The Sovereignty Symposium was established to provide a forum in which ideas concerning common legal issues can

be exchanged in a scholarly, non-adversarial environment. The Supreme Court espouses no view on any of the issues,

and the positions taken by the participants are not endorsed by the Supreme Court of Oklahoma.

2010 marks the twenty-third anniversary of The Sovereignty Symposium,

In Service of the Law

The Sovereignty Symposium began when Oklahoma Supreme Court Chief Justice John Doolin recognized

the need for a national forum on Indian law after he returned from the national Chief Justices’ conference. He enlisted

Justice Yvonne Kauger to establish and coordinate The Sovereignty Symposium. For twenty three years,

Justice Kauger has led the Symposium to provide such a forum in which ideas concerning common legal issues can be

exchanged in a scholarly, non-adversarial environment. With seed money from the Governor and the Legislature, the first

Symposium was held at the historic Skirvin

Hotel in downtown Oklahoma City. Although

it started off with hand-typed materials in a

three-ring binder, the Symposium featured

faculty and speakers who were at the fore-

front of Indian legal issues at the time.

2010 marks the twenty-third anniversary

of The Sovereignty Symposium, bring-

ing with it an exciting mixture of old style

charm and new innovative thinking. Over

the years, the Symposium has grown to an

attendance of nearly 700. The Symposium

publishes written materials and sells them to

law schools around the country. The attend-

ees and faculty include a majority of Oklahoma tribal leaders as well as other leaders from across the nation, including

lawyers, judges, and professors who are involved in Indian legal issues

both at the state and federal levels from all across the United States,

Canada, and many other countries.

Notable speakers have donated their

time to share stories, experiences, and

concerns relating to Native American

issues. While all of our speakers are

notable in their fields, some of our

most notable speakers were the Hon-

orable Sandra Day O’Connor (twice),

Attorney General Janet Reno, the Hon-

orable 10th Circuit Court of Appeals

Chief Judge Robert Henry, Chickasaw

Astronaut John Herrington, Olympic

Gold Medalist Billy Mills, the World War

II Indian Code Talkers, Cherokee Nation

Native Oklahoman, Oilman, and Entrepreneur Boone Pickens Addresses the Opening Ceremony of the 2009 Symposium.

Opening Ceremony and Presentation of Tribal Flags with Absentee-Shawnee Governor Ken Blanchard and his Grandchildren.

United States Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor Addresses the 2007 Symposium.

Principal Chief Wilma Mankiller, United States Treasurer Mary

Ellen Withrow, Assistant Secretaries of Indian Affairs Neal McCaleb,

Kevin Gover, and Ada Deer, founding Director of the Smithsonian’s

National Museum of the American Indian Rick West, Pulitzer Prize

winning author N. Scott Momaday, Congressman Steve Largent,

Chairmen of the National Indian Gaming Commission Phil Hogen

and Montie Deer, and most recently, Oilman and Entrepreneur T.

Boone Pickens. Another highlight of the Symposium is the opening

ceremony, where all of the tribal leaders in Oklahoma march in with

other dignitaries and present their tribal flags. This ceremony leaves

the participants in awe. No oth-

er venue boasts such diversity

in tribal leadership gathered in

one location. In 2007, the Symposium returned to the historic Skirvin Hotel, the site

of the first Sovereignty Symposium. The newly remodeled Skirvin retains all of its

original charm and grace while featuring the latest technologies to assist the expert

panels and featured speakers. This combination of old and new is also captured in

the redesigned Sovereignty Symposium website found at www.oscn.net/sovereignty.

The animated Introduction and the Retrospect page feature all of the allure and ex-

citement of past and present Sovereignty Symposia. The new look and feel of the

Scholarships and Sponsors pages provide even easier access to these services.

United States Attorney General Janet Reno and Oklahoma Supreme Court Justice Yvonne Kauger at the 1994 Symposium.

Oklahoma Supreme Court Justice Rudolph Hargrave listens as Boone Pickens Discusses the Pickens Plan.

The Kiowa Black Leggings, a Traditional Warrior Society, with Chief Judge of the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals, Robert Henry in 2008.

Oklahoma Governor Brad Henry and Devan Leitka, Grandson of Absentee-Shawnee Governor Ken Blanchard, at the Opening Ceremony.

All of the information you may need about The Sovereignty Symposium can be found on the

Home, Agenda, Parking, and Travel pages. Participants can now register online by following

simple instructions on the Registration page. In the unlikely event that you cannot find what

you are looking for on The Sovereignty Symposium website, please feel free to contact us

using information from the Contact page or just call us at 405-522-5801. We will be glad to

help in any way we can. Please take a few minutes to come and browse or stay awhile to visit

and reminisce. Whatever you choose, enjoy the ambiance of The Sovereignty Symposium.

The Oklahoma Supreme Court espouses no view on any of the issues, and the positions taken by the participants are not endorsed by the Supreme Court. Co-Sponsors of The Sovereignty Symposium include The Oklahoma Indian Affairs Commission, The Oklahoma Arts Council, The Indian Law Section of the Oklahoma Bar Association, Oklahoma City University School of Law, The University of Tulsa College of Law, and The University of Oklahoma Col-lege of Law.

Participants and Speakers mingle with leaders of 39 Sovereign Nations under one

roof and discuss not only law, but also culture and art. For nearly 20 years, Chickasaw

artist, Outstanding Oklahoman, and Honored Oklahoma Capital Muralist, Mike Larsen

has designed the posters and t-shirts for the Symposium. The Sovereignty Symposium

Logo was designed and donated by Seminole-Shawnee artist Benjamin Harjo, Jr.

Kay Bills, United States Department of Commerce, with Chickasaw Astronaut, Commander John Herrington.

Olympic Gold Medalist Billy Mills with Oklahoma Supreme Court Justice Tom Colbert in 2001.

Chief Judge of the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals, Robert Henry, was the Featured Speaker in 2004.

Drummer Jim Anquoe of the Gray Horse Singers.

Highlights of the ‘09 Sym

posium