Web Site – shawneecountyalliedtribes.org

E-Mail Address: scat2525@yahoo.com

S.C.A.T. POW-WOW TO BE HELD OVER LABOR DAY WEEK-END

Shawnee County Allied Tribes will be holding its 17th Annual Traditional Inter-Tribal Pow-Wow at Lake Shawnee 
during August 31 to September 2.  It will include a variety of drum groups, singing and dancing, education 
classes, food booths, arts & crafts vendors and special celebrations.  The location will be the area behind 
and around the Reynolds Lodge which is on the east side of the lake adjacent to Tin Man Circle.  

The Pow-Wow will officially begin with Education Day which brings school children from surrounding area 
schools to hear presenters talk about the traditions, customs, history and culture of Native American 
peoples.  This event, which is both a good learning experience for the children and a time to celebrate 
tribal ways, will be Friday morning, August 31.

The planning committee for the Pow-Wow, under the leadership of Chris Wagner, will be meeting each Sunday 
evening of August (5, 12,19 & 26) at the Highland Park United Methodist Church (29th & Michigan in Topeka) at 
6:30 p.m. Volunteers are always welcome to participate in this planning and in the Pow-Wow itself.  Those who 
come to the planning sessions are invited to bring some snacks to share with each other.   

Pow-Wow buttons may be purchased in advance for $6.00 and for $8.00 at the gate and will be good for the 
whole week-end.  Additional information concerning the Pow-Wow and its many events is included in this 
mailing and on the web-site.   


JIM McKINNEY FUND TAKING APPLICATIONS

The Jim McKinney Fund is now offering its next $500 Scholarship.  Application forms may be found on line at 
shawneecountyalliedtribes.org.  Applications must be postmarked by midnight on Monday, August 13, 2007.  
Let’s get the word out and provide this scholarship grant for some deserving individual.   


STANDING BEAR NEWS 

The Standing Bear Inter-Tribal Brotherhood has a number of activities lined up for the remainder of the 
summer.  These include:  
•	July 8 – Participating in the Sunday worship at Oakland United Methodist Church.
•	July 11 – Drumming and Singing for the Boy Scouts at Camp Jayhawk. 
•	July 18 – Drum practice at the Highland Park United Methodist Church.
•	Aug. 1 – Drum practice at the Highland Park United Methodist Church.
•	Aug. 8 – Drumming and Singing for those living at Homestead.  
•	Aug. 31 to Sept. 2 – Serving as Host Gourd Society for S.C.A.T. Pow-Wow.

Standing Bear meets each Wednesday evening to plan, sing and drum.  It meets at the Highland Park United 
Methodist Church (located at 29th & Michigan in Topeka) from 7:00 to 9:00 p.m. Visitors are welcome.   


AWI AKTA NEWS

The Awi Akta District of the Northern Cherokee of the Old Louisiana Territory has its regular meetings on the 
second Sunday afternoon of each month (except for the summer months) beginning at 1:00 p.m.  The location 
varies between Topeka and Holton.  Meetings include: a carry-in meal, business discussion, upcoming events, 
and culture presentations.  The next meeting will be Sunday, September 9, at the First United Methodist 
Church in Holton.
 

MANAGEMENT CHANGE AT PRAIRIE BAND CASINO 

On July 1 the Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation celebrated a momentous change at their casino located near 
Mayetta, Kansas.  The management of the casino was transferred from Harrah’s Entertainment Inc. to the 
Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation which has new tribal management in place.  This is an event which has been 
anticipated by the nation since the opening of the casino nine years ago.  Tribal Chair Tracy Stanhoff said 
that the management changeover is an important step along the Nation’s continued path toward economic 
self-sufficiency.  The casino complex also includes a hotel, convention center, restaurant and buffet, and RV 
park and has been responsible for an economic transformation of the Prairie Band Potawatomi Reservation  
during these years.  


AGNES McKINNEY TO ATTEND WORKSHOP 

Agnes McKinney is a volunteer for a Diabetic Workshop titled “Working Together For Balance.”  The date for 
this workshop is Saturday, November 17, 2007, and will be at the Events Room at the Prairie Band Casino.  
Registration will be from 8:00 to 9:00 a.m. and the workshop will be over at 7:00 p.m.  Lunch and dinner will 
be served.  Agnes will be representing the northeast community of Kansas.   


MASCOT AT UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS IS DROPPED 

After many years of controversy, the University of Illinois sports program has decided to drop the image of 
Chief  Illiniwek as its mascot.  In February the university officially retired the 80 year-old mascot that 
had encouraged white students to decorate in buckskin, feathers, and paint and then to dance around in 
pretense of American Indian dances during sporting events.  Such behavior was offensive to many within the 
Native American community and led them to call for a change in the university mascot.   During the last few 
years similar protests have led to many schools changing their mascots away from images that were 
disrespectful and degrading to the Native American peoples.


KIOWAS SING WIND FARM AGREEMENT

The Kiowa Economic Development Board signed an agreement in May with HARE & Associates and HDR Engineering of 
Omaha, Nebraska, to develop a large-scale wind farm on tribal jurisdictional areas.  Tribal representatives 
said their resource data shows a good potential for the development of the wind farm as an energy source.  
	
According to HDR Engineering, Oklahoma has the eighth highest wind potential in the nation.  Wind power, like 
solar power, is a renewable energy resource and an alternative to non-renewable fossil fuels.  “I think this 
will be an historic program and a model for other tribes,” said Lincoln Aitson, Chairman of KED.  
                                           (reprinted from Native American Times, May 25)
  

KICKAPOOS RECEIVE YOUTH GRANT 

The Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community recently announced a donation of $250,000 to the Kickapoo Tribe in 
Kansas for a Boys and Girls Club facility.  The grant will be used for final construction and equipment costs 
for the final stages of development.  The new 14,000 square foot complex is expected to be finished this 
summer.  


KIOWAS MAY BUY “INDIAN CITY” IN OKLAHOMA

The Kiowa Tribe announced recently that it intends to purchase Indian City, U.S.A., a 53-year-old landmark 
near Anadarko, Oklahoma.  Don Neconie, treasurer of the Kiowa Business Committee, said a business plan is 
being finalized and the property will be converted from fee status to trust status.  “Most importantly, the 
Kiowa Tribe voted to purchase Indian City U.S.A. over a year ago, and we are working toward that goal,” he 
said.  

Indian City is located on 200 acres of ground south of Anadarko on Oklahoma 8 Highway.  It includes seven 
“Indian” villages, each representing a different local tribe.  It also includes a museum, campground and 
lodge.  

According to Modina Waters, a representative of the tribe, it is still going to be open to other tribes and 
the public.  The tribe also plans to start a language program and preservations at the city.  
                                         (from Native American Times, May 18)
   

NEWSLETTER SCHEDULE

The Shawnee County Allied Tribes newsletter comes out every other month, so there are six issues each year.  
In each newsletter we try to include news about S.C.A.T. activities and programs, and news that is of 
interest to Indian peoples who live in this area.  We also hope that the newsletter is a learning tool for 
the general population concerning issues that are important to the Native American community.   

There are a number of persons who work on the newsletter each time.  Hildred Vilander, Agnes McKinney, and 
Don Anderson collect and write the stories that are to be included.  Then Connie Ballard puts it on the 
S.C.A.T. web-site for everyone to read.  There are some persons who do not access to the web-site and we send 
them the newsletter through regular mail.  

We are always looking for items to put into the newsletter that would be of general interest.  If you know of 
a story or some information that you think would be appropriate for the newsletter, you may send those to us 
through our e-mail address: scat2525@yahoo.com.


PARK SERVICE HONORS NATIVE AMERICANS 

This past April the National Park Service dedicated the nation’s newest national park site. It is called the 
Sand Creek Massacre National Historic Site and is located near LaJunta, Colorado.  The site is where members 
of the Cheyenne and Arapaho tribes were slaughtered by U.S. soldiers in 1864.



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