June 19, 2013
Protesters Turn Back Beer Trucks at Whiteclay

Oglala Sioux Tribe President Bryan Brewer arrested, deputy holds Taser to protester's neck.

Protesters against the sale of alcohol to members of the Oglala Sioux Tribe in tiny Whiteclay, Neb., succeeded in their efforts to turn back beer trucks earlier this week, reports South Dakota Public Radio.

Oglala Sioux Tribe President Bryan Brewer was arrested during the protest, although authorities later said the arrest was for a bad check and not for the protest.

June 18, 2013
Moccasins On The Ground Training Continues

Native people and others opposed to Keystone XL oil pipeline and uranium mining train for nonviolent resistance, object to drill staged with 'eco-terrorists.'

By Talli Nauman

Native Sun News Health & Environment Editor

BRIDGER - In the wake of three public-school emergency preparation drills that cast Keystone XL Pipeline and uranium mining dissenters as “terrorists”, the grassroots Native American non-profit Owe Aku (Take Back the Way), announced its upcoming Moccasins on the Ground training would be held on the Cheyenne River Indian Reservation June 14-16.

June 17, 2013
OST Proxy Negotiating for Wounded Knee Property, Tribal Source Says

Current landowner says he has had no direct contact with Oglala Sioux Tribe officials.

 

<b>By Brandon Ecoffey</b>
<i>Native Sun News Managing Editor</i>

RAPID CITY — Wounded Knee will end up in the hands of the Oglala Lakota people. The question that remains however is “will it be an individual tribal member or the tribal government?”

June 7, 2013
Prestigious Red Cloud Art Show Open for Summer

The show opened June 2 and runs through August 11 at Red Cloud Indian School, displaying more than 150 works of art.

 

This year marks the 45th year the Red Cloud Heritage Center in Pine Ridge is putting on its summer art show, reports South Dakota Public Broadcasting.

The show mixes work from established and emerging Native American artists from throughout the United States and Canada.

June 5, 2013
Organic Coffee and Chocolates Are The Fare at New Cafe & Market on Pine Ridge

Jane Goodall brought couple together. New market features unique foods and grocery, and lots of different kinds of coffee and chocolate. The shop sells muffins, bagels, coffees, and all espresso drinks, specialty hot chocolate including spicy Mayan style, and fruit smoothies.

 

<i>By Christina Rose</i>
<b>Native Sun News Associate Editor</b>

May 29, 2013
Legal Analysis of OST Move to Take Wounded Knee Land Via Eminent Domain

Attorney opinions differ on tribe's chance at success in blocking the sale of two tracts of historically and culturally significant land, now privately owned by a non-tribal member.

By Brandon Ecoffey

Native Sun News Managing Editor

RAPID CITY—  When James Czywczynski first announced that he was selling the two forty acre tracts land;  one at Wounded Knee and one at Porcupine Butte, for a total of $4.9 million, many people scoffed at the notion that someone would be willing to pay that much for the land.

May 2, 2013
Tribes Band Together to Fight Keystone XL Pipeline

Tribal officials vow to fight pipeline crossing their land, object to not being on equal footing with states in process.

By Dr. Sara Jumping Eagle

Oglala Lakota, Mdewakantonwan Dakota

April 3, 2013
American Indian Higher Ed Corsortium Celebrates 40 Years

The American Indian Higher Education Consortium, held March 18-20, celebrated 40 years as the voice of the United State's Tribal Universities.

The American Indian Higher Education Consortium, held March 18-20, celebrated 40 years as the voice of the United State's Tribal Universities. The 2013 consortium was held in Green Bay, Wisconsin.

American Indian Higher Education Consortium (AIHEC) 2013

For more information visit:
AIHEC's website and http://www.lltc.edu/aihec/index.html

December 31, 2012
Pine Ridge Jail Rated Nation's Most Crowded Tribal Facility

The Oglala Sioux Tribal Offenders Facility operated at 432 percent of capacity during peak in June.

The jail at Pine Ridge topped the list as the most crowded among the nation's tribally-operated jails, according to a recent report.

The facility is designed to house 34 inmates but kept 147. Similar statistics were found for a facility in Kyle, and, to a lesser extent, Rosebud and Eagle Butte.

December 15, 2012
Lakota Voice Project takes hold in Rapid City

The project, which is the brainchild of an Oglala Lakota College intro to business class and the Black Hills chapter of the American Advertising Federation, is an anti-suicide campaign that uses photographic images to promote hope across the Pine Ridge Reservation.

 

                                                          

By Brandon Ecoffey

Native Sun News Staff Writer

November 28, 2012
Proposed Uranium Mine Could Pose Issues for Pine Ridge

The biggest single impact of Powertech (USA) Inc.’s proposed uranium mining operation at the Dewey-Burdock site 20 miles north of Edgemont would be on Lakota historical and cultural resources, but the Nuclear Regulatory Commission staff doesn’t consider that an environmental justice issue.

                                                                    

November 15, 2012
Teacher Strives to Build Strong Network of Native Educators

Decorated educator and Oglala Lakota Robert Cook works to put great teachers in reservation classrooms through Teach for America.

 

Native Sun News

By Brandon Ecoffey

Native Sun News Staff Writer

November 12, 2012
Bryan Brewer, new to tribal politics, defeated incumbent John Yellow Bird Steele

Newcomer Bryan Brewer upsets incumbent John Yellowbird Steele for OLC presidency.

November 7, 2012
Voter Turnout High But Sliding in SD

After a high point in the 2004 Daschle-Thune Senate race, the Rushmore state's voter turnout is on a downward trend.

Of South Dakota's 528,621 registered voters, 348,201 voted in Tuesday's election, for a 66 percent voter turn out, the Rapid City Journal reports.

This year marks the second presidential election with declining voter turnout statewide. One political science expert is not surprised, noting the state's blockbuster 2004 U.S. Senate race between Democrat Tom Daschle and Republican John Thune.

October 16, 2012
Dakota Poll Shows Voters Favor Extra Sales Tax

Education reform, state economic development fund not enjoying support among likely voters.

 

A Dakota Poll released this week shows South Dakota voters plan to vote for an additional penny in sales tax by a margin of 67% to 30%, according to a Dakota Poll press release.

Voters are more optimistic about the economy and whether the state is on the "right track" than they were two years ago.

October 15, 2012
Oglala Sioux Tribe Primary Election Yields Top Vote-getters

Candidates for president, vice president will face each other in the Nov. 6 general election.

Challenger Bryan Brewer was the top vote-getter in last week's Oglala Sioux Tribe's presidential primary and will face incumbent John Yellow Bird Steele Nov. 6, the Rapid City Journal reports.

October 2, 2012
State Seeks Input on Conservation Proposal

The South Dakota Department of Agriculture and its partners are seeking comments on the draft Coordinated Plan for Natural Resources Conservation.

The deadline for providing comments on the state conservation plan is Oct. 17, according to a news release from the state Agriculture Department.

The plan is designed to foster cooperation and collaberation among the state, local and federal groups.

Read the draft plan attached to this post. Read the press release on the state's website.

 

October 1, 2012
Federal Judge Dismisses Tribe's Lawsuit Against Whiteclay Beer Sales

A federal judge has ruled that a lawsuit against beer sellers in Whiteclay, Neb., belongs in state court.

 

The judge said that the lawsuit, filed by the Oglala Sioux Tribe, did not address issues in federal law, but he did not rule on the merits of the case, the Associated Press reports via KOTA TV.

The judge said there is "little question that alcohol sold in Whiteclay contributes significantly to tragic conditions on the reservation."

September 25, 2012
South Dakota Leads Nation in Income Growth

A federal report released Tuesday shows incomes in the Rushmore state rose by nearly 12 percent last year.

The U.S. Deptartment of Commerce's Bureau of Economic Analysis said its analysis shows South Dakota incomes rose 11.8 percent in 2011 and 12.8 percent in 2010, according to a press release from the Governor's Office of Economic Development.

South Dakota still ranks 50th for wages and salary income, according to the BEA, but a state study shows incomes rank 26th when adjusted for cost of living and other factors.

August 7, 2012
Black Hills Counties Lost Jobs in Past Year

Rural America experienced a lower job growth rate than did urban areas, and Black Hills counties lost jobs.

Black Hills counties were among the third of America's rural counties that lost jobs in the past year, accourding to a map put together by the Daily Yonder. 

July 30, 2012
National Geographic Magazine Features Pine Ridge Reservation Photos, Stories

National Geographic photographer Aaron Huey spent seven years documenting the life of the Oglala Lakota.

The endurance of the Oglala Lakota since the Wounded Knee massacre of 1890 is the magazine's August cover story.

The feature includes a photo gallery, a community story-telling project of first-person accounts, audio interviews and a podcast. 

View the package by clicking here.

View the photo gallery by clicking here.

July 20, 2012
Oglala Sioux Tribe Declares Drought Emergency

Oglala Sioux Tribe President John Yellow Bird Steele has declared a drought emergency for the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation.

Oglala Sioux Tribe President John Yellow Bird Steele has declared a drought emergency for the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation, KNBN TV reports.

Yellow Bird Steele says record heat and a lack of rain are a threat to public health and property and the reservation's economy.

Visit the Ogalal Sioux Tribe's website by clicking here.

June 26, 2012
Native Media Summit Highlights Continuing Development

Black Hills journalists to participate in Phoenix gathering.

From Native Sun News

Story by Jesse Abernathy

PHOENIX –– Until 1972, Native American radio stations did not exist.

With the on-air signing first of KTDB Radio in a remote area of the Navajo, or Diné, reservation in New Mexico, then of KBRW Radio in Barrow, Alaska, just a few months apart in 1972, a new era was slowly but steadily under way.

Forty years after those humble public radio beginnings, there are around 50 tribal stations scattered across the country.

June 26, 2012
Oglala Lakota College Graduates Celebrated by Oyate

Degrees range from Lakota leadership and management to nursing as students prepare to move on to careers.

From Native Sun News

Story and photo by Karin Eagle

KYLE –– With a traditional spin on the mainstream “Pomp and Circumstance,” the graduates of Oglala Lakota College were led into the dance arena by a Lakota honor song for leaders.

The graduation ceremony on the morning of June 24 began with a Lakota prayer, and eagle feathers and plumes were presented to those students who sacrificed and struggled through – with the support of their families – to earn their college degrees.

June 26, 2012
Petition Asks Indian Health Services to Provide Access to Emergency Contraception

High rates of sexual violence cited as rationale for providing Plan B as an over-the-counter pharmaceutical to Native American women.

From Native Sun News

Story and Photo by Evelyn Red Lodge

RAPID CITY –– According to a report from earlier this year, “Native American women experience sexual assault at a higher rate than all other U.S. populations,” and “more than 1 in 3 Native American women will be raped in their lifetime.”