New Yankton Sioux chair asks cousin not to come to ceremony

Thursday, September 29, 2011  

The incoming chairman of the Yankton Sioux Tribe of South Dakota will be sworn into office on Friday but he doesn't want his first cousin to come to the ceremony.

Thurmond Cournoyer Sr. defeated his cousin, Robert Cournoyer, for the post. But when he tried to take office earlier this month, the old chairman said he was going to stay around until September 30.

“I hope they honor it and let us have our inauguration,” Thurmond Cournoyer told The Mitchel Daily Republic. “They had their ceremony two years ago.”

The ceremony is open to the public so there's nothing stopping Robert Cournoyer from attending.

Get the Story:
Yankton Sioux Tribe prepares for transition in leadership (The Mitchell Daily Republic 9/29)

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