TULSA, Okla. — The Tulsa Regional Chamber held the second annual State of the Tribal Nations, which addressed the contributions made by the Cherokee, Muscogee Creek, and Osage Nations to the state of Oklahoma.
Mike Neal, president and CEO of the Tulsa Regional Chamber, said the State of the Tribal Nations gives the business community a moment to pause and say thank you to the three major tribal nations across northeastern Oklahoma.
“Almost no major economic development deal has been done in our state in the past 15 years without tribal engagement, tribe participation,” said Neal. “Almost no major tourism or no major sporting event has been brought to this community without engagement of one or more of our tribes and, in many instances, all three of our tribes.”
A few of the common themes at this year’s event were the importance of partnership, the navigation of challenges on a state and federal level, and financial growth.
The three principal chiefs from the Osage, Cherokee, and Muscogee Creek Nations talked alongside one another, along with senior leaders in arts and culture and economic development.
A large part of the conversation centered on northeastern Oklahoma and the advances made in health care by the tribe,s along with recent pushes for affordable housing and addressing the significance of preserving culture and education.
The Cherokee Nation said it has generated a more than $3 billion economic impact on the state.
“We are operating systems at a very high level in health care,” said Cherokee Nation Principal Chief Chuck Hoskin Jr. “That adds to not only wellness, which is what our goal is with health care, but also an economic driver and a lot of communities don’t have a lot of economic drivers. I go up and down the list, but that $3.14 billion isn’t by accident. It’s by very thoughtful investment over a period of decades and I’m very proud of it.”
As the tribe continues to be an economic driver, Chief Hoskin shared his thoughts on potential federal funding cuts.
“One thing that this forum reminds, I hope everyone [knows], is that in a time of a change is some degree of uncertainty. That’s just natural when there’s a new federal administration. The tribes have become a constant, a constant force—I think—for good investment and a trajectory that’s increasing in terms of budgets and spending and job creation.”
Principal Chief of the Osage Nation Geoffrey Standingbear said the Osage tribe is committed to addressing the need for affordable housing and healthcare opportunities with the same dedication they put forward with gaming.
“There is such a need for housing,” said Chief Standingbear. “We’re committed to do something about it, but we have to know what are we going to be planning for in the future? How much is this going to cost? Because we do have limited resources. So that’s the big problem right now is that we are trying to predict what the cost of these projects would be. A number one on that list is housing.”
Muscogee Nation Principal Chief David Hill also emphasized the importance of focusing on healthcare, discussing the partnerships the tribe has pursued to achieve the goal of expanding its health system.
“Attendance by everyone, not only the three tribes, but they have different organizations come in who are wanting to work with the tribes who understand how the tribal nations work. That’s why I mentioned today as far as what can we do to work together. We’re currently working with OSU and OU Medical to make our health system grow.”
On a state level, Chief Hill said there will be continued conversations about tribal compacts with the state government.
Last week, Governor Stitt announced that tobacco reimbursements would be cut off from the Muscogee Creek Nation.
“I think we can come to an agreement, but I think to include the tobacco compact and trying to include the tag and the turnpikes, those are different issues. You know, I want to tackle one at a time. Tobacco compact, then let’s talk about the motor vehicle, then let’s talk about the turnpike. You can’t combine those.”
Chief Hill said, ultimately, the goal is to help all communities by coming together to encourage growth.
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