Native Sun News Today Editorial: It is time for the elected Tribal Councils to get off of the dime

Tuesday, July 28, 2020

By Native Sun News Today Editorial Board

Summertime is here.

This has been the traditional time when tribes of all the Great Sioux Nation used to assemble and plan and strategize for the coming year. They set the times for the next gathering, discussed current happenings with the advancing white settlers, talked about their relationship with the United States military, discussed problems concerning their boundaries and borders and named the chiefs that would be leading them into the next year.

This has not been happening lately and there are so many problems and projects that all of the tribes of the Great Sioux Nation should be working on together. What about the Black Hills Claims Settlement? It is still there after 40 years and it is not going away.

It is imperative that our elected leaders take a stand. They are the leaders and to sit on their hands and do nothing does not benefit the people they were elected to serve.

A plan needs to be formulated so that the tribes can act in unison to discuss the future of the Settlement. Do they want to find another United States Senator to introduce a bill similar to the Bradley Bill in order to get some of the land returned to the tribes?

What about the $2 billion now on hold for the people? An open discussion could lead to an introduction of legislation that can allow the tribes to have both: land and the money. But nothing will move forward or be accomplished until our elected leadership gets off the dime and acts.