{"id":39342,"date":"2025-10-10T00:11:00","date_gmt":"2025-10-10T05:11:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/unitedresourceconnection.org\/cannon-ball-nd-58528\/truth-tellers-and-trailblazers\/"},"modified":"2025-10-10T00:11:06","modified_gmt":"2025-10-10T05:11:06","slug":"truth-tellers-and-trailblazers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/unitedresourceconnection.org\/cannon-ball-nd-58528\/truth-tellers-and-trailblazers\/","title":{"rendered":"Truth-tellers and trailblazers"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\"SD<\/a><\/p>\n

SD Governor George S. Mickelson addressing the audience at the first Native Americans\u2019 Day celebration in October of 1990. Since, Crazy Horse Memorial\u00ae has hosted Native Americans\u2019 Day celebrations annually on the second Monday in October. (Photo courtesy Crazy Horse Memorial)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

In 1990, South Dakota made history by becoming the first state in the nation to replace Columbus Day with Native American Day \u2014 a bold and unprecedented move that signaled a shift in how the state acknowledged its Indigenous heritage. This landmark change was part of a broader initiative known as the Year of Reconciliation, launched by Governor George S. Mickelson to address long-standing racial divisions and honor the state\u2019s Native peoples. The movement was sparked by the voices of two remarkable men: journalist Tim Giago and activist Lynn \u201cSmokey\u201d Hart.<\/p>\n

Tim Giago, founder of the Lakota Times and later Native Sun News Today, was more than a journalist \u2014 he was a truth-teller, a cultural bridge-builder, and a relentless advocate for Native dignity. Born and raised on the Pine Ridge Reservation, Giago understood firsthand the deep wounds left by centuries of marginalization. He believed in the power of media to challenge injustice and elevate Native voices. In late 1989, Giago sat down with Governor Mickelson for an interview that would change the course of South Dakota history. When Giago asked the governor what he found most difficult about his job, Mickelson replied, \u201cTrying to deal with the bad race relations between Indians and whites.\u201d Giago recognized the significance of that admission and responded with a powerful editorial. He urged the governor to declare 1990 the Year of Reconciliation, to confront the state\u2019s painful history, and to replace Columbus Day with Native American Day \u2014 a holiday that would honor the Lakota, Dakota, and Nakota peoples and acknowledge the legacy of colonization.<\/p>\n

\"Tim<\/a><\/p>\n

Tim Giago, left, is shown with the late Gov. George Mickelson in this file photo. It was Giago who successfully lobbied the governor to proclaim 1990 a year of Reconciliation between Indians and whites to honor the 100th anniversary of the Wounded Knee Massacre and to change Columbus Day to Native American Day.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Giago\u2019s editorial was more than a call to action \u2014 it was a moral reckoning. He reminded readers that 1990 marked the 100th anniversary of the Wounded Knee Massacre, one of the darkest chapters in American history. On December 29, 1890, U.S. troops surrounded and killed more than 300 Hunkpapa and Mnicoujou Lakota men, women, and children near Cha.kp\u00e9 \u00d3pi. The massacre was the culmination of decades of broken treaties, forced removals, and violent suppression. Giago believed that South Dakota could not move forward without first acknowledging this past. The Year of Reconciliation, he argued, must begin with truth.<\/p>\n

Governor Mickelson took Giago\u2019s challenge seriously. He declared 1990 the Year of Reconciliation and committed to improving Native\u2013 non-Native relations through public dialogue, education, and cultural recognition. The initiative included forums, school programs, and symbolic gestures \u2014 none more significant than the creation of Native American Day.<\/p>\n

Lynn Hart played a crucial role in this transformation. In January 1990, he testified before the South Dakota Legislature in support of making Martin Luther King Jr. Day a paid state holiday. At the time, the state only recognized it as a \u201cworking holiday,\u201d and lawmakers were hesitant to change that. Hart, who is of Yankton Sioux and African-American descent, delivered an emotional speech that included reading Giago\u2019s editorial aloud. He also urged legislators to rename Columbus Day. Though the Legislature initially rejected the MLK Day proposal \u2014 prompting this Rapid City Journal headline \u201cHouse Panel Dumps King Holiday\u201d \u2014 Governor Mickelson and House Majority Leader Jerry Lammers watched a videotape of Hart\u2019s testimony and were deeply moved. Within days, Mickelson in the spirit of the \u201cThe Year of Reconciliation\u201d proclamation he had just signed, declared both MLK Day and Native American Day official state holidays.<\/p>\n

Hart later reflected on the moment with humility: \u201cI walked in one day with nothing, walked out with two state holidays overnight. It\u2019s never been done in any state in America, but it wasn\u2019t me that did it. I\u2019m the guy that got in the way.\u201d<\/p>\n

While Hart\u2019s testimony was the spark, it was Giago\u2019s editorial that laid the foundation. His words gave voice to a generation of Native South Dakotans who had long been denied recognition. His challenge to the governor was not confrontational \u2014 it was visionary. Giago understood that reconciliation required more than apologies; it demanded action, visibility, and respect. Native American Day was not just a holiday \u2014 it was a declaration that Indigenous history mattered, that Indigenous people belonged, and that South Dakota could lead the way in honoring both.<\/p>\n

The Year of Reconciliation was more than a symbolic gesture. It marked a turning point in South Dakota\u2019s relationship with its Native communities. It acknowledged the wounds of the past while laying the groundwork for a more inclusive future. And it was made possible by the courage and conviction of Tim Giago and Lynn Hart \u2014 two men who believed that truth, when spoken clearly and boldly, could change history.<\/p>\n

Tim Giago was my mentor and muse. He taught me that journalism is not just about reporting facts \u2014 it\u2019s about telling truths that others are afraid to speak. He believed in the power of stories to heal, to educate, and to transform. His legacy lives on in every edition of Native Sun News Today, and in every celebration of Native American Day across South Dakota.<\/p>\n

As we continue to celebrate Native American Day each October, we honor not only the cultures and contributions of Indigenous peoples, but also the legacy of those who fought to make this day possible. Their voices still echo \u2014 in classrooms, in ceremonies, and in the pages of this very newspaper.<\/p>\n

The first Native American Day celebration was held on October 12, 1990, at Crazy Horse Memorial, with Governor Mickelson and Tim Giago in attendance. The event featured Native artists, speakers, and cultural performances, and was broadcast by South Dakota Public Television. It marked the beginning of a new tradition \u2014 one rooted in truth, remembrance, and reconciliation.<\/p>\n

And yet, more than three decades after Tim Giago called for healing and truth, the wounds of Wounded Knee remain open. In September 2025, U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced that the twenty Medals of Honor awarded to soldiers involved in the 1890 massacre would not be rescinded. \u201cTheir place in history is settled,\u201d he declared. But for Native communities, the massacre of over 300 Hunkpapa and Mnicoujou Lakota men, women, and children is not a settled matter \u2014 it is a living scar. Giago believed that reconciliation required honesty and accountability. Hegseth\u2019s decision, by contrast, valorizes violence and dismisses the truth that Giago, Hart and so many others have fought to preserve. Native American Day was born from a desire to honor Indigenous lives and reckon with history. That reckoning must continue.<\/p>\n

(Contact Ernestine Anunkasan Hopa at editor@nativesunnews.today)<\/span><\/p>\n

The post Truth-tellers and trailblazers<\/a> first appeared on Native Sun News Today<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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SD Governor George S. Mickelson addressing the audience at the first Native Americans\u2019 Day celebration in October of 1990. Since, Crazy Horse Memorial\u00ae has hosted Native Americans\u2019 Day celebrations annually on the second Monday in October. (Photo courtesy Crazy Horse Memorial) In 1990, South Dakota made history by becoming the <\/p>\n

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