Last of the full blooded Quapaws dies at Ottawa County nursing home

QUAPAW, Okla. (AP) -- Services were held Monday for a man believed to be one of the last full-blooded Quapaw Indians.<br/><br/>Robert -A- Whitebird died at an Ottawa County nursing home. He was 92.<br/><br/>Whitebird

Wednesday, May 11th 2005, 5:41 am

By: News On 6

QUAPAW, Okla. (AP) -- Services were held Monday for a man believed to be one of the last full-blooded Quapaw Indians.

Robert -A- Whitebird died at an Ottawa County nursing home. He was 92.

Whitebird was born January 17th, 1913, on the family allotment near Quapaw.

He was the first president of the Inter-Tribal Council. He also founded the Oklahoma Indian Rights Association, and he was a member of the National Congress of American Indians.

Known throughout the tribe for conducting traditional burial rites, Whitebird also served as a spiritual leader for the tribe.

He was buried Monday morning with traditional ceremonies and rites at a family cemetery less than a mile from the tribal complex.