the Lincoln Journal Star | Posted: Tuesday, March 7, 2006 6:00 pm
A former chairman of the Omaha Tribe who served on the tribe’s council for 32 years died Sunday from complications due to diabetes, and kidney and heart failure.
Doran L. Morris Sr., 63, was surrounded by his wife, children, relatives and friends at Mercy Medical Center in Sioux City, Iowa, according to a press release from the tribe.
Born and raised on the Omaha Indian Reservation in northeast Nebraska, Morris had served as the tribe’s chairman during the 1980s.
As chairman, Morris was instrumental in recovering title to the Omaha Tribe’s ancestral land in Iowa, the tribe said.
Morris also led the tribe toward greater self-sufficiency by pursuing a gaming operation that eventually became Casino Omaha in Onawa, Iowa, the tribe said. Casino Omaha opened in 1992, bringing sorely needed revenue and employment opportunities to the tribe, the press release stated.
Morris represented the Omaha Tribe in the National Congress of American Indians, the National Indian Gaming Association and the Mni Sose Intertribal Water Rights Coalition. He also served as a roadman and director of the Omaha Tribe’s Native American Church.
Morris was awarded an honorary doctorate in humanities in 1992 by the Nebraska Indian Community College in recognition for his service to the tribe.
Services for Morris will be held at noon today at the Omaha Nation School in Macy.