The Indian chiefs invited by OK-OC

Meetings between Indigenous chiefs and Occitania, born of the friendship between our two peoples.

Charles Dawes

Chief of the Ottawa of Oklahoma

Charles Dawes, chief of the Ottawa of Oklahoma, on the Place Nationale in Montauban
Charles Dawes on the Place Nationale in Montauban.

Invited by the OK-OC association in 1997, Charles Dawes, chief of the Ottawa of Oklahoma, travelled around the Occitanie region for more than two weeks. Wherever he spoke, he stressed the importance of preserving language and culture. Deeply struck by a visit to an Occitan bilingual school, he drew a strong link between his people's struggle and that of the Occitans.

A spiritual heir of the great chief Pontiac, who opposed the British in the 18th century, Dawes embodies the memory of his people, decimated by biological warfare.

Charles Tillman

Principal Chief of the Osages

April 1993 at Montauban town hall: Joe Trumblay, Hubert Gouze, Charles Tillman and Jacques de Saint-Blanquat
April 1993, at Montauban town hall. Left to right: Joe Trumblay (Tribal Council), Hubert Gouze (mayor), Charles Tillman (Osage chief) and Jacques de Saint-Blanquat (bishop).

In April 1993, Charles Tillman, elected chief of the Osages and a descendant of the legendary Little Chief, visited Montauban to strengthen ties between Osages and Occitans. A geological engineer by training, he runs his tribe's affairs from the tribal seat in Pawhuska. His symbolic crossing of the Pont-Vieux in Montauban recalled that of his ancestor in 1829. Beyond cultural and culinary exchanges, the question of language was at the heart of the discussions. A visit to an Occitan class awakened a feeling of brotherhood between two peoples united in defending their identity.

Clifford Moar

Chief of the Innu of Lac Saint-Jean

Clifford Moar in front of the Occitan flag
Clifford Moar in front of the Occitan flag.

Chief of the Innu community of Mashteuiatsh, Clifford Moar took part in 2001 in a symbolic ceremony with the Rainbow Warriors in Ariège. Already deeply attached to Occitania, where he had travelled several times, he solemnly received an "Indian land" dedicated to his people. Committed to defending Indigenous rights and heritage, he is a living link between Innu culture and Occitan memory. During the celebrations of 25 June, a date heavy with history, the convergence between Indigenous and Occitan struggles takes on a solemn and poetic dimension.