Members of the Greater Tulsa Area Indian Affairs Commission stand on stage during Tulsa Native American Day celebrations at Dream Keepers Park on Oct. 13, 2025.
Members of the Greater Tulsa Area Indian Affairs Commission stand on stage during Tulsa Native American Day celebrations at Dream Keepers Park Oct. 13, 2025. Credit: Tim Landes

The Greater Tulsa Area Indian Affairs Commission (GTAIAC) is seeking an update to its governing ordinance that would change who is eligible to serve as a commissioner. 

Vice Chair Daniel Carter shared a draft revision that would require commissioners to be citizens of a federally recognized tribe — a shift from the current ordinance, which allows commissioners from any tribe as long as they can show Native ancestry through a tribal enrollment card or CDIB card.  

Carter said the city’s legal department has already approved the draft, and the commission will send the revision to the Tulsa City Council for final approval. He described the change as a key step before the commission begins updating its bylaws.

This was informed by Faith Harl’s Documenter notes from the Jan. 20 Greater Tulsa Area Indian Affairs Commission meeting. If you’re interested in becoming a Documenter, visit us at documenters.org.

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Sam Stockley is the Documenters Assignment Editor at the Tulsa Flyer. She is a Mvskoke (Creek) writer with a background in nonprofit development and grant writing. She aims to recruit Documenters from...