Presorted standard u. S. Postage paid ortonville, mn permit no. 3 Sota Per Copy

“Wo’okiye was’te qa wico zani o’wacin yuhapo”

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api - www.earthskyweb.com/sota.htm - Anpetu Iyamni, Oct. 3, 2018

 

 

Page 5

South Dakota Governor 

candidate on the Democrat 

ticket, Billie Sutton, speaks 

at Saturday afternoon's grand 

entry. He spoke of bringing 

together people with "our shared 

values" to make a difference in 

what happens at Pierre. Sota 

photo.

Burke, SD 

– Sept. 28, 2018 

– Senator Billie 

Sutton, candidate 

for South Dakota 

Governor, 

today released 

“Kiwanjila – 

United as One: A 

Plan for Stronger 

Tribal-State 

Partnerships,” 

highlighting how 

he will continue 

to work together 

with tribes as 

governor.

The plan is informed by input from tribal members 

from Sutton’s travel to and meetings with leaders of all 

nine tribes in South Dakota.

Regarding the plan, Sutton said, “I’ve spent 8 

years proudly representing Indian Country in the State 

Senate, I’ve met with leaders from every tribe, and I 

will continue to listen to and support Native South 

Dakotans as Governor.

We can do better than the status quo, and our best 

days are ahead of us if we make sure Native and non-

Native South Dakotans share in our success.”

Sutton’s plan includes twelve priorities for Indian 

Country and state-tribal relations:

Advocating for Native American communities 

should be a fundamental component of our roadmap to 

make South Dakota a state based on the shared values 

we have always held dear: honesty, integrity, hard work, 

the love of family, protecting our natural resources, 

celebrating community, and providing for our children. 

As governor of our great state, I will do all I can to 

ensure South Dakota Native Americans have access to 

quality education, economic opportunities, jobs, health 

care services, quality housing, and state government 

partnerships they need and deserve.

In my eight years in the legislature, I advocated for 

the Native communities I represented. My family and 

I have ties that go back generations with the Cheyenne 

River Sioux Tribe and the community of Eagle Butte, 

where my mother grew up and my grandmother taught 

kindergarten for nearly 50 years. My experiences have 

taught me that it is essential that people in positions 

of power in South Dakota listen to Native American 

communities and take the necessary actions to respond 

to their needs and challenges. That’s why I made 

sure to visit each and every tribe in South Dakota 

and meet with leaders in the community to listen to 

their concerns and ideas for a stronger South Dakota. 

-Senator Billie Sutton

Tribal Sovereignty

Billie recognizes and appreciates the sovereign 

status of the nine Tribes of South Dakota. Tribal 

sovereignty will be front and center in any conversation 

around Native American issues. Understanding the 

history of the relationship between tribes and the 

federal government, especially around treaties and treaty 

obligations, is the necessary starting point.

A Strengthened Secretary of Tribal Relations

In Sutton’s administration, Indian Country will 

have a seat at the table. As governor, Billie will increase 

the resources and capacity of the cabinet-level position 

that focuses on Indian Affairs. This department must be 

a vibrant, effective vehicle for change in South Dakota’s 

executive branch. The Secretary of Tribal Relations has 

the potential to play a critical role in building a strong, 

lasting relationship between the State and its nine Tribal 

Nations. South Dakota must do better in raising state 

employees’ awareness of Native culture; communication 

protocol with tribal governments; tribal sovereignty; 

and jurisdiction. Governor Sutton’s office will facilitate 

an annual tribal relations training to educate the state 

government workforce on the guiding principles for 

working with tribes.

A Focus on Indigenous American Health Disparities

The United States has a trust responsibility to 

provide services to Native Americans, but Governor 

Sutton understands that coordination across all different 

levels of government is essential to ensuring the 

public’s health. Governor Sutton will assure that Native 

populations are not excluded from participation in any 

federal program, despite their relationship and reliance 

on Indian Health Services. To that end, Governor 

Sutton will pursue a public health infrastructure that 

includes Native representation and perspective.

Provide More Comprehensive Addiction Treatment 

for Meth, Opioids, and Alcohol

The impacts of addiction ripple out to families, 

communities, first responders, and employers, so 

improving our treatment options for people with 

addictions will have broad benefits for all South 

Dakotans. While law enforcement must be a part of the 

solution, simply filling our jails with people who really 

need treatment is not an effective solution. We must 

take this epidemic very seriously and work with people, 

communities, and organizations all over the state to find 

solutions that work for Indian Country. As Governor, 

Sutton will convene a work group to formulate a 

comprehensive plan to improve prevention and access to 

treatment for addicted individuals, including: improved 

first responder training; prevention among young 

people; more widely accessible treatment options for 

rural South Dakotans; and offering support to children 

and families of those receiving treatment. Sutton will 

take on the other issues impacting our meth problem 

too, including addiction, poverty, homelessness, suicide, 

school dropout, incarceration, and recidivism.

South Dakota Native Youth Suicide Reduction 

Strategic Plan

Native communities have significantly higher rates 

of suicide than non-Native communities. Governor 

Sutton will develop evidence-based and culturally 

responsive programs aimed at reducing Native youth 

suicide across South Dakota. Within one year of office, 

Governor Sutton pledges to call upon partners to create 

a strategic plan on Native youth suicide reduction.

Economic Development in Indian Country

Governor Sutton recognizes that South Dakota’s 

Indian Country is a vibrant and important part of South 

Dakota’s economy, and Native people are an important 

part of today and tomorrow’s workforce. Governor 

Sutton also acknowledges that much has already been 

done to identify and grow economic opportunities in 

Indian Country. Governor Sutton will invite business 

leaders to embark on a private-public partnership to 

build and implement an updated business plan that is 

inclusive to Indian Country.

Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and 

Girls

Native women have been disappearing for 

generations. Shining a light on this issue is critical to 

enhancing and ensuring the safety of our women and 

girls. Governor Sutton will work to create a culture of 

respect and dignity around women in South Dakota. 

He will also coordinate with governmental, non-

governmental, and international organizations with 

a goal of receiving effective recommendations. This 

commission will focus on the importance of inter-

agency information sharing.

Working Together on Closing Jurisdictional 

Loopholes

Sutton will work alongside tribes and law 

enforcement to address the issue of jurisdiction, a 

concern on many tribal lands. Due to allotment policies 

dating back in the late 1800s, many of the tribes’ land 

bases are checkerboarded. You can drive five miles on 

reservation land, then drive another five miles and you’re 

on state land. There is an opportunity for collaboration 

with the tribes on helping close jurisdictional loopholes, 

perhaps by cross-deputizing tribal officers or state 

officers. However, we can only seriously discuss taking 

these steps after we build trust between state and tribal 

governments. As always, we must work closely alongside 

the tribes, finding mutually beneficial solutions.

Renewed Focus on the Issues that Matter

South Dakota must do everything it can to reduce 

poverty, increase the quality of education, expand 

housing options, improve access to physical and mental 

health care, and boost public safety and security in tribal 

communities. We cannot turn a blind eye to the things 

that matter to our Native citizens.

Open Channels of Communication

As Governor, Sutton will ensure that our federal 

delegation is appropriately informed on tribal issues 

so that they can work more effectively on our issues in 

Washington. He will also have an open-door policy, 

so that the Secretary of Tribal Relations and tribal 

governments can easily inform him of any issues or 

questions that may arise.

Celebrating Culture and Traditions

In South Dakota, we know that what makes 

us unique also makes us strong. We must move past 

tolerating our differences and begin to celebrate how 

our diversity can inform our strengthened and united 

path forward. Our histories and traditions are tied 

together to make South Dakota a place where Wacipi 

and rodeos happen in tandem and folks stand for both 

the “Lakota Honor Song” and “Star Spangled Banner” 

at major ceremonies. As governor, Billie Sutton will 

very fortunate that the weather 

cooperated….”

“We’re very happy with the 

results of this crop and anxious to 

see what comes of it here in the 

future, hoping that this will be an 

ag product for us to continue to 

grow on our lands, to get some more 

of our people involved in being 

producers….”

Charlene thanked those of her 

staff who worked on the project, 

but added that everyone in Natural 

Resources was involved in some way.

For those who worked in the 

field, she had special thanks.

The weather, she said, does not 

always cooperate.

“As you can see,” she said, “it’s 

very windy and cold.”

“Some of the days they were 

up here, they had to (work … 

measuring) in the mud.”

“Thank you to my team, the 

other (UM) team, and thanks to the 

Planning Department,” she said.

George called an end to the 

broadcast, saying “It’s about time for 

us to break bread and share some 

food together that will hopefully 

warm our hands and our hearts as 

it’s chilly out here today.”

“Thank you for being here.”

“Let’s have something to eat 

and then take a walk through the 

field.”

work to celebrate all of South Dakota’s cultures and 

traditions including those of the Lakota, Nakota, and 

Dakota peoples, uniting us around both what we have 

in common and what we have to share.

Record of Cooperation and Partnership

Just as important as Sutton’s plans for the future 

is his record of showing up for Indian Country in the 

past. Over his eight years in the legislature, Sutton 

always represented Native communities and fought 

for solutions to Native issues. He supported legislation 

that increased Native representation and equality in 

state government five times. He supported bills to 

increase access and quality of education in for Native 

students nine times. He supported increased access to 

and quality of care for Natives four times. He sponsored 

and cosponsored legislation to examine economic 

opportunity and development in Indian Country and 

to ensure due process for Native children and families. 

He’s voted to celebrate and protect Native culture and 

traditions several times over. He has traveled to and 

met with leaders of all nine tribes in South Dakota and 

received the endorsement of the Great Plains Tribal 

Chairmen’s Association. Senator Sutton has time and 

again proven his commitment to Indian Country, and 

will continue that commitment as governor.

*****

Billie Sutton is a rancher, financial professional 

at a small community bank, State Senator, former 

professional rodeo cowboy, fifth-generation South 

Dakotan, and candidate for Governor.

(Editor’s note: For many, putting a Republican 

back into the governor’s mansion has seemed a no-

brainer, and yet last week a KSFY poll showed Billie 

Sutton ahead of Kristi Noem by 3 points.)

By U.S. Sen. Mike Rounds 

(R-S.D.)

Sept. 28, 2018

While the Senate has been 

focused on the Supreme Court 

nomination hearing in Washington, 

we have continued to work on issues 

that affect South Dakotans. We’ll 

discuss the Supreme Court hearing 

in one of our next weekly columns.

Every October, South Dakota 

celebrates the rich culture and the 

many contributions made by Native 

Americans who called this land 

home long before Europeans settled 

in the West. Native Americans’ 

Day is a state holiday started in 

1990, and it replaces what used to 

be called Columbus Day. The late 

Governor George S. Mickelson 

joined representatives from the nine 

tribal governments in South Dakota 

to proclaim 1990 as the Year of 

Reconciliation. Native Americans’ 

Day is our state’s way of observing 

and honoring tribal members in 

South Dakota.

It’s a privilege for me to 

represent all South Dakotans in the 

Senate. I work with tribal members 

on a number of different federal 

issues that impact them. One area 

we’ve been focusing on since I took 

office is improving health care at the 

Indian Health Service (IHS).

The IHS has failed to fulfill 

its trust and treaty obligation 

to provide quality health care 

to tribal members. For decades, 

South Dakota’s tribal members and 

other tribal members across the 

nation have been in the midst of 

a government-induced health care 

crisis due to serious management 

and leadership problems at the IHS. 

This is especially true of the Great 

Plains Area IHS, which includes 

South Dakota. This area has the 

worst health care disparities of all 

IHS regions including lowest life 

expectancy, highest diabetes death 

rate, highest TB death rate and 

highest overall age-adjusted death 

rate. This is unacceptable.

In order to address the issues 

plaguing the IHS, I recently 

introduced legislation that would 

require the Secretary of the 

Department of Health and Human 

Services (HHS) to contract an 

assessment of IHS’s health care 

delivery systems and financial 

management processes. It is past 

time to address the ongoing crisis at 

the IHS. We were pleased the Senate 

Indian Affairs Committee recently 

voted to pass our legislation. It 

now heads to the Senate floor for 

full consideration. Our bill would 

only impact direct-care facilities, 

not those with 638 contracts. This 

means facilities that tribes have 

contracted to manage independently 

would not be impacted by our 

legislation. In the Great Plains Area, 

67 percent of IHS facilities are 

direct-care facilities.

We are glad that progress is 

being made with our legislation, but 

rather than threatening deadlines, 

requesting extensions, changing 

administrators and pointing fingers, 

the IHS, HHS and the Centers for 

Medicare and Medicaid Services 

(CMS) need to work together – in 

close, real consultation with the 

tribes - to immediately resolve 

IHS’ many problems and improve 

care for our Native American 

communities.

When state, federal and tribal 

governments work together, we 

have the opportunity to make real 

changes that will improve the lives 

of tribal members in our state.

This Native Americans’ Day, 

I encourage South Dakotans to 

celebrate the history and culture of 

the tribes in our state by attending 

events in our communities. Sioux 

Falls is holding its first ever Native 

Americans’ Day parade this year on 

Oct. 8, and Rapid City will host 

their annual weekend festivities in 

conjunction with the 32nd Annual 

Black Hills Powwow on Oct. 5-7. 

South Dakota is home to more 

than 70,000 Native Americans, 

and these events help to strengthen 

our communities by bringing 

together many people of different 

backgrounds. I hope everyone has 

an enjoyable Native Americans’ Day 

this year.

Eagle Butte, SD – KOTA – 

Sept. 24, 2018 – A Native American 

tribal chairman says a “struggle” will 

begin soon against the Keystone 

XL oil pipeline after the project 

developer started pre-construction 

work near the tribe’s South Dakota 

reservation.

Cheyenne River Sioux Tribal 

Chairman Harold Frazier said in 

a statement that the struggle is 

approaching with “forces intent 

on taking treaty territory” with 

“government forces that have 

decided to treat us as enemies 

instead of friends.”

A spokesman for the tribe says 

the message is meant to let its allies 

know that developer TransCanada 

has started activities on the ground.

The tribe says the pipeline 

would run through Great Sioux 

Nation homelands.

A TransCanada spokeswoman 

says its site near the reservation 

is a pipe yard, one of four being 

prepared in South Dakota before 

planned construction next year.

Laws against protesters

Continued on Page 6

By Nicholas Kusnetz

Inside Climate News – Aug. 

22, 2018 – The activists were ready 

for a fight. An oil pipeline was 

slated to cross tribal lands in eastern 

Oklahoma, and Native American 

leaders would resist. The Sierra Club 

and Black Lives Matter pledged 

support.

The groups announced their 

plans at a press conference in 

January 2017 at the State Capitol. 

Ashley McCray, a member of a local 

Shawnee tribe, stood in front of a 

blue “Water is Life” banner, her hair 

tied back with an ornate clip, and 

told reporters that organizers were 

forming a coalition to protect native 

lands.

They would establish a rural 

encampment, like the one that 

had drawn thousands of people to 

Standing Rock in North Dakota the 

previous year to resist the Dakota 

Access Pipeline.

The following week, an 

Oklahoma state lawmaker 

introduced a bill to stiffen penalties 

for interfering with 

pipelines and other 

“critical infrastructure.” 

It would impose 

punishments of up 

to 10 years in prison 

and $100,000 in 

fines—and up to $1 

million in penalties 

for any organization “found to 

be a conspirator” in violating the 

new law. Republican Rep. Scott 

Biggs, the bill’s sponsor, said he was 

responding to those same Dakota 

Access Pipeline protests.

The activists established 

the camp in March, and within 

weeks the federal Department of 

Homeland Security and state law 

enforcement wrote a field analysis 

identifying “environmental rights 

extremists” as the top domestic 

terrorist threat to the Diamond 

Pipeline, planned to run from 

Oklahoma to Tennessee. The 

analysis said protesters could spark 

“criminal trespassing events resulting 

in violence.” It told authorities to 

watch for people dressed in black.

An FBI team arrived to train 

local police on how to handle the 

protest camp.

McCray recalls a surveillance 

plane and helicopters whirring 

above the Oka Lawa camp. 

Demonstrators were pulled over and 

questioned on their way in or out, 

though the local sheriff said people 

were only pulled over for violating 

traffic laws.

In May the governor signed the 

bill to protect critical infrastructure. 

Merely stepping onto a pipeline 

easement suddenly risked as much 

as a year in prison.

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