This year’s Shawnee Tribe Annual General Council Meeting and Business Council Election took place at the Ottawa Powwow Grounds on Saturday, September 18, 2021. The agenda included: a welcome from Chief Ben Barnes, a Declaration of Quorum, Invocation, Introduction of Business Council, Introduction of Tribal Staff and Special Acknowledgements, a State of the Nation Address by Chief Ben Barnes, a Presentation of minutes of the 2020 Annual Meeting, Financial Overview report, Shawnee Development, LLC report, Shawnee Cultural and Historical Sites Committee report, Shawnee Tribe Language Program report and Open Discussion for General Council.
The voting polls were open from 8:00 am to 11:00 am. Business Council Election results were announced at General Council, have been posted on the Shawnee governmental building since the election and was announced to the Bureau of Indian Affairs.
The COVID-19 procedures set in place included, temperature checks of all attendees, family tents to enable households to sit together, masks, physically distanced seating, hand-washing stations and bottled beverages were provided. The Shawnee Tribe 2022 Annual General Council Meeting is set for Saturday, September 16, 2022. A special thank you goes out to Roberta for her dedicated years of service to Shawnee Tribe Business Council.
ONE CITIZEN’S JOURNEY THROUGH HIGHER EDUCATION, CAREER DEVELOPMENT AND HOMEOWNERSHIP Shawnee tribal citizen Michael Cedrone lives in Texas, where he works as Head of Human Resources at GBC Food Services. Cedrone attributes his success to the tribe’s educational, career and housing support programs. His professional journey began at Lone Star Park in Grand Prairie, TX, […]
During General Council weekend (September 20-21), the Shawnee Tribe hosted Firaxis Games’ Pete Murray (Learning & Development Manager) and Lead Producer Andrew Frederiksen, developers of Sid Meier’s Civilization VII, due to be released next February. Murray and Frederiksen kicked off their Shawnee visit with attending the ribbon-cutting ceremony of the new Emma “Mock” Donaldson saawanwaatoweewika […]
Messages from the Chiefs – Fall 2024: It’s a US Election Day! Chief Barnes highlights the importance of voting in every election, local to federal, and Chief Baldridge reflects on the earliest days of his service on the Business Council compared to where we are today.
Shawnee language classes will resume for the 2025 calendar year on Monday, January 6! Self-paced learners and those hoping to participate in live classes should contact the Shawnee Language Immersion Program team (SLIP) to begin enrollment. SLIP will work with each individual student to place them in the appropriate course(s) based on their learning preferences […]
On Friday, September 20, tribal citizens and community members gathered to celebrate the grand opening of the Shawnee Tribe’s newest facility and cultural resource—the Emma “Mock” Donaldson saawanwaatoweewika (Shawnee language house). A little more than ten minutes east of central Miami, OK, the facility boasts a large, open gathering space with high ceilings and a […]
On October 15, the Governor of Ohio, Mike DeWine and his wife, First Lady Frances “Fran” DeWine traveled to Miami, OK to visit with various Shawnee Tribal programs and leadership. “We were honored to receive Governor DeWine and his wife at our Shawnee language house, Cultural Center, and Administrative offices,” said Chief Ben Barnes. “We […]
In September, the Shawnee Tribe’s Gaming Commission staff received safety training from City of Guymon professionals including; Fire Marshall Jason Bond, Fire Chief Scott Lathrop, 911 Director Justin Carnagey, and Police Sergeant Jacob Bankston. “It was a very productive training day and was well received by the Gaming Commission staff,” said Otis Hughs, Executive Director […]
GILA RIVER, Ariz.—Chief Ben Barnes attended today’s event on the reservation of the Gila River Indian Community, where President Joe Biden delivered a historic speech and a formal presidential apology for 150 years of federal Indian boarding school policies which he called “a shame” and “a blot on American history.” “I’m delighted that President Biden’s […]