Chief Ben Barnes

Chief of the Shawnee Tribe, a federally-recognized tribe of American Indians. Undoing the consequences of our removal by strengthening our communities.

[Chief Ben Barnes @ChiefBarnes]

Dear Members of NCAI, 

Today I feel I must write & demonstrate the importance of approving the constitutional amendments proposed by the Shawnee Tribe and the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians. 

https://t.co/vzrymSTuuU

[Chief Ben Barnes @ChiefBarnes]

Today is Orange Shirt Day! Wear your orange for remembrance of the U.S. Indian Boarding School survivors and experiences.

Image: Shawnee Business Council Proclamation 2025-09-30 "Orange Shirt Day—A Day of Remembrance."

More here 👉 https://t.co/zf4div4ZpE

[Chief Ben Barnes @ChiefBarnes]

He was a powerful voice for Tribal Nations as we endeavor to heal the historical damages to our tribes by using Indian Gaming as a vehicle for economic independence and sovereignty.

Ernie, you will be missed by many but we also will celebrate you and your legacy.

[Chief Ben Barnes @ChiefBarnes]

Today I join Indian Country in my expression of grief over the passing of Ernie Stevens Jr, longtime leader of @IndianGaming85. In recent years, I came to know Ernie as many of you have, as a friend but more importantly as our champion.

[Anadisgoi @Anadisgoi]

Cherokee Nation celebrates grand opening of new Loyal Shawnee community building in White Oak https://t.co/XUocJfIS04 @CherokeeNation

[NABS Healing Coalition @NABSHC]

The time is NOW.

Congress must pass S.761 – the Truth and Healing Commission on Indian Boarding School Policies Act.

✊🏽 Speak up. Show up. Demand action.
#PassS761 #TruthAndHealingNow #HonorIndigenousVoices #BoardingSchoolTruth

[Chief Ben Barnes @ChiefBarnes]

For over 15 years Chief Baldridge & I worked to strengthen US support for United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. Recent advancements demonstrate the importance of tribal nation & federal partner collaboration. Read here 👉 https://t.co/tC0kCeAE1Z

[NABS Healing Coalition @NABSHC]

NABS CEO, Deb “Tsicyaltsa” Parker (Tulalip Tribes), has been honored with the **Outstanding National Tribal Leader Award 2024** by the United Indian Nations of Oklahoma.

Congratulations, Tsicyaltsa, on this well-deserved achievement! 🌟

Photo credit: Bronnson Harjo

[NABS Healing Coalition @NABSHC]

🚨 We're almost to the finish line!!! 🚨

We need YOUR help! Visit our ‘Take Action’ page now to contact your congressional representatives TODAY and urge them to bring the Truth and Healing Bill to the floor for a vote.

https://t.co/gYHJSzehAe

[Chief Ben Barnes @ChiefBarnes]

Tomorrow I will be with the Gila River Indian Community to attend President Joe Biden’s historic event where he is expected to deliver a historic presidential apology for the federal Indian boarding school era.

https://t.co/eh3fP8dbiu

[Firaxis Games @FiraxisGames]

We are so grateful for the Shawnee tribe for helping us bring Tecumseh and the Shawnee to #Civ7. Thank you to our special guests @ChiefBarnes and Karl Meyer for joining us this stream! 🧡 Watch it here: https://t.co/6MqtmYApyE

And, visit the Shawnee's official website and learn more about the tribe here: https://t.co/DC6wSuZ8Iz @saawanooki

[Chief Ben Barnes @ChiefBarnes]

🟠 Today is Orange Shirt Day, a day of remembrance as the U.S. confronts the legacy of Indian boarding schools.
“Every single Native person has been affected by boarding schools, whether they attended or not.” says @ChiefBarnes
https://t.co/47e62Kvl3z

[Chief Ben Barnes @ChiefBarnes]

▶️ Watch a 3-minute recap of June’s grand opening of the Great Council State Park in Xenia, Ohio with myself and the Shawnee Tribe's historic preservation staff.

Watch 👉 https://t.co/obonsyn6qG

[Chief Ben Barnes @ChiefBarnes]

Join me & Eli Grayson (@MuscogeeNation) today, Aug. 20, at 1:00 pm CST for an Africans & Indians Table Talk conversation.

We'll be on KBOB 89.9 FM radio in Tulsa or live on Facebook, YouTube and Instagram. https://t.co/pdveCRQCcr

[Chief Ben Barnes @ChiefBarnes]

@OhioHistory to open Octagon Earthworks for full public access on 1/1/25! With @HCEOhio UNESCO World Heritage inscription & this, we are in a new era for preservation & appreciation of important cultural sites!

👉 https://t.co/hfMB4JE6mM

[Secretary Deb Haaland @SecDebHaaland]

@AsstSecNewland This is the first time that the federal government is acknowledging this painful chapter of our history - one that was facilitated by the Department I now lead. This work is not done. Our Road to Healing has not ended. It is just beginning.

[Secretary Deb Haaland @SecDebHaaland]

Volume 2 outlines recommendations to continue critical healing to address harms like intergenerational trauma that persist from this era. I am profoundly grateful to @AsstSecNewland and our staff for their courageous and deeply personal dedication to this mission.

[Secretary Deb Haaland @SecDebHaaland]

Today, we released the final volume of the Federal Indian Boarding School Initiative's investigative report on our nation's troubled yet largely ignored boarding school era. It's an era that has impacted every Native person I know, including my own family.
https://t.co/G7D8x8VM4n

[Chief Ben Barnes @ChiefBarnes]

Congratulations, Speaker Pam Shaw & Second Speaker Otto Hamilton!

[Osage News @OsageNews]

Congratulations to Osage Nation Congresswoman Pam Shaw and Congressman Otto Hamilton on being elected Speaker and Second Speaker of the 9th Osage Nation Congress!

This will be Shaw's first time serving as Speaker and Hamilton's second time serving as Second Speaker.

[Cherokee Nation @CherokeeNation]

Tribal members and citizens of the Cherokee Nation, Chickasaw Nation, Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma, Muscogee Nation and very soon Seminole Nation can utilize their tribal membership to enjoy hunting and fishing in participating tribes’ treaty territories.
https://t.co/YDlEiUebAE

[Cherokee Nation @CherokeeNation]

The Atlanta @Braves are not honoring federally recognized tribal nations by inviting fraudulent organizations posing as tribes to "Georgia Tribe Night."

Read more in this article by the Chattanooga @TimesFreePress. ⬇️
https://t.co/HlOuntvKFR