Assistant Chief Locust Re-elected to NCAI Board
The United
Keetoowah Band of
Cherokee Indians in
Oklahoma’s Assistant
Chief Charles Locust
will serve the next two
years as the National
Congress of American
Indians (NCAI)
Eastern Oklahoma area
vice president alternate.
Mr. Locust was
re-elected by acclamation
by members of the
Eastern Oklahoma area
caucus during the 64th
Annual Convention of
the NCAI in Denver,
CO.
The National
Congress for the
American Indian is the
largest organization of
American Indian tribes
with over 250 tribes
represented. The
organization monitors
and lobbies for legislation
affecting Indian
tribes across the
nation. Since 1944, the
National Congress of
American Indian has
been working to
inform the public and
Congress on the governmental
rights of
American Indians and
Alaska Natives.
Mr. Locust duties
as NCAI Eastern
Oklahoma area vice
president alternate,
will be working along
with the Eastern
Oklahoma vice president
Joe Grayson,
attending meetings
with NCAI Board of
Directors, working
with assigned committees,
projects and
issues.
Mr. Locust brings
experience and qualifications
in performing
his duties of a NCAI
board member. In addition
to serving as
Assistant Chief of the
United Keetoowah
Band of Cherokee
Indians in Oklahoma,
he has served as
Eastern Oklahoma area
vice president for the
past two years as well
as other tribal positions.
Locust has
served as Executive
Director for Tribal
Operations, Executive
Director for Housing
Authority, Director of
Gaming, Program
Accountant, and
Gaming Commission
Chairman with the
Miami Tribe of
Oklahoma and
Cherokee Nation of
Oklahoma and in the
private sector as
President of the
Gaming Division for
Rocket Gaming.
Locust holds a
Bachelor’s degree in
Social Science, with an
emphasis in Business
Administration and has
completed coursework
toward a Masters’ in
Business Administration.
The prior two years
as Eastern Oklahoma
area vice president
alternate, Mr. Locust
has attended quarterly,
annual and mid year
NCAI executive board
meetings. “These
meetings give board
members an overview
of what will be discussed
in regards to
issues that will affect
the tribes during their
annual NCAI convention.
Responses to education,
legal issues,
court issues, Indian
Child Welfare,
Housing, etc.” stated
Locust. “As for
changes, NCAI has
grown to the point
where they are actually
more involved in
assimilating information
to the tribes,
where before information
was not reaching
tribes, NCAI was just
an organization. Today
NCAI is actually
administering workshops
and providing
legal documents for
tribes.”
Mr. Locust’s goals
for the next two years
as Eastern Oklahoma
area vice president
alternate are to provide
awareness in regards to
the United Keetoowah
Band of CherokeeIndians in Oklahoma. To ensure
smaller tribes have a voice in
NCAI and throughout Indian
Country. “I think that’s one
thing that is lacking, the voice of
the small tribes who are dominated
by tribes with enormous
amount of resources, legally,
legislatively or financially. They
cannot compete with the larger
tribes in those areas so they have
to seek other alternatives to support
their views such as NCAI.
Many of the larger tribes who
have the resources feel they
have no need for NCAI and
bypass the organization. I think
we should keep a level playing
field for all tribes, prevent larger
tribes from dominating all
tribes. Many times the larger
tribes will sign agreements with
agencies without the knowledge
of smaller tribes, and in some
cases have been drastically
affected by that decision. The
smaller tribe doesn’t have the
opportunity to see how that
decision evolved.”
Concerns were also brought
to attention during the Eastern
Oklahoma Area election in
Denver at the NCAI
Convention. The question was
brought up as to how the
Delaware Tribe was allowed to
vote for the Eastern Oklahoma
Area vice-president. “It was my
understanding that you had to be
a state or federally recognized
tribe to vote as a tribe. At this
point the Delaware Tribe is neither,
the tribe is not state or federally
recognized, how did they
carry 180 votes?” stated Locust.
“I received a list from NCAI at
the executive board meeting on
Saturday, Nov. 17 where it
showed only four tribes paid in
our district, the United
Keetoowah Band of Cherokee
Indians in Oklahoma,
Choctaws, Chickasaws and
Cherokee Nation. The Delaware
Tribe attended the Eastern
Oklahoma election meeting and
the Eastern Region Chairman
from Cherokee Nation allowed
the Delaware Tribe to vote. I
stated that the Delaware Tribe
shouldn’t be allowed to vote and
asked for a protest, no action
was taken by the Eastern
Oklahoma committee so the
United Keetoowah Band has
decided to write an official letter
to the Executive Board
announcing our protest.”
Another concern was the
timing and change of date for
the Eastern Oklahoma Area
election. Questions were
brought up as to why the change
of date for the election. It was
felt that one tribe was trying to
dominate the election. Because
of the change other tribes may
not have had the opportunity to
properly register their credentials
for the voting process or
have the time or resources to
reschedule their attendance at
the NCAI convention causing
some tribes to miss the election.
“In the future, meetings should
have a quorum before decisions
such as these types of changes
are made! This just demonstrates
how the smaller tribes
can be dominated, when
allowed too,” stated Locust.
