By AP
Shawnee, OK – SHAWNEE, Okla. (AP) The Sac and Fox Nation says it will stop providing financial support for transportation projects in Shawnee and Pottawatomie County.
The Oklahoman reports the American Indian tribe is upset county commissioners endorsed a proposed Interstate 40 interchange in Shawnee that's been opposed by the tribe.
The tribe says the proposed interchange could "potentially exterminate vital traditional cultural practices" including funerals, feasts, adoptions, clan ceremonies and annual dances.
County commissioners endorsed the project on May 10. Two weeks later, the tribe's business committee declared the funding moratorium. The tribe is among many in Oklahoma that has contributed millions of dollars to road projects. Sac and Fox officials say the tribe has given more than $40 million toward such projects since 1987.
Shawnee Mayor Linda Peterson says the tribe's decision is "unfortunate."
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Information from: The Oklahoman, http://www.newsok.com
Copyright 2011 The Associated Press.