Volume 5, No. 2 (Fall 2002) -- Native American Issue

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On March 28, 2000, Governor Bill Graves signed an executive order establishing The Kansas Lewis and Clark Bicentennial Commission. The Commission is to make recommendations to the governor about ways the state can pay tribute to Lewis and Clark and participate in the national Lewis and Clark bicentennial commemoration activities.

The mission of the Kansas Lewis and Clark Bicentennial Commission is to commemorate the journey of Lewis and Clark, rekindle its spirit of discovery, and acclaim the contributions and good will of and towards native peoples. A primary goal of the Commission is to promote programs that focus on education, cultural sensitivity and harmony.

In an effort to make the Commission more culturally sensitive, Karen Seaberg, appointed by Governor Graves to chair the Commission, established a Native American Cultures Subcommittee and assigned this committee the task of providing technical assistance in communications with Native American tribes.

The purpose of the Subcommittee is to act as the first point of contact for the Kansas Lewis and Clark Bicentennial Commission, and related subcommittees, for all official Commission communications with the Native American tribes, communities and organizations across the State of Kansas and the United States.

Goals of the Native Cultures Subcommittee include:

• To promote inter-governmental cooperation, understanding and reconciliation between the State of Kansas and the Native American tribes located within the State of Kansas.
• To promote Native American cultural tourism in Kansas and internationally, to complement the activities sponsored by the Kansas Lewis and Clark Bicentennial Commission.
• To provide assistance to the Kansas Lewis and Clark Commission members in promoting positive images of Native Americans in all activities and products produced for the Lewis and Clark bicentennial.

The Native Cultures Subcommittee entered into a partnership with The Brown Quarterly to provide Native American tribes with an opportunity to tell their own histories. It is the hope of the Kansas Lewis and Clark Bicentennial Commission, and the Native Cultures Subcommittee, that this is the first of many partnerships that will be generated as we work towards the national signature event, A Journey Fourth, set for July 3-4, 2004. Sites in Atchison, Leavenworth and the Greater Kansas City Area will host the commemorative events for A Journey Fourth.

Chris Howell (Pawnee), Vice-Chair, Kansas Lewis and Clark Bicentennial Commission

Tribes with Kansas Connections:

Citizen Potawatomi Nation
1601 S Gordon Cooper Drive
Shawnee, OK 74801

Iowa Tribe of Kansas
3345 Thrasher Rd
White Cloud, KS 66094

Kaw Nation of Oklahoma
698 Grandview Drive
Kaw City, OK 74641

Kickapoo Nation of Kansas
1107 Goldfinch Rd
Horton, KS 66439

Otoe-Missouria Tribe
8151 Highway 177
Red Rock, OK 74651

Pawnee Nation of Oklahoma
PO Box 470
Pawnee, OK 74058

Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation
16281 Q Rd
Mayetta, KS 55509

Sac and Fox Nation of Missouri
302 N Main
Reserve, KS 66439

Image 1: Chris Howell.