SPONAP Administrator's Message

I am Wayne Sims, the Administrator of the Southern Plains Office of Native American Programs (SPONAP). I am proud to take this opportunity to introduce you to the SPONAP Web pages. Please, take time to browse our site for any helpful information.

Here are a few facts about our region. The Southern Plains region is made up of 47 federally recognized Tribes in four states: Kansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, and Texas. The sizes of the tribes range from the very small, consisting of only a few thousand tribal members, to the second largest tribe in the Nation. In fact, three of the four largest tribes in the nation are in the Southern Plains region.

The tribes in Kansas, Louisiana, and Texas still reside in reservation areas but the tribes in Oklahoma are not on reservations and have not been since before Oklahoma Statehood. The tribes of this region are very culturally diverse. This is due to the fact that many of the tribes of this region were brought to this area forcibly from many distant locations in the United States. The famous "Trail of Tears" that took place in the 1800s tell the story of several of our regional tribes being removed from their homelands in the Southeastern United States to Oklahoma. It is the goal of this office to respect the history and traditions of the tribes in this region and throughout the United States.

Since the passage of NAHASDA, the "Native American Housing and Self Determination Act of 1996" and with its implementation in October, 1997, we have made every effort to interface with the Tribes and Housing Agencies in a manner that respects the true meaning of a Government-to-Government relationship.

I have been associated with SPONAP for several years. During that time, I have come to know and respect our regional staff here in SPONAP. They are a knowledgeable, hard working, and friendly group with many years of experience and are ready to serve you. We are sincerely aware of our mission, which is to provide the very best service to our Tribes and to help them become as successful as possible with their housing, community development, economic development, and other related activities.

From me and the great staff of SPONAP, I welcome you to our web pages and I hope that you will find it helpful and entertaining.