Wyandotte Nation of Oklahoma
tribal flag
|
|
| Total population | |
|---|---|
| (4,957) | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
 United States ( Oklahoma,  Kansas) |
|
| Languages | |
| English | |
| Religion | |
| Christianity, traditional tribal religion | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
| Wendat (Huron), Tionontati (Petun), and Wenrohronon (Wenro) |
The Wyandotte Nation is a federally recognized Native American tribe in Oklahoma. They are descendants of the Wendat Confederacy and Native Americans with territory near Georgian Bay and Lake Huron. Under pressure from Iroquois and other tribes, then from European settlers and the United States government, the tribe gradually moved south and west to Ohio, Michigan, Kansas and finally Oklahoma in the United States.
Smaller groups of Wendat descendants live in Kansas and Michigan. The Huron-Wendat Nation has a reserve at Wendake, Quebec, Canada, with a population close to that of the Wyandotte Nation.
The headquarters of the federally recognized Wyandotte Nation is in Wyandotte, Oklahoma, and their tribal jurisdictional area is in Ottawa County, Oklahoma.
Billy Friend is the elected Chief, currently serving a four-year term. The Wyandotte Nation issue their own tribal vehicle tags and operate their own housing authority. They have a ten-man police department providing 24-hour law enforcement response to the Nation and surrounding area.
Of the 4,957 enrolled Wyandottes, 1,218 live in the state of Oklahoma. Enrollment is based in lineal descent; that is, the tribe has no minimum blood quantum requirement.
The tribe operate the Bearskin Fitness Center, the Wyandotte Nation Environmental Department, and the Bearskin Health and Wellness Center. The Turtle Speaks is the tribal newspaper.
The tribe also owns the Wyandotte Nation Casino in Wyandotte, Oklahoma. Additionally, the tribe owns a truck stop, a fuel station, and a smoke shop. They issue their own tribal vehicle tags.
They also own the 7th Street Casino in the former Scottish Rite Masonic Temple in Kansas City, Kansas. They also have legal control of the nearby Wyandot National Burying Ground. In 2010 the Wyandotte Nation acquired land in Park City, Kansas, with the stated intention of building a gaming casino and hotel.
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Wikipedia