Copyright © 2003 NLThomas
All Rights Reserved

This is a call to support the courageous Yankton Sioux Nation as they struggle to protect a sacred place containing ancestral burials and other sacred places from destruction through development by the State of South Dakota.

The lands in question were transferred to the state from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers by Congress, and contain dozens of developed recreational areas. North Point Recreational Area, where these burials are located, now belongs to the state which began last year to further develop the area for tourism and recreation. Last spring, one of their bulldozers cut in half the burial of a Yankton woman and her child, even though the Yankton tribe had, many times, informed both the Army Corps and the state of South Dakota that burials existed in the area they wanted to develop. Also, other ancestral remains were scattered throughout the park in loads of earth used for landfill, but the agencies denied this occurred and the Yanktons were prevented from being able to look through the landfill for their relatives.

Several other wrongdoings occurred on the parts of both the state and the Corps in the aftermath of discovering that the burial had been hit, including tampering with evidence and failing to comply with NAGPRA (though the lands have been transferred to the state, Congress, in the Act that transferred the lands, stipulated that the Corps would retain responsibility to comply with applicable federal laws) so the Yanktons were forced to take to the courts to protect their ancestors' burials. It should also be noted that other Missouri River Tribes, including my own, also have ancestral burials and other sacred and cultural places on these lands as well. Unfortunately, last week, the court ruled that the State could go ahead and continue their developments, and destruction of these sacred places is imminent.

To prevent further destruction of ancestral burials and other sacred places, the Yankton Sioux Nation has begun an encampment at the Northpoint Recreational area and a media blitz to call attention to what is happening there. I'm writing you today, with a humble and sincere request, to please help us and show your support for the courageous efforts underway by the Yanktons and other tribes to protect the ancestors and other sacred places. Please see www.argusleader.com for articles on the judge's decision. Then please, call, write or email the Yankton Sioux Nation with your support. Send editorial letters to the Argus Leader. If you have a website or a listserve of folks who are interested in or are working themselves on issues like this, please forward this communique to them. There is one lodge up at the site now, and more will follow, with each flying the Tribal flag of their respective Nations. Grandmas and Grandpas and children will be joining the encampment, so there will be many mouths to feed. Financial contributions as well as letters of support can be sent to: