photo by: Kansas Legislature

Rep. Ponka-We Victors-Cozad, left, and Rep. John Wheeler, right.

TOPEKA — Rep. Ponka-We Victors-Cozad has rejected the apology of a House Republican who said during a debate that he had to make certain Victors-Cozad was using a wooden gavel rather than a tomahawk to bring order to the chamber.

The incident occurred on Wednesday, the same day Victors-Cozad and another Native American lawmaker in the House made history by simultaneously presiding over the chamber and carrying a bill on the floor. Victors-Cozad, a Wichita Democrat, was joined by Rep. Christina Haswood, D-Lawrence, as the House considered a bill transferring half an acre of land where remains of tribal leaders were buried from the City of Shawnee to the Shawnee tribe.

Victors-Cozad said the “racially insensitive” comment by Rep. John Wheeler, R-Garden City, was an abuse of his power as an elected member of the Legislature. She said his “slanderous” attempt at satire mocked her Native American culture and shouldn’t be tolerated by the Legislature.

“These remarks had no relevance in our sacred House chamber — to the business at hand — other than to instigate mockery towards myself and the Native people that I represent throughout the country,” Victors-Cozad said.

“I do not accept Representative Wheeler’s disingenuous apology. We as members of this legislative branch cannot allow this behavior to be tolerated without consequence in the people’s House,” she said.

Wheeler, who served as Finney County prosecutor from 1993 to 2013 before he was elected to the House in 2017, was leading discussion of a bill that would alter the state’s approach to assessing individuals’ competency prior to trial. As private conversations among House members got louder, Victors-Cozad tapped the House speaker’s gavel to signal the need to pay attention to Wheeler.

“Thank you, madam chair,” said Wheeler, who turned to face Victors-Cozad. “I was just checking to see if that was a tomahawk.”

The remark from Wheeler resulted in a combination of laughter and groaning among the state representatives. Wheeler chuckled, and then faced his colleagues and offered an apology.

“I am getting a point that that is apparently considered offensive,” Wheeler told House colleagues. “If it is, I certainly do apologize.”

He subsequently reached out to the three Native Americans serving in the House to express remorse for his comment.

On Friday, Victors-Cozad said that she wouldn’t devalue Wheeler’s religion, place of worship or culture, and that she expected Wheeler to offer her the same courtesy and respect.

“I would like to think our elected public officials would know and understand this principle,” Victors-Cozad said. “This is women’s history month, and I am a proud Native American mother making history for the state of Kansas, and Representative Wheeler did his best to tarnish these accomplishments. I firmly hold him accountable to his words and actions.”

Wheeler, 74, is a member of the Legislature’s joint committee on state-tribal relations. The committee serves as a bridge between the Legislature and the state’s four federally recognized tribes.

The controversy in the House comes about a month after Randy Watson, commissioner of the Kansas State Department of Education, made a remark that some people deemed offensive during an online educational program. Watson had said that during his youth, he told his cousins from California that they didn’t have to worry about tornadoes when visiting Kansas, “but you got to worry about the Indians raiding the town at any time.”

The Kansas State Board of Education unanimously rejected Watson’s offer to resign but did suspend him for one month without pay. His suspension is scheduled to end Monday.

Rep. Stephanie Byers, a Wichita Democrat and member of the Chickasaw nation, said Watson’s comment was an example of systemic racism, and that suspension wasn’t an appropriate response. She said it would have been appropriate for the board to accept Watson’s resignation.

— Tim Carpenter reports for Kansas Reflector.