#Lower Brule Sioux

[geezerwench]

South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem (R) is now banned from all tribal lands in the state after the Flandreau Santee Sioux Tribe voted to bar her from their reservation Wednesday, citing her repeated claims that tribal leaders work with drug cartels.

Noem sparked the controversy in March when she said tribal leaders benefit from the presence of cartels operating on their land.

“We’ve got some tribal leaders that I believe are personally benefiting from the cartels being there, and that’s why they attack me every day,” the governor said at a forum in March. “But I’m going to fight for the people who actually live in those situations, who call me and text me every day and say, ‘Please, dear governor, please come help us in Pine Ridge. We are scared.’”

[tomorrowusa]

The Crow Creek Sioux have joined six other South Dakota tribes in banning dog-murderer Gov. Kristi Noem from tribal lands. That leaves the Flandreau Santee Sioux and Lower Brule Sioux as the only two tribal holdouts in the state. If those two follow suit, about a quarter of the land area of South Dakota will be off limits to MAGA sycophant Gov. Noem.

The Crow Creek Sioux Tribe in central South Dakota has joined six of the state’s tribes in preventing Gov. Kristi Noem from coming onto their tribal land, leaving the governor just two reservations she can still travel to. That decision came after a Tuesday morning tribal meeting in Fort Thompson. Like the tribes who have issued bans before them, tribal leaders cited Noem’s previous remarks about alleged drug cartel activity on the reservations as the primary reason for the ban. “The people voted unanimously to ban her along with the tribal council for her derogatory remarks about the tribes and cartels,” tribal council member Kyle Loudner explained in a text message. “And about the remarks she made about the children being nobodies their whole lives because of the parents.” Noem made remarks during a series of March town halls about children on the reservation.

It's doubtful that non-Native entities can legally ban Noem elsewhere in South Dakota. Though they might be able to declare her persona non grata at local dog parks.

[molsons112000]

So in some states, you have very large native american populations like oklahoma.... But we have to decide what is the core of america, and what are the satellite populations....

It's very easy to make Maas. Even in china, as an example where there are fifty six ethnic groups, but one ethnic group is ninety two percent. That means it's very easy to accommodate the other fifty five ethnic groups with slight changes to the legal system. Which applies to those groups... So you have a core ma, and then you have satellite, like we do with native americans...

Tribal laws are developed by tribes or Indian nations, and apply to their members and to individuals within tribal territories. Sam Attahvich and United States Office of Indian Affairs, contributors. Indian Tribes, Reservations and Settlements in the United States.Jul 16, 2024

https://guides.loc.gov › Tribal-Law

Tribal Law - American Indian Law: A Beginner's Guide

So these satellite laws only are loud within these people, that the government genetically proves are native americans. And if they're not, then they're not part of the native american community, they are not governed under the satellite laws, and they must fully apply to the laws of the United States..

So these guidelines our very important because what is considered a Native American, and we give this ability for self-governing to a certain point, allowing them these exceptions to the u. S law that the general population needs to follow... So we can do this for other race/ ethnic groups. But this is only when you have a substantial core that followed the general. When you do this, you crate a situation where you have too many people governed under too many different roles, and this causes serious issue! Because no one knows how to properly interact with anyone. And this is why even india with two thousand ethnic groups, one ethnic group makes up seventy two percent and the other one thousand ninety nine make up only twenty eight percent... So it's much easier for them to create satellite provisions for these other ethnic groups, because the majority of everyone follows the general law.... And it's easier for this large populace, to understand when it's dealing with these small groups, these accommodations to the traditional law that they are allowed because of their ethnic and racial makeup.. So we're going to get so fractured that it's gonna be unbelievably difficult to govern this country and to make this country people happy... This is the same issue that can occur in any country. They get too fractured, it makes it so impossible to govern.... Because how can you know what the exceptions are for certain people? When it is a small portion of everybody. Everybody you're running into has a different governing law... This creates chaos, and it's hard to interact properly with each other... Because then everybody's stepping on everybody's toes, and that will be the destruction of america .. But it will destroy any society.

The U.S. government and tribal governments often use blood quantum as a criterion to determine if someone is Native American. Blood quantum is a concept created by white settlers that measures the amount of "Indian blood" a person has. It's calculated by dividing an individual's parents' combined degree of "Indian blood" in half, and is usually measured in fractions like ¼ or ½. The government often requires a blood quantum of 1/4 for most benefits. 









Blood quantum is established by tracing ancestry back to relatives on earlier tribal rolls or censuses that recorded their proportion of Native American blood. For example, the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation require 1/4 descent from any federally recognized Native American tribe, plus being the biological child or grandchild of an already-enrolled member. The Lower Brule Sioux Tribe requires members to have 1⁄4 or more blood quantum from Lower Brule. 







However, each tribe has its own set of requirements for membership, and blood quantum is not the only criterion used. Other criteria include: 





Residence 



Cultural affiliation 



Language 



Recognition by a community 



Genealogical lines of descent 



Self-identification 



Tribal Membership Requirements and the Demography of "Old ...

The Bureau of Indian Affairs uses a blood quantum definition—generally one-fourth Native American blood—and/or tribal membership to recognize an individual as N...



NCBI

[marshallwoller]

I analyze the documentary series "Skindigenous," which delves into Indigenous tattooing traditions from around the world. The show celebrates the cultural heritage and significance of tattoo practices, dismissing misconceptions and promoting respect for authentic cultures. By giving Indigenous communities a platform to share their stories, the series generates conversations about cross-cultural understanding, appreciation, and acceptance of diverse traditions and identities in a multicultural society.

"Remember the Titans” is a movie about unity and diversity in football. It centers on racial integration in a football team during the 1970s. The film showcases the significance of teamwork, unity, and leadership in overcoming racial prejudices and embracing diversity. It sparks conversations about race, ethnicity, and cultural diversity by reflecting on the challenges and triumphs of desegregation in America.

Nick Estes is a powerful voice for Indigenous rights. I discuss how historian and writer Nick Estes, a member of the Lower Brule Sioux Tribe, is involved in multiculturalism through his activism for Indigenous rights. Estes challenges dominant cultural narratives that tend to exclude Indigenous voices, beliefs, and cultures. He highlights the importance of accurate and respectful depictions of Indigenous communities and sheds light on their ongoing struggles. He promotes cooperation between Indigenous folks and multicultural societies in addressing contemporary issues.

From these three blogs, I learned from strong voices and representations of communities in America that have experienced marginalization. Nick Estes uses his power as a historian and activist to allow more Indigenous voices to be heard. I was surprised to learn that a significantly sized community does not always have an equal say in politics regarding [especially] land rights. “Remember the Titans” is a microcosm of the desegregation era in America. How whites and blacks can find common ground when avoidance is eliminated from strategy of keeping the peace. “Skindigenous” sheds light onto Native tattoo practices through personal stories of indigenous individuals. A common misconception about tattoos is that they resemble rebellion or the breaking of social norms. The series tries to show how tattoos are a dedication to spiritual practices of Indigenous people and that their meaning is rooted into their culture, not a rebellious dismissal of modern culture.

[universitybookstore]

New from Verso, Our History Is the Future: Standing Rock versus the Dakota Access Pipeline, and the Long Tradition of Indigenous Resistance, by Nick Estes.

[littlefeather-wolf]

Large photographs document Sioux [Lakota and Dakota] and Fox delegations, most wearing western suits, some posed with government officials, to Washington, D.C. Captions below photographs identify sitters. The collection includes a studio portrait of Sioux delegation (20 individuals), Feb. 1891; U.S. Commissioners and delegations of Sioux chiefs visiting Washington, D.C., Oct. 15, 1888, on the steps of the Capitol building [Rosebud, Standing Rock, Pine Ridge, Cheyenne River, Crow Creek, and Lower Brule agency delegations are represented]; a delegation of Sioux Indians, 1891 (40 individuals); a delegation of Sioux chiefs to ratify the sale of lands to the U.S. government, Dec. 1899 (21 individuals); a group of seven Sioux "warriors," Feb. 1891; and a group of five Fox Indians wearing traditional clothing, 1890.

Rosebud Agency Delegation.

11. Ugly Wild-Horse.

12. Pretty Eagle.

13. He-Dog.

14. Good Voice.

15. Quick Bear.

16. Black Wolf.

17. Swift Bear.

18. King Thunder.

19. Two Strike.

20. Gray Eagle-tail.

21. Sky Bull.

22. Red Fish.

23. Yellow Hair.

24. Eagle Horse.

25. Thos. Flood, Interpreter.

26. Col. L. F. Spencer, Agent at Rosebud.

Standing Rock Agency Delegation.[16 men]1885 Standing Rock heads of families27. Sitting Bull.Tatanka IyotakeUncpapa chief35228. Steph Two-bears.Mato NonpaLower Yancktonnai chief129. Bear's Rib.Broken Bear Rib? Mato Cuwiyuksa  Uncpapa chief2730. Thunder Hawk.Cetan WakiyanUncpapa chief131. High Eagle.Wanbli WakantuyaUncpapa chief4732. Big Head.Nasuna TankaUpper Yancktonnai chief133. Mad Bear.Mato KnaskiyanLower Yancktonnai chief12934. Gray Eagle.Wanbli RitaUncpapa chief24035. Hairy Chin.Iku HinsmanLower Yancktonnai26136. Walking Eagle.Wanbdi ManiLower Yancktonnai chief20437. High Bear.Mato WakantuyaUncpapa chief15338. Fire Heart.Cante PetaBlackfeet7939. John Grasse.Mato Watakpe / Charging BearBlackfeet chief140. Gaul.Pizi [Gall]Uncpapa chief21641. Louis Primeau, Interpreter.Blackfeet17442. Maj. Jas. A. McLaughlin, Agent at Standing Rock.7 Uncpapa

4 Lower Yancktonnai

1 Upper Yancktonnai

3 BlackfeetPine Ridge Agency Delegation.

43. Dog Back.

44. Standing Soldier, 1st Lieut. Police.

45. Yellow Bear.

46. Little Hawk.

47. Little Wound.

48. Little Chief (Cheyenne).

49. Pretty Lance.

50. Standing Elk (Cheyenne).

51. Fast Thunder.

52. No Flesh.

53. American Horse.

54. Capt. Geo. Sword, Police Force.

55. Plenty Bears.

56. Benj. Rowland, Interpreter.

57. Philip Wells, Interpreter.

58. Col. H. D. Gallager, Agent. Cheyenne River, Crow Creek, and Lower Brule Delegations.

59. White Ghost.

60. Drifting Goose.

61. Bowed Head.

62. Little Bear.

63. Spotted Elk.

64. Crow Eagle.

65. White Swan.

66. Charger.

67. Spotted Eagle.

68. Swift Bird.

69. Little No-heart.

70. Narcisse Narcell.

71. Wm. Larabee, Interpreter.

72. Dr. C. E. McChesney, Agent at Cheyenne River

73. Mark Wells, Interpreter.

74. Capt. Wm. Carpenter

75. Maj. W. W Anderson, Agent Crow Creek and Lower Brule

76. Capt. Fire-thunder, Police force.

77. Alex. Recontre, Interpreter.

78. Medicine Bull.

79. Bull Head.

80. Wizi. (stamp)Library of Congress, Copyright Jul 27 1889 Washington.

[luckytheoristnightmare]

Did you know that Lower Brule Sioux and US Marine Colonel Gregory "Pappy" Boyington was awarded the Medal of Honor, the Navy Cross, the Purple Heart and the Prisoner of War Medals?

Pappy Boyington was initially a US Marine Corps aviator with the Pacific fleet before being recruited by the legendary "Flying Tigers" (1st American Volunteer Group) in the Republic of China Air Force in Burma at the end of 1941 and part of 1942, during the military conflict between China and Japan, and the beginning of World War II.

In September 1942, he rejoined the Marine Corps (he had been an aviator before the war). In early 1943, he deployed to the South Pacific and began flying combat missions as a Marine F4U Corsair fighter pilot.

In September 1943, he took command of U.S. Marine Corps fighter squadron VMF-214 ("Black Sheep"). In January 1944, Boyington, outnumbered by Japanese "Zero" planes, was shot down into the Pacific Ocean after downing one of the enemy planes. He was captured by a Japanese submarine crew and was held as a prisoner of war for more than a year and a half.

He was released shortly after the surrender of Japan, and a few days before the official surrender documents were signed.

The television series Baa Baa Black Sheep was inspired by Boyington and his men in the "Black Sheep" squadron. It ran for two seasons in the late 1970s.

[carnegiemuseumnaturalhistory]

Follow Your Dreams, My 70 Years as an Archaeologist

Archaeology usually conjures up Indiana Jones as an example of the thrills and dangers of archaeological research. Archaeology is a relatively safe occupation, although there are exceptions, such as the archaeologist who stood on top of a Mayan pyramid who was struck by lightning. There are many fields of archaeology that focus on geographic areas and time periods, from hunters and gatherers over hundreds of thousands of years to the last 10,000 years of the rise of civilizations around the world. There are many cultural specialties in archaeology such as Egyptology, Classical archaeology, focusing on the Mediterranean Greek and Roman, Mayan, Inca, U.S. Southwest and so forth. A field represented in Pittsburgh is Biblical archaeology at the Pittsburgh Theological Seminary with its Kelso Museum of Near Eastern Archaeology. At the University of Pittsburgh in the Department of Anthropology there is a focus on Mexico, Central and South America, Eastern Europe, China, and Central Asia with currently over 30 graduate students and faculty conducting research in these regions.

The Section of Anthropology of the Carnegie Museum of Natural History, for over 100 years, has conducted archaeological research in Egypt, Israel, Central Asia, Caribbean, Costa Rica, Peru, the Upper Ohio Valley and holds collections from other areas of the Americas and the world though donations or purchase. The richness of the Section’s collections can be seen in Walton Hall of Ancient Egypt, Polar World: Wyckoff Hall of Arctic Life, and Alcoa Foundation Hall of American Indians.

From an early age I wanted to be an archaeologist. My father was worried that archaeology wouldn’t provide much of a livelihood, so he arranged a visit with the director of the Peabody Museum at Harvard when I was a teenager. My father asked the director J. O Brew if one could make a living as an archaeologist and he answered, “it’s better if you’re independently wealthy.” This didn’t deter me from following my dream of becoming an archaeologist. My archaeological career is filled with luck and serendipity where seizing an offered archaeological opportunity or discovery of a significant artifact, not only guided my research, but where I worked. I have a parallel career in historic colonial sites and in prehistoric maritime adaptations. I became intrigued with archaeology at an early age visiting the Springfield Science Museum and joining a chapter of the Massachusetts Archaeological Society based at the museum. I went out on their excavations at sites in the Connecticut River Valley, one which was in 1957 in South Hadley where I learned how to uncover burials. From summering in the Lake George area of New York State I became interested in historic archaeology due to all the French and Indian War (1754-1763) forts in the region. In 1952 at age 16, I was a crew member for two summers at the excavations of Fort William Henry, made famous by James Fenimore Cooper’s novel The Last of the Mohicans.

Excavation of Fort William Henry at the Head of Lake George, New York 1952. (Photo Credit Dr. Richardson)

Fort William Henry was destroyed by French and Indian forces in 1757. In 1952, excavations and reconstruction of the fort began on what became a major tourist attraction. Photos show Dr. Richardson pointing to a photo of his 16-year-old self-excavating the site. (Photo Credit: Dr. David Watters)

I also summered on Martha’s Vineyard where in 1954 I dug at a coastal site with an associate of the Martha’s Vineyard Museum which stimulated my desire to become a maritime archaeologist. At St. Lawrence University I majored in Sociology and Anthropology and in 1957 I wrote a letter to the Smithsonian Institution asking to go on one of their expeditions and was accepted on a crew that set up a tent camp on the Big Bend of the Missouri River in South Dakota excavating at the Black Partisan village site. While at SLU I also was a crew member in 1959 at the excavations of Johnson Hall in Johnstown, NY, the home of Sir William Johnson, the British Superintendent of Indian Affairs during the French and Indian War.

Smithsonian Institution camp on the Lower Brule Sioux (Lakota) Indian Reservation in South Dakota, 1957. (Photo Credit: Dr. Richardson)

Dr. Richardson in the Smithsonian Camp 1957. (Photo Credit: Warren Caldwell)

Dr. Richardson lounging at the Black Partisan Site, an excavation of an earth lodge at Lower Brule Reservation. (Photo Credit: Warren Caldwell)

Dr. Richardson excavating a food storage pit at the Black Partisan Site. (Photo Credit: Warren Caldwell)

At Syracuse University for my master’s, I crewed in 1962-63 on 3 sites in up-state New York directed by William A. Ritchie, the State Archaeologist from the New York State Museum. I mentioned to him my interest in maritime archaeology and urged him to develop a research project on Martha’s Vineyard, which he did, excavating 6 sites from 1962-1966 on which I of course I participated. After Syracuse in 1963, I with my wife Judy went to the University of Illinois for my Ph.D. in northeastern U.S. archaeology, focusing on the maritime Vineyard. Here one of my advisors came out of his office and shouted down the hall to me “Jim, do you want to go to Peru?” To which I replied, “of course if you’re paying.” An excellent case of seizing the moment that fit well with my career goal of becoming a maritime specialist. In 1965 my wife Judy and I went to Talara, the second oldest operating oil field in the world after Drake well in western PA. Talara is 100 miles south of the Ecuadorian border and here I located an 8,000-year-old shell midden called Siches, which held evidence from warm and cold ocean fish and shellfish species. Based on the evidence at this coastal fishing and shellfish gathering society and other sites on the coast of Peru I and my colleague Dan Sandweiss, a Research Associate of the Section, developed the theory that this was evidence of a major shift in the change from a warm water to a cold water current washing the Peruvian north coast and the origins of El Niño around 5,800 years ago, the worldwide drought and flood disasters. My doctorate in 1969 was on the changing climate and coastal sites in the Talara region. I also dug in southern Peru at the Ring Site, an 10,500-year-old massive shell midden with cold water fish and shellfish. In addition, my students and I surveyed pyramid centers in the Talara area as well. I did return to Martha’s Vineyard in the early 80’s excavating 2 shell middens and a Colonial house site of missionaries to the Wampanoag. In western Pennsylvania in 1970 I directed a field school for the University of Pittsburgh at the Revolutionary War site of Hanna’s Town in Westmoreland County, the first County Seat west of the Alleghenies. This town of 30 log cabins and a fort was destroyed by an Iroquois and British attack in 1782. Here we excavated Charles Foreman’s tavern.

Dr. Richardson excavating Jackie Onassis’s property on Martha’s Vineyard in 1982. This site is called the Hornblower II Site. (Photo Credit: Jim Peterson)

Dr. Richardson in the cellar hole of the John and Experience Mayhew House Site c.1672-1658 on Martha’s Vineyard in 1985. (Phot Credit: Jim Peterson)

The Ring Site Ilo, Peru 1983 a 10,500-year-old Shell Midden. (Photo Credit: Dr. Richardson)

Dr. Richardson in the shell midden profile of the Ring Site, Peru. (Photo Credit: Daniel Sandweiss)

I came to the University of Pittsburgh in 1967, retiring in 2009. While at Pitt serving as chairman, I was approached by then director Dr. Craig Black to take over the chair of the Section of Anthropology in 1978 and accepted a half-time position as chief curator until my retirement in 2006. The only thing that has changed in my retirements was receiving a salary! I am currently writing up some sites from my Peruvian and Martha’s Vineyard research and have a book in press on a colonial site on Martha’s Vineyard where I am a board member of the museum. I am also still involved with Pitt graduate students and in programs at the Carnegie Museum of Natural History, so little has changed in my archaeological career since I first put a shovel in the ground in 1952.

Dr. James B. Richardson III is Curator Emeritus in the Section of Anthropology at Carnegie Museum of Natural History and University of Pittsburgh Anthropology Professor Emeritus. Museum employees are encouraged to blog about their unique experiences and knowledge gained from working at the museum.

[antoine-roquentin]

Bill Gates has never been a farmer. So why did the Land Report dub him “Farmer Bill” this year? The third richest man on the planet doesn’t have a green thumb. Nor does he put in the back-breaking labor humble people do to grow our food and who get far less praise for it. That kind of hard work isn’t what made him rich. Gates’ achievement, according to the report, is that he’s largest private owner of farmland in the US. A 2018 purchase of 14,500 acres of prime eastern Washington farmland ��� which is traditional Yakama territory – for $171m helped him get that title.

In total, Gates owns approximately 242,000 acres of farmland with assets totaling more than $690m. To put that into perspective, that’s nearly the size of Hong Kong and twice the acreage of the Lower Brule Sioux Tribe, where I’m an enrolled member. A white man owns more farmland than my entire Native nation!

The United States is defined by the excesses of its ruling class. But why do a handful of people own so much land?

Land is power, land is wealth, and, more importantly, land is about race and class. The relationship to land – who owns it, who works it and who cares for it – reflects obscene levels of inequality and legacies of colonialism and white supremacy in the United States, and also the world. Wealth accumulation always goes hand-in-hand with exploitation and dispossession. In this country, enslaved Black labor first built US wealth atop stolen Native land. The 1862 Homestead Act opened up 270m acres of Indigenous territory – which amounts to 10% of US land – for white settlement. Black, Mexican, Asian, and Native people, of course, were categorically excluded from the benefits of a federal program that subsidized and protected generations of white wealth.

The billionaire media mogul Ted Turner epitomizes such disparities. He owns 2m acres and has the world’s largest privately owned buffalo herd. Those animals, which are sacred to my people and were nearly hunted to extinction by settlers, are preserved today on nearly 200,000 acres of Turner’s ranchland within the boundaries of the 1868 Fort Laramie Treaty territory in the western half of what is now the state of South Dakota, land that was once guaranteed by the US government to be a “permanent home” for Lakota people....

Like wealth, land ownership is becoming concentrated into fewer and fewer hands, resulting in a greater push for monocultures and more intensive industrial farming techniques to generate greater returns. One per cent of the world’s farms control 70% of the world’s farmlands, one report found. The biggest shift in recent years from small to big farms was in the US.

[gingerteaonthetardis]

“We need to look at the corporations that are fueling this and the U.S. and international foreign policy that’s enabling these corporations,” said Nick Estes, a professor at the University of New Mexico, a Progressive International delegate, and a citizen of the Lower Brule Sioux Tribe.

“The practices of these corporations like Cargill are fundamentally racist,” said Estes, who has contributed to The Intercept. “If more people understood how much Indigenous blood, how much Black blood, how much blood from Brazilians living on the land is spilt just for them to have a cheeseburger, I think there would be much more outrage.”

[tomorrowusa]

And now Republican Gov. Kristi Noem is banned from ALL tribal land in her own state.

The last holdout, the Flandreau Santee Sioux, have joined the other eight South Dakota tribes in banning Gov. Noem from their tribal lands.

South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem is now banned from all tribal lands in her home state

All of South Dakota’s nine indigenous tribes have voted to ban Gov. Kristi Noem from their lands. On Tuesday, the Flandreau Santee Sioux Tribe executive council ruled in favor of barring the Republican governor from its reservation. In response to a request for comment on Wednesday, the Flandreau Santee Sioux Tribe sent a readout of its president’s interactions with Noem ahead of the vote. Flandreau President Tony Reider called an emergency meeting last weekend in response to Noem’s comments, according to the readout. The meeting was “contentious at times, as some members vocalized their opposition.” After that Reider set up a meeting with the governor’s office, which took place on Monday. That conversation was “respectful and productive.” “President Reider informed the governor that a ban from our territories is imminent and requested that the Governor refrain from making future blanket statements that offend the tribes within the boundaries of the State of South Dakota, some of which depend on state services for the needs of their people. It was recommended that the Governor clarify her statements and issue an apology to all tribal nations for the misunderstanding,” the readout said. “Until such a time, the Executive Council and the people of the Flandreau Santee Sioux Tribe stand with our fellow nations.” That vote bookended a ripple effect of tribes with reservations that stretch into South Dakota moving to prevent Noem from setting foot on their land, spurred by comments she made earlier this year. During a town hall, she argued that tribal leaders were profiting off of drug cartels in the state and prioritizing those cartels over parenting children on their reservations. Noem has since doubled down on saying Mexican drug cartels were rampant on Native American reservations in South Dakota. Those comments sparked a domino effect of tribes denouncing Noem and voting to bar the governor from their lands. According to The Argus Leader of South Dakota, leaders of the Flandreau Santee Sioux had been receiving pressure from local citizens to do something in response to Noem’s comments.

This is not an insignificant amount of territory. It takes up almost a quarter of the state's total land area.

You can make out seven of the reservations on this map.

Actually one, the Lower Brule Sioux reservation, can be seen but isn't labeled. It's next to the Crow Creek Sioux reservation on the Missouri River. The Flandreau Santee Sioux reservation is less than 3 square miles in size. It's in the extreme east-central part of the state near I-29.

The tiny (population: 14,000) state capital Pierre (they pronounce it "peer") is in the middle of the state just below the red inscription South Dakota on the map above. Noem has to drive around the Lower Brule Sioux and Crow Creek Sioux reservations to the southeast of Pierre if she wants to get to the southeastern part of the state.

As for the two interstates in South Dakota, Noem has no problem on I-90. But the northernmost section of I-29 passes through the Lake Traverse reservation of Sisseton Wahpeton Oyate.

[jyndor]

this is awesome btw

CBC News reported Sunday that "the words 'Rescind Keystone XL pipeline permit' appear on a list of executive actions supposedly scheduled for Day One of Biden's presidency," which begins with his swearing-in on Wednesday. The withdrawal of the Keystone XL permit is among several environment-related actions Biden plans to take via executive order during his first day in office, a list that includes rejoining the Paris climate accord.

A huge victory for Lakota and Indigenous front liners and Water Protectors. None of this would have been possible without their sacrifices," Nick Estes, a citizen of the Lower Brule Sioux Tribe and an assistant professor of American studies at the University of New Mexico, tweeted in response to Biden's reported plan for Keystone XL, a sprawling $8 billion tar sands project that the Trump administration repeatedly sought to advance amid legal challenges and widespread grassroots resistance.

[marshallwoller]

Nick Estes is a historian and a writer. Author of two books “Our History is the Future,” and “Red Nation Rising.” He is part of the Lower Brule Sioux Tribe. He has a strong relationship with multiculturalism due to his activism for Indigenous rights. He founded “The Red Nation” which is a podcast heavily focused on Indigenous history, politics, a culture all coming from the basis of the left’s perspective. In this podcast (and in his other works) he challenges several dominant cultural narratives that often exclude indigenous voices, beliefs, and cultures. He strives to challenge these narratives that have often caused prejudice and stereotypes to indigenous communities and to bring light to more accurate and respectful depictions often left out. The four key areas of struggle Estes claims exist for Natives within the realms of colonialism are indigeneity, liberation, resistance, and coalition. Indigeneity is a “political condition that challenges the existence and domination of colonial nation-states.” Liberation resembles the restructuring and transformation he believes Natives are owed. Resistance stands for the battle Natives have had against colonialism for centuries. Coalition resembles community engagement in these struggles.[i]

“Letter from Leonard Peltier.” 2023. The Red Nation. https://therednation.org/blog/. Accessed July 20, 2023.

Estes quotes “We seek to not just challenge power, but to build power.” This statement reminds me of Sojourner Truth’s “I Sell the Shadow to Support the Substance.” Both quotes resemble a marginalized culture that seeks to gain recognition and power, not just be victims of it. Estes generates a conversation regarding race, ethnicity, and culture because he sees and portrays himself on the frontlines of a battle that his Native race and culture has faced for centuries. His work attempts to promote the importance of Indigenous voices regarding social justice, climate issues, colonialization and the ongoing struggles faced that stem from these issues. He wants to create cooperation between both Indigenous folks and multicultural societies that have formed here in America at large. He believes every culture’s voice is a staple that must be heard and understood. He believes that contemporary issues faced here today should include indigenous people’s voices in solving these problems. Ultimately, Estes is a powerful voice representing a population that may have been marginalized in certain ways over Americas history and he seeks to bridge those gaps that have been long left open.[ii]

[i] Council, Author Editorial, and Author Justine Teba. “Blog.” The Red Nation, 6 Feb. 2023, therednation.org/blog/.

[ii] “Author (Nick Estes) Discussion on Resistance Movements of the Past.” C-Span, 22 Sept. 2019, https://www.c-span.org/video/?464060-16%2Fauthor-discussion-resistance-movements-past. Accessed 20 July 2023.

[rjzimmerman]

Excerpt from this story from Truthout:

On Thursday, the fifth anniversary of the founding of the Sacred Stone Camp on the Standing Rock Sioux Indian Reservation to resist the Dakota Access Pipeline (DAPL), frontline Indigenous youth and organizers held several actions in Washington, D.C. The activists called on President Joe Biden to end DAPL and the Line 3 pipeline and to “Build Back Fossil Free.”

“It was our youth that led today,” explained Waniya Locke (Diné, Lakota, Nakota and Anishinaabe). The youth-led actions included a rally at the Army Corps of Engineers (ACE) headquarters, where organizers delivered petitions with 400,000 signatures demanding ACE withdraw its permit approving Line 3.

The actions included a die-in, in which the Water Protectors laid still on the ground to symbolize those that have died from environmental destruction, and a march to Black Lives Matter Plaza with a 200-foot-long “black snake” meant to symbolize the pipelines and the Lakota prophecy that a black snake will appear and harm the people. The organizers then engaged in a lock-down action outside the White House: Two people were suspended in tripod devices while others were locked to the bottom of the device with bike locks around their necks.

“Whatever it takes,” replied Locke when asked how long she intended to stay locked to the tripod. She remained locked to the tripod for four hours.

The running theme of the day was one of grassroots resistance and a demand for government accountability. Danny Grassrope (Lower Brule Sioux Tribe) said the construction of these dangerous pipelines “disrupts our way of life” and that President Biden could be a good leader, but only if he recognized Indigenous people’s rights and needs.

While explaining the importance of tribal sovereignty, he emphasized that “consulting is not consent” and that only tribal nations have the right to decide if pipelines run through their lands.

[suzilight]

“In total, Gates owns approximately 242,000 acres of farmland with assets totaling more than $690m. To put that into perspective, that’s nearly the size of Hong Kong and twice the acreage of the Lower Brule Sioux Tribe, where I’m an enrolled member. A white man owns more farmland than my entire Native nation!”  

“One per cent of the world’s farms control 70% of the world’s farmlands, one report found. The biggest shift in recent years from small to big farms was in the US.”

Cascade Investment, the group buying the farmland and controlled by Gates, is a shareholder in the plant-based protein companies Beyond Meat and Impossible Foods as well as the farming equipment manufacturer John Deere.