Being Indian in Northeast Oklahoma

Abstract

Among Native American peoples the complex issue of social identity and community often arises in terms of asserting a tribal rather than an Indian identity. That pattern may not hold true, however; for the eight tribes now located in the northeast corner of Oklahoma (NEO). All of these tribes were removed to the area in the mid-nineteenth century; each suffered from the European American policies intended to disintegrate their culture and a similate the survivors into European American society. In the face of this acculturative pressure, people in the area retain a tribal identity but often express it in a more general Indian identity. Both structural and symbolic integration reinforce and create that identity for the Indian people of northeast Oklahoma. Structural integration takes the form of economic coordination and cooperation between the tribes. Symbolic integration is publicly evident in a series of symbols associated with powwow. These symbols include powwow regalia and cross the community along dimensions other than tribe (e.g., age, sex, and cultural heritage). Many other processes contribute to the Indian culture in northeast Oklahoma; some will emerge only through further research.

Key Words:

• Native American
• identity
• northeast Oklahoma
• assimilation