R
epresentatives from several tribal governments in the northern plans hope the first annual Great Sioux Nation address unifies Oceti Sakowin once again.
The historic meeting comes as the South Dakota state legislature kicks off its 2020 session.
Before tribes in the northern plains were split up into reservations, Rosebud Sioux Tribal Chairman Rodney Bordeaux says the tribes would council together in the past.
It was a strong coalition of Lakota, Dakota and Nakota tribes, he says.
“This will, the Oceti Sakowin, the reunification of that will just make us stronger in terms of getting what we need to get done serving our people. And making the Lakota, Dakota and Nakota a strong nation again. It’s possible. We just laid the ground work for it again. A lot of my ancestors who’ve gone before me wanted to do this, so I’m just playing a small part in making this happen. It’s going to happen.”
Representatives from tribal governments within the states of South and North Dakota and Montana all attended.
A lot of the issues brought up by different representatives were similar--from infrastructure to human trafficking, the infiltration of meth, and the shortfalls of healthcare. Treaty rights were also a central topic.
Lower Brule Sioux Tribal Chairman Boyd Gourneau was first elected to the that tribal council in 1987. He says he’s never seen unity as it exists now.
“I just don’t like it when they put us in situations where we’re in a constant struggle for survival on our own reservations where we don’t have time to do what we’re doing now—unify. That’s what we need and that’s what we need to do moving forward.”
South Dakota state lawmakers say they’d like to meet with tribal representatives again to discuss how the state and tribes can work together.