Services Available

 

Once membership is verified through the Tribal Enrollment Department, a request for funds is made by a family member.   Because the Tribe serves as its own funeral home during traditional funerals, other cost-saving services may include: 

· transportation from the hospital to the Indian house

· Cook wood

· Use of tables and chairs, if available

· Use of canopies, ice chests

· Rental of portable potties

· Plates, bowls, cups compliments of the Tribal Casino

· Cigarettes to be used during funeral

(NOTE:  The above-mentioned items may be available for the adoption as well.)

 

The Enrollment staff is sensitive to the family’s wishes regardless of the type of funeral to be held and is on call to assist the family in conjunction with the Tribe’s Maintenance Department. 

Death Certificates

Another valuable service that is provided by the Enrollment Department in the event the family chooses to have a Traditional Funeral is the issuance of a Death Certificate. 

 

 

The Kickapoo Tribe of Oklahoma has a Tribal Burial Fund funded solely through the Motor Fuel Rebate Agreement which the Tribe entered into with the State of Oklahoma.  This service is administered through the Kickapoo Tribal Enrollment Department. 

Funds Available

On October 27, 2007, the General Council and Business Committee of the Kickapoo Tribe of Oklahoma authorized funds to be made available to tribal members in the amount of $5,000.

Depending on the type of funeral to be held, the amount of the check request will vary.  For instance, the family usually requests a portion of the total amount ($500) if a traditional Kickapoo funeral is held  and the remainder will be used for a tribal adoption at a later date, usually within 4 years.  The request for the remaining balance will be honored only within a week or two of the adoption. 

If a non-Kickapoo funeral is held and a Funeral Home is used, more than likely the full amount will be given to the family or made out to the Funeral Home.  If the family chooses to hold an adoption at a later date but has exhausted all funds, then it will be the family’s responsibility to bear the expense of the adoption and any other remaining balances.

KICKAPOO

TRIBAL BURIAL FUND

Tribal Burial Fund

Administered by the

Enrollment Department

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Once the individual’s personal information is provided, and the proper paperwork is received from families, hospitals, or funeral homes, signatures will be obtained and the Enrollment Office, acting as a funeral home, will file the completed Death Certificate with Vital Records in Oklahoma City. the Enrollment staff will work with the hospital’s Attending Physician or the Medical Examiner to obtain the rest of the necessary information.   Appropriate signatures will be obtained and the enrollment office, acting as a funeral home, will file the completed Death Certificate with Vital Records in Oklahoma city.

The family will be provided with an original Death Certificate and an additional original will be held in the Enrollment File.  A copy will be forwarded to the Bureau of Indian Affairs and the Southern Plains Regional Office in Anadarko, OK for probate purposes.