From ribbon cuttings to coin tosses, tribal affairs closed out 2025 and rang in 2026 with a mix of celebration, debate and a little bit of luck.
In McAlester, the Choctaw Nation finally cut the ribbon on its long-anticipated $70 million health clinic expansion, turning three years of waiting into 51,000 square feet of new space.
The Choctaw Nation also looked to the future and the past by partnering with Rosetta Stone to preserve the Choctaw language, which is now part of the platform’s Endangered Languages Program after COVID-19 sharply reduced the number of fluent speakers.
Elsewhere, the Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes mourned Harvey Pratt, who was a Marine, Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation forensic artist and designer of the National Native American Veterans Memorial in Washington.
The Muscogee National Council had a busier December, approving pay its own raises effective 2028 after hours of debate — then letting fate decide leadership roles with a pair of coin flips. Meanwhile, the nation filed suit against Oklahoma over wildlife enforcement, joining other tribes in arguing tribal citizens should not be regulated by the state within reservation boundaries.
Read about all of that and more in this roundup.
Muscogee National Council approves raises, vote vetoed by chief
The Muscogee National Council voted 13-1 on Dec. 20 to adopt an amended substitute to National Council Act 25-125 into law, giving representatives a raise. The approval followed extensive debate and four separate votes, but Principal Chief David Hill ultimately vetoed the bill Jan. 6.
Unlike the Oklahoma Legislature, whose pay rates are approved by a board of appointed citizens, the National Council approves its own raises.
Sponsored by Rep. Nelson Harjo Sr., the legislation authorized a $459,154 appropriation to increase salaries for council leadership, with the changes set to take effect in 2028. Rep. Dode Barnett cast the lone dissenting vote on final passage.
According to Mvskoke Media, under the law, council representatives’ salaries will rise from $47,000 to $75,000 annually. The speaker’s salary will increase from $70,000 to $85,000, while the second speaker’s salary will increase from $47,000 to $80,000. An added amendment eliminated mileage reimbursement for travel to council sessions, special sessions, emergency sessions and committee meetings.
Supporters argued the raises are necessary owing to cost-of-living increases, expanded responsibilities and population growth within the Muscogee Nation, noting that council salaries had not increased since 2014 while about 30,000 citizens have enrolled since then.
Opponents raised concerns about accountability, the definition of “full-time” work, fairness to other tribal employees and a lack of public input.
After motions to postpone, reconsider and amend the proposal, the council approved an amendment delaying implementation to 2028 before passing the final bill. Rep. Dode Barnett cast the only vote against the bill.
Mvskoke Media reported that Hill vetoed the bill citing two reasons, stating the compensation of the National Council must be formally evaluated every four years by an evaluation committee and that the bill was “randomly raised on an ad hoc basis without an evaluation process.” Hill’s second objection said it would be inappropriate to add the proposed $438,358 to the National Council’s Fiscal Year 2026 budget, as the raises would not have taken effect until 2028.
Coin flip decides Muscogee Council leadership roles
To start the new year and the 24th inaugural session of the Muscogee National Council, the role of speaker and second speaker were decided by a coin flip, according to Mvskoke Media.
After two split votes of 8-8, a coin toss between Akfvske District Seat A Rep. Randall Hicks and Tvlse District B Rep. Lucian Tiger III ended with Hicks getting reelected as speaker over Tiger, a former speaker who infamously cast the deciding 2018 vote to repeal the Free Press Act.
Similarly, an 8-8 tie vote for second speaker between Tukvpvtce District B Rep. Thomasene Yahola Osburn and Okmulke District B Rep. William Lowe was also decided by coin toss, with Yahola Osborne reelected as second speaker over Lowe, another former speaker reelected to the council with Tiger in 2025.
Tvlse District A Rep. Robert Huft was elected sergeant at arms with a unanimous 16-0 vote.
Muscogee Nation sues state over wildlife enforcement
In a lawsuit filed Jan. 5, the Muscogee Nation is suing Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Director Wade Free and attorney Russell Cochran, a special prosecutor appointed by Gov. Kevin Stitt to prosecute cases involving wildlife violations.
The suit is similar to another lawsuit brought against state officials by the Cherokee, Chickasaw and Choctaw nations. Both seek to prohibit the state from enforcing state hunting and fishing laws on tribal citizens within the tribes’ reservations, which were affirmed for purposes of the Major Crimes Act in 2020.
The Muscogee Nation is seeking declaratory and injunctive relief on two issues:
- that Muscogee Nation citizens hunting and fishing with reservation boundaries have the right to be free from regulation by the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation and prosecution by Cochran; and
- that, pursuant to a 2024 reciprocity agreement, citizens of the Five Tribes have the right to hunt or fish within those tribes’ reservations without regulation from the state or prosecution by Cochran.
The suit claims tribal members are being harassed by game wardens to the point where some are opting to purchase a state license rather than risk being fined in state courts.
“A number of those citizens have acquiesced to those threats by submitting to state licensing and regulation,” the lawsuit states. “They have done so despite the fact that their hunting and fishing activities are lawful under nation and federal law without compliance with ODWC.”
Choctaw Nation expands McAlester clinic
More than three years after an expansion and remodel of the Choctaw Nation’s health clinic in McAlester was first announced, the tribal nation celebrated the $70 million project with a ribbon-cutting ceremony Dec. 16.
According to the tribe, the 51,000-square-foot expansion increases clinical space, improves patient flow and allows the clinic to better meet growing health care demands while reducing wait times and expanding preventive and primary care services. The clinic is located at 1127 S. George Nigh Expressway.
Chief Gary Batton said during the ceremony that the tribe’s council approved the use of $70 million received from the American Rescue Plan Act for the project.
“That’s an investment in improving the lives of our tribal members, making sure that they can extend their lives and have a healthier life,” Batton said.
As part of the expansion, the clinic has added six specialty services, including gastroenterology, cardiology and orthopedics. The original clinic building is now undergoing renovations to connect it with the new expansion, creating a single, cohesive facility designed to meet a wide range of patient needs. Those renovations are expected to be completed by summer 2026.
Rosetta Stone now offering Choctaw language course
The Choctaw Nation announced a partnership with Rosetta Stone in December as an effort to preserve the tribal language.
“When we speak Chahta, our ancestors speak through us. Sharing our language ensures their voices will never fade,” Batton said in a press release. “Each word spoken is the core that strengthens our families and our culture, and secures our identity as the Chahta people. This partnership to share our language is more than a program. It is an act of love for our people and a promise to keep our culture alive for generations to come.”
The number of fluent speakers has “sharply declined” with the loss of speakers attributed to the COVID-19 pandemic, according to the release.
The Choctaw language will be part of Rosetta Stone’s Endangered Languages Program, which focuses on recording and teaching “at-risk” languages, including other Native American languages.
Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes mourns loss of Harvey Pratt
The Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes, the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation and a slate of officials are mourning the loss of Harvey Pratt, a renowned artist whose impact lives on in the state and the nation.
In a joint statement, Cheyenne and Arapaho Gov. Reggie Wassana and Lt. Gov. Hershel Gorham said Pratt was not only a leader and public servant, but also a trusted friend and mentor to the community.
“His creation of the National Native American Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C. stands as a powerful tribute to Native service members and a lasting symbol of honor, sacrifice, and resilience,” Wassana and Gorham said. “Harvey’s legacy of service, integrity, and cultural pride will continue to inspire generations to come.”
After serving in the U.S. Marine Corps, Pratt began a career in law enforcement and eventually became a special agent with OSBI. During his 45-year career, he held numerous positions, including investigator, forensic artist, division director and interim director.
OSBI also honored Pratt in a social media post.
“Harvey’s artwork can still be seen throughout our headquarters building, including our mural, which showcases the great history of this agency,” the post stated. “Beyond the OSBI, his talents have been showcased throughout our entire state and nation. Harvey impacted not only Oklahomans, but individuals throughout the United States. His compassion and love for others will not be forgotten.”
Along with his paintings posted across the nation, Pratt designed the National Native American Veterans Memorial on the National Mall in Washington.
“Harvey’s legacy of service, integrity and cultural pride will continue to inspire generations to come,” Wassana and Gorham said in their joint statement.
Cherokee Nation proposes OU nursing partnership
On Jan. 5, Cherokee Nation Principal Chief Chuck Hoskin Jr. and Deputy Chief Bryan Warner proposed legislation to invest $30 million in a partnership with the University of Oklahoma College of Nursing and create a satellite campus in Tahlequah.
“We cannot create a world class system of wellness if we do not maximize our health care workforce,” Hoskin said in a press release, calling the proposal “a generational investment to ensure we have Cherokees entering the health profession in record numbers now and deep into the 21st century.”
The proposal, known as the “21st Century Cherokee Healthcare Workforce” plan, includes a $30 million remodel of the current W.W. Hastings Hospital facility to house the Cherokee Nation Nursing and Allied Health Education Center. The existing hospital will be replaced by a new facility by mid-2026. Additional measures include more than $5 million for a nursing and allied health scholarship endowment tied to employment in the tribe’s health system, $1 million annually for health-related college scholarships and youth career exploration, and $1 million annually for non-degree health career training grants.
“This plan is a win for the entire region,” Warner said, emphasizing the partnership with OU to deliver “world-class nursing education” while creating career pathways for Cherokee citizens.
Another bill, the Cherokee Nation Nursing and Allied Health Education Center and Endowment Act, would authorize the tribe to partner with a third-party higher education provider, and OU is identified as the intended operator. OU President Joseph Harroz Jr. said the university is “proud to collaborate with tribal nations to expand access to high-quality nursing education.”
If the bills are approved by the Cherokee Nation Tribal Council, construction would begin after hospital operations move in 2026. Nursing cohorts could begin online in fall 2026, with the remodeled campus opening in 2027.
