The Native American Affairs Liaison is a position in the

executive branch The Executive, also referred as the Executive branch or Executive power, is the term commonly used to describe that part of government which enforces the law, and has overall responsibility for the governance of a State (polity), state. In poli ...

Oklahoma Oklahoma (; Choctaw language, Choctaw: ; chr, ᎣᎧᎳᎰᎹ, ''Okalahoma'' ) is a U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States, bordered by Texas on the south and west, Kansas on the nor ...

government responsible for representing federally recognized tribes in the state within the executive branch. The position replaced the Oklahoma Indian Affairs Commission in 2011. The current Native American Affairs Liaison is

Wes Nofire John Wesley "Wes" Nofire (born April 30, 1986) is a Cherokee-American politician and a former heavyweight professional boxer. During his boxing career Nofire fought under the name "The Cherokee Warrior". Nofire currently serves on the Cherokee Nat ...

Background

In 2011, the Oklahoma Indian Affairs Commission was replaced by the Native American Affairs Liaison. While the Oklahoma Legislature was debating the creation of the position there was disagreement over whether to create a Native American Affairs Liaison appointed by the Governor of Oklahoma or to create a permanent Oklahoma Secretary of Native American Affairs. Representative

Paul Wesselhoft Paul Wesselhöft (born August 16, 1947, in Oklahoma City) is an American soldier, poet, politician, and author who served in the Oklahoma House of Representatives from the 54th district from 2004 to 2016. He is currently serving as a Representa ...

supported the proposal for a permanent secretary position, but a different proposal cosponsored by Earl Sears was eventually passed. The final version of the bill created the Oklahoma Native American Affairs Liaison and allows the liaison to also serve as the Oklahoma Secretary of Native American Affairs, but does not mandate there be a Secretary of Native American Affairs. The position is appointed by the Governor of Oklahoma. The position was created by the Oklahoma legislature to advise the governor and consult with

tribal governments The term tribe is used in many different contexts to refer to a category of human social group. The predominant worldwide usage of the term in English is in the discipline of anthropology. This definition is contested, in part due to conflic ...

in order to decrease

litigation - A lawsuit is a proceeding by a party or parties against another in the civil court of law. The archaic term "suit in law" is found in only a small number of laws still in effect today. The term "lawsuit" is used in reference to a civil actio ...

between the two. The liaison also monitors how state agencies interact with tribal governments. The liaison is required to be a member of a

federally recognized tribe This is a list of federally recognized tribes in the contiguous United States of America. There are also federally recognized Alaska Native tribes. , 574 Indian tribes were legally recognized by the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) of the United ...

. As of 2023, the position pays $100,000 a year.

List of Officeholders

Notes

References

{{reflist Executive branch of the government of Oklahoma Native American history of Oklahoma 2011 establishments in Oklahoma