Government

All nine South Dakota tribes back effort to develop Black Hills land-return legislation

Tribal resolutions support legislation to return federal Black Hills lands to the Great Sioux Nation while preserving sacred sites and water resources

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All nine South Dakota tribes have passed resolutions supporting the development of legislation that would return federal lands in the Black Hills to the Great Sioux Nation, according to information released by organizers of the effort. Native Sun News reports that the proposal would establish a framework for returning and managing federal lands in the Black Hills. Organizers said it would not involve privately owned property or settle claims related to the 1868 Fort Laramie Treaty.

Supporters said the proposal seeks to protect sacred sites, preserve clean drinking water and prevent extractive activities in the region. "The Oceti Sakowin people are coming together to claim the land that is rightfully and legally owed to us," Madonna Thunder Hawk, a Cheyenne River Sioux elder, was quoted as saying. NDN Collective President Wizipan Garriott, a citizen of the Rosebud Sioux Tribe, called the unified action by all nine tribes "historic" and said it marks "a significant milestone" toward improved land management and economic opportunity.

References

  1. 1.Native Sun News.

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All nine South Dakota tribes back effort to develop Black Hills land-return legislation | Buffalo’s Fire