~ LETTER TO THE EDITOR ~

Dear Editor:

My trip to the prison in Sioux Falls, SD was by an invitation from Philip Yellow Bird Steele, Chairman of the Spiritual Group at the Penitentiary. I visited the penitentiary on March 13. Discussion focused on the blatant disregard and disrespect for Lakota Spirituality in comparison to other religions. Grievances will go all the way up the chain of command to the Head of the SD Department of Corrections but nothing is done. How do prisoners get their voices heard? It was stated that the senior guards seem to disregard policy and make their own rules, setting a bad example for new guards. Accountability is lacking among guards. Also, a legal committee in the prison has been started. It was stated when guests come the prison officials straighten up and follow policy, but when the guests are gone the officials revert to their old ways. Another statement was "the guards don't see the reverence we have for the pipe, they just see us smoking the pipe as a cult". Prisoners are frustrated because they see the non-Indians serving brief sentences like 7 to 8 years for manslaughter compared to their life sentences. Frustration was expressed regarding the Board of Pardons and Parole because a non-Lakota prisoner with several write ups is given parole, while the Lakota prisoner with no write ups is turned down. We heard complaints about health care. If you are sick you have to tell them by 6:00 am otherwise they will not help you. Also, inmates complained about missing money from their accounts. That evening I returned for the pipe ceremony. The Pipe keeper started with a prayer. A young Lakota sang prayer songs, we passed several pipes and I prayed with each pipe as it passed. We sang closing songs to complete the ceremony.

Richard Iron Cloud