MEETING ADDRESSES NEEDS OF GRASS ROOTS OYATE
By Ruth Steinberger
Lakota Journal Correspondent
FT. RANDALL -- More than 30 people representing five South Dakota tribes attended a meeting organized by the Dakota Lakota Nakota Oyate on Sunday February 2 at the Fort Randall Casino.
The purpose of the meeting was to create a grass roots network in order to address the grievances of tribal members throughout the reservations of South Dakota.
Francis Zephier, Yankton Sioux Tribe, one of the organizers of the daylong event, said that she hopes the effect will be the creation of, "A unified nation." Zephier cited issues facing tribal members from non-indian entities, as well as from tribal governments, that seriously affect Indians throughout the Great Plains.
Alfred Bone Shirt, a co-organizer, explained the meeting was for tribes organized under the 1851 Treaty and was called in order to discuss issues of tribal sovereignty and human rights. Bone Shirt said, "Our intention is to organize a grass roots effort to set an agenda and to develop a declaration of sovereignty for our human rights as a distinct nation of people. The corruption, nepotism and disenfranchisement that a great number of our people are experiencing at the hands of our tribal governments and at the hands of Indian Health Service, HUD, etc. is affecting the fiber of our tribal communities."
Bone Shirt said that the disenfranchisement amounts to abuse that destroys already fragile communities. He said people express fear of retaliation by tribal governments if they speak out about problems that they experience, adding that tribal members cannot afford to be afraid to speak up any longer.
Belinda Joe, Crow Creek, said, "The reason I came to this meeting is for the human rights of our children." Joe explained complaints concerning a middle school principal employed by the Crow Creek Sioux Tribe have included allegations of assault of children throughout the last four years and the tribe has failed to take action to stop this conduct.
She said, "I have reported this to the council. It is still happening and our children are still being treated like this. We want to approach our council and have something good come of it. We want to establish this is the year of the child. We need to turn this around. Not with vengeance or violence and we are asking for a healing ceremony at the Crow Creek Pow-wow, a ceremony of our children who have been hurt or abused." She added, "We have to continue this in the Dakota way and show the children that they are important and they are sacred."
Ben Thompson, Lower Brule Sioux Tribe, explained that tribal members need networking with other people who are making efforts to change tribal governments. He added that there has not been a full council meeting of the Lower Brule Tribe since the election last October.
He said, "We take care of the agenda for Mike's needs [Mike Jandreau, Tribal president], but we have the people's agenda. As soon as we bring up our questions he recesses, leaving the council chamber. Our items never get heard." Thompson said the issues that he and other activists have tried to raise include farm pasture leases, where money from the casino is being spent and other tribal issues.
"We are not getting anywhere and we came here to discuss this with other grass roots people from across Indian nations. We had five tribes represented here today and it will grow. A lot of people's civil and human rights are being violated and it's not just on our reservation," he said.
Travis LaRoche, Lower Brule, added, "We have to come together. The grass roots people need to come together as one people. We can help each other with different issues."
Mona Rencountre, Crow Creek, said, "Our tribal members have tried to address issues. We have concerns including grass roots people who are thrown in jail being roughed up and intimidated." However, complaints go unheard according to Rencountre. She explained that she herself was threatened by a former police chief who told her that if she organized protests without the approval of the police and the tribal council she would face arrest and could face ten years in jail.
Rencountre hopes that the outcome of today's meeting will be that people are able to organize and work together in order to have their concerns heard.
Francis Zephier shared what she hopes to come out of the day. She hopes for, "Uniting of the tribes and accountability. The purpose is at a united nation level. We need to have a way to have grievances heard. Housing, HUD, is one of the biggest appropriated monies. How much of that money is diverted to non-tribal entities and how much of that money is actually coming down to the tribes?" Zephier said, "We want to add these numbers and have a sense of what is happening."
Zephier continued, "We want to look at how much does congress appropriate in trust funds and who is going after that money. The tribes go after it, but also the BIA and the IHS and other agencies that receive money on behalf of the tribes go after it. We want to look at the money going to contractors and what services are really coming down to the tribe."
She pointed out that the services are often substandard and are obtained at prices that far exceed normal market value. Zephier added that a small amount of the money earmarked for tribes is actually going into services for tribal members and that others are getting rich from the funding flow.
The next meeting will be in the next three to four weeks and will be divided between Lower Brule and Crow Creek. The date and time will be set in the next 10 days. Interested individuals can contact Alfreda Bear Track at 605-730-0332.
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