Greater Tulsa Area Indian Affairs Commission reviews Native American Day plans, parks design and museum repatriation

The Greater Tulsa Area Indian Affairs Commission on May 20 approved minutes for March and April and spent most of the meeting on event planning, parks design and updates tied to tribal relations and cultural collections.

Commission members heard that Native American Day logistics are being finalized and that the city will provide design and web support for the event’s materials and registration. Amanda Swope, director of tribal policy and partnership for the City of Tulsa, said the commission recently gained control of its event email and that the city communications team is drafting a save‑the‑date card and a web page to host registration and event details.

Why it matters: Native American Day and the commission’s parks work involve large public events, vendor registration and coordination with city departments; timely logistics affect vendors, performers and community outreach ahead of powwow season.

Key details and discussion

- Native American Day and vendor registration: Committee members said they are moving away from Eventbrite to a city‑hosted registration system to reduce recurring fees and simplify vendor signups. The Native American Day Committee will meet June 11 to finalize layout and vendor processes.

- Dreamkeepers Park design: Commissioners on the parks committee interviewed six finalist firms and unanimously selected a Native‑owned landscape design firm as the preferred designer for Dreamkeepers Park. The selection is subject to mayoral signature and the city’s contracting process; commissioners said the firm is expected to be notified later in the week and will present to the commission once the contract is finalized.

- Council Oak and Stick Ball Park utilities: Swope reported receipt of a utility review identifying Public Service Company of Oklahoma easements that must be maintained; staff are drafting inclusion language for the paperwork and expect to complete that work within about 30 to 45 days.

- City–Muscogee Nation settlement: Swope said the city requested a 30‑day stay in its lawsuit with the Muscogee (Creek) Nation to continue settlement discussions. “Just a 30‑day stay,” she said; staff indicated there remain one to two sticking points they are negotiating and expressed optimism about resolving them by the next deadline.

- Gilcrease Museum repatriation: Swope reported that the city council approved a loan of three items from the Gilcrease Museum and also processed deaccession actions under the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA). She said some of the deaccession work involved “hundreds of different items” that are being returned to tribal nations; additional paperwork was available to commissioners who requested it.

Education, community events and committees

- Education: Commissioner Michelle Williams reported on a May 1 senior recognition ceremony for Native students; commissioners said about 62 seniors attended and the event used senior photos and achievements to honor students at Booker T. Washington Performing Arts Center.

- Community events: Commissioners announced local tribal dances beginning in June (first weekend at Greyhorse), the twentieth annual Memorial Day run at Mohawk Park (race start at 7:30 a.m.; organizers reported nearly 270 runners and eight teams enrolled at the time of the meeting, compared with more than 325 participants last year), and upcoming American Indian Chamber of Commerce and tribal business gatherings at River Spirit in June and August.

Governance and bylaws

- Bylaws and ordinance revision: The bylaws committee completed a draft revised ordinance governing the commission and will submit it to the city legal department for review. Commissioners said the ordinance changes, once cleared by city legal, will be brought back to the commission and then recommended to city council for adoption because the commission does not have ordinance‑making authority.

Votes and formal actions

- The commission approved the March minutes (motion seconded by Joyce Roberts). The commission then approved the April minutes with a spelling correction; a motion passed by voice vote. No recorded dissent was entered in the minutes for either action.

What commissioners said

Amanda Swope, director of tribal policy and partnership for the City of Tulsa, described the city’s recent staff tour of Muscogee Nation facilities and the mayor’s separate visit to tribal sites. Daniel Carter, vice chair of the commission, urged commissioners to use a new national resource, the Coalition of Tribal Sovereignty, to prepare for an upcoming federal consultation session on June 3 that will discuss executive orders and federal grant freezes affecting education and health programs.

Outlook and next steps

Commission committees will meet over the summer to finalize Native American Day logistics and to continue work on the ordinance revision. Dreamkeepers Park will move forward once the city completes contract approvals and notifies the selected design firm. The commission scheduled its next Native American Day Committee meeting for June 11; the bridal relations committee (children, youth and family focus) was scheduled to meet Aug. 4. The commission did not take any policy votes beyond approving minutes at the May 20 meeting.

Ending

The commission adjourned after announcements and community updates and plans to reconvene in June to continue planning for fall events and to review the ordinance revisions once city legal provides feedback.