MESSAGES FROM THE CHIEFS

As Easter and planting season return, many of us are beginning to turn our minds to our spring gardens. I want to tell you a story about some corn that recently returned to us. 

In early April, a person affiliated with the Seed Savers Exchange contacted me about a variety of corn called “Tecumseh flint corn” that the Ho-Chunk people have been preserving for several generations. This speckled flint corn is actually misnamed. The seed is reportedly from Prophetstown during the time of the Prophet. When people were beginning to gather in large numbers to listen to messages from Tecumseh’s brother Tenskwatawa, aka, the Prophet, they established a large town near present-day West Lafayette, Indiana. All of these people from all sorts of communities brought with them their seeds so they could feed themselves. The gathering together of all these many seeds, from far corners of the eastern United States, created a speckled, red, white, blue, and yellow corn cob that reflected the multicultural community that was Prophetstown. 

As I see it, the variety of the corn brought to this place made the corn a stronger hybrid when compared to the original seeds, with each corn planted by various persons contributing to the strength of not just the corn but their community. While there are some obvious lessons there, the one that I want to take the time today to share with you is that this corn resembles Shawnee people today. We come in all sorts of varieties, shapes, colors, and walks of life, and it is because of this that we have always found our resilience. 

As for this corn, we are going to attempt to grow it out for a larger future distribution to interested Shawnee citizens because the Tribe wants to establish a seed and agriculture program to provide for our people. However, to do so, first, we have to grow out this corn so there is enough. And just as it is with this crop, the Tribe is growing out our ability for future programs and opportunities by growing out our “seed corn.” 

In August, our Golden Mesa Casino expansion and new hotel will open to the public, and with that comes the potential for additional growth as a government and as a Shawnee community. We are always looking to a future where we can fully fund our affairs without the need for federal grant funds, but this is going to take time. 

So for now, I encourage you to plant your seeds in fertile soil as the Tribe is also doing, and enjoy the weather during what’s shaping up to be a fantastic springtime. 

Chief Ben Barnes

I hope that all of you are doing well during these tough times. During this period of federal government layoffs, reduction in force and suspension of federal grants, we have been working to ensure that our tribal programs will be unaffected.  

For several years now, many of you have had the opportunity to listen to representatives from FSA who are contracted to provide financial advice to the tribe. During the COVID outbreak, our relationship with FSA enabled our tribe to avoid layoffs, which affected many tribes across the country. Currently, the relationship helps us ensure that programs supported by federal grants are maintained while the federal government restructures agencies such as HUD, Education, Bureau of Indian Affairs, etc.  

In my last letter (February 2025), I mentioned that Chief Barnes is currently the chairman of the United Indian Nations of Oklahoma. Over the past couple of years, this organization, which has representation from 32 of the state’s 38 federally recognized tribes, has been engaged in fighting for the tribal right to issue tags for our citizens and protect tribes’ exclusivity rights regarding gaming in Oklahoma. Also involved along with Chief Barnes in the UNIO effort have been Carolyn Foster, Diana McLean, Keni Hood and me. 

Oklahoma’s current governor would like to see a one-size-fits-all solution when it comes to tags, and he sees tribal tags as a threat to state authority. He has also tried to force renegotiation of gaming compacts upon gaming tribes to increase the amount of profits going to the State of Oklahoma. In the matter of tags, while several of the larger tribes have chosen to compact with the state, many of the remaining tribes have chosen not to. Many tribes, such as ours, provide tag benefits the state does not, such as those for veterans and the disabled. 

Regarding gaming, many of you in Oklahoma have seen commercials produced by the Chickasaw Nation educating the public about the assistance their nation provides for the public, tribal and non-tribal. The same can be said for every gaming tribe across the state, whether it is assistance with building roads and bridges or supporting community projects. 

Part of this effort to engage with the state has involved an independent tribal-state discussion in Oklahoma City. To date, this effort has involved Chief Barnes, Keni Hood, Chris Floyd, me and administrative staff. Chris Floyd has gone above and beyond in his efforts to guide Shawnee Development and issues dealing with the Oklahoma Indian Gaming Association. 

In these times, when it is apparent that grant resources are reduced, it will be more important that we work with tribal and non-tribal organizations to pool resources when indicated. With that in mind, Councilor Diana McLean sits on the board of Grand Gateway Area Agency on Aging, which consists of tribes covering Craig, Mayes, Nowata, Ottawa, Rogers and Washington counties. For several years, Secretary Carolyn Foster has held seats on boards at the Northeastern Medical Clinic in Miami, OK, and the Claremore Indian Hospital in Claremore, OK. 

For the past couple of years, Councilor Keni Hood has attended annual meetings hosted by the Chickasaw Nation, promoting economic development among tribes across the state with me. We have also attended a summit hosted by Oklahoma State University in Stillwater. Mike Staubus of Shawnee Development also attended this year’s summit. At the economic development summit, workplace organization and other issues are discussed. The summit was originally established to provide a resource for gaming tribes in the areas of gaming management, accounting, hospitality or real estate. 

Finally, I would like to report that we are approaching the completion of our casino expansion, with information about the grand opening coming soon, as well as information regarding the growth and expansion of Shawnee Development. We continue in our effort to build upon the work of past leaders such as Freddie Halfmoon, Pam Chibitty, Chris White, Don Greenfeather, James Squirrel and Ron Sparkman. We wouldn’t be here today without their efforts. 

niyaawe (thank you),

Roy D. Baldridge
Second Chief