Web Site – shawneecountyalliedtribes.org

E-Mail Address: scat2525@yahoo.com

“THANK YOU” TO ALL WHO HELPED WITH THE POW-WOW

Members of the Shawnee County Allied Tribes want to “THANK” all of you who helped to make our Pow-Wow a 
success.  This includes all of those who were involved in the planning process, all of those who were serving 
as head staff, all of those who were doing all of the various jobs (both big and small) that had to be done, 
all of those who were the drummers, singers, and dancers, and all of those who were the vendors who were 
selling food and crafts during the week-end.  As you can tell, there are a great many persons who give of 
their time and energy to make a Pow-Wow successful.  Without everyone’s contribution, we could not have done 
it.  

We are especially grateful to Chris Wagner who was our Pow-Wow Chair again this year.  He has been working 
week by week during this past year getting things lined up and persons assigned to their various jobs.  We 
have been very fortunate to have his energy and his leadership as we have made our plans and preparations.  
We have barely finished this year’s Pow-Wow and he is already busy working on arrangements for next year.  We 
also want to express appreciation to Jason Smith who has been our Vice-Chair and who has worked very closely 
with Chris during these months.   

And, certainly, we want to thank all of those persons who came out and enjoyed the Pow-Wow during the Labor 
Day week-end.  We hope that you had a good time and learned a lot about Native American traditions and 
culture.  And we look forward to seeing you next year when we do it again.   
                                                                                      Hildred Vilander 
                                                                                      Don Anderson  
  


SCAT AND STANDING BEAR TO SHARE IN HOLIDAY MEETINGS

Shawnee County Allied Tribes and Standing Bear will share in a combined Thanksgiving carry-in meal on Monday, 
November 12, and in a combined Christmas carry-in meal on Monday, December 10.  Both of these celebrations 
will be held at the Highland Park United Methodist Church (29th & Michigan) at 6:30 p.m.  Persons wanting to 
learn more about SCAT and/or about Standing Bear are invited to come and enjoy the celebrations with us.  


SCAT TO DECORATE A WREATH AGAIN THIS YEAR 

Shawnee County Allied Tribes will be decorating a wreath for the Festival of Trees again this year.  The 
theme this year is “Merry Christmas” to you from our teepee.  We need  homemade items for the wreath.  It 
will be decorated after the Thanksgiving meal and meeting on November 12th.  Let’s make this a group project. 


REGULAR SCAT MEETINGS

Shawnee County Allied Tribes meets on the second Monday evening of every month.  The meetings are held at the 
Highland Park United Methodist Church which is located at 29th & Michigan in the southeast section of Topeka. 
Our board meets at 6:30 p.m. with our general meeting following at 7:30 p.m.  We are normally finished by 
around 9:00 p.m.  Both the board meeting and the general meeting are open to any interested persons.  Our 
next two meetings will be on October 8 and November 12.
 

STANDING BEAR MEETS ON WEDNESDAY EVENINGS 

The Standing Bear Inter-Tribal Brotherhood meets on Wednesday evenings to drum and sing and make plans for 
future events.  The meetings are held at the Highland Park United Methodist Church (29th & Michigan) from 
7:00 to9:00 p.m.  Interested persons are invited to attend.   


FIVE OKLAHOMA TRIBES HAVE WOMEN AS LEADERS

Before becoming the Eastern Shawnee chief, Glenna Wallace served for years as the tribe’s secretary, 
eventually replacing her brother who was chief.  Now in public meetings, Wallace is often asked how she 
should be addressed, although she answers her phone with a lilting, “This is Chief Glenna.”

In a state (Oklahoma) with 37 federally recognized tribes, five – or nearly 14 percent – are led by women.  
The Sac and Fox Nation has Chief Kay Rhoads; the Eastern Shawnee recently picked Wallace as chief; Bernadette 
Huber is ending a two-year term as Iowa Tribe Chairman; LaRue Parker is the Caddo tribal chairman; and the 
Absentee Shawnee recently inaugurated Jennifer Onzahwah as governor.

Female tribal leaders in Oklahoma are not a novelty.  Among the first in Oklahoma, Wilma Mankiller served as 
Cherokee principal chief from 1987 to 1995.  
                                     (reprinted from INDIAN COUNTRY, August 15, 2007)
   


AWI-AKTA NEWS 

The Awi-Akta District of the Northern Cherokee Nation of the Old Louisiana Territory meets on the second 
Sunday afternoon of each month.  The meetings begin at 1:00 p.m. with a carry-in dinner followed by a 
business session and a cultural presentation.

The location of the meetings alternates between Holton and Topeka from month to month.  On October 14th the 
meeting will be in Topeka at the Crestview United Methodist Church (2245 S.W. Eveningside Drive).  On 
November 11th the meeting will be in Holton at the First United Methodist Church (1401 W. 4th St.).  

Awi Akta will be holding its annual Cherokee Veteran’s Pow-Wow on Friday, November 2, at the Gage Park 
Shelter (located outside the Zoo entrance).  It will last from 6:00 to 11:00 p.m. and will include drumming, 
singing, dancing, a special recognition of an honored veteran, and an honoring of all veterans.  There will 
also be craft vendors and food for sale.   Everyone is invited.


EAGLE FEATHER LAWS STILL IN PLACE

Although the bald eagle recently was removed from the endangered species list, the laws regulating the 
possession of the bird’s feathers are still in place.  Both the bald and the golden eagle still are protected 
by the federal act that bears their names: the Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act -- also known as the 
“Eagle Act” – as well as the Migratory Bird Treaty Act.  

Passed in 1940, the Eagle Act prohibits the “take; possession; sale; purchase; barter; transport, export or 
import, of any bald or golden eagle, alive or dead, including any part, nest, or egg, unless allowed by 
permit.

Eagle feathers, however, have had spiritual significance to American Indian tribes long before the federal 
government began passing acts.  So in the 1970’s, the National Eagle Repository was established to provide 
feathers of bald and golden eagles to tribal members for ceremonial purposes.  To apply for an eagle, or the 
feathers, a person must have a Certificate of Degree of Indian Blood, and be a registered member of a 
federally recognized tribe.  

Eagle feather owners also have to have the certification they receive from the federal wildlife service when 
they receive their eagle or feathers.  Anyone who possesses an eagle feather, and doesn’t meet the 
requirements, could face fines up to $100,000 and a year in prison.  A second offense is upgraded from a 
misdemeanor to a felony, and carries a maximum penalty of two years in prison and a $250,000 fine.  The act 
also provides for a civil penalty of up to $5,000.
                  (reprinted from Native American Times, July 27, 2007)
  

FORMER HASKELL PRESIDENT DR. KAREN SWISHER IS HONORED 

Former Haskell Indian Nations University President Dr. Karen Swisher accepted gifts and greeted well-wishers 
during a reception held in her honor last year.  Colleagues, alumni, friends, and students lauded her as a 
skilled educator and gracious leader.  

“She has been an exceptional leader in helping us through some very difficult times,” said Jackie Mitchell, 
of Mayetta, Ks., a member of the Haskell Board of Regents and a tribal council member for the Prairie Band 
Potawatomi Nation.  Swisher, 63, announced in May 2006 her plans to retire.  She said the timing was right as 
the school neared the end of a 5-year strategic plan.  

Faculty, regents, and alumni praised Swisher for her work during her 7 years as president.
“I know that she’s agonized over very real and very tough decisions that must be made when resources don’t 
match need.  But she’s never been filled with such despair that she’s allowed herself to believer that we, 
Haskell, are defeated,” said Venida Chenault, Haskell’s vice president for academic affairs.  

During the hour-long ceremony, Swisher received gifts from different university departments, students, and 
Lawrence community members.  The Center for Indigenous Nations Studies at Kansas University announced that a 
scholarship that helps a Haskell graduate attend Kansas University would be named for Swisher.  Swisher is a 
member of the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe in South Dakota and started on the Haskell faculty in 1996 before 
becoming president in 1999.  
                  (reprinted from TCJ: The Tribal College Journal of American Indian Higher 
                           Education, Summer, 2007)  
  


NEWSLETTER SUGGESTIONS

Hildred Vilander, Agnes McKinney, and Don Anderson put the SCAT newsletter together on a bi-monthly basis.  
Connie Ballard then puts it on the web-site for people to read.  If you have information for stories that 
could be included in the newsletter, or have suggestions about improvements, you may contact the persons 
named below at our e-mail address scat2525@yahoo.com  
   
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