South Dakota legislators appear to be in conflict with themselves. They are introducing a Concurrent Resolution to acknowledge and honor the Native American children who were survivors of the boarding schools in this state. Here is that resolution: WHEREAS, beginning in the latter part of the nineteenth century, Native American children were often involuntarily sent to boarding schools far […]
Voices of the People
Timber industry favorites use forest health as an excuse to poach already designated Biden ARPA dollars
It was Standard Operating Procedure at the Republican dominated South Dakota Legislature as lawmakers talked about forest health as they deferred Senate Bill 134 which would redirect already designated American Rescue Plan Act money to create the healthy forest critical infrastructure relief and grant program, and to declare an emergency. Deferred not because there wasn’t support, there was resounding support, […]
Dealing with Bureaucracy
This issue of NSNT includes a wonderful story about the facilities crew at the Lame Deer I.H.S. Service Unit who won a national award for excellence in Customer Service, one of many awarded annually by the National I.H.S. Director. The maintenance supervisor, Bob Magpie accepted the award at a national ceremony held in Washington D.C., back in December 2023 […]
He killed a kitten and a dog to scare us
One of the things we missed the most when we were small boys institutionalized at the Holy Rosary Mission Boarding School on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation was pets. We spent nine months of every year at the mission and three short summer months at our homes on the various Indian reservations in South Dakota and beyond. In the summer […]
Truth, facts and hope on Cheyenne River
Cheyenne River has reached epic proportions of generation dysfunction unbecoming of Lakota ideology in principle and practice. Sadly, our people are aware of those atrocities yet are reluctant to initiate generation change. Using the mid 1960’s to present as the benchmark in history on Cheyenne River and based on a life span of seven decades as an enrolled member living […]
Code Talker Memorial on the Capitol Campus
Week 5Hello neighbors, relatives, and friends alike. Reporting from the Capitol on my fifth week in Pierre of the 99th legislative session. On Tuesday of last week, I was in the Senate Education Committee trying to get free tuition for Native kids from SD. I don’t know how this one gets no support from some legislators. We just made it possible […]
Statement regarding my work-related disability
I had to produce this statement as part of getting a grant to re-establish a small newspaper on the Northern Cheyenne Reservation and thus thought it could do double duty as a weekly column. I started working at five years old – on a ranch in Prairie County when growing up, collecting eggs for one cent each from Grandma Emma’s […]
The comfort of Grandma Cecelia’s warm stones
Our ancestors existed for millennia and instinctively learned survival skills. They knew the severity of harsh winters on the Northern Plains and constructed dwellings that would protect themselves from the elements. At one time the ancients built earth lodges by digging deep into the ground and then covered the pit with a latticework of animal bones which they covered with […]
Oglala Sioux Tribe banishes the governor again
Hello neighbors, relatives, and friends alike. Reporting from the Capitol on my fourth week in Pierre of the 99th legislative session. The bill to allow an Honor Song to be played at graduations upon request by a student was lost in the Education Committee, local control was the main reason that was given from opponents of the bill. Also, (Senate […]
Another gripe
As previously noted, for the past few months, I have been slaving over the breakfast stove at Cheyenne Depot gaining a little extra cash to help with transitional expenses. Then started a daily “special” using up left over goods in the freezer, sold on the cheap side and then cinnamon rolls and cookies. The Cheyenne’s, sweet toothed, quickly took to […]