The Center for Great Plains Studies and the Otoe-Missouria Tribe of Oklahoma will host the fourth annual Otoe-Missouria Day in Lincoln and the surrounding area Sept. 19-21, with events for the public and the tribe.
The homecoming begins with a public reception from 5 to 7 p.m. Sept. 19 at the Great Plains Art Museum to celebrate “Reflections of Our People, Our Ways, Our Land,” a new art exhibition featuring 24 Otoe-Missouria artists from across the country. Also open at the museum is an exhibition from the tribe and the Gage County Historical Society that shares the tribe’s history at the Big Blue Reservation in Nebraska.
On Sept. 20, the festivities move to Eugene T. Mahoney State Park, where guests can participate in events from 2 to 8 p.m. that include games, dancing, dinner and a reading of the City of Lincoln’s Otoe-Missouria Day proclamation. The event is free, but donations to support travel for Otoe-Missouria tribal members are welcome. RSVP is required for the public here. Anyone with questions should email Dominique Ellis at dellis25@unl.edu.
Cory DeRoin, an Otoe-Missouria tribal citizen who helps lead the planning efforts, said the trip to Nebraska is a pilgrimage where tribal members can reconnect with their roots while strengthening bonds and forming new connections with Nebraskans. The Lincoln City Council made the annual recognition of Otoe-Missouria Day permanent in 2024.
Tribal members will also participate in activities such as artmaking workshops and a youth excursion with Big Gumdrop Outdoors. A full schedule is available here.
Otoe-Missouria Day is part of Walking in the Footsteps of our Ancestors: Re-Indigenizing Southeast Nebraska, a joint project of the Center for Great Plains Studies and the Otoe-Missouria Tribe that aims to promote healing and reconciliation by reconnecting the tribe to their homelands and engaging non-Native people with the history and ongoing presence of Indigenous peoples in the region. The project is funded by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, the nation’s largest supporter of the arts and humanities.
Additional partners and sponsors for Otoe-Missouria Day include the Otoe-Missouria Tribal Council, Gage County Historical Society, Nebraska Game and Parks Commission, the Unitarian Church of Lincoln, Big Gumdrop Outdoors, Lincoln Indian Center, Inc., UNITE, LPS Trauma Warriors and Otoe-Missouria Tribal Elders.
The “Reflections” exhibition is made possible through support from the Terra Foundation for American Art.
