Interim rep for Tribal Council of UKB named

Mar. 4—The passing of United Keetoowah Band of Cherokee Indians Tahlequah Tribal Councilor Alvin Hicks in December left an open seat, and an appointment to fill it was made during the March 2 meeting.

Terry Kingfisher, who also goes by Pete, was sworn in and will serve until the end of the present term.

Congressional delegate Designate Victoria Holland said any tribal member interested in serving as council member should email the tribal secretary.

All seats on the council are up for reelection Nov. 4. The runoff election for seats that do not gain 50% plus 1 of the votes will be held a month later, Holland said.

Chief Joe Bunch said in his report that economic development from tobacco sales can begin as soon as the state attorney general reviews the present tobacco compact to see if it is still active.

The issue of the election ordinance and district boundary dispute between Delaware and Goingsnake districts was on the agenda. Assistant Chief Jeff Wacoche asked for the election ordinance item to be tabled until the council can meet with the attorneys.

"The attorney general has recently sent out some possible revisions to the election ordinance we need to consider and we have to do it by April in order for it to be eligible and sufficient for the upcoming election," Wacoche said. "We had two cases on our last election and one is still going through the courts, so we need to get this right."

Regarding the district boundary dispute, Wacoche said the UKB Supreme Court has remanded the case back to the District Court for further review.

"The Supreme Court ruled that Mr. Archie Buzzard did have a case and the District Court needed to give him an opportunity to have this reviewed," Wacoche said.

A special meeting will be held March 16 at 10 a.m. to discuss the election board matter, Holland said later.

UKB Tribal Councilor Elmer Panther said he plans to run again for the seat that is in contention.

"In 1906 [a man] was commissioned to outline all the districts. What he did was followed all the creeks, as creeks don't change much. The one creek that is in question [in the boundary dispute] is Spring Creek, which runs from Locust Grove and Peggs and separates the Saline and Tahlequah districts," Panther said.

Bunch reported on a trip to the National Congress of American Indian meeting in February. The 2024 Executive Council Winter Session is the annual meeting of the National Congress of American Indians Executive Council, one of NCAI's three main governing bodies.

This meeting presents an opportunity for tribal delegates to hear from members of Congress and the administration and helps to further the government-to-government relationship between tribal Nations and the federal government.

"We met with congressional delegates and other agencies," Bunch said. "It was important to attend the meeting to keep funding agencies and committees familiar with UKB's needs."

UKB Corporate Board Executive Director Woody Anderson gave a report on projects that happened in February.

Echota Behavioral Health is using funds from a Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration grant, Anderson said. The monies will engage and support mental well-being of the UKB youth. This will entail intertwining cultural knowledge with mental health strategies.

"The initiative aims to craft a video in collaboration with a media firm in Stilwell, which highlights the UKB's cultural essence, history, prominent figures, and the districts and areas," Anderson said.

The project's ultimate goal is to enhance cultural awareness among young tribal members, offering the youth a way to connect with their identify and find peace among challenges, Anderson said.

The video can also serve as an educational tool for new employees, enriching their understanding of the cultural context of their employer and enabling them to offer more effective support to their clients, Anderson said.

The corporate board will submit a check for February to the UKB treasurer for $47,817, making a grand total of the year-to-date of $142,201.

Two grants were approved for 2024: the Department of Housing Block Grant and 2024 Service Coordinator Grant.

UKB Tribal Councilor Elmer Panther said another search is being organized for Saturday, March 9, to look for Trey Glass, who went missing Dec. 17 and is a UKB member from Little Kansas. The search will begin at the UKB building in Little Kansas at 8 a.m.

"I think they will meet and decide where they are going to search this time," Panther said.