Fort Laramie 2020 Oceti Sakowin Gathering: ‘Sovereignty is Real’

LARAMIE, Wyo. – The 2020 Oceti Sakowin Gathering of treaty nations and councils here Sept. 4-6 is entitled “Sovereignty is Real.” It avails itself of the historic landmark where the United States and adherents of the Seven Council Fires of the Great Sioux Nation signed the treaties of 1851 and 1868, supposedly to guarantee the Northern Great Plains tribes continued dominion over ancestral lands.

“Our people need us to be united and prepared to be strong advocates for the Oyate,” the organizers said in announcing the event. “We do not have time on our side. A recent U.S. Supreme Court decision holds important implications for our treaties, the Oceti Sakowin Oyate, and the Great Sioux Nation as a whole.”

The July 9 court decision in McGirt v. Oklahoma confirmed the Eastern Oklahoma tribes’ right to jurisdiction over activities within their reservation boundaries, which have long been under state and local control. Legal analysis will be presented at the gathering to address the meaning of the ruling for the return of unceded treaty territory rights in the Black Hills and for lands administered by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers on the Dakota Access Pipeline route, which tribes are fighting in court with widespread popular support.

Discussion about the efficacy of tribal governments established by the 1934 Indian Reorganization Act will be held in the context of the ruling’s implications, according to the proposed agenda. The item focusses on the notion that the system is a failure and fosters dependency.

A report is scheduled to update participants on the federal Internal Revenue Service accounting for the interest money accrued to the tribes in the $105-million compensation awarded for the U.S. government’s illegal taking of the Black Hills, as stated in the Supreme Court case United States v. Sioux Nation of Indians. As of 2018, this amounted to more than $1.4 billion. The tribes have refused the payment, hoping instead for legislation to return the federal portion of the land. The legislation and the Black Hills Initiative for Unity are set for dialogue.

The internal governance and structure of treaty councils is also slated for discussion, including the topics of full-blood and citizen recognition requirements.

Appointment of delegates to the United Nations meeting in New York in April is on the schedule. A request is under consideration for U.N. investigation of U.S. treat rights and human rights violations.

Project topics include the process and requirements to form a 2016 Oceti-Sakowin Campsite International Memorial Park, commemorating the historic treaty council event that year in the grassroots encampments supporting the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe’s legal challenge to the Dakota Access Pipeline. The usurpation of treaty territory for the proposed construction of TC Energy Corp.’s Keystone XL Pipeline to carry hazardous tar-sands through treaty territory is on the list.

Planners announced they “are inviting all chiefs, nacas and treaty councils to attend,” calling specifically for up to three representatives of the Brule, Oglala, Miniconjou, Yanktonai, Hunkpapa, Blackfeet, Cut Head, Two Kettle, Sans Arcs, Santee, Arapaho, and Cheyenne. They encouraged wearing “traditional clothing.”

To participate, complete an online registration form providing identification and explaining if you will speak, camp, attend remotely, donate or volunteer. For more information call Dave Swallow, Jr., at 605-407-0922, JR American Horse at 701-301-2416 or Everett Iron Eyes, Sr. at 701-955-2403.

The logistical support for this event is provided by The Treaty Project, a private volunteer team.

In 2018, the National Parks Service, which administers the National Historic Site of the former fort, collaborated with tribal constituencies to facilitate an Oceti Sakowin Day here, commemorating the 150^th anniversary of the treaty signing.

 

(Contact Talli Nauman at talli.nauman@gmail.com)

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