Otoe–Missouria Tribe of Indians

16th century The Otoe (Jiwere) and Missouria (Nutachi) tribes both originated in Wisconsin in the Great Lakes region. 17th century Meanwhile, the Otoe settled along what is now the Iowa–Minnesota border. They first came into contact with Europeans in late 17th century. After contact and continued pressure by European-Americans, they migrated to the territory of later Nebraska, settling near the Platte River. This area was later set aside for them as the Otoe Reservation. Also in 1804, the expedition estimated their population to be 500. Artist George Catlin, who also traveled in their territory in 1833, estimated their population at 1,200. In 1830, there were an estimated 1,500 Otoe–Missouria living together as a group. By 1886, only 334 Otoe–Missouria survived. In 2020, the tribe received a grant from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development as part of their Indian Community Development Block Grant Imminent Threat program. ==Government==

, 1832 The Otoe–Missouria Tribe of Indians is headquartered in Red Rock, Oklahoma, and their tribal jurisdictional area is in Noble and Kay counties. In 2011, they had 3,089 enrolled tribal citizens, with the majority living in the state of Oklahoma. The Tribal Council is the elected governing body of the Otoe–Missouria Tribe. The primary duties of the Tribal Council are to enforce the Tribal laws and policies and to serve as the decision-making authority on budgets and investments. The tribal Council is also the parent body for the tribal administration. Overall, the tribal administration ensures that services, as decided by the Tribal Council, are provided to tribal citizens. The tribal council consists of seven members elected by secret ballot by qualified voters of the tribe. The terms for each member are staggered and last for three years. There are no term limits. Each Tribal Council member has responsibilities for certain duties, as listed in the Otoe–Missouria Tribe of Indians Constitution. The Council holds regular meetings monthly in a place and date determined by the members. Currently, the meetings are held in the Council Building at tribal headquarters and are open to the public, except when the Council is in executive session. , the current administration is: • Chairman: John R. Shotton • Vice Chair: Susan Arkeketa • Tribal Secretary: Darrell Kihega • Tribal Treasurer: Courtney Burgess • First Member: Wesley J. Hudson • Second Member: Myra Pickering • Third Member: Alvin Moore, Sr. John R. Shotton is currently serving a three-year term. He was the youngest person to ever serve on the tribal council, being first elected when he was 29 years old. ==Economic development==

The tribe operates its own housing authority and issues tribal vehicle tags. They own two gas stations, two smoke shops, two financial services companies, and five casinos. The estimated annual economic impact of the Otoe–Missouria Tribe is $156.30 million. The Otoe–Missouria casinos are 7 Clans Paradise Casino in Red Rock; First Council Casino in Newkirk, and Lil' Bit of Paradise Casino—Chilocco, also in Newkirk; and Lil' Bit of Paradise Casino—Red Rock, in Red Rock. A new casino was opened in May 2016 in Perry, Oklahoma. The tribe also jointly operates a wind farm along with other tribes. On May 20, 2019, the National Credit Union Administration presented a federal credit union charter to the Otoe-Missouria Federal Credit Union in Red Rock, Oklahoma. The Otoe-Missouria Federal Credit Union will serve approximately 4,200 citizens and employees of the Otoe-Missouria Tribe. The Taylor Policy Group concluded that the tribe's efforts to diversify its economy resulted in a massive economic impact to Oklahoma and surrounding areas, including over $45 million in direct compensation to employees across the Tribe's various enterprises. Predatory payday lending In 2010, the tribe partnered with Mark E. Curry to create a high-interest payday loan company, American Web Loan, initially using its sovereign status as a defense against state usury laws until that argument was rejected in court challenges. By 2014, American Web Loan was one of the largest payday lenders in the United States, with a typical annual interest rate of around 700 percent on loans it provided. The tribe paid for the company by taking out loans in that amount from Curry and one of his companies, and a federal judge ruled in 2019 that Curry had continued to maintain control. In 2022, another company that had paid the Otoe-Missouria tribe to use its tribal sovereignty to claim exemption from state usury laws paid $44 million to settle a lawsuit for lending at illegally high interest rates. ==Language and culture==

At most three tribal citizens still speak the Otoe or Chiwere language; however, the tribe has a program to revitalize the language. Language classes are held weekly in Red Rock, Oklahoma and online. For almost century and a half, since 1881, an annual Otoe–Missouria Encampment is held every third weekend in July near Red Rock, Oklahoma. The Otoe-Missouria tribe's history is well represented at First Americans Museum in Oklahoma City. Several tribal citizens worked with the museum in order to make sure their culture was accurately represented. ==Education==

In August 2019, the tribe was among several that chartered Bacone College in Muskogee, Oklahoma as a tribal college. The tribes took over control of the college in order to secure federal funding, get it on a stable footing after it ran into financial difficulties, and be able to control its curriculum to serve the needs of their students. It had originally been established in the 19th century in affiliation with the Baptist Church to serve Native American students. ==Notable Otoe–Missouria people==

• Annette Arkeketa, author • Benjamin Arkeketa (1928–2002), painter • Johny Hendricks, former UFC fighter. • Anna Lee Walters (b. 1946), author and publisher • Truman Washington Dailey (1898–1996), fluent language speaker, traditionalist • Della Warrior (b. 1946), president of the Institute of American Indian Arts from 1998 to 2006 ==Notes==