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 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 Native Oklahoman, Oilman, and Entrepreneur Boone Pickens Addresses the law schools around the country. The attend- Opening Ceremony of the 2009 Symposium. 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 , the Hon- orable 10th Circuit Court of Appeals Chief Judge Robert Henry, Chickasaw United States Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor Astronaut John Herrington, Olympic Addresses the 2007 Symposium. Opening Ceremony and Presentation of Tribal Flags Gold Medalist Billy Mills, the World War with Absentee-Shawnee Governor Ken Blanchard and his Grandchildren. II Indian Code Talkers, Nation 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

United States Attorney General Janet Reno and the participants in awe. No oth- Oklahoma Supreme Court Justice Yvonne Kauger at the er venue boasts such diversity 1994 Symposium. 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. Oklahoma Supreme Court Justice Rudolph Hargrave listens as Boone Pickens Discusses the Pickens Plan.

Oklahoma Governor and The Kiowa Black Leggings, a Traditional Warrior Society, with Devan Leitka, Grandson of Absentee- Chief Judge of the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals, Robert Henry in Shawnee Governor Ken Blanchard, at 2008. 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 Kay Bills, United States Department of Council, The Indian Law Section of the Oklahoma Commerce, with Chickasaw Astronaut, Bar Association, Oklahoma City University Commander John Herrington. School of Law, The University of Tulsa College of Law, and The Col- lege of Law. 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.

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 Drummer Jim Anquoe of the Gray Logo was designed and donated by Seminole-Shawnee artist Benjamin Harjo, Jr. Horse Singers. Highlights of the ‘09 Symposium