Remembering Robert Tippeconnie

"Kay-ta-nada koopahda" generally translates to "Never give up" and references determination, perseverance, resilience and strength in the Comanche language. It was a fundamental way of being for the late Robert "Bob" Tippeconnie (Comanche Nation). During his 42-year career with the USDA Forest Service, he held many roles, including the unique distinction of being named the first national tribal relations coordinator for the agency in 1988. Betty Tippeconnie (Diné), his wife, said "It seemed like Robert was singularly tasked to establish a new way for the Forest Service to conduct business with tribal governments nationwide. It was a challenge he heartily accepted. He never shied away from difficult things in life, and he never gave up."

As the lone tribal relations staff at the national level, Tippeconnie traveled all over the country, laying the groundwork for the crucial tribal relations program that we know today. His foundational work continues helping the Forest Service honor its trust and treaty responsibility to tribal nations. He had a firm belief that tribal nations should speak for themselves and deal with the government on a government-to-government basis. He advocated for the establishment of regional tribal relations specialists to help build the agency's tribal relations program, understanding that it was important to have tribal relations specialists across the agency, not just at the Washington Office. He also pulled together the new regional specialists to develop the first national-level policy for tribal relations, known as the "Yellow Book," which was crucial for bringing more consistency across the decentralized agency.

Tippeconnie retired from the Forest Service in 1997 after 42 years, but he did not stop working for Indian Country. He continued to harness his familiarity with the federal government and tribal relations to assist in many efforts including tribal budget development through the Tribal Interior Budget Council and the development of Department of Interior's Tribal Consultation Policy. Tippeconnie also believed in the power of education. He served on the board of the American Indian Science and Engineering Society as a Sequoyah Fellow supporting tribal students. He set up a scholarship that has been supporting tribal students studying Indian education for the past three decades at Northern Arizona University to honor his father, the first Native American to earn a master's degree at NAU (and also a recent addition to the NAU Hall of Fame). Additionally, he established two more scholarships, this time for tribal nursing students, at his alma mater, the University of New Mexico, Oklahoma State University, to honor his sister.

Tippeconnie left this world on July 3, 2025, and across Indian Country and beyond, his loss is mourned. He loved his faith, his family and his Comanche people. The Comanche Rally Song was sung in his honor at his memorial service on the Comanche Nation in Oklahoma last month. His wife shared, "You rally your people on and never give up. He served his tribe until he could no longer."

Ahe'hee, pilamaya, and thank you-in any language, we thank you for your service, Mr. Tippeconnie. May we all continue in the good way you lived. Kay-ta-nada koopahda in caring for the land and serving people.