Political notebook: Democrats say Stitt 'harrassing' tribes

Tribal allies: Oklahoma Democratic Party Chairwoman Alicia Andrews accused Gov. Kevin Stitt of “harassing” the state’s tribal governments, most recently by his not renewing hunting and fishing license agreements with the Cherokee and Choctaw nations.

“The dictionary defines harassment as annoying or bothering someone in a constant or repeated manner. This aptly defines what Oklahoma’s governor is doing to our proud, indigenous people,” Andrews said in a written statement.

“Oklahoma literally means ‘red nation’ or ‘red people’s nation.’ It’s something we all learned in grade school,” said Andrews. “It is a shame that the person holding our state’s highest elected office is again embarrassing Oklahomans by refusing to renegotiate hunting and fishing rights on Native land.”

The Cherokees and Choctaws reacted to Stitt’s decision by invoking an 1866 treaty that guarantees them hunting and fishing rights on their reservations, which under the 2020 McGirt decision includes their tribal nations as defined by that agreement.

Read more: https://tulsaworld.com/news/local/political-notebook-democrats-say-stitt-harrassing-tribes/article_3be3f866-6358-11ec-9851-c72df1d15ccd.html