Quapaw Reservation Included In Supreme Court Tribal Sovereignty Decision, Court Rules

The Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals ruled the Quapaw Reservation in Ottawa County is still tribal land.

It’s the first time the U.S. Supreme Court ruling McGirt v. Oklahoma has been applied outside the five major tribes.

Quapaw Nation Chairman Joseph Byrd said the decision “rightfully affirms what we have always known. The Quapaw Nation is Indian Country. Our reservation still exists and our sovereign rights are what we have always known them to be.”

Governor Kevin Stitt is opposed to the Supreme Court ruling, saying this decision “continues to tear Oklahoma apart.”

“McGirt not only creates a public safety nightmare, but threatens the sovereignty of our state to its core,” Stitt said.