Bluestem Prairie's world headquarters lies within the historical borders of the Lake Traverse Reservation, home of the Sisseton Wahpeton Oyate; our partner is a SWO citizen.
On Thursday, the chair of the Sisseton Wahpeton Oyate, Delbert Hopkins Jr, delivered the State of the Tribes address to the South Dakota state legislature.
Here's the YouTube of the address from South Dakota Public Broadcasting:
At SDPB, Richard Two Bulls reported in Sisseton Wahpeton Oyate chairman focuses on education during State of the Tribes Address:
Sisseton Wahpeton Oyate Chairman Delbert Hopkins Jr. called on state legislators to promote and pursue Native American history, culture and education in schools during his 2022 State of the Tribes Address on Thursday in Pierre.
Hopkins covered a variety of topics affecting Indian Country, such as social and economic challenges, tribal tourism and green energy.
He stressed the historical trauma, loss of culture and language, and the long-term effects of U.S. Indian boarding schools and the importance of teaching that history. He also said it's pivotal to teach Oceti Sakowin values to future generations.
“First and foremost in our hearts and minds is the wellness, education and the future of our children,” Hopkins said. “Preserving and promoting Native language is crucial to the advancements of Native education. Native language and culture immersion programs have been shown to provide Native children the chance to build a strong foundation and a future success and education and life. Native language immersion helps counter these challenges with nurturing experiences that young children need to thrive.”
Hopkins asked legislators to support federal funding for the construction of Bureau of Indian Education schools and to work together to promote cultural tourism as a way to create new jobs and opportunity.
“In Arizona, the Grand Canyon brings the nation-tribes and the state tremendous tourism opportunities," Hopkins said. "The same opportunity for cultural tourism is here in South Dakota, including our reservations, lakes, rivers, the Badlands, and the Black Hills. Naturally our Native nations must take the lead on culture tourism, because otherwise it's not cultural. It's not tourism, but simply exploitation.”
Hopkins also touched on the importance of public safety and law enforcement and how tribal, state and federal authorities need to reach across jurisdictions to battle drug trafficking and the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women epidemic.
The State of the Tribes Address is delivered annually to the Legislature to provide lawmakers with a tribal perspective of the issues that are impacting tribes as they enter the legislative session.
Associated Press South Dakota reporter Stephen Grove writes in Tribal chairman gives South Dakota lawmakers history lesson:
The chairman of the Sisseton Wahpeton Oyate offered South Dakota’s Legislature a history lesson on Thursday during the annual State of the Tribes address, as he emphasized tribal sovereignty and government-to-government relations.
Chairman Delbert Hopkins Jr. entered the House chamber to a beating drum, Dakota songs and with an honor guard of tribal veterans. After leading the chamber in a moment of silence for the people who have died from COVID-19, he reminded lawmakers that treaties between the U.S. government and tribal nations have always been a part of the country’s history, starting with George Washington and the Constitution.
“In the state of South Dakota Admissions Act, the people of South Dakota promised that they would never lay claim to Indian lands as a condition of becoming a state,” Hopkins told the Legislature.
State and tribal governments have long had an uneasy relationship in South Dakota, and the annual State of the Tribes address, which is delivered by one of the nine tribal leaders in the state, is meant to foster cooperation. Hopkins named several areas where the state and tribes could work together better, including education, economic development and law enforcement.
But he also made sure to remind lawmakers that they owed even the state’s name to the tribes.
“Having adopted Dakota as the state’s name, public schools should teach about our history and culture of our Dakota Oyate and our Oceti Sakowin Seven Council Fires,” Hopkins said, referring to the tribes that are based in the state.
“That’s not critical race, that’s history of humanity,” he added, taking a jab at Republican Gov. Kristi Noem, who has prioritized banning so-called “Critical Race Theory” from public school classrooms this year.
Noem has acknowledged that Native American history is an essential part of the state’s history that should be taught. But last year, the state government faced protests by some Native American educators after the Department of Education removed more than a dozen references to Oceti Sakowin culture and history from a social studies standards proposal. Under pressure from Indigenous groups as well as fellow conservatives, Noem relaunched the standards review process.
Peri Pourier, a Democratic representative who is a member of the Oglala Lakota tribe, slammed the governor for not attending the event.
“Showing up to South Dakota’s own State of the Tribe’s Address would have been an essential part of repairing tribal relations for Governor Noem,” she said in a statement.
Hopkins drew a direct line from the abuses of Indian boarding schools that removed children from their families and stamped out Native languages to the problems plaguing reservations today, including high unemployment, aging school buildings and drug addiction.
“For decades, the poorest counties in America have always been our Sioux Reservations,” Hopkins said, as he advocated for economic development such as tourism.
Hopkins ended with a renewed call for cooperation, saying that the state and tribes could “accomplish great things with mutual respect and understanding.”
The South Dakota Democratic Party posted Pourier's statement, Oceti Sakowin Caucus Statement on State of the Tribes, on its website:
Oceti Sakowin Caucus Chair Rep. Peri Pourier released the following statement on Chairman Delbert Hopkins Jr.’s State of the Tribes address:
“I applaud and honor Chairman Hopkin’s address asking the legislature for support on several important federal issues. Maintaining good relations with the Tribal Nations within South Dakota requires hard work and presence. Showing up to South Dakota’s own State of the Tribe’s Address would have been an essential part of repairing tribal relations for Governor Noem. It was duly noted Noem and her staff members were not present at all. We hope the work of the legislature will be able to bridge the gap.”
The " main objective of the Caucus is to encourage new voter participation in our tribal communities. The Caucus works to recruit, support, and ultimately elect Native American Democrats running for public office."
At the Argus Leader, Jonathan Ellis reported in Tribal chairman asks South Dakota lawmakers for mutual respect:
The Sioux people are the bedrock of South Dakota history, the chairman of the Sisseton Wapheton Oyate told lawmakers Thursday, who have enjoyed a sovereign relationship through treaties with the United States for more than 100 years.
“That’s not critical race. That’s history and humanity,” Delbert Hopkins Jr. said during the Legislature’s annual State of the Tribes Address.
Hopkins told lawmakers his tribe is trying to be more self-reliant when it comes to producing food and energy. But that requires good roads, culverts and bridges, and he asked lawmakers to collaborate with transportation planning.
Tribes could help alleviate crushing poverty and unemployment rates that exceed 50% in some places by promoting “cultural tourism.”
“Native nations must take the lead," he said. “Otherwise it’s not cultural. It’s not tourism. It’s exploitation."
Hopkins noted Native youths have more absences from school and an achievement gap. But that gap can be closed when Native youths are immersed in Native education and language.
Hopkins also noted 400 children on his reservation need a new school, and the reservation’s population is expected to double in 20 years. He asked the Legislature to support its efforts to get a new school through the federal government.
By offering mutual respect, the tribes and the state government could accomplish good for all South Dakotans, he said.
Hopkins started his speech with a moment of silence for the Native victims of the coronavirus. Many tribal elders died from COVID-19, and across the country, Natives had a death rate of 2.5 times the non-Native population, he said.
“The COVID-19 virus has hit us hard,” he said.
One story of that loss? Hopkins' father-in-law, whose story was told in December 2020 in the New York Times obituary, Rev. Wilbert Robertson, Native American Pastor, Dies at 86.
Secretary of the South Dakota Department of Tribal Relations Dave Flute, who opened the joint session with a prayer, is a former SWO Chairman. SWO Tribal Archivist Tamara St. John, R-Sisseton, serves as state representative for South Dakota District 1.
Photo: Delbert Hopkins Jr., Sisseton Wahpeton Oyate chairman, delivers the 2022 State of the Tribes Address to the Legislature SDPB. Around here, he's known as Roly.
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