Nebraska Commission on Indian Affairs

Scott Shafer

The purpose of the Commission shall be to join representatives of all Indians in Nebraska to do all things which it may determine to enhance the cause of Indian Rights and to develop solutions to problems common to all Nebraska Indians. The Commission is committed to the social and economic betterment of all American Indians living in the state of Nebraska and educates for a greater cultural understanding of the States first citizens. NCIAs principles are based in honoring and respecting the government-to-government memorandum between the Governor and Nebraska's headquartered tribes.

The entire state of Nebraska. 1.9 million. Native issues, culture and history are interwoven with and constantly interacting with all aspects of the lives of Nebraska's citizens.

Total Native Population in Nebraska is approximately 22,500.

1971

1971

There is no sunset date for our agency

The Nebraska Commission on Indian Affairs (NCIA) was created by LB 904 of the 82nd session of the Nebraska Legislature on May 22, 1971. The Indian Commission statutes are outlined in sections 81-2504 R.R.S.

Nebraska Commission on Indian Affairs is the parent agency.

14 Commissioners

Eight members are selected by the tribes for approval by the Governor. The remaining six members are appointed by the governor.

No

Members must be an enrolled tribal member.The Commission shall consist of fourteen members who shall be enrolled tribal members of a federally recognized Indian tribe residing with the state of Nebraska and from the following categories: Two from the Omaha Tribe reservation; two from the Winnebago Tribe reservation; two from the Santee Tribe reservation; two from the Ponca Tribe of Nebraska; one from the City of Lincoln; two from the city of Omaha; one from the district comprised of Sioux, Dawes, Sheridan, and Box Butte counties; one from the district comprised of Garden, Deuel, Cheyenne, Kimball, Banner, Morrill, and Scotts Bluff counties; and one member at large.

$50

Yes for travel and other necessary expense to attend board meetings and other activities deemed relevant to conducting agency business and supporting it mission.

Four (4) years

Terms Rotate

4

3

4

4

4

4

2

Separate

205,261

208,175

219,237

Currently none

81-2503 Commission; legal entity; executive director; qualifications; office The Commission shall be a legal entity with the power to receive and administer funds from state, federal, tribal, and other sources, and to employ and fix the compensation of a

Sovereign Native Youth Leadership Academy (2016)21 Native students participated in a five day leadership camp hosted at Doane College in Crete, NE. Students engaged in a digital story telling workshop telling stories about their lives and their commitment to developing as leaders in their communities.Joint publishing project with UNL Center for Great Plains Studies (2016)NCIA has partnered with UNL Center for Great Plains Studies on development and publishing of the book The Long Struggle. This book is an important addition to Nebraskas historical record concerning the Ponca Tribe of Nebraskas relocation to Oklahoma. Partnership with Hastings College (2016)NCIA has partnered with Hasting College to produce a Follow the Trail pamphlet for distribution to travelers and tourists across Nebraska. Anticipated for 2016 is a partnership with the college to conduct a service learning project focused on the Standing Bear historic trail.Chief Standing Bear Scholarships (2016)Awarded two scholarships of $2,500 each to Native students in Nebraska. Partnership with UNL Mid-American Transportation Center and UNL History Department (2015)NCIA has partnered with UNL Mid American Transportation Center and UNL History Department to develop a state of the art web page and map depicting the Ponca Relocation Journey from Nebraska to Oklahoma. Co-Host of Hubbard Lecture (2015)The University of Nebraska State Museum welcomed filmmakers Dr. Elizabeth A. Castle and Christina D. King with Marcy Gilbert and Madonna Thunder Hawk for the third annual Claire M. Hubbard First Peoples of the Plains Lecture on Oct. 1 at the Sheldon Museum of Art. "Warrior Women" is the untold story of mothers and daughters fighting for civil rights in the American Indian Movement of the 1970s. Reappointed to the Minority Task Force (2015)Sovereign Native Youth Leadership Academy (2015)38 Native students participated in a five day leadership camp hosted at Doane College in Crete, NE. As part of the camp, students visited the Nebraska State Capitol, the Makers Space at UNLs Innovation Campus, the Henry Doorly Zoo and Aquarium, National Park Service in Omaha, and the Joslyn Art Museum. Standing Bear and the Trail Ahead Symposium (2015)In 2015, the Chief Standing Bear Breakfast was held in conjunction with the Center for Great Plains Symposium, creating a two day event Standing Bear and the Trail Ahead. On May 14th and 15th, the Center for Great Plains Studies at the University of Nebraska and the Nebraska Commission on Indian Affairs brought together an exceptional gathering of Native American talent and achievement in Lincoln, NE. Over the course of the two days the symposium explored the status, challenges, and opportunities and prospects that Native Americans face going forward. The 2015 keynote speaker for the Chief Standing Bear Breakfast was Emmy Award winning news anchor and journalist Hattie Kauffman, who recently published her memoir Falling Into Place in 2013.Chief Standing Bear Hiking & Biking Trail (2015)Facilitated the transfer of land ownership from the Nebraska Trails Foundation to the Ponca Tribe of Nebraska.Native Daughters Oklahoma Curriculum (2015)Partnered with UNL College of Journalism and Oklahoma Humanities to develop a free downloadable curriculum to accompany the Native Daughters Oklahoma magazine. Curriculum completed July 2015.UNL Digital Humanities Collaboration (2015)NCIA worked with a group of four UNL graduate students who are part of the UNL Digital Humanities program to develop a new interactive Standing Bear Trail map. Membership on the Lincoln Community Foundation Board (2015)Sovereign Native Youth Leadership Academy (2014)20 Native students participated in a digital story telling workshop held at Mahoney State Park. Students created movies exploring their self-identity.Hubbard Lecture (2014)On October 10, 2014, the University of Nebraska State Museum and NCIA partnered with the Claire M. Hubbard Foundation to welcome author and educator Virginia Driving Hawk Sneve and attorney Gena Timberman for the second annual Claire M. Hubbard First Peoples of the Plains Lecture at the Sheldon Museum of Art, 12th and R streets.UNL EPSCOR Science Grant Project (2014)NCIA is a program partner with the University of Nebraska on this grant project. The grant, a Research Infrastructure Improvement Track 3 award, is part of a pilot program through NSF and EPSCoR -- Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research -- to target underrepresented populations in science, technology, engineering and mathematics, often referred to as the STEM fields.Chief Standing Bear Scholarships (2014)Awarded two scholarships of $2,500 each to Native students in Nebraska. This marks the eighth year of this program with a total of 26 students receiving $35,000 of donated funds to pursue their dreams of higher education.Hubbard Lecture (2013)-Gyasi Ross, "The Brilliance of Indigenous Mentorship and the Current Crisis to Native Communities When Mentorship DisappearsOn Friday, October 11, 2013, NCIA partnered with the Claire M. Hubbard Foundation and UNL to present the Hubbard Lecture, featuring Gyasi Ross. The goal of the annual lecture and surrounding events is to help advance the understanding and appreciation of the cultural heritage of the First Peoples of the Plains. Ross, who lives in Seattle, graduated from Columbia Law School and is a practicing attorney with Crowell Law Office-Tribal Advocacy Group, specializing in the economic development of tribes. Ross' family comes from the Suquamish Nation and Ross has continued his family's storytelling legacy with the publication of his first book of short stories and poems in 2011. He is also a frequent contributor to the Seattle Times, Indian Country Today and the Huffington Post.Membership on Racial Profiling Advisory Committee Crime Commission (2013)Membership on UNL Presidents Advisory Committee (2013)Membership on Community Justice Committee (2013)Chief Standing Bear Breakfast (2013)In 2013, the Chief Standing Bear Breakfast was held on Friday, May 10 in La Vista with nearly 700 in attendance. The keynote speaker was Roger Welsch, he has written more than 40 books, including Its not the End of the Earth, But You Can See It From Here; Busted Tractors and Rusty Knuckles; Touching the Fire: Buffalo Dancers, the Sky Bundle, and Other Tales; and his most recent, Embracing Fry Bread: Confessions of a Wannabe. His work has appeared in Natural History Magazine, Readers Digest, Esquire Gentleman, and elsewhere. He is a past recipient of the Mari Sandoz Award and the 1996 Man of the Year in Service to Nebraska Agriculture. His Postcard from Nebraska was a bi-weekly feature on CBSs Sunday Morning. In 1967, he was adopted into the Omaha Tribe and maintains strong ties to the tribe and to the Native American Church. He serves on behalf of the Pawnee Tribe as Ex-Officio representative for the tribe on the board of the Nebraska Commission on Indian Affairs.Online Screening of Challenges of Native American Women (2013)NET Television, in collaboration with Vision Maker Video is pleased to host this interactive online screening and chat focusing on the Challenges of Native American Women. Our online guests are producer Princella Parker of the Omaha tribe and Judi gaiashkibos, director of the Nebraska Commission on Indian Affairs. We have two films to screen--the premiere of a short film, produced by Princella Parker, called The Quiet Power of Danelle Smith and an excerpt from the PBS special Kind Hearted Woman. Following the screening well have a discussion comparing the two films and the challenges both women face.Chief Standing Bear Trail Project (2013)Work continues to evolve on this project with a work group consisting of academic representatives from the University of Nebraska and Hastings College. Other participants include Nebraska Department of Roads, Nebraska Tourism, private sector business leaders and humanities representatives in Kansas and Oklahoma. Honorary Chair of the group is Nebraska Congressman Jeff Fortenberry. Plans are being finalized to partner with University of Nebraskas Center for Great Plains Studies to host a symposium on the trail and related issues. This symposium is scheduled for spring of 2015 in either Lincoln or Omaha. Centennial Mall Partnership (2013)Partnering with the Centennial Mall coalition to include a significant Native historical, cultural and educational component to the nearly $10 million dollar redevelopment of the Centennial Mall in Lincoln. Pawnee Arts Center-University of Nebraska Kearney Collaboration (2013)Facilitated collaboration between the University of Nebraska-Kearney Center for Rural Research and Development, UNK ENACTUS student business group and the Pawnee Art Center in Dannebrog, Nebraska. The UNK group has agreed to consult with the Center and develop partnerships with local resources to help facilitate the mission of the Center to market Native artists work and educate the public about the history and culture of the Pawnee tribe. Sovereign Native Youth Leadership Academy (2013)30 Native junior high and high school students attended a three day camp at Mahoney State Park. Students attended discussions on leadership and personal development.Sovereign Native Youth Leadership Project (2013)20+ Native students from Nebraska, in conjunction with DHHS and federal Maternal Children and Health grant are developing health related Public Service Announcements for broadcast and use in Nebraska and the United States.ICWA Hearing (2012)Co-hosted in Macy, Nebraska a public hearing with the Nebraska Legislature and Nebraska Appleseed Foundation to hear testimony about foster care and ICWA issues in the state of Nebraska. The agency continues to work with members of the states tribal relations committee to review ICWA and foster care issues for Native youth in Nebraska. Sovereign Native Youth Leadership Project (2012)Held a 2 day camp leadership camp for 27 Native high school students at Ponca State Park. The camp featured presentations by nationally recognized Native leaders. In partnership with NET, a Nebraska Stories piece was produced and broadcast across the state.