Cherokee Nation citizen appointed Oklahoma Native liaison

Cherokee Nation Principal Chief Chuck Hoskin Jr. called the appointment of Wes Nofire 'disappointing' but 'no surprise'

Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt on Tuesday, Sept. 5 appointed Wes Nofire, former Cherokee Nation tribal councilor for District 3, to the post of state Native American liaison.

Only hours after the Nofire appointment was announced by the governor’s office, Cherokee Nation Principal Chief Chuck Hoskin Jr. released a statement calling Stitt’s appointment “disappointing” but “no surprise.”

“Governor Stitt’s selection of Wes Nofire as the state’s Native American liaison is disappointing, which is to say it comes as no surprise,” Hoskin said. “We continue to hope for a day in which the depths of knowledge of Indian Country issues on Governor Stitt’s team deepens. It’s now shallower. Wes Nofire’s brief time in elected office was marked by a hostility toward Cherokee tribal sovereignty, a lack of understanding broadly of the issues facing Indian Country, and his peddling of conspiracy theories about Cherokee Nation, which can only be described as unhinged. Governor Stitt’s stances toward tribes, the most hostile in state history, will now be informed by someone who aligns closely with the Governor’s own views, sadly. Fortunately, there are a broad array of state leaders with whom we can and will continue to work.”

A short press release was issued by Stitt’s office on the Oklahoma.gov website citing Nofire’s efforts to serve the state.

“(Nofire) is often outspoken about the challenges the (U.S.) Supreme Court’s McGirt decision has created when it comes to administering justice fairly for every Oklahoman, native and non-native alike,” the news release read. “He has worked to raise awareness of how this decision has impacted his community and eastern Oklahoma. He is a retired professional boxer who only lost two fights throughout his professional career.”

The release also included a quote from Stitt.

“Wes brings a deep familiarity with tribal governments and people across Oklahoma,” Stitt said. “His work for the Cherokee government makes him an ideal choice as we build bridges between my office and tribal governments. Throughout his career, Wes has advocated for fairness for all Oklahomans and has fought against systems that seek to treat people differently based on race or heritage. I am thrilled to have him as a member of my team as we continue to work to make Oklahoma a Top Ten state.”

Nofire and Stitt are Cherokee Nation citizens and members of the Republican Party. Since the SCOTUS decision in McGirt, Stitt has attacked tribal autonomy from multiple angles ranging from gaming rights to hunting and fishing compacts to tribal car tags.

Stitt’s punches often have been verbal, during which he cites equal treatment for all four million Oklahomans and claims eastern Oklahoma is in peril of becoming a reservation. At other times, Stitt has tried a legal maneuver, filed suit, or wielded his veto to force re-votes on Native-pertinent legislation – even if a bill passed both chambers by avalanche margins.

Overall, his efforts have been ineffective. Oklahoma Attorney General Drummond has been critical of Stitt’s dealings with the tribal governments and recently interceded in a lawsuit over tribal gaming compacts, and courts have repeatedly found in favor of the tribes. Native casinos stayed open when Stitt set a deadline for compact renegotiation.

Stitt did let hunting and fishing compacts with the Cherokee and Choctaw nations expire allowing their citizens to hunt and fish in Oklahoma with tribal licenses. Some of his vetoes were not reversed.

Despite exasperation among several tribal governments with Oklahoma’s administration, they continue to work with lawmakers from both parties in the state Senate and House of Representatives. There is a lawsuit pending, filed by Stitt, claiming legislators had no power to veto his authority to negotiate compacts.

Several lawmakers have expressed concern that the governor is needlessly antagonizing the Native nations. Senate President Pro Tempore Greg Treat (R-Oklahoma City) told the Associated Press that the statehouse might try to assume compacting powers if Stitt is unable to move negotiations beyond locked horns and lawsuits.

Stitt and Nofire have been close allies since Stitt’s re-election campaign in 2022.

In November 2022, Nofire endorsed Stitt for re-election.

While serving on the Council, Nofire often echoed Stitt’s views against tribal sovereignty or made other statements denying Cherokee sovereignty.

During a May 2023 committee meeting, Nofire cast doubt on Cherokee Nation’s authority to administer criminal laws across its reservation, drawing a rebuke from Cherokee Nation Marshal Shannon Buhl.

In a September 9, 2021, social media post, Nofire claimed that “The courts of the modern Cherokee Nation since its existence by creation through the 1970 Principal Chiefs Act have never legally established a jurisdictional court over the citizens of the Cherokee Nation.”

On May 23, 2022, during a radio interview, Nofire referred to the historic McGirt decision restoring the status of certain Indian reservations within Oklahoma “a big threat to the way that the state has been conducting business for over 140 years.”

Earlier that same month, Nofire told an audience in Bartlesville that McGirt was “the biggest threat to Oklahomans.”

In a May 26, 2023, social media post, Nofire, with no evidence, accused Hoskin of “child trafficking using Cherokee Nation’s federal contracting vehicle, Cherokee Federal.” The post came on the heels of Nofire making the same allegation at a May 25, 2023, Council committee meeting.

Hoskin condemned Nofire’s allegations as “false and reckless” and confirmed to the Cherokee Phoenix that the alleged child trafficking was an “unhinged conspiracy theory” he referenced in his statement responding to Nofire’s appointment.

Nofire’s statements against Cherokee sovereignty drew sharp criticism at various times in recent years from Hoskin and other Cherokee Nation leaders.

At a May 26, 2022, Council committee meeting, Councilor Candessa Tehee called Nofire’s statements relating to McGirt “clearly treasonous.”

Speaker of the Council Mike Shambaugh, who often disagreed with Nofire while he served on the legislative body, released a statement in response to Stitt’s appointment of Nofire.

“I find Governor Stitt’s appointment of Wes Nofire as Tribal Liaison very disturbing,” Shambaugh said. “Nofire’s time on the Council consisted of the attempted spreading of unsubstantiated conspiracy theories. His misguided views were a direct threat to our Nation as well as our sovereignty. Due to the fact he never passed a single resolution he submitted while on Council, I see this appointment by Stitt as a further opportunity to attack our tribes by appointing a person whose views can only be described as dangerous and lacking in truth in my opinion.”

Muscogee Nation Principal Chief David Hill also released a statement in response to Stitt’s appointment

“We have always welcomed a constructive dialogue with the Governor, but I don’t think his staff has been the issue,” Hill said. “The Governor sets the direction for his administration, and he has made it clear that his policy is hostility towards tribes and their authority. It’s hard to see one staff appointment changing that. Others have tried and ended up walking away when they found themselves as pawns in the Governor’s deceptive campaign.

Nofire was an unsuccessful candidate for United States Congress, where he received 6.32 percent of the vote in the GOP 2022 Second District primary.

Nofire also lost in the race for principal chief, where he received 10 percent of the vote in the June 3 Cherokee Nation general election. Hoskin won re-election in that four-way race with 62.76 percent of the vote.

This article was first published in the Cherokee Phoenix. 

Dateline:

TAHLEQUAH, Okla.