Lakota Oyate Topa Treaty Council continues to seek tribal recognition, funding

EAGLE BUTTE, SD – On August 15, 2024, two of the four members of the Lakota Oyate Topa Treaty Council (LOTTC) spoke to the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe (CRST) Tribal Council, again seeking collaboration, recognition, and funding. Harry Little Thunder (Itazipco) and Manny Iron Hawk (Titunwan Okowozu) say they were “disappointed” in the response.

According to Little Thunder, the majority of the members present were on their phones and laptops while he was speaking to the Tribal Council, not listening. He says their behavior was “disrespectful” and “unprofessional.”

He also said that one member of the Tribal Council interrupted him, which was “inappropriate” according to proper parliamentary procedure and “disrespectful.” Little Thunder said that neither the Sergeant-at-Arms nor the Tribal Chairman who was chairing the meeting corrected the Council member who interrupted. Little Thunder himself had to say to the person who interrupted, “I have the floor.”

When the LOTTC members concluded their presentation, the Tribal Council said that the matter would be referred to the Tribal Attorney General (AG) for legal review, which is merely a repetition of what the Treaty Council had been told in previous meetings. According to Little Thunder, the Tribal AG received the Treaty Council’s request for review in April, 2024, and has not responded.

Along with Little Thunder and Iron Hawk, the LOTTC includes Ivan Looking Horse (Siha Sapa) and Emanuel Red Bear (Oohenumpa). Renee Iron Hawk (Tituwan Oohenumpa) serves as the LOTTC treasurer. Both Little Thunder and Iron Hawk are direct descendants of nineteenth century Lakota treaty signers.

The LOTTC was recognized by the Oceti Sakowin Oyate Treaty omniciye (meeting) at He Sapa (Black Hills) in May, 2021. Also, at a regional Treaty Council summit in Rapid City hosted by the Oglala Sioux Tribe on May 17-19, 2023, LOTTC members were ceremonially recognized, smudged, and blessed.

For several years the LOTTC has sought recognition, funding, and collaboration with the CRST Tribal Council (see May 10, 2023, article in the West River Eagle at tinyurl.com/5n73wcda and June 7, 2023, article in West River Eagle at tinyurl.com/74pnxdz6).

As of press time, they have received no formal response from the Tribal Council to their repeated requests in spite of verbal assurances of support from the Tribal Chairman and others. While seeking recognition and funding from the CRST Tribal Council, the LOTTC is operating as effectively as possible with all expenses paid out of the Tribal Council members’ personal funds.

As of press time, there has been no response to the West River Eagle’s requests for comment from the CRST Tribal Chairman’s office, the Tribal Secretary’s office, or the Tribal Sergeant-at-Arms.

A Treaty Council such as the LOTTC is an entity separate from and complementary to the Tribal Council. The LOTTC notes these fundamental differences between the Tribal Council and the Treaty Council:

• Treaty Councils are recognized by the Ft. Laramie Treaty of 1851, which along with other treaties is considered “the supreme Law of the Land” under Article VI of the U.S. Constitution. Tribal Councils receive authority from the 1934 Indian Reorganization Act (IRA).
• Tribal Councils only have jurisdiction within reservation boundaries which were imposed by the colonizers’ government. Treaty Councils are not bound by reservation boundaries.
• Tribal Councils were created by the IRA as a mechanism to manage the day-to-day business of the reservations and modeled after Euro-American local governments. Treaty Councils focus on much broader issues, including (but not limited to) “health, wellness, education, language, treaty issues, sovereign rights, treaty obligation violations, lack of human and civil rights, gross injustices, acts of genocide, economic deprivations, taxes, racial discriminations, a monetary system, treaty benefits, land issues, …to better serve our treaty guaranteed rights,” according to correspondence from the LOTTC to the CRST Tribal Council dated March 10, 2023.
• The Tribal Council meetings are conducted according to Roberts’ Rules of Order. According to Philimon “Phil” Two Eagle (Philimon Wanbli Nunpa), Executive Director of the Sicangu Lakota Treaty Council centered in Rosebud, SD, all treaty council meetings are conducted according to the ‘Wolakota Code of Behavior,’ which emphasizes respect (especially for elders), peace, and unity, and avoidance of confrontation, making enemies, gossip, jealousy, squabbling among relatives, and belittling people in public.”

The Sicangu Lakota Treaty Council on the Rosebud reservation receives funding from and operates cooperatively with the Tribal Council, serving as a precedent for the LOTTC. Two Eagle is a consultant, mentor, and partner with the LOTTC.

Speaking on a 2021 podcast posted on social media, Two Eagle said, “The Treaty Council operates on a different level from the Tribal Council. We are not trying to usurp anyone’s authority. The Treaty Council is focused on inherent treaty rights and inherent sovereignty based on thousands of years of history, language, and culture.” He says pointedly, “The IRA people (i.e., the Tribal Councils) are our relatives. Assimilation pits our people against one another…. We must work together to move forward.” 

Frank Star Comes Out, Oglala Sioux Tribe President, advocates for the establishment of traditional Treaty Councils to work side-by-side with IRA Tribal Councils. However, as yet the Oglala Sioux Tribe provides no funding or a treaty council.

In a personal interview, Ivan Looking Horse emphasized, “Our people need to learn our true history, educate, and build skills. We still face an ongoing, long process of organizing. The Treaty Council is looking for input and solutions. …We need better communications with the Tribal Council … We need to stop fighting among ourselves, forgive, and work together so we can move forward. We need to set a good standard for our young people.”

For more information or to make a donation to help defray expenses for the LOTTC, readers can email Harry Little Thunder at rockies0729@gmail.com or Manny Iron Hawk at mannyironhawk@yahoo.com.

NOTE: This feature is a good faith effort to follow a complex and potentially controversial subject. We welcome comments, questions, and/or diverse points of view on this and other topics. Submit a letter to the editor at www.nativesunnews.today/category/letters-to-the-editor/ or email editor@nativesunnews.today.

(Contact Grace Terry at graceterrywilliams@gmail.com)

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SOURCES:

Personal interviews with Harry Little Thunder and Manny Iron Hawk

www.westrivereagle.com/articles/cheyenne-river-elders-establish-treaty-council-seek-recognition-and-funding/

www.westrivereagle.com/articles/lakota-oyate-tope-treaty-council-receives-special-recog

 

 

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