By Liberty Metcalf
My name is Liberty Metcalf and I am from the Pawhuska District. I am the son of Mary Jo Trumbly of Pawhuska and Hubert Metcalf of Marshall, NC. My maternal grandparents were T. J. Mercer and Crayton O. Bolton. My great-grandparents were Laban Amos Miles and Hazel Miles and Duke Mercer and Josephine West Cunningham.
I am a graduate of the University of Oklahoma where I hold a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science.
From 2008 to 2018 I worked in Washington, DC in the Office of the Assistant Secretary – Indian Affairs at the Department of the Interior. I have a decade of experience in working directly in Congressional and Legislative Affairs on a national level. While at the Department I worked for three presidents and assisted in several pieces of legislation that became law. Among them:
- The HEARTH Act (Helping Expedite and Advance Responsible Tribal Home Ownership Act of 2012) (Pub. L. 112-151)
- The Tribal Law and Order Act (Pub. L. 111-211)
- The Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act of 2013 (Pub. L. 113-4)
From 2018 to 2021 I was employed as a Realty Specialist at the Bureau of Indian Affairs, Miami Agency, Miami, Oklahoma. I worked in cooperation and consultation with 10 tribes in the Miami Agency service area. As a Realty Specialist working on Negotiated Land Sales, tens of thousands of acres of fractionated land interests were returned to tribal land bases and fair market payments were made to tribal interest holders. Working with Tribal Realty Staff, the Agency Superintendent and Regional Director, I assisted in processing of Fee to Trust applications.
My experience in legislation and Capitol Hill gives me firsthand knowledge of the legislative process and policy making from formulation to execution. My role as a mediator and negotiator will serve a useful purpose when faced with tough decisions. As a shareholder in the Osage Mineral Estate, I am concerned with proper management and oversight of the Mineral Estate yet realize the changing times and the need for flexibility and innovation.
Culture and history are integral to tribal existence. Helping my fellow Osages develop and implement curriculum in Osage History and Federal Indian Policy and making these courses available to Osage citizens and Osage students receiving financial assistance from the Osage Nation Education Department taking import that our history is taught from our perspective and providing a basis for how our history relates to the intersection of law and American history.
As a resident of the Pawhuska Indian Village, I would like to work with village leadership and residents toward expansive improvements in the Osage Nation’s three villages. We have the available resources and residents to make this happen within the next few years. I would also like provide research and development to assist our villages in becoming energy independent.
I have an obligation and a duty to serve my people. Together we can make the Osage Nation the best and most prosperous nation in the world. Thank you and God bless the Osage Nation.
Editor’s Note: Candidate statements and announcements are not edited by the Osage News. They are a free submission offered to candidates of the 2024 Osage Nation Congressional Election.