We used to display Eagle Feathers here. To prioritize Native cultures, who honor Eagle Feathers as sacred, we have removed them from display. We are working to return them to their Tribe. Have any questions? Just ask us!

-Jlynn Del Real

#Blackfoot, #Yankton, #Santee #Sioux

South Dakota governor’s cabinet nomination raises tribal concerns

Secretary of #HomelandSecurity nominee #KristiNoem has a long, complicated history with tribes in South Dakota.

Amelia Schafer
Nov 15, 2024

RAPID CITY, S.D. – "Early Tuesday morning, news broke that South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem was nominated by President-elect Donald Trump to serve as the next Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, a decision that’s raised red flags for Native people in South Dakota, but also may provide an avenue for change.

"'We need to come together now, more than ever,' Oglala Sioux Tribe President Frank Star Comes Out said during a public intertribal meeting Nov. 13. 'I’m hoping we have a better governor in South Dakota that will work with us because we have issues that we need to bring to the table with the state.'

"Noem made South Dakota history earlier in May when she was banished from every reservation in the state following disparaging remarks made regarding alleged cartel activity on reservations and about Indian education. At one point Noem alleged tribal governments benefit from cartel presence and are failing their youth.

"During a May press conference, Noem responded to the banishments by asking why tribes 'don’t ban the cartels.' She’s banned from all nine reservations in the state: the #PineRidge, #CheyenneRiver, #StandingRock, #LowerBrule, #Rosebud, #LakeTraverse, #CrowCreek, #Flandreau and #Yankton reservations. Standing Rock and Lake Traverse both span into North Dakota."

[...]

"Emergency management is another area where Noem and the #OcetiSakowin (#Lakota, #Nakota, #Dakota nations have struggled.

"In December 2022, the Pine Ridge and Rosebud reservations were crippled by an extreme winter storm. Unable to get wood or propane, some households resorted to burning clothes and furniture to stay warm. A 12-year-old Sicangu Lakota boy, Honor Beauvais, died during the storm on the Rosebud Reservation, along with three other tribal citizens.

"When banning the governor, the #RosebudSioux tribe cited a delayed emergency declaration from Noem. Noem did not activate the South Dakota National Guard until Dec. 22, nearly 10 days after the storm began.

"The council also cited concerns with Noem’s support of the #KeystoneXL [#KXL] Pipeline in 2019 and an increase in penalties for pipeline protestors, referenced Noem’s opposition of #COVID19 checkpoints on the Pine Ridge and Cheyenne River Reservations, removal of teaching standards regarding #NativeAmericanHistory, legal threats to the #FlandreauSanteeSioux Tribe regarding its #MedicalCannabis operations and return of unused Emergency Rental Assistance funds in 2022 without consulting tribes."

Read more:
https://ictnews.org/news/south-dakota-governors-cabinet-nomination-raises-tribal-concerns

#DHS #TrumpAppointments #NoDAPL