Otoe-Missouria Tribal Chairman responds to gaming association power play
Published: May 7th, 2020
John Shotton is chairman of the Otoe-Missouria Tribe of Oklahoma.
The Otoe-Missouria Tribe is headquartered in Red Rock, Oklahoma.
Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt recently signed a gaming compact with the Otoe-Missouria Tribe.
Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt, a member of the Cherokee Nation, has forged recent gaming compacts with two Oklahoma tribes.
Red Rock, Oklahoma – Otoe-Missouria Tribe Chairman John R. Shotton issued a press statement Thursday (May 7). It came after the tribe was suspended from the Oklahoma Indian Gaming Association (OIGA) on Wednesday for the remainder of the calendar year.
Recently, Chairman Shotton signed a gaming compact with Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt (http://city-sentinel.com/2020/05/commentary-i-was-wrong-in-part-but-now-i-am-right-in-full-stitt-comanche-and-otoe-missouria-green-light-a-better-future/). In a statement to CapitolBeatOK and other news organizations, Shotton said:
“The Otoe-Missouria Tribe is a sovereign nation and we negotiated a legal compact with the Governor of the State of Oklahoma. We plan to follow the federal process for approval of the negotiated compact. Regardless of the opinion of the OIGA, there are not hierarchies of sovereign nations in Indian Country. Each tribe has the right to negotiate the best compact available for their tribal government.
“We still support the intentions of the other tribes to fight for the very best compact for their individual governments. I certainly hope as negotiations continue, other tribes won’t be singled out for exercising their tribal sovereignty.”
About The Otoe-Missouria Tribe: The Otoe-Missouria Tribe is located in North Central Oklahoma in Red Rock. There are currently 3,288 members enrolled in the tribe with 2,242 living in Oklahoma. The tribe was relocated to Oklahoma in 1881 from its first reservation on the border of Nebraska and Kansas. (http://city-sentinel.com/2020/04/otoe-missouria-tribe-chairman-issues-statement-regarding-new-gaming-compact-with-state-of-oklahoma/)
For more information about the Otoe-Missouria Tribe, visit https://www.omtribe.org/.
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