAMIA New Year April 4 kiihkayonki ‘Fort Wayne, IN’ kiihkayonki ‘Fort Wayne, IN’ SPROUT ABOUT pakitahantaawi neehi wiihsinitaawi! April 11 noošonke siipionki ‘Miami, OK’ ‘Let’s play lacrosse & eat!’ LaCrosse INTO Spring June 15-19 noošonke siipionki ‘Miami, OK’ May 2 kiihkayonki ‘Fort Wayne, IN’ a week of eemamwiciki SUMMER PROGRAMS OKLA. paaphsaahka niipinwiki Mid-Summer Moon Dinner National Gathering Week & ANNUAL MEETING July 13-17 kiihkayonki ‘Fort Wayne, IN’ shows, etc. June 19 noošonke siipionki ‘Miami, OK’ June 24-27 noošonke siipionki ‘Miami, OK’ a week of eemamwiciki SUMMER PROGRAMS IND. kiišiinkwia kiilhswa ________ AACIMOTAATIIYANKWI Green Corn Moon Dinner kiihkayonki ‘Fort Wayne, IN’ KAAKISITOONKIA the August 8 Myaamia Community Blog Myaamia Heritage Museum & Archive’s online archive kaakisitoonkia.org Miami Nation Gift Shop myaamiagifts.square.site noošonke siipionki ‘Miami, OK’ SummerFest Fall Indigenous Languages Digital Archive) mc.miamioh. edu/ilda-myaamia/dictionary MYAAMIA CENTER YouTube Channel ŠAAPOHKAAYONI A Myaamia Portal mc.miamioh.edu/eduportal/ September 12 kiihkayonki ‘Fort Wayne, IN’ GATHERING ILDA Myaamia Online Dictionary (Miami-Illinois July 17 October 17 kiihkayonki ‘Fort Wayne, IN’ SasquaSH Seed Swap Myaamia Winter Gathering January 30-31 noošonke siipionki ‘Miami, OK’ Please keep for easy reference! See reverse for more details. ALL EVENTS ARE OPEN TO TRIBAL MEMBERS & THEIR FAMILIES. Events are subject to change without notice. For the most up-to-date information please visit our website at miamination.com/events. THE MIAMI TRIBE OF OKLAHOMA M I A M I N A T I N N E W S meenapiyankwi Myaamia Publications – Vol. 19, No. 3, Winter 2025-26 – Section C – Community – Noošonke Siipionki Myaamionki Myaamia Moment: My experience at saakiiweeyonki ‘the Coming Out Place’ Joshua Sutterfield A pier at the confluence. Photo courtesy of Joshua Sutterfield, Miami Tribe of Oklahoma. Back in September 2025, I visited one of the locations associated with our “Coming Out Story,” also known as “Where the Miamies First Came From,” and I wanted to share my experience with you. I hope you enjoy my little reflection piece. This story begins with the feel and raspy sound of grit beneath my feet as I walk past a pair of sand-covered rope sandals lying next to some trash bins towards a St. Joseph’s City Park bathroom built into the side of a large sand dune leading to the beach. Had I not just seen visitors exit, I would have assumed the bathroom was closed. My anticipation builds—not from the well-deserved relief after a long road trip, but from the realization of what I was about to experience at this place. You see, I was at the confluence, the place many of us myaamiaki call saakiiweeyonki, ‘Coming Out Place.’ It is where myaamiaki emerged or came into being. I was planning to tell our Coming Out Story,” the story of Where the Miamies First Came From.” There may have been just three of us there, but it could not have been a better group: my best friend, Michael, whom I met at our Miami University orientation over twenty years ago—the very place where my myaamia identity emerged. And another best friend, Nate, from the tribal community. Together, Nate and I work to help myaamia people understand and feel what it means to be myaamia. I was about to experience one of my most significant Myaamia Moments of my life, telling the ‘Coming Out Story’ at the Coming Out Place, one of those moments my mom would say is “when myaamia is all you feel.” Michael and I walked down the pier that held two lighthouses, listening to the humorous ha-ha-ha-ha call of the local seagulls, dodging the large splashes of water cascading over the concrete as we watched the turquoise waves crash into the pier. As we reached the end, I lifted my head and stared into what felt like an ocean—Lake Michigan, or kihcikami in our language. Suddenly, the meaning of the word became obvious. While our translation of kihcikami may be ‘Lake Michigan,’ the true meaning of the word reveals not only the descriptive nature of our language but also a window into how myaamia speakers interpret and discuss the world. Its literal meaning, as I understand it, is “an unfathomably large body of water.” From what I could see—nothing— it made total sense. During my long stares into the void of kihcikami, I thought about the story I was about to tell. Like so many myaamia things, one interpretation—one truth—does not exist. There have always been and will always be variations in the myaamia experience, and differences are always present. Mostly, I hear and think about where the story takes place. One opinion places the story at the confluence of the St. Joseph’s River and Lake Michigan, where I was standing. The other places it at the south bend of the river in South Bend, IN. When someone asks me which one is correct, I typically answer with a sly ‘iihia,’ meaning ‘yes.’ I then explain what I see as the myaamia understanding of multiple truths, and add, “I’m a confluence man.” As boat motors hummed around me, I watched boats go in and out of the waterway and pondered another question I often hear. It is one that, to me, is much more intriguing: “What does the story represent?” For me, it’s a time when the very idea of myaamia emerges. It is when a people came to a land, separated themselves from a larger group known as the Algonquians, and established a unique community. It’s a migration story. Large groups of people came from the north. A place our traditional stories allude to as a place where we once lived. They traveled in large vessels across kihcikami and took different rivers to find a home. As I thought of my relatives who made this trek, another phrase from the story came to mind: “matehkohkisenaakana ‘old moccasins’.” The phrase might not mean what you think it does. It’s not about the time a pair of moccasins has been around. Instead, it references the worn-out state of one’s moc- Eemamwiciki Director casins after a long, arduous journey—in this case, a journey to a new home. We used this word to describe other people we encountered at saakiiweeyonki after establishing a town, leaving, and returning. For the myaamia and the ‘old moccasins’, it was saakiiweesiipiiwi, ‘the coming out river,’ from where they found their new home. I was looking right at it. I was standing right there. As we walked back down the pier away from the lighthouses, I looked at the coastline. Our conversation turned to imagining what it may have looked like back then, without the pier, lighthouses, docks, boats, businesses, and other features. My thoughts began to linger. “This was not the place of my ancestors, or was it? It’s a place I can envision them coming and floating down the water. Not under the bridges with the electric cars, but with families, sons and daughters, brothers and sisters, looking for a place to, as the story says, “grab hold of tree limbs and pull themselves out.” It is a place that would become myaamionki, ‘the place of myaamiaki’. It was saakiiweeyonki, a place I had talked about and told stories about but had never experienced until now—a place I now experienced with my relatives. Not Michael and Nate, but those who had been at saakiiweeyonki before me, my ancestors.” In that moment, they felt present. Not as a disconnected past, but as real companions in a space where past and present were the same. It was a temporal space of known occurrences, encompassing events that have happened or are currently happening, all categorized in the same way, which we call awiki. Returning from the pier to where it meets the beach, I gathered Michael and Nate to share the “Coming Out Story” with them. I went back and forth, deciding whether to video the moment. “It was an intimate moment—a story, but not a winter story. That means I could record it if I wanted, right? RIGHT?” I did. Others may never see it... 2C Aatotankiki Myaamiaki - Community, Vol. 19, No. 3, 2025-26 MIAMI TRIBE OF OKLAHOMA NATIONAL GATHERING WEEK 2026 The 2026 Myaamia National Gathering Week events are scheduled for June 23-27, in Miami, OK. Changes to this schedule will be posted on the Miami Tribe of Oklahoma Facebook page at MYAAMIAKI Miami Tribe of Oklahoma (private members only page), and website at www.miamination.com. Text notifications/updates will go out to those who subscribe to the Text-Em-All service (see Tribal website to sign up.) NOTICE: ONLY THE SOCIAL DANCE AND FIREWORKS ON FRIDAY EVENING, AND THE MIAMI NATION POW WOW ON SATURDAY EVENING ARE OPEN TO THE PUBLIC. ALL OTHER EVENTS LISTED ARE FOR MIAMI TRIBE CITIZENS AND THEIR FAMILIES. Tuesday, JUNE 23 OPEN HOUSE AT MYAAMIA MAKERSPACE (Miami Tribe Community Event - not open to the Public) 9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. Makerspace/Ethel Miller Moore Cultural Education Center - 5990 S. 520 Road, Miami, OK. Tribal citizens and their family members are invited to visit the Makerspace to try new arts and crafts, or bring their own in-progress arts and crafts to continue while visiting with other community members. All ages, however children under 12 must have a chaperon. RSVP by email to Joshua Sutterfield at jsutterfield@miamination.com or by phone at 918-541-1300. Watch the Miami Tribe Facebook page and website for updates. Lunch provided for attendees. Wednesday, JUNE 24 MYAAMIA COMMUNITY ARTS/CRAFTS WORKSHOP (Miami Tribe Community Event - not open to the Public) 9:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. Makerspace/Ethel Miller Moore Cultural Education Center - 5990 S. 520 Road, Miami, OK. the Cultural Resources Center. If you have your own pakitahaakani/ Myaamia lacrosse stick please bring it, if not we will have sticks on hand (only traditional sticks will be used for the game.) Lunch will be served after the game in the cool of the new Prairie Sun Event Center located across from Tribal Headquarters at 3411 P. Street. After lunch we will have cultural presentations, and hand out t-shirts to those present. 8:00 a.m. 1:00 a.m. 12:00 p.m. 1:00 p.m. 2:30 p.m. 5:00 p.m. Breakfast at Myaamia Community Center/Dining Hall 54535 East 65 Road, Miami, OK. Community Lacrosse Game on the Myaamia game field 54505 East 65 Road, Miami, OK. Lunch at Prairie Sun Event Center 3411 P. Street NW, Miami, OK. Presentation: Social Dances and Stomp Break Dinner - (Arena) EVENING SOCIAL DANCES (Public Event) Location: Miami Nation Dance Grounds - 54505 E. 65 Road, Miami, OK 7:00 p.m. 9:30 p.m. Arena Fireworks - viewed from Arena Contacts: Julie Olds 918-541-3131 jolds@miamination.com Nate Poyfair 918-325-0295 npoyfair@miamination.com Saturday, JUNE 27 ANNUAL MYAAMIA GENERAL COUNCIL MEETING (Miami Tribe Community Event - not open to the Public) Location: Myaamia Council House - 54515 E. 65 Road, Miami, OK Beading workshop led by CRO Staff. All ages, however children under 12 must have a chaperon. RSVP by email to Joshua Sutterfield at jsutterfield@miamination.com or by phone at 918-541-1300. Watch the Miami Tribe Facebook page and website for updates. Lunch provided for attendees. 7:00 a.m. Breakfast will be served at the Myaamia Community Center/Dining Hall 9: 00 a.m. Annual Meeting of the Myaamia General Council begins promptly at 9 a.m. in the Council House. Myaamia citizens enter through the doors on the east side of the building for registration. Thursday, JUNE 25 MYAAMIA FAMILY DAY (Games & Dancing) (Miami Tribe Community Events - not open to the Public) Location: Myaamia Games Field - 54505 E. 65 Road, Miami, OK Events: ARCHERY - LACROSSE - TOMAHAWK THROW Lunch: Events begin at 10:30 a.m. and last all day and into the evening. There are events scheduled for adults and children. Lunch and dinner will be provided. Bring lawn chairs, hats, sunscreen, and bug spray. 10:30 a.m. Beginner Archery Training: Conducted by certified instructors. Open to beginners and novice shooters. Youth Fun Shoot: Open to children. Non-competitive shoot for fun and to instill proper form and safety skills. LUNCH PROVIDED 1:30 p.m. ARCHERY COMPETITIONS BEGIN Novice Challenge: Open to inexperienced shooters. Participants will use equipment provided by the Cultural Resources Office to participate on an even playing field with other shooters. Awards will be given. One practice round followed by scoring round with shoot offs for ties. Recurve Challenge: Experienced archers challenge each other’s skills with personally owned recurve bows from a greater distance. ONLY RECURVE BOWS welcome for this event. Awards will be given. One practice round followed by a scoring round with shoot off for ties. (Shooters without bows can participate but will use equipment provided by the Cultural Resources Office). Maamišaahkwaaheetaawi - Lacrosse Shootout: Occurs after Archery Challenge is completed. Awards given for best score out of five shots at goal in two categories: contemporary stick and traditional myaamia pakitahaakani. Tomahawk Throw: Non-competition - test your throwing skills. Instruction will be provided. Open to 18 and over for safety reasons. Throwing open all afternoon in a safe area but only when supervising personnel are present. 6:00 p.m. Myaamia Community Dinner 8:30 p.m. Myaamia Community Stomp Dance Archery and Games Contact: Scott Willard 417-317-3465 swillard@miamination.com General Contact: Joshua Sutterfield 918-325-0107 jsutterfield@miamination.com Friday, JUNE 26 CULTURAL EDUCATION DAY (Miami Tribe Community Events - not open to the Public) Events: COMMUNITY BREAKFAST - LACROSSE GAME - LUNCH PRESENTATIONS Prairie Sun Events Center at close of the meeting 3411 P. Street NW, Miami, OK. *Annual Meeting Contacts: Donya Williams 918-541-7274 dwilliams@miamination.com and Tera Hatley 918-919-1444 thatley@miamination.com 25th ANNUAL MIAMI NATION POW WOW (See flier on Miami Nation Events Facebook page) (Public Event) 6 p.m. Grand Entry Miami Nation Pow Wow (Arena) Stomp Dance *NOTE: PLEASE FOLLOW MIAMI NATION EVENTS (PUBLIC PAGE), AND MYAAMIAKI MIAMI TRIBE OF OKLAHOMA COMMUNITY (PRIVATE COMMUNITY GROUP) AND THE WEB HOMEPAGE OF MIAMINATION.COM FOR UPDATES OR CHANGES TO SCHEDULED EVENTS. IN THE EVENT OF INCLEMENT/THREATENING WEATHER, THE CONTACT FOR TRIBAL EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT IS MIKE BROWN - Cell: 918-919-1979 Email: mbrown@mn-e.com HOTEL INFORMATION FOR MIAMI, OK BUFFALO RUN HOTEL - 8414 S. 580 Road, Miami, OK Phone: 918-542-2900 Buffalo Run Hotel offers a discounted Tribal room rate. When you phone to book a room, tell them you are an enrolled citizen of the Miami Tribe of Oklahoma booking a room for our National Gathering Week in June. To get the discounted rate - one discounted room per person - you will need to present your Tribal enrollment card at check in. Other Area Hotels: DAYS INN - 2120 East Steve Owens Blvd., Miami, OK Phone: 888-942-6215 HOLIDAY INN EXPRESS - 509 Hendley Avenue, Miami, OK Phone: 918-542-7424 HAMPTON INN - 115 S. Deacon Turner Road, Miami, OK Phone: 918-541-1500 MICRO-TEL - 2015 E. Steve Owen’s Blvd., Miami, OK Phone: 918-540-3333 To book a cabin in the Tribe’s Four Wings Park, contact Tera Hatley at 918-541-1300 or thatley@miamination.com. First come, first booked! Note: No repeat guests from last year - if you stayed in a cabin last year you are not eligible to book again this year. We Breakfast at the Myaamia Community Center/Title 6 Dining Hall want to make sure others have an followed by the community lacrosse game on the game field behind opportunity to stay. Aatotankiki Myaamiaki - Community, Vol. 19, No. 3, 2025-26 3C Myaamia Autism Center Ribboncutting Doug Peconge Kiihkayonki ARPA Project Manager The ribbon-cutting for the autism center took place on Saturday, January 31st, 2026. Celebrating the creation of this center were Chief Doug Lankford, Secretary-Treasurer Donya Williams, Second Council Person Nate Poyfair, Miami Nation Enterprise CEO Lance Theobald, Mika Leonard, Vice President of Operations for Miami Nation Enterprise, Jamie Emory, Director of the Maddox Hill Center, Janet Cummings, and Chelsy Laster, a behavior specialist. According to the Myaamia Autism Center’s website, autism is a neurodevelopmental condition that affects communication, social interaction, and behavior. It is a lifelong neurological disorder that can affect one’s ability to interact with others and how they view the world. Diagnosis can come as early as 2 years old into adulthood, though autism disorder is usually identified around the age of 5. There are three levels of the autism spectrum. Those levels can include social awkwardness, difficulty communicating verbally, challenges with change, and repetitive behaviors that interfere with daily functioning. Centers for Disease Control reports that 1 in 31 children and 1 in 45 adults are affected by autism. According to the state of Oklahoma, the autism rate in Ottawa County is at 1.4 percent as of October 2022, which makes it one of the highest in the state. Kolby Lankford, a citizen of the Miami Tribe, and his wife, Stephennie, live just outside Miami, Oklahoma, with their two children. Kolby and Stephennie’s daughter falls on the autism spectrum. Kolby’s daughter is mostly nonverbal, which can make raising a six-year-old even more challenging. Like a lot of other families, they noticed developmental issues with their daughter and had her assessed for autism. They searched for services that could help their daughter with autism and develop ways for her to communicate and live a normal life. They quickly learned that there were limited options in Ottawa County, with long waiting lists. They found an autism center in Joplin; however, Oklahoma Medicare does not pay for out-of-state services. Kolby stated that the cost of the out-of-state center would be as much as buying a new car every month. Kolby is quick to point out that the idea for the autism center came from his wife, Stephannie, who was the one who got the ball rolling. Kolby and Stephannie had insightful conversations with Jamie Emory, the Director of the Maddox Hill Center, which is part of Crowder College in Missouri. The Maddox Hill Center provides services to children with autism, behavior challenges, and developmental disabilities. Kolby and Stephannie developed a plan for an autism center and presented their idea to the Business Committee, the Cultural Resource Of- Ribboncutting at the autism center now open in Miami. Oklahoma. Photo by Doug Peconge, Miami Tribe of Oklahoma fice (CRO), and Miami Nation Enterprises. The Tribe provided the space for the center, which is a ranch house on trust land located about a mile from tribal headquarters. Their plan was well received, and MNE took the lead in bringing Kolby and Stephannie’s vision to life. The house was updated with fresh paint and new appliances. The interior of the house was designed as a space to teach the kids ways to communicate, cope, and complete everyday tasks at home. The backyard has a six-foot privacy fence to keep the children safe while they play outside. Inside the house, one of the bedrooms was transformed into a playroom, affectionately called the purple room by Kolby because of the walls’ color. Another bedroom was converted into a conference room, and a third room will be used as an office. The main living room has books and colorful objects. Everything in that space is intended to teach the kids how to listen and complete tasks. Even in the kitchen, there are opportunities for the kids to learn. The garage was converted into another learning space, including a space for observing the kids. The center will accept autistic children, with a focus on early childhood interventions. While the brick-and-mortar portion of the project is finishing up, the center is working on getting set up with Medicaid and private insurance. The hope is to have the paperwork and approval to bill Medicaid and private insurance within the next 30 to 60 days. At that time, the center will open its doors to the public, with priority going to Miami Tribal citizens. The center will be able to accept 20 children into the program, with priority given to Miami Tribal citizens. Kolby says they will use social media and local organizations to notify people of enrollment opportunities. Kolby wanted to express his heartfelt appreciation to the Tribe’s Business Committee, Miami Nations Enterprises, the Miami Tribe’s maintenance department, and the tribal IT department for their support and dedication in creating the Autism Center. One of the classrooms in the new myaamia autism center in Miami, Oklahoma. Photo by Doug Peconge, Miami Tribe of Oklahoma Another room inside the autism center. Photo by Doug Peconge, Miami Tribe of Oklahoma 4C Aatotankiki Myaamiaki - Community, Vol. 19, No. 3, 2025-26 A Dream Come True: Bear Hunting in the Ouachita’s We grabbed the necessities, and off we went. We started the search where I had last seen the bear. Eight inches of my arrow, with a still glowing lighted nock, was found broken off near a In October 2020, my 12-year-old son, Hagen, and I packed our bows and sassafras tree several yards down the trail. It appeared the bear had crashed ventured into Oklahoma’s Ouachita Mountains. We pitched our Boy Scout- straight south down the mountain. With little blood, the track was slow at style tent near a creek, settling by an old rock fire pit. Over two nights, we first, but as the terrain got steeper and thicker, the trail of a crashing bear hunted and scouted from mountaintops to creek bottoms, armed with little became more and more clear. Blood began to smear, and slide marks became more than enthusiasm, some tips from Bear Hunting Magazine podcasts and longer and deeper, leading directly to a large black ball of fur. some YouTube videos. It was a special moment for the three of us. I regretted that Hagen wasn’t That first year, we found tracks, old scat, and claw marks—enough to able to make it, as he and I had started this adventure years ago, but Kolby call it a success. We didn’t expect to see a bear, but we fell in love with the and Chad’s excitement more than overshadowed the moment. We had done it! rugged beauty of the land. The bear had gone about 200 yards from the shot down the mountainThe next year, my younger brother Kolby joined us, followed by our side. She was about a 225 pound sow, and I had shot her through one lung friend Chad the year after, completing our crew. We returned to that camp- before the arrow went directly through the liver and stomach, then lodged in site often, sharing countless meals, trudging through poison ivy, filtering the back quarter. creek water, and savoring wild mushrooms and bluegill we caught on fly A quick field dress and some fancy rope work by my brother and Chad had rods. One year, I even brought the whole family for a vacation. That spot by us rigged like a team of mules in an attempt to drag the bear up the side of the the creek holds a permanent place in my heart. mountain—a decision we quickly came to regret. At one point, Chad stumbled One evening, a local friend joined us for dinner and tipped us off to a and fell face first on a log. We all stopped to catch our breath, and in the midst new hunting area a few miles away. Eager to explore, we moved camp the of Chad getting back to his feet, he realized the log he fell on had a split, and next morning. That afternoon’s scouting revealed promising sign, and we set inches from his hand, where his face had just been, was a 30-inch copperout hoping to achieve our long time goal: spotting a bear. head coiled and ready to strike. Kolby shooed it down the mountain, and we That evening, as I sat in a white laughed at how close that could have oak, Chad texted: “I just shot a been to a disaster. bear.” My heart raced—we’d not An hour of torture later, and with only seen a bear but had a shot opsweaty, wet clothes, we were loadportunity. But excitement turned to ing the bear into the bed of Chad’s heartache. The shot, taken at dusk Polaris Ranger. We rushed back to over 30 yards, yielded only a tuft of camp and rearranged my truck to fit black fur on Chad’s broadhead and the bear and a large empty cooler. a fleeting memory. We searched With a quick phone call to the biolfor hours that night and the next ogist, we were headed to check the day, finding no blood or sign of a bear in. It was interesting to see the wounded bear. Defeated, we left process: a tuft of hair, a small tooth, with just a story. Yet, over time, a couple of measurements, and more we realized the trip was a triumph. than a couple of laughs. We’d seen a bear and found a new When we finished with the biolhunting ground ripe with potential. ogist, we headed to the gas station In 2024, life got in the way. As for ice with a handwritten bear tag a new School Resource Officer at hanging from my rearview mirror. my kids’ school, I had little time off. Back on the mountain, we made Hagen, now a sophomore starting quick work of the hide and carcass on varsity football, couldn’t miss Hagen Lankford setting up camp. Photo courtesy of Kolby Lankford. and getting it all on ice. Kolby was games. Kolby could only spare a day gentleman enough to skin and mask or two, and Chad, a Kansas resident, wasn’t keen on an eight-hour drive and a out the bear, and with a little help from me and Chad, we were trimming fat $500 bear tag for a short trip. We skipped the season, vowing to return. and throwing meat into Ziploc bags within the hour. Layering the meat and By spring 2025, Chad, Kolby, and I planned a week-long hunt to max- fat through the cooler, we left the hide out to cool, then rolled it up and put imize our time in the mountains. Hagen, now a junior and a starting slot it in a large, heavy-duty trash bag before putting it in the cooler, working ice receiver and strong safety on his 4-0 football team, opted to stay home and in and around it, careful to keep the hair dry. hunt deer. It was close to 1:30 a.m. when we crawled into our sleeping bags and set On September 29, we headed south, cleared an old deer camp with weed our alarms. With two tags left in camp, we had high hopes to repeat our success. whips and pruning shears, and set up tents and a kitchen awning. With the The next day, we found success again. It was day two, and Kolby had season opening October 1, we spent the first day and a half scouting oak flats found good sign on a big white oak flat early in the day and set up on it. known for acorns and bear sign. Fresh tracks and abundant acorns fueled our Around 5:00 p.m., Kolby had shot and missed a bear, only hitting some fur optimism. under the bear’s brisket. He was upset but hopeful he could return to the area On October 1, as I fried eggs and sipped coffee before dawn, I had no the next day to get another opportunity. inkling of the day ahead. At sunrise, I reached a small white oak flat we’d On the following day, Friday, October 3, at 11:00 a.m., I was sitting at never scouted before. A quick loop of the area revealed fresh scat and a pad- camp when my phone rang. It was Kolby. He told me he had just shot a good ded-down trail. I climbed 12 feet up a tree, wind in my favor, and waited. bear. The rest of that afternoon was a rollercoaster of emotions as we searched After four hours, I wasn’t thrilled with my shot angle. With no safety the mountainside for the bear. With little to no blood, we finally found where harness and a sleepy midday mindset, I moved to a ground spot five yards the bear had crashed and slid for a while. Moments later, we found the bear away, downwind, with a clear 12-yard shot to the trail. I cleared branches, half in and half out of the base of a large, hollowed-out gum tree. propped my bow, ate an oatmeal cream pie, then took advantage of a quick We had done it. We had killed two black bears on public land in our midday nap. home state of Oklahoma with our compound bows in three days’ time, and I woke up to the almost never-ending sound of white oak acorns falling we had been there to help recover and track the bear for each other. It was to the ground. This specific acorn was a little closer and seemed to have a dream come true. As I stood on the side of the mountain with my brother, hit several branches on the way down. I glanced at my phone; it was close a congratulatory handshake quickly turned into a hug. It was a moment I’ll to 2:20 p.m. The sun was shining through the thick canopy, and the wind never forget. seemed to have calmed a little. I gave my windicator a shake, and to my However, the next few hours of skinning, quartering, and packing an aprelief, all was still well. proximately 300-pound bear up the mountain were nothing short of back-breakI sat there for what seemed like a minute or two, staring at the small open ing, labor-intensive work. All the same, I’d do it again in a heartbeat. area and listening to what sounded like a hailstorm of acorns falling on the And to add the icing on the cake, I got a call from my wife that Hagen’s hill to the south. While still deep in my thoughts, without hearing a sound, football team was now 5-0 and had defeated Little Kansas 35-0. It was ana shiny black object appeared through the brush. There was no questioning other late night beginning with the biologist, an ice run, and a couple of what it was. As quickly as I could process it, I saw [Text truncated at 120,000 characters. The full text is on the page linked above.] --- Source: Frix Law Library, https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/documents/tribal%3Amiami_oklahoma%3A6e3a6bc159e6091e. Public record. Not legal advice.