As Indigenous scholars committed to Indigenous education in Oklahoma, we use a decolonizing approach to consider how the 39 Indigenous Nations in Oklahoma assert educational sovereignty to sustain Indigenous high school students' linguistic and cultural identities. Seeking to promote education models that sustain and revitalize Indigenous…

In the five hundred years of European and American globalization of the world, seldom have Indigenous peoples been invited to a constitutional convention and first legislature to express their perspectives and concerns. Rarely in the five-hundred-year history of the European and American colonization of the world were the rights of the Indigenous…

The Indian fair is that rare example of a government program for Indians gone terribly right. Implemented by the Office of Indian Affairs on reservations in the early 1900s, Indian fairs allowed Native people to exhibit their crops, livestock, and domestic handiwork in competition for prizes much the same way whites did at their numerous county…

Describes the activities of the Indian Rights Association between 1923 and 1936, with particular attention to the adverse effect of the allotment policy (division of tribal lands into individually owned plots) on the Five Civilized Tribes. (MH)

During most of its history (1897-1917), Whirlwind School in Indian Territory (Oklahoma) was a focus of conflict between Indian agents and Episcopal missionaries/teachers. Official government reasons for closing the school (allowing the Cheyenne to live nearby and teaching in Cheyenne) masked more basic reasons (the missionaries failed to promote…

The Bureau of Indian Affairs and Oklahoma Indian tribes collaborated to identify and preserve archeological sites. Acting together increased tribes' influence on all levels of government decisions, and the agency gained a better sense of consulting problems. Ultimately, the agency developed a basic training program in archeology and preservation…

Historically, Indian women have been denied education due to: early marriage and family responsibilities; lack of money; inadequate family attention to education; the threat education poses to Indian men; and geographical location. Indian tribes can best administer funds and programs to provide the education so necessary for Indian women. (SB)

In a thorough analysis of researching the regulation of the banking industry in the United States, Zoller (2000) demonstrated a number of paths among federal documents of various agencies within the Department of the Treasury, including the legislation that created these entities, and to relevant online resources. This latter opportunity included…

This paper summarizes the history of Oklahoma Indians, highlights the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma, and relates the story of the family of one Oklahoma Cherokee woman, Lou Jane Morgan Jernigan. Oklahoma is the state with the largest population of Indians, largely due to federal policy in the 19th century, which forced Indians into Oklahoma (or…

This report, written for the Americans for Indian Opportunity "Ambassador Program," addresses the need to research the detrimental effects of the guardianship program on Native Americans. The guardianship program was established by the United States government during the early 1900s to protect monies that Indians received from mineral…

Analyzes the complex interaction between economic, political, and cultural variables demonstrating how the Choctaw Nation, in the southeastern Oklahoma timber region, has become a politically dependent labor force alienated from its land resources. Discusses benefits of Choctaw economic initiatives as well as potential moral and cultural costs of…

The goals of the Indian Education Project were to identify and discuss the involvement of federal, tribal, and state governments in the education of Indian children and to assist states in fulfilling their responsibilities in Indian education. A task force and other interested legislators, educators, and tribal representatives met regularly…

The United States Office of Indian Education is requesting that all children who are served in the Indian Education Program prove their Indian ancestry with a roll number or Certificate Degree of Indian Blood (CDIB) card. This practice is discriminatory because (1) the Native American is the only ethnic group in the United States that must prove…

Intended as a guide and reference for persons involved in local administration of the Johnson-O'Malley (JOM) Indian Education program, the handbook contains basic information about the program and the roles and responsibilities of school administrators, JOM personnel, and local and state Indian Education Committees (IECs). Beginning with a history…

Bloomfield Academy was different from other American Indian boarding schools. The Chickasaws had not been relegated to a reservation and had achieved a much higher level of autonomy, self-sufficiency, and independence than most other tribal nations. The Chickasaw Nation founded Bloomfield in 1852 not because the government demanded it but because…