Kansas Advisory Council for Indigenous Education

As leaders across the state of Kansas (K-12 and Higher Education) engage in dialogue around issues of race and ethnicity in our educational systems, the Kansas Advisory Council for Indigenous Education strongly recommends to always consider the unique political status of individuals who are citizens of Native Nations when making decisions. 

• KACIE Statement - Political Status of Tribal Citizens (PDF) Documents are available upon request.
• KACIE Appendices - Political Status of Tribal Citizens (PDF) Documents are available upon request.

This Memorandum of Understanding (MOA) is between the Kansas State Board of Education (KSBOE), the Kansas Board of Regents (KSBOR), and the Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation, the Iowa Tribe of Kansas and Nebraska, the Kickapoo Tribe in Kansas, and the Sac and Fox Nation of Missouri in Kansas and Nebraska.

• MOA: KACIE-signed-by-KSDE-KBOR-Four Tribal Nations-April-19-2024 (PDF) Document is available upon request.

60-5321. Traditional tribal regalia and objects of cultural significance, wearing of. (a) The legislature hereby declares that the purpose of this act is to help further the state's recognition of the distinct and unique cultural heritage of the Native Americans and the state's commitment to preserving the Native Americans' cultural integrity...

• Traditional Tribal Regalia and Objects of Cultural Significance (PDF) Document is available upon request.

The Kansas Legislature enacted a provision to allow certain students enrolling at a public institution of higher education in Kansas to have residency status for the purpose of tuition & fees. This current provision is in place from July 1, 2025, through June 30, 2026. 

Students who are enrolled as a member of the following Nations are eligible for residency status for tuition payment at Kansas public institutions of higher education, regardless of the location of their residence.

• The Kickapoo Tribe of Indians of the Kickapoo Reservation in Kansas
• The Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation
• The Iowa Tribe of Kansas and Nebraska
• The Sac and Fox Nation of Missouri in Kansas and Nebraska, or

The following federally recognized Indigenous Nations with historical connections to Kansas territories with one or more of the following references within the Tribe's name:

• Apache
• Arapaho
• Caddo
• Cheyenne
• Cherokee
• Chickasaw
• Chippewa and Ojibwe (including Bay Mills)
• Choctaw
• Comanche
• Delaware
• Iowa (Ioway and Baxoje)
• Kaw (Kanza)
• Kickapoo
• Kiowa
• Miami
• Missouria (including Otoe-Missouria)
• Modoc
• Muscogee (Creek, including Yuchi, Euchee or Uchee)
• Nez Perce
• Omaha
• Oneida
• Osage
• Otoe
• Ottawa (Odawa)
• Potawatomi (Pottawatomi)
• Pawnee
• Peoria
• Ponca
• Pueblo
• Quapaw
• Sac and Fox (including Meskwaki)
• Seminole
• Seneca-Cayuga
• Shawnee
• Stockbridge-Munsee (Mohican)
• Wichita and Affiliated Tribes (Wichita, Keechi, Waco and Tawakonie)
• Wyandotte
  

The operations of the Iowa Tribe of Kansas and Nebraska are based on its federally established reservation covering approximately 12,038 acres across portions of Brown County and Doniphan County in Northeast Kansas and Richardson County in Southeast Nebraska. The reservation was established and modified pursuant to a series of treaties, with the current boundaries established in the Treaty of March 6, 1861. The Iowa Tribe of Kansas and Nebraska currently controls approximately 6,000 acres of its reservation with most of this land held in trust.

• Iowa Tribe of Kansas and Nebraska website available upon request.

The Kickapoo Tribe in Kansas envisions a sovereign tribal government with the ability and knowledge to be an effective advocate and leader that is responsive to the needs of Kickapoo tribal members as it relates to community and economic development and growth and the protection and use of its resources.

• Kickapoo Tribe of Kansas website available upon request.

As a sovereign Nation, we [Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation] shall ensure self-sufficiency that respects diversity and equality while working within a spirit of cooperation and fairness for a high standard of living and quality of life.

As a sovereign Nation, we [Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation] shall strive to provide an environment of improved well-being for our people including education, health, safety, and welfare while valuing our culture, traditions, and all resources.

As a sovereign Nation, we [Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation] shall accomplish this for all generations with a system of value-based management to respect all views.

• Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation website available upon request.

The Sac and Fox people have long been known for their cultural independence. Despite the many hardships that they have faced over the years, which included losing the majority of their land and people, they have remained a viable group who are proud of their ancestors and heritage.

The Sauk/Sac were called the 'People of the Yellow Earth' which distinguishes them from the Foxes who were called the 'Red Earth People'. The Sac and Fox Nation are Algonquian speaking people and are of the Woodland culture. The Sac and Fox people lived in bark houses in small villages. The Sac social organization consisted of clans : Bear, Sturgeon, Thunder and Wolf.

• Sac and Fox Nation of Missouri in Kansas and Nebraska website available upon request.