Copyright © 2000 NLThomas
All Rights Reserved

Just wanted to let our readers know why they haven't seen council meeting minutes in our latest editions of Sicangu Sun Times (SST). It's because there hasn't been any available for months now.

I have phoned the tribal building on numerous occasions to obtain council meeting minutes, but according to the tribal secretary's office, none have been approved for release by the council.

Council meeting minutes are one of the many regular features that the Sicangu Oyate of the Rosebud like to see in the Sicangu Sun Times. But how can anyone see them, if they are not being released? And don't think that I am just complaining for nothing, this is a legitimate complaint. I have received nothing past December 1, 1999. Why? Pretty soon, it'll be a year back. That's a long time, even for Indian time.

I can clearly remember back when the election days were here, there were many verbal declarations by the current administration that the people were to be kept informed of council actions via the media.

We are the only Sicangu-Lakota newspaper here on the Rosebud. Despite the fact that there is a resolution that states tribal meeting minutes are to be published, we have never received payment in all the time I've worked here for printing them.

Our goal here is to keep the people informed by publishing the tribe's official minutes. Even though we are small-staffed, we try to come out with a publication our people can be proud of. So we decided to give those pages we fill with minutes to our people, they need to to see them, whether the council can pay for them or not.

Too many of our elderly as well as our handicapped tribal members can't sit in on those meetings all day or they can't get tribal representatives to give copies to community members. So there must be another way to let our people know what's going on. The idea of KINI doing remotes for some meetings is fantastic, but they also can't be there everyday, so this is really the easiest solution. Put them in the paper. That way, the people can at least be warned.

I'm saying this because of the blood-quantum issue currently happening. I don't believe the BIA measure adopted in the form of 25 CFR Part 70 was a fair and honest one. It was something that was done literally without giving time for everyone to know what hit them.

What I can't believe is that few people seem to be flipping out over this. At least, making an attempt to stop it. But nothing. That's probably because no one knows about it yet.

Because of the fact that tribal officials were not notified of this proposal which cuts off all tribal/federal services to anyone less than half Rosebud Sioux blood, until it was almost too late.

Some U.S. senators are questioning the fast-tracking on this.

Based on the proposed new rules, one day, in order to maintain our blood quantum, we'll all have to start marrying our cousins. That's the ultimate genocide. We'll just breed ourselves out of existence - because the BIA said so, by defining us with blood, not our lawful membership in a sovereign nation. It is telling our tribe that we are no longer sovereign. The BIA - through its (BIA-speaking Indians) - has decided not to recognize a significant portion of our present and future membership the children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren.

Do we end in the next three generations? Is blood alone enough to carry us into the future as a tribe?

If proper notification of those hearings had been in advance, would it have made any difference?

The Sicangu Sun Times is the only newspaper to have covered this issue so far.

If meeting minutes were made available to the people through our newspaper on a timely basis, more people would have been able know what's going on with our nation, our future.

Please, someone, start releasing those minutes to us; I sure would appreciate it, and the people would too. Trust me. The people have a right to know what's going on with their government.

Bonnie Young, a member of the Rosebud Sioux Tribe, writes from her home in Rosebud, South Dakota and can be reached by email.

The Dateline: Rosebud column, along with the issue of 25 CFR Part 70 is featured in the current Issue (Oct. 16-31, 2000, #447) of the Sicangu Sun Times, Rosebud, South Dakota. The SST, published twice-monthly, is in its 10th year.