MESSAGES FROM THE CHIEFS

Each month, Chief Roy and I use this quarterly update to inform you on the happenings within the tribe. This month as we begin a new calendar year, I think it would be appropriate to look ahead and talk about what is coming for 2025.

The Golden Mesa Casino expansion is nearing the halfway point in its construction. Barring any bad weather, we still anticipate a Summer 2025 grand opening of the new hotel, expanded casino, and RV Park. Anticipating the additional revenue and the accompanying compliance workload, the tribe acquired new offices for Otis Hughes, our Executive Director of the Gaming Commission, and his team of gaming regulators. We are all very excited about the new potential of these expanded operations.

Our “Shawnee Development Corp” has done a tremendous job in seeing this project through. I cannot thank Chris Floyd, President of Shawnee Development, LLC, and the rest of the Shawnee Development Board  enough for their efforts. They will also be bringing some big news to the tribe later this year. Not only are they working towards hiring their first employee to oversee non-gaming operations, but they have plans to enter the federal contracting arena in 2025-26. Big things are coming on all fronts at the tribe.

Likewise on the government side, we too are looking downrange into 2026 and beyond and are preparing ourselves for future success. We will be bringing more of our accounting workload “in house” rather than relying on third-party vendors to provide those services. This will increase the number of employees that we have at the tribe.

48% of the Shawnee Tribe’s workforce consists of individuals with tribal affiliations. Among this demographic, 52% are citizens of the Shawnee, Absentee Shawnee, or Eastern Shawnee tribes. (January 2025)

Lastly, you will find a new feature in this journal. This Christmas and New Year season was difficult for some of our Shawnee families. Some lost loved ones, and others are feeling the absence of those lost during the year. One of our families, the family of our former Chairman, James R. Squirrel, lost a special loved one over the holidays. Losing a family member during the holidays is always bitter, but especially when they are young and it is unexpected. Chelsea Cavener is the daughter of Dax and Diana (Squirrel) Cavener and the granddaughter of James and Gaylene Squirrel. It is in her honor that we begin a special section of the journal, where we remember those that we have lost throughout the year.

hiini leki,

Chief Ben Barnes

I would like to first introduce everyone to the new year. This year will bring many changes for our tribe and country. During last year’s federal elections, we witnessed a change in the president’s office and many seats in Congress. As a result, we can expect many changes in policies and procedures that will have a daily effect upon our lives. As with any change in policies, we will have to adjust to the ripple effects that can affect the abilities of our families and our communities.

During times like these, smaller tribes such as ours are at a disadvantage. We do not have the financial or physical resources to actively lobby and educate new politicians on our problems and needs. In the case of our tribe, in the past and today, we participate in organizations that allow us to gain access to local, state and federal entities we could not afford on our own. Organizations such as the National Congress of American Indians, United Indian Nations of Oklahoma and the Native American Finance Officers Association. These organizations give us a voice in Oklahoma City and Washington, D.C. They give us an opportunity to meet face-to-face with the politicians who represent us when threats to tribal sovereignty arise, such as attempts to remove tribal protections provided by the Indian Child Welfare Act and Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA).

Locally, our tribes belong to the Intertribal Council of Northeastern Oklahoma. The member tribes—Eastern Shawnee, Modoc, Peoria, Miami, Ottawa, Quapaw, Seneca-Cayuga and Wyandotte—welcomed our tribe to join them because of the relationship they shared with then-Chief Ron Sparkman. On the state level, our current Chief, Ben Barnes, holds the position of Chairperson of the United Indian Nations of Oklahoma.

Why do these relationships matter? In the past, these relationships were responsible for paving the way for our tribe’s growth. Our relationships provided support when we were forced to sue the federal government and now when we face issues such as compact disagreements that occur from time to time.

Our tribe has been blessed in the past, today, and hopefully in the future as we work to build our community. We will continue to face challenges this year because they (challenges) are a part of living. It is my hope that this year, we will see many things that we can all be proud of, such as the completion of our Guymon project, the expansion of our language program and taking the time to recognize all our ancestors who have played a part in making this possible, as well as those people who today contribute to our community, whether artist or entrepreneurs.

niyaawe (thank you),

Roy D. Baldridge
Second Chief