The flag of the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe is seen at a ReZpect Our Water rally outside of the White House in Washington, D.C., on August 6, 2016. Photo by Indianz.Com (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0)

National

Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe embarks on treaty ride on key anniversary

Tuesday, April 10, 2018

The Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe is embarking on a 400-mile plus horse ride in commemoration of a major treaty milestone.

The Treaty of Fort Laramie was signed on April 29 in 1868. In recognition of the 150th anniversary of the government-to-government agreement, the tribe will be sending a delegation from its reservation in South Dakota to Wyoming.

“It is important for the Lakota people to ride to Fort Laramie," Chairman Harold Frazier said. "We need to remind the federal government that this is not just a 'Sioux treaty,' but it is a United States treaty."

Though a storm later this week is expected to impact some activities, the ride kicks off this Thursday in Green Grass, South Dakota. From there, participants will head south to the Pine Ridge Reservation by following the route used for the annual Chief Bigfoot Band Memorial Ride.

The group then plans to cross the border into Nebraska and meet with riders from other tribes in Fort Robinson by April 24. The combined delegation will then head west to Wyoming in order to reach their final destination at Fort Laramie National Historic Site in time for a commemoration being overseen by the Sicangu Lakota Treaty Council.

The council, based on the Rosebud Sioux Reservation, is selling clothing, raising funds and organizing four days of activities at Fort Laramie to highlight the importance of the treaty. Leaders and citizens from the Seven Council Fires, the tribes that make up the Oceti Sakowin, the Lakota name for the Sioux Nation, are expected.

Chairman Frazier plans to be there to remind others of the " moral obligation to uphold the honor of the Great Sioux Nation and there should be an obligation to uphold the honor of the United States of America. Us Lakota have done that with our actions, words and lives."

"Defend Unci Maka and honor the treaties,” said Frazier. Unci Maka is the Lakota phrase for Grandmother Earth.