NEWSLETTER FORMAT HAS CHANGED

For a number of years the S.C.A.T. newsletter has been produced and mailed out to our members and 
friends every other month through the U.S. Postal Service.  It has provided a variety of stories and 
information that are of interest to Indian peoples in the Topeka area.  Some of these items have dealt 
with local issues and some with issues that are of national scope.  

During the last couple of issues of the newsletter we have indicated that we were going to change our 
format and do things in a different way.  That change has to do with the way that people will be 
receiving the newsletter from now on.  S.C.A.T. has now established a web site that will provide the 
information about events and peoples that we previously mailed out during the year.  This web site 
address is http://shawneecountyalliedtribes.org  For all of our readers who have access to computers, 
this is the way that you will receive the newsletter.  For those who have only limited access (if at 
all) to computers, we will continue to send you the hard copies of the newsletter through the regular 
mail service.  If you want to receive your newsletter in this way (hard-copy in the mail), please let us 
know (if you have not done so up to this point) and make sure that we have your correct mailing address. 
You may call Hildred Vilander at (785) 272-5627 or Don Anderson at (785) 266-8248.  

We want to continue to provide information that is useful and interesting to you.  So, if you have any 
suggestions as to how we can make the newsletter better, or if you know of information which you think 
that we should be including in the newsletter, please let us know. Our e-mail address is 
scat2525@yahoo.com

S.C.A.T. WILL HOST ANNUAL POW-WOW OVER LABOR DAY WEEK-END

Shawnee County Allied Tribes will hold its Annual Traditional Inter-Tribal Pow-Wow at Lake Shawnee 
during September 1, 2, & 3.  It will include singing, drumming, dancing, native arts and crafts, food, 
and educational events.  The location will be at Reynolds Lodge on the east side of the lake.

The pow-wow will get its start with our annual Education Day activities which will be held Friday 
morning, September 1, in front of Reynolds Lodge.  At that time children from many of the public and 
private schools in the area will hear and participate with a number of presenters as they share a 
variety of subjects having to do with Indian life and culture.  This is always a lot of fun and a unique 
learning experience for the kids. 

The pow-wow will get its official start with a Grand Entry on Friday evening and then will continue on 
Saturday and Sunday.  Admittance buttons may be purchased in advance from local businesses for $6.00 or 
at the gate for $8.00.  The buttons are good for the whole week-end.  Children that are 11 years old and 
younger may get in free when accompanied by an adult.  

Chris Wagner is our Pow-Wow Chairperson and has done a very good job of putting this event together and 
making many of the arrangements.  His energy and his creativity has made a big difference, and he is to 
be congratulated for what he has accomplished.  Many other persons have also been involved in individual 
tasks and have done much to contribute to the success of the pow-wow.   If you would like to be involved 
in the preparations and help out with the pow-wow, we would be happy to hear from you.  

S.C.A.T. BOARD MEETINGS 

Shawnee County Allied Tribes is currently holding its regular board meetings on the second Monday 
evening of each month at the Highland Park United Methodist Church (located at the corner of 29th & 
Michigan) in southeast Topeka.  Parking is available on the southeast side of the building where there 
is an entrance with a ramp for persons with special needs.  

The board meetings begin at 6:30 p.m. and generally last for about an hour, and then are followed by a 
general meeting that includes a program.  Both the board meeting and the general meeting are open to all 
interested persons.

The regular meeting for July will take place on Monday, July 10.  During the month of August we will be 
meeting each Sunday evening for pow-wow planning at Lake Shawnee (behind Reynolds Lodge).  On these 
Sunday evenings our meetings will begin at 6:30 p.m. and will include a carry-in meal.

McKINNEY EDUCATION FUND IS GROWING 

The Education Fund which we established as a memorial to Rev. Jim McKinney is continuing to grow month 
by month.  At the present time it contains an amount of $525.  Jim was someone who had a special 
interest in the education of Native children and was involved in that pursuit during a number of years.

The purpose of the fund is to collect moneys that can be used to provide financial assistance to Native 
American students who are enrolled in a recognized Kansas educational facility.  We are therefore 
inviting all of those persons who knew Jim and worked with him through the years to make a contribution 
to this fund which will be an on-going memorial to him.  Persons wanting to make such a donation toward 
the fund, and those wanting further information, should send those to the following address:
			Shawnee County Allied Tribes
			Jim McKinney Educational Fund 
			P.O. Box 750284
			Topeka, Kansas  66675-0284
Checks should be made out to Shawnee County Allied Tribes with a notation that the moneys are to go to 
the Jim McKinney Fund.

There will also be an additional opportunity for persons to make a contribution to the fund at the 
S.C.A.T. Pow-Wow over the Labor Day week-end. During one of the evenings we will have a blanket dance in 
honor of the McKinney Fund and those in attendance will be invited to make a donation at that time.  It 
is our hope that the fund will make an enduring contribution to Native American education in the years 
ahead.  

STANDING BEAR ACTIVITIES 

The Standing Bear Inter-Tribal Brotherhood is currently meeting at the Highland Park United Methodist 
Church at 7:00 p.m. on Wednesday evenings. During their regular meetings they have a brief business 
session and then spend time drumming and singing.   On Wednesday evening, July 12, the group will meet 
at Camp Jayhawk (located north of Perry) at 8:00 p.m. for a session with the boy scouts.  On Sunday, 
July 30, they will participate in a worship service at the Beagle United Methodist Church at 10:15 a.m..

PEACE TREE CELEBRATION 

Members of  S.C.A.T. and Standing Bear participated in the annual Peace Tree Celebration which was held 
at Lake Shawnee on Wednesday, June 21.  This event brings people from a variety of different ethnic and 
religious backgrounds together to sing and pray for peace in the world.  Heide Meadows has been the 
coordinator of this celebration and continues to be its main planner.

POW-WOW NEWS

The Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation had its annual pow-wow during June 9, 10, & 11.  It was a very 
successful pow-wow with a lot of drummers, singers and dancers.  It also had a lot of vendors and was 
well attended.  

The Sac & Fox Pow-Wow will be held the last week-end in August.  

The Shawnee County Allied Tribes will have its annual pow-wow at Lake Shawnee during September 1, 2, & 
3.  

BEAR BUTTE PETITION DRIVE IS UNSUCCESSFUL 

“A group that was trying to stop a business owner near Bear Butte in South Dakota from getting a liquor 
license for the Sturgis motorcycle rally fell short in its effort to put the matter to a vote in Meade 
County. . . . American Indian groups and others have been trying to stop beer and liquor licenses for 
new businesses near Bear Butte that cater to motorcyclists.  Indians consider the Butte sacred and say 
that all the rally related activity disturbs their religious practices.”  –Native American Times, June 
9, 2006

PRAIRIE BAND POTAWATOMI REGAIN HISTORIC HOMELAND 

The Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation recently purchased a 128-acre farm in Illinois that houses land 
signed over to the tribe more than 150 years ago. “Today is one of great joy and celebration for our 
tribe; and we are here to celebrate and share with you the re-acquisition of a piece of our ancestral 
homelands,” said Potawatomi leader Tracy Stanhoff.  “If you are Native peoples, then you can imagine 
what we are feeling today as we stand, sing and pray upon this beautiful land – land that our ancestors 
lived on and land that we were forced to leave in the mid-19th century.” 

Chief Shab-eh-nay, a leader of the band that eventually became the Prairie Band Potawatomi, were awarded 
the land in what is known as the 1829 Treaty of Prairie du Chien.  Band members were kicked off the 
property a few years later and forced to move to Kansas.  –Native American Times of May 19, 2006

TRIBAL LEADERS PLEDGE TO SEEK SUPPORT FOR HASKELL

The day before Haskell Indian Nations University graduated its class of 2006, a number of tribal leaders 
gathered in Lawrence to find a way of supporting the university and its program. “The school’s classroom 
budget of about $9.1 million a year has lagged inflation for at least four years, leaving several 
full-time faculty positions vacant and forcing the cancellation of summer school years ago.” according 
to the Native American Times of May 19, 2006.  

“Today was a first step, a good first step,” Board of Regents President Gil Vigil, governor of the Taos 
Pueblo of Tesuque, New Mexico, said.  Vigil said that Haskell will begin asking more American Indian 
associations and tribes to add the school to its lobbying priorities, selling the school rather than 
simply asking for money.  “It’s true that Haskell is well known in Indian Country, and that there are a 
lot of Haskell graduates out there, “Vigil said.  “But that’s not enough.  It needs to promote itself.” 
–Native American Times of May 19, 2006

CHARLIE LITTLE COYOTE HAVING HEALTH PROBLEMS 

Charlie Little Coyote, who is the chief of the Southern Cheyenne, is recovering from a recent stroke.  
Charlie has been a regular participant in the annual S.C.A.T. Pow-Wow and is widely known throughout 
Kansas.  We certainly wish Charlie the very best and hope that he has a complete recovery and is back 
with us in the near future.  


SHAWNEE COUNTY ALLIED TRIBES
P.O. Box 750284
Topeka, Kansas 66675-0284

President: Hildred Vilander
Secretary: Don Anderson
Treasurer: Mike Ballard

Editors: Hildred Vilander
         Don Anderson