Sicangu News

I remember when my late grandparents told stories about how life was on the Rez when they were young. My late grandparents used to say it was extremely embarrassing for an individual to be taken to jail for being overdosed on alcohol in public. Too bad our Rez has changed so dramatically.

 

Have you ever seen someone lying on the street passed out from an alcohol overdose? Today, so many of us consider it just another day on the Rez when we see highly intoxicated people in public. Are we are so used to seeing our people overdosed on alcohol in public that we simply choose to ignore it?

 

A member of my local community election committee was obviously overdosed on alcohol while on the job last week during the special election held on my Rez. This person was allegedly harassing tribal voters. Many people lack enough self-respect to be embarrassed when others witness them doing stupid things while they are overdosed on alcohol or other drugs in public places. The worst part of all of this is we are teaching our young people that all of this behavior is acceptable when you live on the Rez.

 

99% of the suffering our children are subject to is due to alcohol overdosing, in my opinion. Most of the calls received by our law enforcement officials are placed because of someone who is alcohol overdosed and out of control.

 

In fact, most people in prison are there because they overdosed on alcohol and then committed an act while under the influence. What started out to be a party escalated into an incident severe enough to warrant criminal prosecution. People who are incarcerated wait for the day when they are set free. They are determined to never join friends in alcohol overdosing again. Some make good on the intent to stay sober when they are released from prison while others do not.

 

Many of our tribal members who have been released from those secure rooms in the Maza tipi soon find themselves back in there after vowing they would never, ever overdose on alcohol or other drugs again. Still, when many of our people are released from prison they often go back to their homes or the home of an extended family member and begin the vicious overdosing cycle all over again. Why doesn’t the Rosebud Sioux Tribe have some type of program to reduce recidivism?

There are many convicted felons living on our Rez. These are Lakota people who grew up here and made bad choices but paid the price through their prison sentences. When they are released many of them return here to their home. Prison has changed their lives. Many come home and actually create a better life.

 

But others will quickly resume the same drug overdosing habits which initially got them into trouble. They make their own personal choices. Soon some of them will assault family members in their own home. And many will get away with crimes because their families are afraid of them. Many of our children and elders live in dismal environments because of family members who lack self-control over their addictions.

 

Furthermore, there are heinous sex crimes being committed on the Rez every single day but many victims are too afraid to report these assaults. They might be threatened by the perpetrator or even by other family members to keep quiet about what is happening. 70% of sexual assaults go unreported.

 

There is a very good chance that sexual assault or molestation has occurred in children or young people who begin acting out in public. It’s pretty sad when our children have no idea of what they are doing when they begin acting out the sexual molestation they are being subject to. Are you a teacher with students who are exhibiting sexual behavior at school? Have you reported it?

 

Sexual predators are extremely dangerous. Some of the research I have looked at indicates that these people do not change. Medical doctors who treat them have often stated that sexual predators cannot be rehabilitated. In other words, they will never get well. Experts also say these people will always have the urge to engage in criminal sexual conduct. I’ve heard people state that local sex offenders have no place else to go when they are released from the Maza tipi. Do you believe would it be a violation of the civil rights of convicted sex offenders if we banned them from living on our Rez in order to protect the innocence of our children?

 

I realize there are some tribal members who are registered sex offenders but continue to maintain that they are innocent of the crime which they were convicted of. Some of these people did time in federal or state prisons. I’m not the person who is going to judge whether or not they are telling the truth; I only know that because they are sex offenders, these people must notify local law enforcement of their whereabouts for the rest of their lives.

 

In any case, our children are being victimized every single day. This ugly fact can only be changed when the cycle of violence is broken. Most sexual predators were not born that way. They were most likely sexually assaulted or molested when they were children. Just one incident can transform the innocence of a child forever. Again, most children have no idea that the physical assaults committed by the adults they love are wrong. Children view most adults as people who are supposed to protect them from harm; right? So why would innocent children believe sexual molestation is wrong when a trusted adult assures them that it’s okay?

 

Alcohol overdosing is never an excuse. Please pray for the innocent children and other people who are constantly victimized by those who cannot control their addictions. If you see or know of a crime being committed, be a responsible Lakota and report it to law enforcement.

 

 

ROSEBUD, SD – Last month, Antelope tribal council representative candidate Scott Herman withdrew from the Rosebud Sioux Tribe’s General Election race reportedly to accept a full time job. As a result, the Election Board scheduled a special election for Antelope.

 

The Election Board initially ruled that all candidates who were certified to appear on the primary election ballot from Antelope Community would be listed on the ballot for the Special Election to be held on Thursday, September 20, 2012. They also determined that the top vote getter will be seated as the tribal council representative from Antelope.

 

Those candidates included: Louis Moran III, Emil P. Wilson, Shannon M. Shaw-Brill, James R. Leader Charge, Glen Yellow Eagle, Shawn Bordeaux, Calvin “Hawkeye” Waln, Jr., Trent Poignee and Dolores R. Barron.

 

However, Waln filed action in Tribal Court (Docket # Civ-12-389) against the Election Board and stated that the “Board violated the RST Constitution and his rights under the Indian Civil Rights Act by calling for a Special Election, instead of certifying he and candidate Herman for the seat and allowing the General Election to proceed or in the alternative declaring him the only certified candidate an either putting his name alone on the General Election ballot or declaring him victorious by default.”

 

RST Special Judge B.J. Jones denied Waln’s “request for a preliminary injunction against the Special Election to be held on September 20, 2012.” The order also reads that “The Court does hold, however, that the Special Election have only two candidates – the Plaintiff [Waln] and either the third leading vote-getter or next leading vote-getter should the higher vote-getter decline.”

 

The Election Board then concurred with Judge Jones’ decision and issued a public notice stating that only two candidates would appear on the ballot – Waln and Trent “Okie” Poignee.

 

Also, Antelope Community held a special meeting on September 17 and approved a motion recommending that the Tribal Council appeal the Tribal Courts’ decision on the election for community representative. Community members felt the court decision violated both their civil rights and their right to vote in a candidate of their choice.

 

In addition, on September 17, Shawn Bordeaux filed an appeal to Judge Jones’ decision with the RST Supreme Court. But an error in his paperwork resulted in him having to file a revised appeal on September 18.

 

The Election Board asked that the Special Election set for September 20 be rescheduled for October 18, 2012 to allow time for the Tribal Supreme Court to deal with the actions filed. The Tribal Council had a lengthy discussion on the issue but did not respond to the Election Board’s request. The RST Tribal Council is expected to render a decision on the request by the Election Board on Wednesday, September 19.

 

For more information please call the Election Board at (605) 856-2373.

ROSEBUD, SD – The Rosebud Sioux Tribe will provide the cash earnest payment as an initial step to purchase approximately 1,940 acres of land located in the Black Hills. The site, also known as the Reynolds Prairie Ranches, was originally set to be sold through public auction last month.

 

However, the auction was canceled a few days before it was to take place in Rapid City. The Reynolds family has indicated they will accept the offer to purchase the land from the Rosebud Sioux Tribe. Several other newspaper accounts have also stated that the South Dakota Tribes have come together to purchase the land in the sacred site known to the Lakota-Dakota-Nakota peoples as Pe Sla.

 

The Pe Sla sacred site is where, according to the Lakota spiritual tradition, the Morning Star fell to earth, killing seven beings which had killed seven women. To honor the fallen, the Morning Star placed the souls of the women into the stars at the Pleiades constellation.

Every year, members from within the Lakota-Dakota-Nakota and other tribal people gather to perform ceremony as a way to ensure the continued survival of all beings. Rosebud is among those tribes which send contingents to the site every year. In that spirit, Rosebud’s Tribal Council voted to act as the conduit to unite all the Oceti Sakowin – or Seven Council Fires of the Nation – in this struggle to maintain these deeply rooted traditions. If successful, this will mark one of the first attempts by the Great Sioux Nation to unite in common cause, bid for ownership and share the site for all tribal members to continue ceremony.

 

Tribal officials at Rosebud are committed to finalizing the land purchase deal. They will continue to work to secure the money needed to buy the land. The eight other tribes located in South Dakota, along with other tribes in the Region, still have an opportunity to become co-owners.

 

However, as of September 17, there has not been any official documentation, such as approved resolutions, submitted to Rosebud by the other tribes giving official notice regarding a desire to be considered as co-owners in the purchase.

 

On September 4, 2012 the Rosebud Sioux Tribal Council approved Resolution 2012-222 which states in part “on August 31, 2012, the Rosebud Sioux Tribal Council determined to take the lead in the purchase of Pe Sla…[and the] Tribal Land Enterprise Board of Directors reviewed this possible real estate acquisition on August 15, 2012…and recommends approval.”

 

On September 17, this same Resolution was amended by a vote of 18 for, 0 against, 0 not voting and 2 absent at a special tribal council meeting to allow an earnest payment to be fully funded through TLE on behalf of the Rosebud Sioux Tribe. Tribal officials at Rosebud still anticipate official notification from the other tribes in South Dakota who wish to be part of this land purchase.

 

For more information please call the Rosebud Sioux Tribe at 605-747-2381 or toll-free 1-888-747-2381.

 

 

 

 

 

I clearly remember the very first letter I ever wrote to the editor of a newspaper. I was 18 years old and wanted to express my opinion about the campaign tactics surrounding the tribal election. I submitted my unsigned letter through the mail but it didn’t get printed. Newspapers worth their salt require you sign your name.

 

To this day I know that letter made good points. When I turned 18 years old I was excited to be old enough to vote in the tribal election. And even though I was still a teenager, I was appalled at the dirty tactics used by the candidates running for office in the tribal election. I remember feeling very embarrassed for the people who publicly tore apart their fellow tribal members in the name of politics.

 

Not much has changed since then. In fact, politics seem worse now. People who run for office today have to be prepared for anything. We are finishing a tribal election here on Rosebud and some campaign tactics were awful, in my opinion. There were a lot of underhanded things done by candidates to make their public image appear better than their opponents.

 

You can fool a lot of the people most of the time but you can’t fool everyone all of the time. Many political candidates fool themselves. For instance, some candidates will hand out flyers outlining all the things they believe should be changed in tribal government. They also talk to people about what is written on the flyers. They make it sound all good by telling you exactly what you want to hear. But we all know it is usually a different story when they are actually put into office.

 

Many candidates also created campaign signs which they placed across the Rez. Some signs looked really nice while others were questionable. The effort taken to put up a sign gets our attention; the candidate wants voters to be familiar with their name. Political signs can be a positive thing in any campaign.

 

However, some of the signs were vandalized before the election even took place. When a candidates’ sign is vandalized, it reflects back on all his or her political opponents. When I saw the signs that were ruined by vandals, it immediately made me suspect the opponents as the ones who committed the vandalism. How childish for adults to sneak around the Rez vandalizing political signs. People should grow up and find something more constructive to do with their time. Or maybe they were paid money to vandalize signs. Again, this recent campaign on the Rosebud was one of the ugliest I’ve ever witnessed.

 

Another unethical strategy was used with campaign flyers. Not all of the flyers were handed out by the candidates as promotional or informational. I saw some papers circulating around the Rez which contained negative information which probably wasn’t even true. Again, people could use their time to find something more constructive to do. But I suppose when people need to publicly smear their opponents they will resort to anything.

 

I am a writer. I could probably have sat in front of my computer and wrote up all kinds of stuff about the people running for office. Then I could have printed them out and left them laying around like trash for people to read. And you would have believed everything I wrote about the candidates, wouldn’t you? That’s just it, people will believe anything.

 

I have always told people not to believe everything they read or hear. Most of the information floating around on the Rez is based on vicious gossip. We would all do better to find more constructive things to do with our time. It all goes back to personal integrity. You either have it or you don’t.

 

When you are guided by your own integrity there is not much you will do to compromise your own ethical principles. You have stopped fooling yourself. You believe in honesty and truth. These are the values upon which you base your everyday life.

 

When you do not have any integrity, anything goes. You will continue to lie to yourself and others. You will stumble through life with a “do as I say, not as I do” philosophy. People will eventually see you for the hypocrite that you are. Your credibility will soon disintegrate when people realize you really don’t have any personal integrity.

 

Also, I have often wondered about the national political campaigns. They are in full force now; they are also very dirty. Not a day goes by when some candidate puts his or her foot squarely inside their mouth by saying something which angers many people. Then they have to scramble around to apologize or justify whatever was said that offended voters. It just proves that most people do not take the time to think through what they want to say, they just blurt it out. Some of the things being said are pretty stupid, in my opinion.

 

I suppose our local tribal political candidates follow the standards set by the national campaigns. It makes sense that this would happen. For instance, many of our contemporary tribal constitutions and governing bodies were created through the standards set by federal legislation known as the Indian Reorganization Act of 1934.

 

Our people who approved to accept the IRA most likely could not see the ramifications which would come from it. For instance, I believe the standards of conduct are set at the top. That is, when the Lakota people accepted the IRA as our form of government, we basically accepted all the flaws which accompany federal legislation. Thus, when the federal political campaigns are dirty, then the tribal political campaigns will also be dirty.

 

Standards set at the top trickle down to the bottom; right? Tribal politicians we’ve recently elected to office have the power to set new standards. I really do hope they all have enough personal integrity to make real changes.

By Debra White Plume, Owe Aku (Bring Back the Way)

 

The precious drinking water supply of the Oglala Lakota people will be overlapped more than a few times if TransCanada gets its way and the US State Department approves its second attempt to get a permit to build the Keystone XL (KXL) pipeline. The pipeline will enter this big land in Montana, come south and skirt the Cheyenne River, Pine Ridge, Lower Brule, and Rosebud Reservations before it enters Nebraska.

 

Recently, TransCanada revealed its “new” route through the Sandhills of Nebraska, keeping their budget in mind; they diverted a total of 20 miles. There is Sandhills land on the Pine Ridge in the LaCreek District. The KXL pipeline will be buried into the Ogallala Aquifer, in numerous places when one digs a few feet down into the sand, water will rise.

Our Lakota people, and people all over South Dakota, depend on the Rural Water Pipeline, or Lyman Jones as it is called off-reservation. The KXL route will cross the Lyman Jones in 43 places. It will cross our water pipeline to the Pine Ridge at least twice.

The KXL will carry dirty crude tar sands oil from the mines near the Ft. McMurray area of Alberta, Canada. Much of the pristine Boreal Forest has been totally decimated, strip mined to bare dirt, to get at the tar sands oil deep in Mother Earth. The oil miners use 3 to 4 barrels of drinking water to produce one barrel of oil, and billions of gallons of waste water are now stored in huge waste water ponds.  It is a secret what chemicals they use to dilute the heavy crude! However, a Vietnam Veteran knew that some of the chemicals are the same as what was used in Agent Orange and he revealed this information in a meeting with the US State Dept I attended last spring in Washington, DC. That Vietnam Veteran is from here on the Pine Ridge. Maybe he will come and speak out!

Owe Aku is hosting a series of “Sacred Water Protection Teach Ins” across Lakota Territory, the first will be held at our own famous Billy Mills Hall in Pine Ridge Village on September 26, 2012 and at Kyle on September 27, 2012 at the Church Hall, both begin at 1pm. On both dates, there will be guest speakers and a lot of handouts to share FACTS on the tar sands oil mine, the KXL oil pipeline, and the historical and cultural Lakota land sites that TransCanada plans to cross. Tribal officials will be speak on these significant land sites, allied organizations who also work to protect drinking water and Mother Earth will be speaking, and we will have slideshows to share images from the tar sands oil mine and other water destruction mining and mining-related activities.

We will have handouts that describe how each Tribal Government plans to protect their Homelands, and we want to generate a discussion on how we can all work together to protect our sacred water, Mother Earth, and coming generations.  We will share images of how people in Texas are protecting their ranches, farms and neighborhoods from TransCanada’s KXL oil pipeline, and from heavy haul trucks carrying equipment across our Homelands, as well the river hauls in BC Canada.

 

Information will be available regarding the impacts of oil mining using the hydro fracturing (fracking) method, a technique that is being banned around the world, yet is being practiced all over this big land.  There is recent discussion on the Pine Ridge regarding fracking near our northern border and on the Reservation as well. Several tribal candidates are already discussing how the Oglala Sioux Tribe must prepare for oil ‘fracking’. We want to give folks an opportunity to voice their opinion on this crucial topic.

 

An update on the uranium case against Cameco, Inc. In Situ Leach uranium mine in Crawford Nebraska, as well Cameco’s plans for three new uranium mines will be discussed.

 

There will be time for Traditional Headsmen to speak regarding these mining issues and to lead the discussion on a statement from all those in attendance regarding the protection of our sacred water, Mother Earth and coming generations, after all, we protect this sacred water for them, it is their water. Mni wicozani, through water there is life.

 

Oglala musicians Scatter Their Own will share their awesome indigenous music, and a drum group will share their songs.  A feed will follow, and there will be beverages and snacks all afternoon.  The “Sacred Water Protection Teach In” is open to all people, everyone is encouraged to attend, learn what you can, share what you know, be part of the statement made on these dates! Bring your friends, relatives and neighbors.

 

For more info call Vic Camp at 605-407-7808 and Alex White Plume at 605-455-2155, or look up the “Sacred Water Protection Teach In” event page on Facebook.

Our children are our most precious resource. As Lakota people we regularly offer prayers for our children and coming generations to have a better life; thousands of years ago, our Lakota ancestors believed the same about us. Back then, we were the unborn they prayed for to have a good life.

 

Many of us have experienced some form of stereotyping, prejudice, discrimination or racism as Lakota people. I do believe these are all learned behaviors. Our parents or other primary childhood caregivers are the first teachers we have as human beings. These teachers mold us into who we are today.

 

I grew up in a two parent home. One parent tended to be a racist while the other parent was more tolerant. So, I learned to be both racist and tolerant, if that makes any sense. I didn’t realize I was racist until I began looking at how I behaved. I have since tried very hard to be more tolerant.

 

It is not easy to be tolerant today, especially when you are a Lakota living in the red state of South Dakota. It is much easier to be racist because there are so many people living here who behave that way.

 

Furthermore, I see a lot of prejudice and discrimination directed at our young Lakota people. These feelings sometimes come from our own people! Our young adults are harshly judged by older folks. We often do not give our youngsters the benefit of the doubt or we do not trust them or we bestow negative labels upon them. Sometimes we will do all of these things unconsciously and other times we do it deliberately. Many adults are afraid of our Lakota teenagers and the young people know it! And then we wonder why our young people are the way they are.

 

There are many stories in the media about the growing incidents of gangs and violence on the Rez. Some stories are complete with graphic pictures depicting horrifying or otherwise negative scenarios. Stories and photographs such as these only serve to increase the racism, prejudice, stereotyping and discrimination our young Lakota people are now suffering. Those of us who live here are very much aware of the fact that not all of our young people aspire to be violent gangster types.

 

I cannot sugar coat the fact that we do have serious problems on the Rez. But I will not write here a long, depressing list of ills our people are subject to. Those of us who have made the choice to remain on the Rez so our children can grow up in their own homelands are already keenly aware of the challenges we all face in our daily struggle to survive. Still, some of us are able to recognize all of the good things which happen every day on the Rez. Many of these bright spots in Rez life which we still enjoy as Lakota people are the direct result of the prayers of our ancestors. Ceremony is powerful, don’t you think?

 

Also, some of you living on the Rosebud Rez might not think of Mission as a racist town while others would strongly agree with me about the prejudice and discrimination displayed there on a daily basis. After living our entire lives on the Rez we sometimes get used to being treated a certain way by businesses or individuals. Racism can be very subtle; when we tolerate it long enough it sometimes becomes invisible.

 

I believe much of the racism still present on the Rez stems from the subconscious guilt of many non-Indian people. Their minds are still affected by how their ancestors treated our ancestors. However, I’m sure the racist non-Indian thieves who still live on the Rez would disagree with me. Still, guilt can be transformed into either covert or overt racism, in my opinion. People who deny being racist are usually the ones with the problem!

 

As Lakota people, many of us have our own stories about what we have experienced when we shop or do other business within our own homelands or in the border towns surrounding our Rez. But what about the prejudice, racism and discrimination we experience from our own Lakota people? For example, the “us against them” mentality is what continues to fuel the ongoing conflict between “half-breeds versus full bloods.”

 

To me, it’s an obvious form of self-hatred when we must judge one another over some random “certified degree of Indian blood” number generated and recorded in the tribal enrollment office. We perpetuate a conquer and divide mentality when we disdain our own people because they have more or less Lakota blood than we have. We remain right where our real enemy wants us: at each other’s throats over petty enrollment fractions.

 

It always reminds me of the metaphor we are all familiar with. Put a bunch of crabs in a bucket together and watch how they all keep one another at the bottom. As soon as one makes it near the top to step out of the box, so to speak, he or she is pulled back down by the others. We are stuck, pushing each other around at the bottom of a bucket.

 

Despite all of this, I still have high hopes for our Lakota people. I pray for the mentality of our people to evolve during my lifetime. I want our Lakota parents and grandparents to model good behavior, including racial tolerance, to their children and grandchildren.

 

Racism is a learned behavior and I believe it is time to teach our children a better way. I think it would be a miracle if our grandchildren could grow up and live on our Rez without a clue about what the “crabs in a bucket” mentality means. We have many brilliant, respectful and sober young people on the Rez. It is my hope that we will support them in their endeavors to create a better life for themselves and the unborn generations.

 

http://afraidofhawk.org/Afraid_of_Hawk/Bio.html

Albert Afraid of Hawk, age 21, passed away on June 29, 1900 at Danbury, CT. After 112 years his remains are now home for burial on the Lakota Treaty homelands he loved.

 

A one night wake service was held and funeral services will be today, Sunday, September 9, 2012 at the Wounded Knee District School in Manderson, SD.

 

Drum Group: Eagle Mountain Singers. Traditional Lakota Services: Mr. Rick Two Dogs. Burial at St. Mark’s Episcopal Cemetery, Manderson, SD.

 

Arrangements are entrusted with Sioux Funeral Home of Pine Ridge, SD.

 

I don’t sing in the shower, nor do I sing in the rain; but I do love to sing. I inherited my talent for song from my maternal tiospaye. My late maternal Grandfather’s name was Clarence Packard. He was a very skilled man. One of his many talents was music. He could play a trumpet. He bought instruments and established an orchestra with his family. Other local people with musical talent were also part of the band. They were known as the “Rhythmeers.” They traveled around playing for dances when my late Mother and her siblings were teenagers.

 

I wanted to carry on this family tradition in some way and I first became interested in singing while attending elementary school. I remember trying to learn to play the saxophone just because my Mother played one when she was young. But my interest in that musical instrument soon dwindled. Lucky for me the music teacher was recruiting singers for the spring concert.

 

So was the beginning of my singing career. I sang every year in grade school. But the high school I attended did not offer a music program so my dreams of becoming a famous rock star were forgotten as a teenager.

 

I enrolled at Sinte Gleska University and took the class “Lakota Song and Dance.” The instructors were Sandra Black Bear and the late Dave White, along with the rest of the Ironwood singers. My interest in singing was revived with this class. It wasn’t even like taking a college class because all we did was sing and dance. We had a great time.

 

As a result of my experience at SGU, I believe it is very important that Lakota song be offered as a required course in our local schools. There are many young people who now sing or would like to sing with our drum groups. In fact, many of our schools on the reservations begin their day with the Lakota Flag Song. Most local reservation schools have the drum group as an extra-curricular activity. However, I think it is important enough to offer as a requirement.

 

Nowadays, it is always a great joy for me to listen to our young Lakota people singing at a wacipi, Native American Church gatherings, ceremonies or sun dances. Our Lakota people who have never taken the time to attend a ceremony are missing out on some beautiful music, in my opinion. We have many young men and women who are extremely talented. They have awesome voices! Some of them even compose their own songs. This proves that not all of our young people are involved in a gang, unless you want to call the drum group a gang.

 

The voices of our children, along with our young men and women, are beautiful to listen to. Our songs are a very important way of carrying on our language and culture. It gives me great hope to see our young adults, teenagers and children take an interest in learning our songs and carrying on this essential aspect of Lakota culture. There are many Lakota children who share their beautiful voices at wacipi or ceremony. I truly appreciate them.

 

Singers are extraordinary people, especially those who are ceremonial singers. Without the singers there is no ceremony. Oftentimes, ceremony lasts a long time and the singers must keep singing. For instance, sun dancers sometimes have long rounds that last one, two or three hours. The singers must keep their voices going for all this time. Being a singer requires you to stay in the moment. You have to be in the present and focus on the song.

 

Another point I would like to bring out is there are no song books for the singers to carry around. Singers keep the songs in their heads. What an accomplishment for our singers to carry all that knowledge. They must be able to recall and sing the appropriate song at the right time; as well as know when to end the song and begin another. Certain times in ceremony or honoring require a specific song. Sometimes it is difficult to be a ceremonial singer because people depend on you a lot to carry the songs wherever you go. Singers are often called upon unexpectedly to render a song. They must always be ready no matter where they go!

 

I love to sing Lakota ceremonial songs. I love to listen to the beautiful voices of the singers at sun dance, Native American Church gatherings and other ceremonies. Singers carry medicine in their voices. This is the healing they offer to the people when they sing. For me, singing a song from the heart is sharing your love with the universe. The notes of a song touch all who hear it. I believe the musical notes from all the ceremonial songs ever sang are still moving through the universe somewhere.

 

I want to say Wopila to all the ceremonial singers and their families who have been very busy traveling all summer singing for the sun dancers. Singers have learned how to be in the moment; most of the time it’s hard to be in the present moment because our minds take over and distract us with negative thoughts from the past or anxious worries of the future. By doing this we miss out on the beauty of the present moment. I have learned to appreciate my ability to sing because with my song there is no past or future, there is only now. My song is my medicine.

 

Modern technology is amazing. There is so much we can do with computers, smart phones, cameras and the Internet. Events can be shared with the world in almost an instant. When you go out in public you cannot really expect any kind of privacy anymore. There is always someone with either a camera equipped cell phone or camcorder to document everything you do. I love it.

 

On August 26, 2012 the Women’s Day of Peace was held. This event saw a group of concerned Lakota and other people descend upon the small town of White Clay, Nebraska. They went there to demonstrate against the alcohol establishments which have made millions of dollars selling booze. In addition, concerned members of Deep Green Resistance created a human chain across the highway to show how serious they were against the amount of alcohol sold in White Clay.

 

Facebook and YouTube are indispensable when it comes to sharing information. They allow us to share events and are also ways to document what happens at these events. The Women’s Day for Peace created an event on Facebook where they shared the following information about White Clay, Nebraska:

 

“White Clay is an incorporated village with a population of 14 people in northwest Nebraska. The town sits on the border of the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation, home to the Oglala Lakota. White Clay lies on disputed land, merely 200 feet from the official reservation border and less than three miles from the center of Pine Ridge, SD, the largest town on the reservation. Sale and possession of alcoholic beverages on the Pine Ridge is prohibited under tribal law. Except for a brief experiment with on-reservation liquor sales in the early 1970s, this prohibition has been in effect since the reservation lands were created.

 

“White Clay has four off-sale beer stores licensed by the State of Nebraska which sell the equivalent of 4.5 million 12-ounce cans of beer annually (12,500 cans per day), mostly to the Oglala living on Pine Ridge. These retailers routinely violate Nebraska liquor law by selling beer to minors and intoxicated persons, knowingly selling to bootleggers who resell the beer on the reservation, permitting on-premise consumption of beer in violation of restrictions placed on off-sale-only licenses and exchanging beer for sexual favors. The vast majority of those who purchase beer in White Clay have, in fact, no legal place to consume it, since possession and consumption of alcoholic beverages on the Pine Ridge Reservation remain illegal under tribal law. Many people have died in the streets due to exposure, as the state of Nebraska fails to uphold state law or police White Clay. As long as the liquor stores in White Clay remain in business, the genocide of the Oglala Lakota people will continue.”

 

The Women’s Day of Peace was a demonstration organized and led by women.

I watched a YouTube video where Olowan Sara Martinez stated the event was “to let the world know that there’s a new generation of free thinking Lakotas being born and raised in this day . . . I defend the minds of our relatives, alcohol is a plague, it’s a disease, it’s an infection that causes our young people to kill themselves, to harm each other, to harm their own. We need to stop it before it’s too late. . .

 

“We came here today, not only in solidarity with Deep Green Resistance, but to save the mentality and the minds of our own nations. It’s important that these small young children see this and they hear it and they understand it that alcohol will only help you to kill your own and kill yourself . . .  99% of [suicides] are alcohol induced, every rape, every molestation, every beating, everything has alcohol behind it.

 

“And so today we came to defend the minds of the Lakota…these young ones coming up, it’s important for them to grow up and understand and see that alcohol ain’t a part of us, that drunken Indian stereotype was built to defeat us, right along with silence, right along with every single one of these bars right here in White Clay. I’m grateful for our non-Indigenous allies who put their bodies on the line and they are not leaving until they are arrested…if that lasts one, two, three days, we’ll be here. That’s what’s up!

 

I believe the activists who chained themselves together to block the road were very brave! They went to White Clay and made a stand. I applaud them for their courage as they gave up the use of their hands while lying on the road, totally helpless. It was a powerful act against alcohol.

 

The protesters were so successful at locking themselves to the highway which runs through White Clay that even the police and fire departments could not remove the devices which bound them together. In the videos I saw there looked to be a lot of police officers from Nebraska’s Sheridan County and the Oglala Sioux Tribe.

 

Consequently, the look which some of them had was pretty scary. One of the Sheridan County officers in the video I watched had a glare which just didn’t look right to me. He looked like he wanted to hurt someone.

 

The officers had to lift up all five people who were chained together and load them into a dirty horse trailer in order to transport them to Sheridan County Jail in Rushville, NE. Trailers are made for animals, not for people. Surely there could have been a better way to resolve it all. Be careful! If you plan to travel to Nebraska to stand up for what is right, be prepared to be treated like an animal.

 

Alcohol is the scourge of the Lakota Oyate. Anheuser-Busch is making a gazillion dollars off our people who are addicted to the evil drug alcohol. Stop wasting your money buying booze! There is always time to change your life and the lives of your children.

 

 

 

 

 

ROSEBUD, SD – Cyril “Whitey” Scott was the unofficial winner of the General Election for tribal president held here last week. He received 39 votes more than incumbent Rodney Bordeaux.

 

Bordeaux has served the last 7 years, or three terms, as President of the Rosebud Sioux Tribe.

 

William “Willie” Kindle was re-elected as Vice President. He received 1720 votes to Oliver J. “OJ” Semans’ 801 votes.

 

Tribal council newcomer Mary Waln received 1,251 votes over He Dog Community incumbent Royal Yellow Hawk who came close with 1,224 votes.

 

Horse Creek incumbent Webster Two Hawk, Sr. retained his tribal council seat with 1642 votes over challenger Fremont Fallis who had 819 votes.

 

Ring Thunder has a new tribal council representative with Rose Two Strike Stenstrom receiving 1,271 votes, which was enough to beat incumbent Patricia “Patti” Douville who had 1,171 votes.

 

Rosebud’s race for tribal council representative was the closest one of all. Richard “Tuffy” Lunderman’s 1,253 votes were enough to put him ahead of Stephanie C. Sully, who received 1,233 votes.

 

St. Francis incumbent John Swift retained his tribal council seat with 1,386 votes compared to 1,100 votes received by challenger Patsy Valandra.

 

Swift Bear tribal council challenger Alvin Bettelyoun, Sr. received 1,540 votes to easily topple incumbent Delano Clairmont, who had 887 votes.

 

Upper Cut Meat incumbent Kathleen High Pipe received 1,239 votes to remain as tribal council representative. Challenger Philimon D. Two Eagle finished with 1,186 votes.

 

Corn Creek will seat newcomer Brian Hart who received 1,286 votes. Incumbent Arlene Black Bear finished with 1,154 votes.

 

Incumbent Todd Bear Shield appeared on the ballot from Bull Creek Community even though he ran unopposed. 2,119 tribal voters cast their vote for Bear Shield.

 

In addition, the unofficial results from the school board election for St. Francis Indian School saw Fred “Fritz” Leader Charge receive 548 votes while David P. Brushbreaker received 517 votes.

 

The RST Election Board will receive any challenges to the General Election results until 1pm on Friday, August 31, 2012. A challenge fee is required. The swearing in of the newly elected officials will take place on the first business day following the certification of election results. For more information you may call the Election Board office at (605) 856-2373.