Richard Trudell Day, the honor of one is the honor of all

SANTEE, Neb. –The Dakota Santee Sioux Nation honored and celebrated Richard “Dick” Trudell for his induction into the National Native American Hall of Fame, by naming October 26, 2023 Richard Trudell Day. “This is a pretty big deal,” said Thelma Thomas, Ohiya Casino and Resort General Manager. Thomas said the Santee tribe acknowledged the important day with traditional Dakota prayer and song honoring ceremony at Ohiya. Trudell was presented with an Isanti Tribal flag, star quilt and eagle feather.

Mr. Trudell was enrolled at USD in the fall of 1958 to play basketball. Trudell said he didn’t do well, dropped out and went into the service. Trudell got his undergraduate degree in accounting from San Jose State and was even recruited by three major accounting firms, but just wasn’t sure he wanted to go into that profession. That’s when he was accepted into the Law School program at University of New Mexico.

After getting his law degree from Catholic American University in Washington D.C, Trudell saw a need for Native attorneys and so founded the American Indian lawyer Training Program (AILTP) and its American Indian Resources Institute (AIRI). Under Trudell’s direction and vision, AILTP was established in 1973 and implemented a variety of innovative programs throughout the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s. The programs were designed to invest in Native people who could make a difference in Indian Country.

Thomas said his list of accomplishments is long considering his humble beginnings. She said she sees this honoring as past, present and future. “Richard’s great grandparents were among those exiled from Minnesota, taken to Davenport, Iowa and from there they were force-marched on foot to the Crow Creek prison camp. Eventually they moved to Santee Nebraska.”

Thelma explained that the Santee’s gravitated toward Sioux City, Iowa, for work. “There was a little community of Santee tribal members in Sioux City and Richard’s mother was able to find work cleaning homes for rich people.” Thelma said, “Who would have thought, from those humble beginnings that he would one day be inducted into the National Native American Hall of Fame. If his mother could see that.”

Former First Lady, Senator and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton spoke at the induction ceremony in Oklahoma City via video. Clinton recounted her first meeting with Trudell more than a half century ago. “My warmest congratulations to my friend Richard Trudell as he is inducted into the National Native American Hall of Fame. Dick and I first met over 50 years ago when we worked together at the National Legal Services Committee during the Carter administration. Since then it’s been a pleasure working alongside him over the years to address to healthcare challenges facing Indian Country. I was delighted when my husband convened the conference for Native American and Alaska Native communities at the White House with Dick’s help.” Clinton said Trudell’s life’s work “has changed our nation for the better and inspired countless generations to follow in his footsteps. Congratulations on this well-deserved recognition, my friend, and my best wishes to all of today’s inductees.”

Not only has Thomas worked with her tribe, she has also been involved in tribal historic preservation. She said that Richard’s grandparent’s homestead still exists at Santee and said that there are other old homesteads that still exist, “We have to do more in our cemeteries, because we have those that signed the 1868 treaty, they’re in our cemeteries. And we have to get those also protected. Daun Dakotapi the people we are . We didn’t just all of a sudden get here. We’re standing on somebody’s shoulders, all of us. It hasn’t been easy for the Oceti Sakowin, it was never easy, especially after European contact. But, I marvel at the strength, the inner strength that our ancestors had and that some have today”.

Trudell, an Isanti Dakota Sioux Nation enrolled member was inducted into the National Native American Hall of Fame on October 14, 2023, in the Hall of the People at the First Americans Museum in Oklahoma City, OK.

The Santee Sioux Nation believes, “The honor of one is the honor of all

The five other 2023 inductees are:

Mark Trahant was honored for his contribution to journalism. Trahant, Shoshone Bannock, is an author, editor, reporter and former president of the Native American Journalists Association. Trahant has had a lasting impact on media to the benefit of Native American communities through his responsible storytelling and journalism.

Leslie Marmon Silko, was honored for her contribution to writing. Silko, Laguna Pueblo, an acclaimed novelist, poet and essayist, Silko is considered a key figure in the first wave of what literary critic Kenneth Lincoln has called The Native American Renaissance.

Lenada War Jack, honored for her advocacy. War Jack, Shoshone Bannock, was the first Native American student admitted to the University of California at Berkley in 1968. War Jack was an Alcatraz Occupation Co-leader who, with other Native Americans, took over Alcatraz Island in a peaceful protest of the federal government’s ill treatment of Native people and broken treaties with tribes.. She has pursued enforcement of treaty obligations and Native rights.

Will Sampson, honored posthumously for his contribution to entertainment. Sampson, Muscogee Creek, is best known for his roles in the movies One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, Poltergeist II and The Outlaw Josey Wales. Sampson founded the American Indian Registry for the Performing Arts for Native American actors.

Joe De La Cruz, honored posthumously for his contribution to government. De La Cruz, Quinalt Indian Nation, brought effective self-governance to his tribe as well as to Indians across the country. He is one of the architects of the Centennial Accord, which delineates the principles of government-to-government relation between the tribes and Washington State.

(Contact Marnie Cook at staffwriter@nativesunnews.today)

The post Richard Trudell Day, the honor of one is the honor of all first appeared on Native Sun News Today.

Visit Original Source