Post by Okwes on Feb 9, 2007 10:57:47 GMT -5
Eastern Shawnee Tribe elects first-ever female chief
SENECA, Mo. - A rural
Seneca woman has become the first female chief to ever lead the Eastern
Shawnee Tribe of Oklahoma, which is based on the Oklahoma-Missouri
border. Glenna J. Wallace, 68, was sworn in Wednesday at the Eastern
Shawnee tribal grounds. She was elected to the post in November. "To
the tribe's knowledge, I am the first female chief," Wallace said. The
tribe traces its history to Ohio in the 1740s and currently is suing
that state to reclaim land it wants to use for a casino. In the
low-key ceremony, Wallace quoted Tecumseh, a Shawnee chief, warrior and
orator who died in 1813. "Tecumseh said the seventh generation shall
bring my people back," Wallace said. "I am honored to say I am part of
that generation, and as a people we want to be successful in returning
to Ohio." The tribe is seeking ownership of 146 square miles in Ohio
to be used for casino sites. "We want to return to Ohio - to be a
federal recognized tribe and to be restored in Ohio," she said.
Wallace said she will leave her job as a communications professor at
Crowder College in Neosho, where she has taught for 38 years, to devote
her time to the tribe. "This will be a full-time position, and I intend
to give full-time energy," she said. The tribe owns a 57,000-square-foot
casino near its Oklahoma headquarters in Ottawa County. "We are a
self-managed casino, but there are things we need to do to keep up with
the technology," Wallace said. Wallace joins a small group of female
chiefs that includes Wilma Mankiller, principal chief of the Cherokee
Nation from 1985 to 1995; Alice Brown Davis, principal chief of the
Seminole Nation from 1922 to 1935; and Grace Goodeagle (1994-1996) and
Tamara Summerfield (2000-2002), who served as chairwomen of the Quapaw
Tribe.
SENECA, Mo. - A rural
Seneca woman has become the first female chief to ever lead the Eastern
Shawnee Tribe of Oklahoma, which is based on the Oklahoma-Missouri
border. Glenna J. Wallace, 68, was sworn in Wednesday at the Eastern
Shawnee tribal grounds. She was elected to the post in November. "To
the tribe's knowledge, I am the first female chief," Wallace said. The
tribe traces its history to Ohio in the 1740s and currently is suing
that state to reclaim land it wants to use for a casino. In the
low-key ceremony, Wallace quoted Tecumseh, a Shawnee chief, warrior and
orator who died in 1813. "Tecumseh said the seventh generation shall
bring my people back," Wallace said. "I am honored to say I am part of
that generation, and as a people we want to be successful in returning
to Ohio." The tribe is seeking ownership of 146 square miles in Ohio
to be used for casino sites. "We want to return to Ohio - to be a
federal recognized tribe and to be restored in Ohio," she said.
Wallace said she will leave her job as a communications professor at
Crowder College in Neosho, where she has taught for 38 years, to devote
her time to the tribe. "This will be a full-time position, and I intend
to give full-time energy," she said. The tribe owns a 57,000-square-foot
casino near its Oklahoma headquarters in Ottawa County. "We are a
self-managed casino, but there are things we need to do to keep up with
the technology," Wallace said. Wallace joins a small group of female
chiefs that includes Wilma Mankiller, principal chief of the Cherokee
Nation from 1985 to 1995; Alice Brown Davis, principal chief of the
Seminole Nation from 1922 to 1935; and Grace Goodeagle (1994-1996) and
Tamara Summerfield (2000-2002), who served as chairwomen of the Quapaw
Tribe.