Brandon Ecoffey
The Elephants in the room
By Brandon Ecoffey It is to be expected that a panel of Republican senatorial candidates would possess a limited knowledge of Federal Indian Law, Indigenous treaty rights, and the socioeconomic issues that confront reservations. Sometimes it seems that the GOP’s vision of America cannot align with or even include the existence of Indian people. With an open mind I attended the GOP forum hosted by the South Dakota Newspaper Association to see if one of the five Republican candidates present has what it takes to convince me to jump on their bandwagon and subsequently ask Indian people in South Dakota to do the unthinkable and vote Republican. Needless to say I was in for an interesting but not surprising ride. So with that in mind and faced with the possibility that the Dems could lose a seat in the senate with Tim Johnson retiring I figured doing a little scouting was necessary. During the forum only one question pertaining to tribal issues was asked and it had to do with the extreme poverty in the counties where reservations sit. However the answers provided by the fiery group of Republicans shed light on how each sees Indian Country (or doesn’t). Although not a single panel member stole the show or succeeded in convincing me that they would be the best statesman for their Native and non-Native constituents a couple did manage to eliminate themselves from contention. The candidate that provided the most solid answer when asked how they would address the dire economic conditions on reservations was also the least experienced. Jason Ravnsborg, a newcomer from Yankton, highlighted the fact that he was the only candidate on the panel who went to visit a reservation during the early part of this campaign. During his visit he met with Oglala Sioux Tribal Bryan Brewer and then the Great Plains Tribal Chairman’s Association a few days after. Instead of assuming the patriarchal position that most Republicans take towards tribes he showed some knowledge of our communities by noting that Native people are the fastest growing demographic in South Dakota and instead of telling President Brewer what he was going to do, he asked what tribes needed a Senator to do for them. Well played Mr. Ravnsborg you actually approached us as human beings, touché. Stace Nelson was also on the panel and needless to say he is a solid politician, savvy and well-spoken. He inferred that he would be the candidate who would meet with and listen to tribes. We have plenty of politicians who will listen but action and willingness to accept bipartisan compromise in Washington is what we need most. Tribal issues cannot be partisan issues. So before you burn all your bridges with Democrats in an attempt to seize this important position please remember, Mr. Nelson, Indian Country needs allies who can and are willing to work with their fellow lawmakers from both sides of the aisle. Now former Gov. Rounds was my early favorite amongst Republicans for his continued jargon on creating jobs on reservations in South Dakota. His run as governor was not as successful as he would have liked it to be in doing that but as Senator he would be in a better position to maneuver for much needed funding to create development on reservations. He failed to excite or enrage this time but it is still early in the race. Two panelists however took us to Tea Partyville in a hurry with their not so eloquent display of uneducated and ill-informed assimilationist blabber. The sample of knowledge provided by Larry Rhoden and Dr. Annette Bosworth was akin to that of one well-schooled in and intent on applying the philosophy of Carlisle boarding school-esque curriculum with their pledges to save the Indians and bring God to the heathens. In her response to the question about economic development, Dr. Bosworth said what reservations need is “Mission work that is based on healthcare delivery….It is easier for me to go serve those in a third world country than it is to serve on the reservation because of the bureaucracy,” said Bosworth. “Listen to the mothers if you want to revolutionize a community start with the people that are not going to run away and that is the mothers,” she would add. Larry Rhoden would accept Bosworth’s invitation to join her at the junction of blatant ignorance and rightwing bible thumping when he would drop this gem. “I’ve said this and it will probably get me in trouble but if you want to see the culmination of entitlement in America, look at Pine Ridge. That is the problem. Government is not the solution it is the problem and entitlement and we need to somehow allow the David Bald Eagle’s, the few that are left, to learn from their advice,” said Rhoden. David Bald Eagle is, according to Rhoden, a frequent dinner guest at the Rhoden residence and what he meant by “the few that are left” we won’t speculate about. The two responses signify the lack of knowledge that each candidate has about the intricate relationship that tribes have with the federal government. In case Rhoden and Bosworth didn’t know; the Senate is the big leagues and we won’t be playing games on the JV field anymore. Lives are at stake and legacies are to be written. In order to properly represent South Dakota an understanding of both Constitutional law and Federal Indian law is required. This is not about entitlement or mission work this is about choosing a Senator from South Dakota who can advocate for all residents of this state. To do that properly a willingness to recognize that some of what you assume to be entitlements are guaranteed through treaties. Constitutionally speaking treaties are the law of the land and as interpreted by the courts the feds have a trust responsibility to provide certain services to Indian people. This includes healthcare Dr. Bosworth. And the bureaucracy you speak of is there to prevent summer do-gooders from violating sovereign tribal law. It is really quite simple. Dr. Bosworth one final thing just so you know, there are a ton of Native American fathers who are not running from their responsibilities and they are raising wonderful and educated children. Inferring that they are somehow absent I hope was a misspeak. Brandon Ecoffey is an enrolled member of the Oglala Sioux Tribe who was born and raised on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation. Brandon earned his education at Dartmouth College in Hanover, NH where he studied in Government and Native American Studies. He is currently the managing editor at Native Sun News and a contributor to LastRealIndians.com Copyright permission Native Sun News
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