Archie Mason is the 2022 American Indian Circle of Honor Winner. Courtesy Photo
Osage elder, former Osage Congressman, retired educator and Grayhorse District Head Committeeman, Archie Mason, is the 2022 American Indian Circle of Honor Winner.
He will be honored on Saturday, March 5, at the Zarrow Regional Library in Tulsa at a free public presentation. The presentation will also be available for viewing on the library’s YouTube channel.
Inaugurated in 2004, the Circle of Honor Award honors an American Indian for their lifetime achievements and contributions that have enriched the lives of others. Induction into the Circle of Honor is a celebration of the honoree’s actions in the face of adversity, commitment to the preservation of American Indian culture and legacy for future generations. Recipients receive a $5,000 honorarium and medallion, which is sponsored by the Maxine and Jack Zarrow Family Foundation.
Mason has demonstrated a lifetime of service. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in Education and a Master of Education from Northeastern State University and has completed post-graduate studies at the University of Tulsa. He is currently the executive minister of Tulsa’s All Tribes Indian Baptist Church and has been an “Ambassador of Good Will” for Oklahoma and the city of Tulsa, traveling internationally.
Mason spent 30 years as an educator for Tulsa Public Schools, first as a classroom teacher, then a certified counselor and Title IX and Johnson O’Malley Indian Education director. He continued in education as an adjunct professor in the Humanities Department at Rogers State University. He is currently a Bacone College ambassador.
From the education field he entered the political arena. He served on the Osage Nation’s 1st Congress in 2006 and subsequently served the next 14 years. He also holds the distinguishment of being the Nation’s first Congressional Speaker.
Mason is a 20-year member of the U.S. Selective Service System. He was appointed by President George W. Bush and subsequently appointed by President Barack Obama to the Oklahoma Selective Services System district appeals board. Mason is involved in numerous organizations including Rotary International, Oklahoma Indian Baptist Association, Phi Delta Kappa and American Indian Children with Disabilities. He is also active with Sigma Tau Gamma, NSU Alumni Association and the National Association of Campus Ministries.
As a person of Osage and Cherokee descent, Mason has long advocated for and continues to support both Osage and Cherokee culture, language, history, life, values, customs, rituals and traditions.
Mason has traveled the world with his performance group, “The Bear Sky Dancers,” appearing in the movie, “Stormy Monday” starring Melanie Griffith, Tommy Lee Jones and Sting, as well as performing in festivals from England to Singapore, according to a press release. In 1994, he participated in the opening of the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian.
Mason served on the Tulsa City County Library’s American Indian Resource Center’s Advisory Committee from 2000-2020. Since the inception of the AIRC, his guidance was instrumental in helping develop library programming that was relevant and educational.
The Circle of Honor is also sponsored by the Tulsa Library Trust and TCCL’s American Indian Resource Center. The Circle of Honor award presentation begins a month-long celebration honoring the achievements and accomplishments of Native Americans. Programs are planned for all ages throughout March featuring local presenters.
The Circle of Honor alternates annually with the American Indian Festival of Words Author Award. Past Circle of Honor recipients include Charles Chibitty, Wilma Mankiller, Neal McCaleb, Billy Mills, Kirke Kickingbird, Ruthe Blalock Jones, Sam Proctor, Dr. Henrietta Mann and Walter Echo-Hawk.
For more information on the Circle of Honor ceremony, call the AskUs Hotline, (918) 549-7323, or visit the library’s website, https://www.tulsalibrary.org/locations/visit-the-american-indian-resource-center
By
Shannon Shaw Duty
Original Publish Date: 2022-01-20 00:00:00
