Intertribal symposium to explore American Indian history and present-day impacts this July

(TULSA, Okla.) Oklahoma is home to 39 tribes. As the state’s executive branch continues to push back on tribal sovereignty, a significant lack of information and resources regarding Indigenous facts and perspectives surround these issues. 

Following the McGirt Supreme Court ruling in 2020, which affirmed most of Eastern Oklahoma is reservation land, Indigenous issues have not only become a political weapon but an increasingly volatile topic. This situation is made worse by the fact that American Indian history, particularly the events that followed the forced removal of the tribes from their ancestral homelands to Oklahoma, is still relatively unknown to the majority of people. 

On July 12th and 13th, VNN Oklahoma and Osage News will hold Indigenous Roots: Navigating Indian Country History, an Intertribal Symposium at Osage Casino in Tulsa to learn more about Oklahoma’s Allotment Era, discuss how communities are still facing health disparity and wealth inequity relating to this time period, and examine possible solutions.

Highlights of this event include access to new historical reporting, explanation of available resources, connection to legal expertise, and guidance on genealogy research. 

Additional tribal participation includes Muscogee Nation’s Mvskoke Media and Historic and Cultural Preservation Department as well as the Absentee Shawnee Tribe. 

Event organizers are looking for more tribal and professional partners to take part in this groundbreaking event. Those interested in pitching a program presentation may do so by filling out the Indigenous Roots Proposal Submission form. 

Indigenous Roots: Navigating Indian Country History is sponsored in part by Tinker Federal Credit Union, Global Scaffolding & Insulation LLC, Oklahoma Municipal League, and SCORE Tulsa.

Those interested in financially supporting this initiative can learn more here. 

This two-day event is free to attend but registration is required. In addition to two days of programming, dinner will be provided on the first day and breakfast and lunch on the second day. To register for the symposium, click here.