OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) -
Officials from about 20 of Oklahoma's federally recognized Native
American tribes joined Gov. Mary Fallin, who held a special ceremony to
recognize a national proclamation of November as Native American
Heritage Month.
Tuesday's ceremony was well
received by tribal officials, who have seen the governor's office
entangled in lawsuit with 2 of the state's largest tribes - the
Chickasaw and Choctaw nations - over water rights in southeastern
Oklahoma.
Fallin's office also pushed
a bill to eliminate the state's Indian Affairs Commission, which the
Legislature approved in 2011, and replace the state agency with a Native
American liaison post in her office.
Fallin on Tuesday stressed
the importance of good relations with the state's 38 federally
recognized tribes and says she's meeting weekly with her Native American
liaison, Jacque Hensley.
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