Rosebud Sioux President calls for renewed tribal state relations in the State of the Tribes Address

PIERRE – “Our children are the future of our people,” said Rosebud Sioux Tribe President Kathleen Wooden Knife who delivered the 2026 State of the Tribes Address on Wednesday January 14, 2026, to a joint session of South Dakota legislators as the 101st South Dakota legislative session began, as it always does on the second Tuesday in January.

The gallery was full of legislators, and it was standing room only in the upper chamber as Native Americans from across the state gathered filling every seat and standing against the back wall. There were many teachers who brought their students to the Capital at the invitation of the South Dakota Education Equity Coalition (SDEEC).

In the less than 30-minute speech, Wooden Knife adeptly detailed European American history, the tribe’s historical treaties, which guarantee education, healthcare, and economic development. She noted the tribe’s low life expectancy and called for better health and education funding. She said that the tribe seeks federal child care funding exemptions and equal education opportunities for Native American students. She also addressed law enforcement needs, including the Tribal Law Enforcement Protection Act, and the importance of infrastructure improvements, including water and electricity.

Wooden Knife noted the importance of the recent public acknowledgment by the South Dakota Congressional delegation regarding protecting the Wounded Knee Massacre site. “Senator Thune shared his insight that our Lakota people who simply sought to maintain our families, had their lives cut short. Senator Rounds and Representative Johnson acknowledged Wounded Knee as a massacre and one of America’s darkest days.”

Tribal relations in the state had improved considerably in the 1990’s under Governor George Mickelson who had proposed a “Year of Reconciliation” but progress waned after he died. Governor Dennis Daugaard is credited with establishing a cabinet-level Department of Tribal Relations and oversaw the establishment of the State of the Tribes address, the first of which was delivered by Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe Chairman Harold Frazier in 2016. Tribal relations deteriorated under Governor Kristi Noem’s leadership as she expressed open hostility to tribal sovereignty and jurisdiction, alleged tribal leaders were benefiting from drug cartels, disparaged Native American parenting, and attempted to interfere in Indigenous learning social studies standards. Tribal leaders consistently reported that there was no communication from her office. Eventually, most of the state’s tribes banned her from their homelands.

As Noem’s successor Governor Larry Rhoden has promised to restart regular consultations. Wooden Knife also called for a normalization of relations. “In the spirit of reconciliation, we call upon the Governor and the state legislature to engage with our Sioux Nation tribes on the basis of government to-government relations with open, honest, and respectful dialog, to find mutually beneficial solutions for shared concerns.”

Public safety has been an ongoing difficulty for tribes due to complex jurisdictional issues, chronic underfunding, and federal neglect. Many tribal homelands are vast rural areas that are difficult to police. “Like the rest of America, Indian Country suffers from drug and alcohol addiction,” said Wooden Knife. “When people are addicted to drugs and alcohol, they act out and they commit crimes. As a result, among Native Americans, our homicide rate is four times that of non-Hispanic whites. Among our Sioux Nation tribes we have one officer per one-thousand people on average.” The Rosebud Sioux Tribal Police oversee more than 1.3 million acres of land across five counties. “We seek congressional enactment of the Tribal Law Enforcement Prairie Act, which provides police employee benefits. Our treaty mandates America should protect us.” She also called on the state legislature to pass a law to recognize tribal police as law enforcement officers.

“Together our Sioux Nation tribes are working to restore buffalo as a healthy American food source and we are working on greenhouses to grow fresh vegetables and groves of traditional fruit trees,” said Wooden Knife. “When we get our tribal colleges involved, we can develop food prep kitchens to can food for further distribution and create added value agricultural jobs. Currently, eleven of our Great Sioux Nation tribes are working together under a USDA stewardship program to help reduce fire dangers through fuel reduction in the Black Hills.” She also said they are planning to partner with Job Corps to provide tribal youth jobs this summer.

In closing, Wooden Knife said elected leaders must seize the opportunity “to lead in a positive manner through increased consultation, mutual respect, and consideration of mutually beneficial solutions to our shared concerns.”

Native Sun News Today caught up with Dr. Valeriah Big Eagle, Director of He Sapa Initiatives and candidate for Rapid City Council Ward 4, who had attended the address. Big Eagle said that she really enjoyed Wooden Knife’s address. “I really like the way she articulated the needs, but also the challenges and the issues that we as Indigenous people here in South Dakota are concerned about. You could feel the spirituality in her. She talked about water, she talked about the land, she talked about the people and all the things that we are fighting for. She spoke about the treaties being the supreme law of the land and should be respected. I really appreciated what she had to say.”

It was a field trip for third graders from the Oceti Sakowin Community Academy (OSCA in Rapid City. Founder and Director /Head of School Mary Bowman said she jumped at the invitation to bring students to learn about their state and American government. “When this invitation came up, I thought it was a good opportunity for them to learn about our state, because we see them all as future leaders and we encourage their leadership.”

Bowman explained how earlier that morning her students had learned that only six members of the 105 member legislature were Native American. “Our population is about twenty percent of the population, so we are underrepresented. I think in order to be better represented, to have some of the things that are important to us, education being one, it’s important that we have more Native representation. I think that’s one big takeaway they’ll have from today.”

(Contact Marnie Cook at cookm8715@gmail.com)

The post Rosebud Sioux President calls for renewed tribal state relations in the State of the Tribes Address first appeared on Native Sun News Today.

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