BIA recognizes Steele as president

By Ryan Woodard, Journal Staff Writer | Wednesday, December 20, 2006

Previous Page

Share

• del.icio.us
• Digg
• NewsVine
• Fark

Print

Email

The Bureau of Indian Affairs is recognizing President John Yellow Bird Steele as the official president of the Oglala Sioux Tribe, according to a letter sent to Steele on Tuesday by BIA regional director William Benjamin .

“Congratulations to you and other newly elected tribal council members, as indicated by the certified election results forwarded to us from the Oglala Sioux Tribe,” the letter said.

The BIA now considers Steele, vice president William “Shorty” Brewer and tribal representatives elected in the Oct. 3 primary and Nov. 7 general election the rightful owners of their respective tribal offices.

Benjamin said he wrote the letter to acknowledge that his office had received the OST’s Dec. 5 resolution that certifying the primary and general election results.

“We in the Great Plains Regional Office look forward to working with you and the Council in meeting the objectives for the advancement of the Oglala Sioux Tribe,” the letter said.

The BIA’s decision may help clarify who the tribe’s officials are -- a topic of controversy since the Oct. 3 OST primary -- because the BIA is integral in the funding and operation of the tribal government.

Much of the tribe’s federal funding comes through contracts with the BIA, and the BIA provides a number of services to the tribe through administrative programs.

Controversy has surrounded the election since the Oct. 3 primary and the Nov. 7 tribal election.

Steele and other officials were sworn into office Dec. 5 and certified the election that day.

But Alex White Plume -- who replaced the impeached Cecelia Fire Thunder as president in June but was removed from the ballot for the Nov. 7 election that Steele won -- has disputed the legality of the swearing-in and Steele’s presidency.

He has said he was illegally removed from the ballot, which happened when the tribal election board said he had a felony on his record. He said the election board ignored the election court of appeals’ decision for a new election.

Steele and White Plume worked in separate offices at the tribal building Dec. 6, the day after Steele was sworn in, and part of Dec. 7, with both still claiming the presidency. White Plume left the office Dec. 7 but continued to claim the presidency, calling the physical space at the tribal building “just an office.”

White Plume and others in his administration made plans for another primary and general election, which they scheduled for, respectively, Feb. 13 and March 20.

It was unclear whether White Plume was still claiming office Wednesday night. He did not immediately return a phone call from the Journal. Steele also was unavailable.

The BIA had previously refused to intervene in the controversy.

On Dec. 8, Bob Ecoffey, deputy regional director for the BIA office in Aberdeen, said the BIA would continue to honor contracts with White Plume’s administration.

He said the BIA would not get involved in the matter and would let the tribal courts sort it out, unless the matter began to affect contract services with the tribe. He offered an example.

“(If) for instance, there (were) two councils acting at once, saying, ‘We’re in charge,’” he said.

Election controversy began when the tribal court of elections appeals ruled the Oct. 3 primary null and void because of misprinted ballots and other irregularities. However, the tribal council dismissed that appeals court and named a new one. Plans for the general election proceeded.

White Plume and Steele had finished first and second, respectively, in the primary voting and were set to face off in the general election.

Then, on Nov. 3, the tribal elections board -- not to be confused with the court of elections appeals -- removed White Plume’s name from the ballot because of his federal assault conviction in the 1980s.

White Plume appealed, and the court of elections appeals ordered a new election. The elections board refused, saying it never received an official ruling. Cecelia Fire Thunder replaced White Plume on the ballot, and she lost to Steele in the general election.

Contact Ryan Woodard at 394-8412 or ryan.woodard@rapidcityjournal.com