Inter-Tribal Council is All About Friendship, Cooperation

The Choctaw Nation participates in the quarterly gathering of the five civilized tribes in Oklahoma for fellowship, cooperation and updates on the good works our tribes are fulfilling for all our tribal members.

Our most recent Inter-Tribal Council of the Five Civilized Tribes meeting was held from July 10-12 in Tulsa, Oklahoma at a Cherokee Nation owned and operated facility (Hard Rock Hotel & Casino). I represented the Choctaw Nation and met with leaders from the Cherokee Nation, Chickasaw Nation, Muscogee Nation, Seminole Nation. We discussed a large agenda that ranged from healthcare, homes, culture, commerce, natural resources and a whole list of the other items that affect our respective tribal members.

In this space, I want to highlight the large agreement that came from this past Inter-Tribal meeting that involves the signing of the Five Tribe Wildlife Management Reciprocity Agreement. This important agreement allows tribal members and citizens of the Cherokee Nation, Chickasaw Nation, Choctaw Nation, Muscogee Nation and very soon Seminole Nation to utilize their tribal membership and enjoy hunting and fishing in participating tribes’ treaty territories.

The pact allows hunting and fishing licenses issued through each tribe to be recognized by the other tribes that are party to the agreement, on respective reservation land. Most tribes allow for their tribal membership cards to serve as their credential or license. All Oklahoma residents with valid state-issued hunting and fishing licenses are eligible to hunt and fish within these tribal treaty territories in accordance with all applicable laws.

You may recall that we established the Choctaw Nation Wildlife Conservation Department in 2022 to assert our tribal sovereignty. I’m proud of this department for the great work it does in helping determine how our citizens hunt and fish on our reservation by using their tribal membership. We have now taken a significant step forward by partnering with the Inter-Tribal Council. This partnership will provide further opportunities for our tribal members to hunt and fish on our reservations using their tribal membership. Together, we are asserting our tribal sovereignty and benefiting approximately 815,000 tribal citizens.

This new hunting and fishing agreement is just one example of the level of cooperation amongst the tribes that has emerged from these ongoing Inter-Tribal meetings. These meetings prove that all the civilized tribes are unified, and there is a tight-knit cooperative of nations that come together for self-reliance and sovereignty. When we have a unified message and cooperation between the civilized tribes, I and the other tribal leaders believe there is nothing we can’t accomplish for the success of our tribes and the betterment of our tribal members.

I am so proud to represent the Choctaw Nation in the Inter-Tribal meetings. The friendships and cooperation amongst the leaders of the civilized tribes are strong and have produced amazing projects that push our nations forward and bring better services to all our tribal members. I am confident that this new wildlife management reciprocity agreement will prove to be yet another, great agreement from the tribes. It will not only bring further prosperity to our respective tribal nations, but it will give all our tribal members more choices for a better future and another way to honor our faith, family and culture.

Yakoke and God Bless!