The president of the Oglala Sioux Tribe says President Joe Biden taking office is a welcome relief.
Newly-elected Tribal President Kevin Killer says Biden kept his word on day one by cancelling the Keystone XL pipeline permit.
Killer says tribal communities have been working for years to cancel the Keystone XL pipeline. Killer says as a state legislator he brought bills against the project that ultimately failed.
“But, to see that action on Day 1, especially at the federal level is a strong statement to who he’s going to be as a president,” Killer says. “Hoping he will listen to our communities. I think various tribal nations across the country stepped up and helped turn out the vote for him. So, I think he’s going to repay that.”
Killer says Biden’s pick for interior secretary, Congresswoman Deb Haaland, will help lead to better conversations between the federal government and tribal governments. He says her strong background in native issues will help her guide the Department of Interior.
Killer is a former state senator from the district that covers the Pine Ridge Reservation. He’s visiting the state capitol to pay respects to two former Oglala Lakota state lawmakers, Jim Bradford and Teresa Two Bulls, who passed away in 2020.
“Being here as a former legislator and current tribal president, there’s very few people who’ve actually held that and Senator Two Bulls is one of them,” Killer says. “Senator Bradford was an amazing advocate for our communities, especially around schools. He was a strong voice for us, he stood up when we needed to be there. He was good at making sure that our voices were heard. So, that’s why I’m here, to honor their legacies and to sit with other native legislators and visit with them a little bit.”
Killer is also urging state lawmakers to pass a community school program bill that sets up four schools in South Dakota tailored to Native children. Courses will get taught in Lakota, Dakota and Nakota, and will center around an Oceti Sakowin curriculum.
It’s a bill that passed the state senate last year, but failed in a house committee. State Senators will continue their hearing on the bill on Tuesday.
