Ivan Star Comes Out: So-called 'tribal' constitution keeps our people down

Thursday, April 4, 2019  

The majority of us here on the Pine Ridge Reservation have endured unending poverty.

Actually, we endured a segregation championed by an autocratic clique called “tribal” government. We are the Lakota language speakers, dark-skinned, “drunk,” and “uneducated.” We struggle three times as hard as anyone else to survive. If one of us is lucky, that person enjoys life as an empty symbol of equality.

We do not have the opportunity for redress. Our elected officials do as they please because they know they will get away with it. The Bureau of Indian Affairs stands by while the “tribe,” in its surrogate role as U. S. policy enforcer, continually engages in what amounts to civil and human rights violations.

For example, standing committee meetings are being conducted in Rapid City in spite of disgruntled constituent criticism. Recently, the reservation was engulfed in a flood while the majority of our council members traveled to Denver March powwow. Each council member has a sizeable salary, along with their friends and relatives, while most of the voters out in the communities survive on fixed incomes.

Yet, many voters still believe they are living in a, “equal opportunity” society under a democratic government. Basically, when one goes astray, voters simply vote that one out in the next election and replace him/her with a new official. Then when that one does not meet their expectations, they vote him or her out again. This has been an immobile cycle for the more than 80 years now.

John Adams (1737-1826), American Statesman, attorney, diplomat, writer, and Founding Father served as the 2nd President of the United States (1787 to 1901). He played a leading role in the American Revolution by advocating for complete separation from Great Britain (Revolutionary War), opposing the 1765 Stamp Act (taxation), and took part in writing the Declaration of Independence.

It appears his defiant actions were world-shattering, especially for the colonists. I imagine many feared the consequences of his actions. True to his thoughtfulness as a political philosopher, he wrote “Government is instituted for the common good: for the protection, safety, prosperity and happiness of the people; and not for the profit, honor, or private interest of any one man, family, or class of men.”

This quote paints a pristine picture of the new nation but it was meant only for the immigrant revolutionaries. Slaves and “Indians,” were undeniably excluded from this new society. Negroes were considered only 3/5 human and the “Indians” were considered sub-human “savages” whose only purpose in life was to kill. As such, they were not allowed to vote or own land.

These departures from civilization are written into the U. S. Constitution and other revered documents. They determined the government’s relationship with the continents original inhabitants and African-Americans. Congress’ decisions have been hugely influenced by these barefaced deviances. One can safely say today’s situation in national politics is a result of this travesty.

They have also led to yet another sham on our own treaty territory, the Pine Ridge Reservation. In its effort to settle the land and control its inhabitants, congress coerced a domineering government upon the Great Plains nations. This action left no room for even the basic principles of democracy to take hold

This “tribal” constitution under the Indian Reorganization Act was written by non-native government officials, Indian agents, and military retirees. U.S. forced their plenary power here and basically negated the old traditional system and any opportunity to prosper as we are among the poorest in the country. The new so-called “tribal” government is not based on equality as it does not accord the voters, specifically the so-called “full-bloods,” the civil and human rights they are otherwise entitled to.

As a result, a significant displeasure exists among this new government’s constituency. For decades many have angrily and repeatedly complained. Common targets of this public malcontent, although misdirected, are local elected officials or any native person of power.

Feeding into this are the dishonored treaties, Indian Reorganization Act (IRA) of 1934, the late 1800s boarding school system, school curriculum, racism, and alcoholism. More specifically, locally elected tribal council members, district officials, school board members, and individual police officers are often needlessly chastised and antagonized.

Ivan F. Star Comes Out can be reached at P.O. Box 147, Oglala, South Dakota, 57764; via phone at 605-867-2448 or via email at mato_nasula2@outlook.com.

Copyright permission Native Sun News Today