Shawnee Indian Mission Foundation Statement about the legislation brought to the Kansas Legislature for the State of Kansas to give the Mission land and historic buildings at 3403 West 53rd St, Fairway, KS to the Shawnee Tribe of Miami, OK. To view the current House Bill 2208, click here. The Senate Bill contains the same language.
Please click here to read the full statement.
Key points:
• The Foundation does not support the conveyance of the Mission to the Shawnee Tribe in Miami, OK because it is not fair to the 22 other tribes that had a big part of the 23 year history of the Mission when it was a Native American trade school. Nor does conveyance to one tribe give a voice to the other significant history that happened at the Mission – westward trails, Territorial and State history, Civil War and more.
The public entity, the State of Kansas, with the KS State Historical Society as steward, that owns the Mission now is a ‘big tent’ that allows participation and voice for all peoples.
• Corroborating legal opinions agree that once land is conveyed to a Federally recognized tribe, such as the Shawnee of Miami, OK, a process is in place for the land to become sovereign territory and no agreements for use prior to the conveyance are enforceable. Local and State entities will have limited criminal jurisdiction on the land but will not have jurisdiction over how the land is used. All control is in the hands of one tribe and the Federal Government. Permitted tribal use includes any form of economic development. In addition, the National Historic Landmark designation would be lost by conveyance, according to its terms of the designation. Although the Mission resides inside a neighborhood near the heart of the Kansas City metro area, access to the site is not guaranteed, and no other voices have a say in what happens on the land.
To view the numerous City of Fairway community announcements for this important issue, all are available here.
