Marie Wadley
Encyclopedia
Marie L. Wadley was an American
co-founder of the Five Civilized Tribes Museum in Muskogee
, Oklahoma
. Wadley became the museum's first president after its opening.
, Indian Territory
, on December 16, 1906, less than a year before the territory became the U.S. state
of Oklahoma
in 1907. Wadley was of both Cherokee
and Shawnee
descent. She was raised on a farm near Vinita, Oklahoma
. In 1923, Wadley moved to Muskogee to enroll at Draughon Business College.
and in 1925 she was hired for her first, and "only" job as a staff member with the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA). She was initially hired as a clerk stenographer. Years later, Wadley, who championed Native American causes throughout her life, spoke of her experience with the BIA, "I got a job for $95 a month. That was more than anything then. I thought I was rich. I found a job with the U.S. Government and worked there for 42 years. I started as a clerk stenographer, and I just worked real hard every day...I worked with the Indian people out in the community
. I worked with families, went into their homes, reported their needs. The work gave me opportunity to visit in Washington, D.C.
, and learn. It took me to Mississippi
to the Choctaws and the Seminoles of Florida
."
Wadley, as an employee of the Bureau of Indian Affairs
(BIA), worked to get a bill introduced into the U.S. Congress in the 1950s aimed at establishing a Native American museum in the Union Agency building in Muskogee, Oklahoma. The Union Agency building had been constructed by the Bureau of Indian Affairs in 1875.
In 1951, Wadley began working with then U.S. Representative David Boren (D-Oklahoma) to transfer ownership of the Union Agency building, as well as five acres of land surrounding the site, from the federal government to the city of Muskogee with the purpose of establishing the museum. U.S. President Dwight Eisenhower signed the bill into law in 1953, returning the Union Agency and the five acres back to local control.
Wadley worked with local political and community figures to plan new museum over the next thirteen years. She wanted a historically accurate museum which would correctly depict and diplay the local Native American culture of eastern Oklahoma
.
and art
of the Cherokee
, Chickasaw
, Choctaw
, Creek and Seminole
Native American
tribes, officially opened on April 16, 1966. Wadley became the first president of the new museum's board of directors.
Marie Wadley died at her home in Muskogee, Oklahoma, on September 23, 2009, at the age of 102. Her funeral was held at the St. Paul Methodist Church in Muskogee.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
co-founder of the Five Civilized Tribes Museum in Muskogee
Muskogee, Oklahoma
Muskogee is a city in Muskogee County, Oklahoma, United States. It is the county seat of Muskogee County, and home to Bacone College. The population was 38,310 at the 2000 census, making it the eleventh-largest city in Oklahoma....
, Oklahoma
Oklahoma
Oklahoma is a state located in the South Central region of the United States of America. With an estimated 3,751,351 residents as of the 2010 census and a land area of 68,667 square miles , Oklahoma is the 28th most populous and 20th-largest state...
. Wadley became the museum's first president after its opening.
Early life
Marie Wadley was born in PensacolaPensacola, Oklahoma
Pensacola is a town in Mayes County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 125 at the 2010 census.-Geography:Pensacola is located at .According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of , all of it land....
, Indian Territory
Indian Territory
The Indian Territory, also known as the Indian Territories and the Indian Country, was land set aside within the United States for the settlement of American Indians...
, on December 16, 1906, less than a year before the territory became the U.S. state
U.S. state
A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...
of Oklahoma
Oklahoma
Oklahoma is a state located in the South Central region of the United States of America. With an estimated 3,751,351 residents as of the 2010 census and a land area of 68,667 square miles , Oklahoma is the 28th most populous and 20th-largest state...
in 1907. Wadley was of both Cherokee
Cherokee
The Cherokee are a Native American people historically settled in the Southeastern United States . Linguistically, they are part of the Iroquoian language family...
and Shawnee
Shawnee
The Shawnee, Shaawanwaki, Shaawanooki and Shaawanowi lenaweeki, are an Algonquian-speaking people native to North America. Historically they inhabited the areas of Ohio, Virginia, West Virginia, Western Maryland, Kentucky, Indiana, and Pennsylvania...
descent. She was raised on a farm near Vinita, Oklahoma
Vinita, Oklahoma
Vinita is a city in south-central Craig County, Oklahoma. As of 2009, the population estimate was 6,057. It is the county seat of Craig County.-Geography:...
. In 1923, Wadley moved to Muskogee to enroll at Draughon Business College.
Career
Wadley took the civil service examCivil service exam
Civil service examinations are examinations implemented in various countries for admission to the civil service. They are intended as a method to achieve an effective, rational public administration on a merit system....
and in 1925 she was hired for her first, and "only" job as a staff member with the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA). She was initially hired as a clerk stenographer. Years later, Wadley, who championed Native American causes throughout her life, spoke of her experience with the BIA, "I got a job for $95 a month. That was more than anything then. I thought I was rich. I found a job with the U.S. Government and worked there for 42 years. I started as a clerk stenographer, and I just worked real hard every day...I worked with the Indian people out in the community
Community
The term community has two distinct meanings:*a group of interacting people, possibly living in close proximity, and often refers to a group that shares some common values, and is attributed with social cohesion within a shared geographical location, generally in social units larger than a household...
. I worked with families, went into their homes, reported their needs. The work gave me opportunity to visit in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
, and learn. It took me to Mississippi
Mississippi
Mississippi is a U.S. state located in the Southern United States. Jackson is the state capital and largest city. The name of the state derives from the Mississippi River, which flows along its western boundary, whose name comes from the Ojibwe word misi-ziibi...
to the Choctaws and the Seminoles of Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
."
Wadley, as an employee of the Bureau of Indian Affairs
Bureau of Indian Affairs
The Bureau of Indian Affairs is an agency of the federal government of the United States within the US Department of the Interior. It is responsible for the administration and management of of land held in trust by the United States for Native Americans in the United States, Native American...
(BIA), worked to get a bill introduced into the U.S. Congress in the 1950s aimed at establishing a Native American museum in the Union Agency building in Muskogee, Oklahoma. The Union Agency building had been constructed by the Bureau of Indian Affairs in 1875.
In 1951, Wadley began working with then U.S. Representative David Boren (D-Oklahoma) to transfer ownership of the Union Agency building, as well as five acres of land surrounding the site, from the federal government to the city of Muskogee with the purpose of establishing the museum. U.S. President Dwight Eisenhower signed the bill into law in 1953, returning the Union Agency and the five acres back to local control.
Wadley worked with local political and community figures to plan new museum over the next thirteen years. She wanted a historically accurate museum which would correctly depict and diplay the local Native American culture of eastern Oklahoma
Eastern Oklahoma
See Also: Green CountryEastern Oklahoma is usually defined as east of Oklahoma City and east of Interstate 35 in Oklahoma. The region includes Tulsa.The region is usually divided into two main areas: Northeast Oklahoma, and Southeast Oklahoma....
.
Museum
The Five Civilized Tribes Museum, which showcases the history, cultureCulture
Culture is a term that has many different inter-related meanings. For example, in 1952, Alfred Kroeber and Clyde Kluckhohn compiled a list of 164 definitions of "culture" in Culture: A Critical Review of Concepts and Definitions...
and art
Art
Art is the product or process of deliberately arranging items in a way that influences and affects one or more of the senses, emotions, and intellect....
of the Cherokee
Cherokee
The Cherokee are a Native American people historically settled in the Southeastern United States . Linguistically, they are part of the Iroquoian language family...
, Chickasaw
Chickasaw
The Chickasaw are Native American people originally from the region that would become the Southeastern United States...
, Choctaw
Choctaw
The Choctaw are a Native American people originally from the Southeastern United States...
, Creek and Seminole
Seminole
The Seminole are a Native American people originally of Florida, who now reside primarily in that state and Oklahoma. The Seminole nation emerged in a process of ethnogenesis out of groups of Native Americans, most significantly Creeks from what is now Georgia and Alabama, who settled in Florida in...
Native American
Indigenous peoples of the Americas
The indigenous peoples of the Americas are the pre-Columbian inhabitants of North and South America, their descendants and other ethnic groups who are identified with those peoples. Indigenous peoples are known in Canada as Aboriginal peoples, and in the United States as Native Americans...
tribes, officially opened on April 16, 1966. Wadley became the first president of the new museum's board of directors.
Later life
Wadley retired from the Bureau of Indian Affairs in 1967 after a 42 year career with the agency. She was a tribal relations officer at the time of her retirement.Marie Wadley died at her home in Muskogee, Oklahoma, on September 23, 2009, at the age of 102. Her funeral was held at the St. Paul Methodist Church in Muskogee.