Tribal reps get down to business

By Jomay Steen, Journal Staff Writer | Saturday, December 18, 2004

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RAPID CITY -- If tribal members believe their leaders come to Lakota Nation Invitational to get away from the responsibilities of their offices, they might be surprised.

LNI draws more than academic excellence and athleticism. It also brings state, regional and national American Indian policy-makers to Rapid City.

Since Wednesday, tribal leaders and representatives from South Dakota's nine reservations and those in North Dakota, Wyoming, Montana and Nebraska have been attending scores of meetings concerning law enforcement, health, water projects, treaties and the environment.

On Friday morning, Harold Frazier, chairman of the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe, welcomed Dave Anderson, head of the Bureau of Indian Affairs, and was waiting to meet with U.S. Rep. Stephanie Herseth, D-S.D.

Anderson announced that the Bureau of Indian Affairs planned to turn BIA schools into leadership academies. He added that the litigation about misappropriation of trust lands has put the BIA into an environment of change.

Frazier and other tribal leaders met Thursday with Gov. Mike Rounds and Sen.-elect John Thune. Others met with Sen. Tim Johnson, D-S.D., and his representatives.

"I've been here most of the week and haven't seen a ballgame yet," Frazier said.

He said that at no other time does the variety of tribal leadership and policy- makers meet except at LNI.

"Everybody is out here for meetings, and it's a good to pull everybody together," Frazier said.

At the Great Plains Tribal Chairmen's Association meeting, Anderson addressed a variety of leadership, including Oglala Sioux Tribe President Cecelia Fire Thunder, Turtle Mountain President Ken Davis, Frazier and OST council representatives Kathy Janis, Lyle Jack and Philip Good Crow.

"It's been a pretty informative and productive week," Jack said.

Though he has been following an 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily meeting schedule, Jack has been taking time off in the evenings to follow Pine Ridge High School's basketball team at the tournament.

"My son plays on the team, so I have to be there," he said.

Kathy Janis met with Rounds and Thune on Thursday, speaking on behalf of the Oglala Sioux Tribe until Fire Thunder arrived. Janis, too, had been going from one meeting to another, networking with various policy-makers to help programs on Pine Ridge Indian Reservation.

"A lot of work gets done during these tournaments," Janis said.

Philip Good Crow agreed. "It's a chance to talk with officials from other reservations," he said.

"It's a chance to meet with the bigwigs," Jack added.

At Rushmore Plaza Civic Center, French Consulting hosted a workshop about management skills for tribal directors, managers and supervisors; the Great Sioux Nation Indian Child Welfare Act Consortium met, and Lakota Exploration and InMed-Health & Science Poster Symposium were also set up.

The third annual Well Nations Conference met at Hotel Alex Johnson.

Jack said if there are issues that need to be resolved or programs that need to get its message to the people, they end up at LNI.

"It's a time that everybody is here," Jack said.

Contact Jomay Steen at 394-8418 or jomay.steen@rapidcityjournal.com