Tribes ignored in decision
Posted to NDN AIM by ErthAvengr
http://www.rapidcityjournal.com
Jan.25.2003
By Charmaine White Face, a freelance writer and a member of the Oglala Band
of the Tetuwin Oceti Sakowin (Great Sioux Nation). She may be reached at
cwhiteface@aol.com.
MANDERSON - At a meeting held Wednesday, Jan. 22, in Sturgis, state officials
and local developers of a shooting range near Bear Butte heard the shock and
dismay in the voices of many members of tribes from as far away as Iowa and
Oklahoma. Thankfully, the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe's Preservation Office
called the meeting or no Native American people would have known about this
new development, like so many others that are already in place around the
sacred mountain.
Sturgis Mayor Mark Ziegler said the idea started about a year ago when he was
approached by then-Gov. Bill Janklow. This caused many Native American and
non-Indian people in the audience to nod knowingly at each other. But then
the mayor chided the group by saying his door was always open and "all you
have to do is call me." (I was wondering how to ask him about a development
we knew nothing about in the first place.)
Jamie Ducheneaux from the CRST Preservation Office later stated that he did
pick up the phone and called the mayor as soon as he had heard about this
effort. That was why we were having the meeting.
However, it was evident from the written information from the Black Hills
Council of Local Governments, the agency which applied for the Community
Development Block grant to fund the project (federal tax dollars), that all
of the developers and state officials were aware that the tribes should have
been involved. "The Butte is visible from the project area. It is considered
a sacred site for Northern Plains Indian tribes, including the Lakota,
Northern Cheyenne, Hidatsa, Crow and others."
Yet not one of the tribes was notified. Rather, a letter was sent on Sept.
23, 2002, to Webster Two Hawk, commissioner of Tribal Government Relations
for the state in Pierre. He did not notify the tribes either but concurred
with the project on his own. He also was a political appointee of former Gov.
Janklow.
The proposed shooting range will sit on approximately 320 acres of previous
livestock grazing pasture land and will include a clubhouse, three different
rifle ranges, four trap/skeet ranges, two pistol ranges, a sporting clay
range, and a separate archery range, with hopes of being "expanded in the
future." It will be used for firearm instruction and safety courses, an
up-to-date shooting range for the general public, law enforcement education
and qualification, a testing facility for the firearms industry, and shooting
events. However, a woman from Lead reminded the group that there was already
an indoor shooting facility available in Lead.
As the noise factor was the only concern mentioned in the environmental
comments, a mathematical model was used by the developers to determine the
amount of noise in decibels at certain distances. The developers stated that
the noise wou1d not be heard on Bear Butte.
However, Nancy Kile, a resident of Sturgis who also looked at the
mathematical calculations, kept snapping a rubber band on a deck of cards
every 15 seconds during the meeting. Eventually, she told the group that she
and her husband had mathematically calculated that this would be the
equivalent sound at Bear Butte for the projected 10,000 rounds in a 24-hour
period. That sound would be heard every seven seconds for a 12-hour period.
As it was disturbing at the meeting, it would be even more disturbing for
people sitting in a church, or trying to meditate in the quiet that usually
surrounds Bear Butte.
Over and over again, Arvol Looking Horse, the Lakota Keeper of the Sacred
Calf Pipe, expressed his concern and tried to explain the impact this project
would have on not just the people going to Bear Butte to pray, but also the
negative energy carried by weapons, and the impact on wildlife, particularly
the eagles. He and many others tried to warn the developers of the
ramifications if they disturb this sacred area.
Another site was originally planned which was 11 miles to the southeast of
Bear Butte, however it was dropped "due to concerns expressed by adjacent
landowners."
Peter Pi, president of the Black Hills Sportsman's Complex, talked about the
Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which is the right to bear arms.
Although many Lakota people in the room could have argued the legality of
land ownership based on Article VI of the same Constitution, the more
important ramifications due to the sacredness of the mountain were kept in
the forefront. Mr. Pi, however, did receive a written brief synopsis of the
treaty issues at the end of the meeting.
The group was informed that $250,00 to $260,000 of Housing and Urban
Development money has been spent on this project to date. Howard Kutzer is
the HUD Environmental Officer in Denver who approved it, although there seem
to be a number of federal laws that have been violated. The local developers
and the state officials were quick to pass any responsibility on to HUD for
approving the project. The federal laws that need to be looked at would
include the National Environmental Policy Act, Native American Graves and
Repatriation Act, National Historic Preservation Act, and possibly the
Archaeological Resources Protection Act, not to mention the U.S.
Constitution. Since this is federal money, it's possible that an injunction
stopping the project will be put in place by an individual or one of the
tribal organizations based on any of the above laws.
Again, special gratitude is owed to the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe's
Preservation Office: Jim Picotte, Jaime Ducheneaux and Carl Dupree for
putting on the meeting and letting people know about this project. About 40
people were in attendance, including representatives from the Sac and Fox
people in Iowa, the Northern Cheyennes in Montana, the Southern Cheyennes in
Oklahoma, and the Lakota bands, as well as the Yanktonais.
One Native American man stated that at least 69 tribes come to Bear Butte to
pray. All of these tribes have a right to express their concerns about this
development so near to one of the most sacred sites in North America.
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