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The Kiowa Tribe
has traveled the central plains of North America for centuries. This has
always been home. Our early migrations settled us in the southern plains
area, loosely covering what is now 5 different states. As the people settled
this land, we eventually became pawns for the United States. The Kiowa,
Comanche, and Apache (KCA)would be used by the government to keep the Spanish
in place until the U.S. military crossed the Mississippi. During the Civil
War we raided Texas with rifles provided by the military. Then as the war
ended, we were forced to live on reservations, with the first of several
treaties.
Settlement would force our people to change our way of life. Our children
were taken away to learn English in other states. Toward the end of the
century, we would face the Jerome Agreement, the first of many to take away
our lands. A delegation of five men from the KCA tried to stop the split up
of our land. The Interior Department hindered this attempt and by 1901 the
state of Oklahoma opened our lands to be taken by settlers. Lonewolf vs.
Hitchcock ended up in the U.S. Supreme Court in 1903. Lonewolf stood on the
fact that the Medicine Lodge Treaty made in 1867 required a vote of
three-fourths of the male population of each tribe for any changes in tribal landholding
or other business. Congress allowed the fact, and replied that only Congress
could abrogate a treaty with its plenary powers.
Today congress stands by while taxpayer funds are being misappropriated. In
1992, the state of Oklahoma divided oil royalties from the oil fields on the
Red River between Texas and the U.S. Originally, the fields had been taken
over for use in WWII, with the promise of their return when the war ended. To
this day they have not been returned to the KCA. Again, in 1995, the state of
Oklahoma sold land owned by the KCA which was to be used for schools,
churches and town sites. These were never developed.
In 1996, the Kiowa Tribe was faced with garnishment of funds by the state of
Oklahoma with 24 lawsuits. All the while the BIA stood by, offering no
assistance. In the end, the BIA simply requested that the Kiowa Tribe
relinquish itself to the state by retrocession of power. This was their
solution? There was no investigation by the BIA at any time. The BIA simply
turned a blind eye to the tribe, willing to give up the people to the state.
Today there is more turmoil within the tribe. Unscrupulous leadership for
nearly thirty years had put the tribe in a high-risk standing. Those in
authority have certainly taken care of themselves and their own, leaving the
rest of the tribe to suffer. There are two sides to every story. We hope to
enlighten you with the realities of our struggle. We will make our future
better for all our people.
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