MESSAGES FROM THE CHIEFS

When you receive this message, the Christmas and New Year seasons will have passed, and it is always a time of reflection. This December, we did some of our own reflection when we dedicated our new permanent council chamber to honor Chief Ron Sparkman.

Both he and I shared some memories that I want to share with you today. I recall a time when we had Business Committee meetings at the White Oak school and we our simple fundraiser was box suppers. Those of us a certain age will know what box suppers were, but for you younger ones, it was a complete cooked meal in a decorated box that was a mystery to those who would then offer an auction bid upon the contents of that box for that evening’s supper. Many families would come together to ensure that the business of the Shawnee people could be taken care of through the donation of their best, home-cooked preparations for those auctions. Before cable TV and the internet, this was event that excited our folks and they were eager to share their creations.

I even recall having a “mystery pie” where people had to pay a dollar to guess what the pie was made of and the winning guesser would win the pie. I remember my mother being proud that her peanut butter pie brought in a significant amount of dollars from peoples failed guesses.

Chief Ron Sparkman also shared memories of the old chiefs of the InterTribal Council and how they met around a dining room table. I can recall Chief Floyd Leonard of the Miami Tribe describing how they kept the entire records and proceedings of their tribe in the trunk of a car and that was common among many of these old Tribal leaders.

As we enter this New Year, I just want to take the time to reflect on all our past leaders, council and committee persons and what they did to keep our tribe alive until today. We all owe considerable gratitude to those who came before us; people like James Squirrel, Don Greenfeather, Jerome Shawnee, Christ White, Shirley Staubus, Georgie Honey, Fred Halfmoon, and so many other. If it hadn’t been for a single document that Freddy Halfmoon had signed and a copy of it kept, we couldn’t have been a tribe today.

The legacy of all our people is only possible because of what we have done together, such as the recent ribbon-cutting for the expansion of the Golden Mesa Casino & Hotel last fall. We’ve come so far in the last few years, but it has been because of all so many people that prepared us to be successful.

Chief Ben Barnes

I hope that the holidays were kind to everyone. Since my last report we have seen the completion of our tribal council chambers which was dedicated to our former Chief and current Ambassador Ron Sparkman and of the buildings that now house our Behavioral Health, Indian Child Welfare, Accounting and Human Resources departments. It has been a slow process largely due to issues that resulted in lack of supplies (tariffs). We now have spaces that ensure privacy and safety for citizens who are being provided with services at our offices.

With the beginning of 2026, we begin the process of evaluating current programs to improve service delivery. The Business Council will also begin the process of discussing the next budget for the upcoming fiscal year. If you have any questions or suggestions, remember that you can email any of our current council members or call me at the office. We are all here to serve our families, friends and citizens.

It appears that this year will be great with the completion of the above-mentioned projects as well as the completed expansion of the Golden Mesa Casino and Hotel project in Guymon. The growth of Shawnee Development and their efforts toward diversification will also help us toward a more sustainable future.

Under Chief Barnes’ leadership, the Business Council will continue to engage in discussions with other tribes across the country, state and local authorities in our current and former homelands and the federal government on issues that affect us.

Our government will also work towards building up our Shawnee community as evidenced by the tribe’s language revitalization program, social activities such as the elders’ dinner, our donation to the FAMily Discovery Center in Oklahoma City, availability of the Shawnee Community Building for citizen use, and other events. In closing, I would like to suggest that while building community, we continue to find a way to honor our past leaders and heroes, whether business councilors or citizens that have that have given unselfishly.

niyaawe (thank you),

Roy D. Baldridge
Second Chief