Following the 2026 State of the Tribes address, Gov. Larry Rhoden said he met with over 50 dignitaries from eight of the state's nine tribal entities.

Rhoden said he left the private meeting feeling optimistic about the future of state-tribal relations.

“There were things that we were palms up with them as far as some of the concerns, some of the areas we disagreed on," Rhoden said. "We agreed to disagree, and we had more conversation. As we walked out of the room, we had built a relationship, and I think that we’ll continue to build on that. It was a product of open, honest conversation.”

State-tribal relations saw a downturn during the administration of former Governor Kristi Noem, who was at one point banned from every single reservation in the state. That came after tribal sovereignty disputes during the pandemic and Noem commenting that Native children "had no hope."