 |
 |
 |
|
||||
|
Treaty council must continue to build consensus and educate
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Dear Editor: A meeting has been scheduled by the "Sicangu Treaty Council" for Dec. 16-17, 2008 in Rapid City. Several publications have advertised this meeting as a "Black Hills Sioux Nation Treaty Council" meeting. I want to inform the eight Bands of the Lakota Oyate in the 1868 Ft. Laramie Treaty Territory that this meeting is NOT an official meeting of the Black Hills Sioux Nation Treaty Council. As chairman of this council, I am charged with the responsibility of calling for meetings and I did not call for this upcoming meeting of the Sicangu Delegation of the BHSNTC. Furthermore, the Sicangu Treaty Council appointed by the Rosebud Sioux Tribal Council is not recognized by the Black Hills Sioux Nation Treaty Council, as we appoint delegates based on traditional tiospaye laws. We are scheduling a meeting of the Eight Bands in January, at which time we will adopt official protocol for the appointment of delegates to the Treaty Council. If the Sicangu Oyate want to host a meeting of their own Sicangu Delegation of the BHSNTC, that is their option. It is important for the Bands of our Great Sioux Nation to have meetings and take care of Band business and to continue educating our people and to build consensus that the Black Hills Are Not For Sale. The Black Hills are sacred and important to our people and the future generations. The Black Hills Sioux Nation Treaty Council has the important responsibility of preserving and demanding that our Treaty be honored by the United States government so that America can regain honor in the eyes of the world rather than be known from the taking of our Black Hills as committing "the ripest and rankest case of land theft in the history of the United States". I encourage all Delegations of the BHSNTC to work for consensus among their Bands to come up with a strategy to regain our sacred Black Hills so that we stand strong and in unity in this most important part of our lives and the lives of our future generations. All Bands must send to my office a copy of actions taken at Bands meetings.
If you have any questions, please call me at (605) 867-2713. |
      |
||||
