News

Northeastern Oklahoma A&M College (NEO) will host the unveiling of a Centennial Tribal Monument as part of its celebration of Indigenous Peoples’ Day on October 14, 2019. Along with the unveiling, the celebration will include a reception, poetry reading, giveaways, and a panel featuring chiefs from three area Tribes/Nations. Events begin at 1 p.m. outside of Kah-Ne Hall on the NEO campus. “Indigenous Peoples’ Day and the Centennial Tribal Monument unveiling will mark a historic occasion on campus that helps ties NEO and the 10 Area Tribes and Nations together,” said Hannah Berryman, American Indian Center for Excellence (AICE) Mentor. “Our partnership with the local native tribes will be highlighted during the event and we look forward to seeing the campus, tribes, and community celebrate our special day.”

The Centennial Tribal Monument will feature 10 steel feathers in a circle nearly a dozen feet tall, representing the nine member tribes of the Inter Tribal Council as well as the Cherokee Nation. The tribal partners, the Native American Student Association, and the NEO Development Foundation supported the project. Following the unveiling, AICE will host a panel discussing the 1959 termination of the Peoria, Wyandotte, and Ottawa Tribes of Oklahoma and the 1978 restoration of federal recognition. The panel will feature Chief Ethel Cook of the Ottawa Tribe, Chief Billy Friend of the Wyandotte Nation, and Chief Craig Harper of the Peoria Tribe. University of North Carolina Field Scholar David Dry will serve as the moderator for the panel.

NEO will also host a reception and poetry reading by NEO English Instructor Kalyn McAlister, who will present works from her collection called Polk’s Continental Nation. For more information on Indigenous Peoples’ Day at NEO, contact Hannah Berryman at Hannah.berryman@neo.edu.