Help Yourself

There is no such thing as an “Indian check” for Native Americans. Unfortunately, Native Americans have the highest poverty rate among any group in the country. The assumption that we receive free handouts or money from our tribes and the government is simply not true.

KCIC administers specific programs and services under eligibility requirements. Check out our website to understand what you quality for. If you have questions about additional resources that may be available to Native Americans through tribal affiliation, please contact your tribe.

Each program and service provided by KCIC has unique eligibility requirements. If you have questions about whether you qualify, please see the Help From Us section with detailed eligibility information.

KCIC is not a museum. Unlike some urban Indian Centers, we do not house artifacts or art for public display. We are primarily a social service organization and administer services by appointment only. However, we always welcome visitors! Feel free to call,email or stop by.

Land acknowledgments have become a popular way to acknowledge historical and contemporary relationships of tribes and Indigenous people to the land. For a land acknowledgement to be more than a performative statement, it must be thoughtful and lead to deeper knowledge, engagement, and support of the land, tribes, and Indigenous People.

If you’re interested in a land acknowledgement, please check out some examples and toolkits for creating your own here:
https://nativegov.org/about/our-land-acknowledgement-statement/
https://nativegov.org/resources/?_sft_resource_topic=land-acknowledgment
https://sovereignpartnerships.ku.edu/constructing-land-acknowledgements-kansas
http://osageculture.com/culture/historic-preservation-office/osage-lands-acknowledgement

KCIC welcomes the opportunity to speak at community events and gatherings to share our knowledge, perspectives and more about what we do. If you’re interested in having a KCIC speaker at your event, please let us know. We require a minimum $250 honorarium for our time. November is our busiest month; therefore, we prioritize engagements with organizations with whom we have an existing relationship. We’d be happy to talk about potential collaborations and are always open to new opportunities and relationships.

We do not have dancers/singers on staff and any referrals we may make for dancers/singers would be subject to their individual availability and honorarium requirements.

If you are looking for lesson plans or educational materials, check out these resources from the National Museum of the American Indian, Osage Nation and Kanza Nation:

https://americanindian.si.edu/nk360

https://www.osageculture.com/culture/education/k-12-lessons

CULTURAL EDUCATION

The Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA) is among many laws and policies that have a direct impact on Indian Country. Essentially ICWA seeks to give tribal communities jurisdiction over child custody cases involving Native American children. Implementation of this law not been without challenge as tribal communities attempt to ensure that Native children remain under the care of Native American caregivers. Resources and more information on ICWA linked below.

Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA) (Haaland v. Brackeen)

The political landscape changes fast. It’s very difficult to keep up to date on policy issues impacting Indian Country. Check out these trusted news sources to understand what’s happening and what’s at stake for Native American communities:

ICT: An independent, nonprofit news enterprise.

Home

https://indianz.com/

https://www.nativeamericacalling.com/

https://www.ncai.org/

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There are 575 federally recognized tribes in the United States, four of which reside in the state of Kansas (Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation, the Kickapoo Tribe in Kansas, the Sac and Fox Nation of Missouri in Kansas and Nebraska and the Iowa Tribe of Kansas and Nebraska). More information about tribes in Kansas located here:

https://www.knaa.ks.gov/tribes-in-ks

There are no federally recognized tribes in the state of Missouri due to federal relocation policy in the 1800's.

As the only Native American Indian Center in the region, we serve tribal people from all over the country. We have the unique privilege of being in intertribal relationships with relatives from countless tribes and affiliations.