Lawton, OK – The City of Lawton marked its ninth annual Indigenous Peoples Day on October 12 with a gathering at City Hall celebrating Indigenous communities, their history and their lasting contributions to the Lawton-Fort Sill area.
The event brought together community members, tribal representatives, local leaders and students for a program featuring a land acknowledgment, cultural songs, a color guard representing tribal nations of Southwest Oklahoma and the presentation of the city’s Indigenous Peoples Day proclamation.
The proclamation recognized Indigenous peoples whose traditional homelands include the Lawton area, including the Comanche, Kiowa and Apache nations. It also highlighted their cultural and historical contributions and encouraged residents and organizations to reflect on Indigenous history and celebrate Native cultures.
Guest speaker Cornel Pewewardy, a University of Oklahoma professor and former vice chair of the Comanche Nation, delivered a land acknowledgment recognizing the region’s traditional stewards and the continuing effects of colonization.
The city also recognized local Indigenous leaders and organizations for their contributions. This year’s awards included Indigenous Department of the Year, presented to the Comanche Nation Reintegration Department; Indigenous Community-Based Organization of the Year, awarded to MMIW Indian Capital; and Indigenous Mentor/Coach of the Year, presented to Joshua Poahway.
Additional programming was scheduled at Cameron University, including a cedar blessing, a tribal color guard presentation, a roundtable discussion featuring Native scholars and educators, and a keynote address by Kim TallBear, a professor of American Indian Studies at the University of Minnesota.
The evening program included a Native food sovereignty dinner, exhibition dancing, an awards presentation and a closing ceremony.
The celebration was sponsored by the Native American Intertribal Association, a Cameron University student organization, and the Lawton Indigenous Peoples’ Day Committee.
