Michael Jandreau, 1943-2015. Photo from Lower Brule Sioux Tribe

Hundreds of mourners paid their respects on Thursday to Michael Jandreau, the longtime leader of the Lower Brule Sioux Tribe of South Dakota who died on April 3 at the age of 71.

Jandreau led his people for 36 years. He was hailed as a visionary for economic development and self-sufficiency in Indian Country.

"I don't know if we have someone within our whole, big nation to do what Mike has done keeping us together," Oglala Sioux Tribe President John Yellow Bird Steele said at the service for Jandreau, the Associated Press reported.

Vice Chairman Kevin Wright is serving as acting chairman of the tribe. An election or succession process hasn't been publicly announced.

Get the Story:
Hundreds gather in Lower Brule to mourn Jandreau's death (AP 4/10)

An Opinion:
Capitol Notebook by Bob Mercer: Lower Brule Sioux leader’s passing means challenge over past, future (The Aberdeen American News 4/10)

Human Rights Watch Report:
Secret and Unaccountable: The Tribal Council at Brule and Its Impact on Human Rights (January 2015)

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