"There is a legal holiday in South Dakota that gets little attention from the general population. The day became a holiday in 1990, sixteen years ago. It is called Native American Day, and it was recognized by the state legislators and the governor as a legal holiday.

Perhaps because I had something to do with it, the local media hardly mentions it. You see, I have been critical of the South Dakota press and electronics media for more than 30 years. It appears the media moguls in this state have very thin skins. They can dish it out and ruin a lot of lives in the process, but don’t you dare ever criticize them. You will be forever censored if you do.

Indian activists called the State of South Dakota the Mississippi of the North in the 1970s. And yet, 20 years later it became the only state out of 50 to set aside a special day to honor the Native Americans.

Native American Day replaced Columbus Day 16 years ago, and yet many of the department store chains located in this fair city still advertise Columbus Day instead of the day that replaced it. Some of the local banks now put up signs at their drive up windows proclaiming that they will be closed on Oct. 12 to celebrate Native American Day."

Get the Story:
Tim Giago: Driving the snakes out of South Dakota (The Native American Times 3/27)

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