Kansas State Historical Society, City of Fairway, and Shawnee Indian Mission Foundation Strike New Governing Memorandum of Understanding
By Greg Frazier, volunteer
The Chairwoman of the Foundation started her explanation of the Mission’s governance with a question that puzzled me “Are you steadier on a unicycle or tricycle?”
“I can go faster on a bicycle,” I replied.
“This is not a race; we’re not refereeing a competition. We’re caretakers of more than 200 years of Mission history, longer if you include the Kanza, the Spanish, and the French, which we do,” she answered.
“Picture our job, our trust, as a tricycle-a big, stable foundation carrying lots of legacies, lots of interests. We must be nimble, too. If we turn that front wheel, we pivot to new challenges and opportunities. Or, if necessary, we can back up. You can’t do that on a bicycle,” she concluded.
The Mission’s history embraces twenty-two Native tribes, the first vote on Kansas statehood, the turmoil of the Bleeding Kansas and Civil War years, and thousands of settlers who took their first steps west across its grounds. The State of Kansas, City of Fairway, and Shawnee Indian Mission Foundation have renewed and extended their mutual commitment to that unique history.
The new governing Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) replaces one nearly a decade old. The lines of responsibility are clear; each party pledges to ensure the public benefits from the breadth of the Mission’s legacy and that everyone represented in that history can hold a pen in its writing.
These are the basics:
One, the State, through the Kansas State Historical Society, will continue to own the site, preserve it on the state’s list of Historic Landmarks and preserve its designation on the roster of National Register of Historic Places. The State will fund capital improvements and renovations and ensure those projects comply with historic preservation standards.
Two, the City of Fairway agrees to continue operating the site and its buildings.
Three, the Shawnee Indian Mission Foundation is charged with ensuring the involvement of the tribes and others with a stake in the Mission’s history, community education and programs, fundraising, recruiting volunteers, and coordinating the work of all three entities.
The essence of the MOU lies not in these organizational details and the division of duties-though they are critical to the preservation of the Mission. It’s the commitment to preserving a one-of-a-kind legacy, portraying it with inclusivity as a paramount objective:
The parties envision a space where history comes alive, fostering a deeper understanding of our collective past while promoting stewardship for future generations. Through research, networking, innovative programming, creative use of technology, collaborative partnerships, interpretation that includes differing perspectives, and immersive experiences, we aim to inspire all visitors to appreciate the significance of the Shawnee Indian Mission’s legacy and its role in shaping our collective identity; and,
The parties acknowledge that the Vision cannot be fulfilled without further establishing meaningful abused into near meaninglessness, but fitting descriptions of the Mission’s multi-dimensional, multi-threaded legacy.
The new governing MOU lays a foundation, a three-part infrastructure-a sturdy, tricycle, if you will. The professionals devoted to the Mission, the volunteers, donors, tribal representatives, and visitors make it come alive. relationships with Native American Tribes whose ancestors inhabited the land for centuries and those whose ancestors attended the Shawnee Indian Mission along with all other stakeholders who have a bona fide connection to the site and seek new facts based on thorough research and interviews.
Building on this commitment, the MOU calls for a reinterpretation of the site, completed within five years. The state historical society will lead the project, ensuring the involvement of the city as well as Native tribes and the mosaic of other groups with a stake in Mission history. It will build on consultations the Foundation conducted during the last two years with over twenty-two tribes. The Foundation has pledged to finance this effort.
Kansas history lives in Constitution Hall in Lecompton, Kaw Mission in Council Grove, and the Quindaro Townsite-just declared a National Historic Landmark-among other places. They all tell a meaningful piece of the state’s history, but just a slice. Unique and one-of-a-kind have been overused and abused into near meaninglessness, but fitting descriptions of the Mission’s multi-dimensional, multi-threaded legacy.
The new governing MOU lays a foundation, a three-part infrastructure-a sturdy, tricycle, if you will. The professionals devoted to the Mission, the volunteers, donors, tribal representatives, and visitors make it come alive.