Most Americans remember the Lakota Sioux Indians as Native Americans who live in the state of South Dakota: In 1876 Crazy Horse and Sitting Bull defeated Custer at his Last Stand. In 1890 more than 300 men, women and children were gunned down by the American army at Wounded Knee.
But where are they now?
The Sioux are among the poorest people in America. Of the ten poorest counties in the country, six are in Sioux lands in North and South Dakota. I once drove through one of those counties, through the Rosebud reservation: it looked poorer than Mexico.
On the reservations most men have no work, many turn to drink or drugs. Most families live in poverty. They live in small houses with too many people, some without power or water. They do not eat well, so many become fat or diabetic. Many do not have safe water to drink. Cervical cancer is way too common. Half drop out of high school. They have a high suicide rate. Their men are at least twice as likely to wind up in prison as white men.
They live in a ghetto with a big sky.
There are about 150,000 Sioux. Some live in white towns and cities, some on the reservations, what is left of their country. Only 14% can speak their own language, which was not allowed to be taught at school till 1978.
The Lakota Sioux had owned western South Dakota and neighbouring lands. In the middle of their lands were the sacred mountains, the Black Hills, which had silver and gold. When the whites found out, they took the mountains, robbing the Sioux of billions of dollars. Later they cut the giant faces of four white men into the side of one of those mountains, Mount Rushmore.
The Sioux fought several wars against the American government in the 1800s. In the end they lost. They lost most of their land. They lost the bisons, their livelihood. The men had no way to support their families. They had to go hat in hand and take government hand-outs.
It got worse.
The government took their children from them too. They put them in boarding schools far away to learn to speak the white tongue, worship the white god and live the white way. And to feel shame about being Sioux.
But it did not work. The Sioux were never accepted as whites. The government still ran their affairs as if they were children, telling them how to use their land. To this day they remain extremely poor, as they have been for over a hundred years.
In the 1960s they started taking pride again in being Sioux. They started to learn their language and their ancient ways.
In 2007 they said that since the American government has not lived up to any of the deals they made with the Lakota Sioux down through the years, neither would they honour any of the agreements. They wanted their land and their nation back, the Republic of Lakotah.
Thanks to the Angry Indian for his help on this post.
See also:
- Republic of Lakotah
- Mount Rushmore
- Dances with Wolves
- A Hidden America: Children of the Plains
- The lies you were taught about Native Americans
- growing up Native American
- Maori – the native people of New Zealand
- Melbourne, Day 2 – tells about the native people of Australia
- white people
- race and crime and poverty and television
That is so sad…
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I agree. American Indians had it worse but their plight isn’t even on the radar of American consciousness.
Stephanie B.
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Yes!
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Will it be much of a problem to relocate all non-indians from the yellow republic of Lakotah to the white on the map ? In a few hundred years the Lakotah could be up in strength of numbers again, so I think it is unfair to give Lakotah a smaller part based on currently reduced numbers. I think it will be a bad idea to leave the “white/black” man to live with the Lakotah, because that is just not going to work, is it. Moneys from the white man should assist in the relocation, because the white man is guilty over this, also in Europe (colonizing forces). And it should all happen carefully under Lakotah council directions and spread out over a long time, maybe a century, in ways that promote the Lakotah self sufficiency. Not cut & run leaving a tremendous chaos “let the indians sort it out.” That is unfair. Free Lakotah, and other tribes as well. The guilt is on the white man (by the way, I`m also a white man, so don`t blame all white man, within the white man there is a struggle for justice as well, against other white man criminals; while the Lakotah where oppressed, in my area white man oppressed white man as well, we both have the same enemy, actually.)
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Not many people live out there in the yellow part of the map, but in the middle of it is Rapid City, South Dakota, a town of 60,000 that is only one-tenth Native American.
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hahahaahah! Now that is GOOD NEWS my friend, that is such good news. I laugh because it will be no problem at all to remove a few tens of thousands of people. HOW WONDERFUL !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I`m so happy. Shit, i`m getting tears in mine eyes.
I`ll fight for you, to have every single foot of that yellow there.
If there had been millions of whites/blacks, that would have been a real challange. I think there is real potential that all of the world will start doing my advice, if not for any other reason then that they don`t know anymore what to do, how to solve the problems. That represents some influence, which I intend to make Lakotah free. You might want to considder your sovereignty is going to land in your lap easily soon, at least it is possible.
I`m now uploading my comments on these things to my site, then nobody will deny I said it, which might make some impact. What is your relation with AIM ?
By the way, my system has a 239 law constitution (see my site ?), also a bottom-up government system: http://www.jhwh.be/~joshb/representative.html Maybe that will work well for you. In my Constitution are laws to set up new sovereign nations. You need 1 million votes to do so, it takes 2 decades from start to finnish (chapter 1, territory).
I am making a recommendation that native Americans 1 person = 1000 votes. If that ends up being honored, you get your land without any problem. That means true 100% sovereignty, just like you had before the white man came.
I hope the white man will do something right for you. If they don`t then that can not be allowed. I am recognizing Lakotah as a nation, I don`t recognize USA or the EU as nations. Thanks for talking to me, and allowing to propose my proposals.
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I am not a part of the independence movement. You might want to talk to the people at this website:
http://www.republicoflakotah.com/
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I already did. I think you might want to prepare for the economic collapse of the USA, possibly USA becoming a lot worse. This could mean you need complete self-reliance on the local land, because the USA becoming like a corrupt 3rd world country it not having money for anything except security forces and the oligarchs their luxury. Maybe start growing some nutricious crops could help save the day. Reliance on something gives that something power.
After USA has collapsed maybe people will be receptive to better answers, that is what usually happens. I`m pretty convinced my laws will get recognized as good laws, although that appears to be a long shot right now. Once that has happened Lakotah is free for sure. We could then attempt to bring the Bison back and restore nature if where it needs restoring.
If you think this is fantasy I don`t blame you, but I`m sure it will happen. I`m afraid the devestation first could be extreme, so maybe you should prepare for the worst, just in case.
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Sorry, I thought I was talking to a lakotah Sioux, but doesn`t matter. Lakotah free.
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jos boersema said:
If you think this is fantasy I don`t blame you, but I`m sure it will happen. I`m afraid the devestation first could be extreme, so maybe you should prepare for the worst, just in case.
What makes you so sure?
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The depth & breadth of western culture its mistakes. Western culture has two options: change, or self destruct. Nobody is proposing the essentially needed changes except me, that makes me sure you will do what I propose, because I hope you don`t want to die.
I can prove this quite easily: tell me how finance should work in an economy. No country understands how it must work. Even if some others understand small parts of the big picture, none get enough right. Example: the socialists understand what is wrong with finance, but their solution is possibly worse. Others may work for a better democratic protocol in their nation, but forget that am empire will not work one way or the other (referring to EU or USA or UN). The jewish religion got a lot right, but they messed it up and nobody can see through the clutter. No economist is doing its job, most all are shills for capitalist exploitation (not by accident I guess, it means good money).
That means I`m as sure as I could be, but not 100% sure of course. I`m still hoping humans want to live and be human, although I`m astonished at the ignorance and lack of will to understand how it all works and could work. The self-destruction of the western world is a catalyst that causes it to understand it wants change for the better. History has proven that, it makes sense.
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It’s quite unfortunate some of today’s Native Americans are continuing to suffer. What happened to them historically is tremendously tragic and what’s worse is they are reminded everyday that their land is occupied.
It really is mind-boggling that North America was won through ethnic cleansing of the Natives. Manifest Destiny was the calling of the White colonists to move Westward from sea to shining sea and the hell, with people who lived in the middle.
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It is mind-boggling.
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they should’ve kept their own traditions
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not my problem i just had to do a report
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I think that all Lakotah should come together and push the whites in one direction, leaving a majority of the reservation to themselves. There are many tribes that will not allow anyone in there reservation unless they have some heritage and I think that is what the sioux should do. I am sioux. I may not have a lot in my blood, but my great grandma was a full sioux woman, and I will someday claim my soux heritage and come to live on the sioux reservation with all my people.
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That’s so sad what we have done to them =(
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werter is a evil ******
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aaei, if your grandmother is the only Sioux in your family tree and you have not been raised on the rez, good luck getting “your people” to accept you. IIRC, tribal policy is that you need to be at least 25% Lakota in order to get recognized as a Native American by the tribe.
Try the Cherokees instead. They’re notoriously liberal when it comes to blood quantuum.
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I’m saddened by what happened with the TRAIL of TEARS, many families have been ripped apart, and people not knowing their own blood-line.I’m looking for my grand-father of the Cherokee (he has passed away a long time ago but..) I’m 70 years old now. He was about 7ft tall.(and i think was a chief.)He had a very fair light complexion, and very long hair down his back, He was also kicked by and a horse and had a problem were he couldn’t talk any more. His name was spelled like Louis or Lewis Bonaparte.(there were many ways to spell his name.) He was married to A fine woman that name was spelled like Angerine or Evelina Bonaparte Therefor, they lived in Charleston,South Carolina (by the highway.) I would try and find them it’s just i don’t know where to start, Please i need help trying to find my Roots!
Thank you
Love, Helen Bonaparte
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Seven feet tall and a chief, huh?
Vine Deloria Jr. would positively love this one.
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my response if for aaei first and foremost youn say someday you will claim your heritage an an sioux says alot you do have no beliefon your people and for you to announce thats what you are but dont claim it from the start it shows you are an puppet for the white man even though they are going though what they are going though the white man dont have their land, but however they are having a great depression thats never has got over with respond back if you will
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Helen Bonaparte,
Try Ancestry.com. I just did a free search on the site and found the names Louis and Evelina Bonaparte of Charleston, South Carolina on the 1930 US Census record.
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I REALLY DON’T GET THIS COUNTRY ANYMORE. THERE ARE NATIVE AMERICANS AND OTHER HOMELESS PEOPLE ALL OVER THE UNITED STATES BUT THE GOVERNMENT WOULD RATHER SPEND THEIR MONEY FIGHTING OTHER COUNTRIES WHEN THEY COULD BE USING THAT MONEY TO BUILD UP THEIR OWN COUNTRY.
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Cosign Heather. We always want to meddle in other people’s affairs rather than take care of home first.
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I am saddened at the ill treatment that Native Americans have received at the hands of the Europeans. It is not really my right to post on your forum because I am a European. I hope you won’t take offence. I am ashamed to be white when I think of all the horrible things that have happened in the past. I do recall reading a quote from an Indian chief once. Maybe it was Chief Joseph of the Nez Perc: “The white man never kept a single promise except one. He said that he would come and take our land, and he took it.” All that the white man did was take, lie and kill.
It is high time that some of the wrongs were righted. At the very least the US Government should put funding into rebuilding Soux society; to promote the teaching of your native tongue and customs to the young before they die out completely; to reinstall pride; to also make special efforts to find work for Native Americans.
I do hope that the future is brighter than the past.
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@ Jos boersema, u can move them anywhere u like but u cannot change the hopelessness of their situation. I live in a state where there are many native peoples and their situation is a very sad one. This was once their nation given to them by God and they have lost it..
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The map leaves out the Sisseton-Wahpeton reservation in NE S.D. and much of the Yankton Sioux Tribe’s reservation in the SW.
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Don’t see how any body can say they are proud to be an American after what our for fathers did to the Indians. Black people have nothing to complain about compared to what the native Americans went through. They don’t teach you in school about all the treaties that were signed with the Indians, and then the government going against them and steadily pushing the Indians farther and taking more,and more of their land. It is absolutely a horrible and disgraceful thing they did to these people and for that, I can say I am not proud to be an American. I know how much my land means to me that i farm and hunt on. I couldn’t imagine being pushed off of it. I also understand that this land I work probably wouldn’t have been available if the Indians hadn’t been pushed away, but I believe there could have been some way to have made a peaceful deal where a white man could work some of it and lived in peace with the native Americans.
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the native peoples were here first
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instead of going to fucking help hati and africa with their issues maybe we should help the people in our land, and tech. it was their land first so america needs to get its shit together . because this is their land to . it makes me even sick to say this is my land when it is no ones land . it is a resource to live on . they had the right set of mind and appreciated the little things in life as we dont give a shit about anything but ourselves. this is terrible and they deserve more because they treated this land great and we wouldnt have as many issues in the world today if everyone were like them
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I live in this reservation, I know the pain of my people everyday. My own family have a very hard time getting by with food and just with everything. i wish and pray everyday that everything for my people would get better for them and for me. Thank you for listening to this message. 🙂
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racist
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Last time I went on to a reservation was in High School. I was shocked, I mean I have seen low income housing in Chicago and the reservation made them look like luxury homes. Thing is lots of people thing they got casinos so everything is ok.
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I wonder if the “Race Realists” have ever turned to the Sioux to give genetic explanations as to why they have an “inherent propensity” do get drunk, become depressed, or have a poor level of education? It would be interesting to see them try to pin all of this on the Sioux in the same way that they have tried to do with Blacks and Latinos.
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@king:
Well, you know the old story: make the defeated enemy stronger and more honorable in your stories and your victory shall be thus?
By looking the natives upwards in a mainly positive and romantic light today, after the horrible war of conquest and genocides, makes the white americans feel better about the whole thing. It is as if the whole thing was a noble and honorable confrontation of equals, where the other side lost in a fair fight and therefore lost all their rights to their lands and country and lives. Yes, it is a bit sad, but hey, it was a fair fight and them injuns put up a good fight! And so we can forget them nicely…
While even the Australian government has aknowledged publicly and officially the atrocities of the whites against the natives over there, mass murders and stealing land, US government has not. It will not. Never. They will never say officially: we stole your lands, we have no justification to be here, and we tried to kill you all.
As for the blacks, well, they were bought, right? It is not like whites went for war or anything against them, right? So they were brought over as a merchandise and as you know, it is the free markets and free trade which are holy in USA, so that was not so bad either. After all, all those millions of black africans were brought to the Promised land by the Chosen ones and had better housing than in Africa, where they had to live in mud huts, right?
Besides arabs did it. It was the times! And other such reasons…
PS. For those who might get this wrong, yes, this is supposed to be black humour.
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Lol! Right you are Sam.
Of course I’m not exactly sure that being “romanticized” is worth the embarrassment.
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Hi, I am not living in the US nor I am American, but I feel the symathy with the Sioux. (As well as with other deprived folks or Nations) I wanter to say something about the Black people you’ve mentoined that they were livig in mud huts so they just got something good to have brought oversea. Well you are probably wrong. In my opinion they maybe lived in dirt but they were also free and probably happy too. But since this is more about the Indians I wanna also say something about them. They were FREE and HAPPY and PROUD nation. I think many of them still proud to be Sioux but as I’ve read this thread many of them drink, depressed and uses drugs. This is because their Nation is their essence is in great danger. They can disappear in history. As far as I know they lived in harmony with each other. Not as like we do. We are angry at each other, we dislike each other, we rob, and steal from each other. We could learn from the Sioux, that would be a shame if they’d disappear.
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@king:
:-DDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD!!!
Priceless!!
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They were here first.It’s wrong what the government have done.
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Why did they do it?
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So they are barely in America? How sad.
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I’m looking for information on Chief Running Bear.
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“Racism at Core of Native Teen Suicides in Pine Ridge”
http://colorlines.com/archives/2015/04/racism_at_core_of_native_teen_suicides_in_pine_ridge.html
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Isn’t it time the USA gave back the land that belonged to the Sioux or at least have more respect for them as it was there Country to begin with. As your President is Black you would have thought he would be more caring.
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@David
I feel the same. Wrongs need to be made right.
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In 1875the Sioux had many great leaders why didn’t they take their people back to check in at their reservations they knew the old ways were gone many had been back east an seen how strong an many white people their were.Yet they chose to be hostile an not go back.After the Custer battle look how much land it cost them the allotments wouldn’t have been cut off in 1932 hurting every Indian in the U.S.People back east were starting to back the Indian more an more that all went down the drain causing our people great suffering hardships our people today could never even imagine.Our old timers said lets not pass on any of the old ways we can’t beat the Whiteman with our old ways we have to become like him an beat him at his own game.But we didn’t listen to our ancestors the ones that went the Whiteman way only turned against our people fueled by greed an only concerned about their own bank accounts. Yet they keep stressing lets bring our old ways back so well know who we really are.Look at our celebrations if their is no prize money nobody attends.they wear bustles covered with eagle feathers our ancestors had to do something great to earn just one.We should have banded together all our tribes an maybe we would hae been one great Indian country today.It would seem if we did that today just maybe we could have the B.I.A. under our thumb AN not the other way aaaround. Just a thought of an old man with nothing better to do but sit an wonder what if.
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I just read that Bob Barker (Truth or Consequences, The Price is Right, Miss Universe emcee, etc.) is a registered member of the Sioux nation and spent his childhood on the Rosebud reservation in South Dakota.
He is an avid Animal Rights activist and contributes millions to many animal rights causes.
He even filed a suit against the Cherokee Nation for inhumane treatment of bears.
I wonder how he feels about his Sioux childhood and if he ever felt compelled to do anything for the Sioux.
Or once he left the reservation, he never looked back?
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@ Jefe
I think I actually knew he was from South Dakota, but never suspected he was Sioux.
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THAT IS SOOOOO FUNNY. I HATE NATIVE AMERICANS.
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The Sioux today.
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OTBd4tVkHaU)
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My grandfather was born on the Pine Ridge reservation. He gave me the name Lonely Wolf in a vision. I have been getting many visions lately. No, I’m not on drugs. My grandfather had died in 1964.I am proud of my heritage. I follow what I can find. My freedom is in the soul of my Lakota family.
He is right, I am Lonely wolf…
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I’m One of The old vikings in Norway and like to be One of Your Tribe. I support Your fight against The Black Snake
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why doesn’t anyone stand up organize the people (all the natives) and start a movement to reclaim some of your land? Obviously, no one should use violence and also these protests or demands should be made in a very public place where media will have to be involved. Also, remember to use other medias, such as worldstart, youtube, and reddit. where you can post your side of the story without running the risk of your information being corrupted by the big media providers.
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I am 25% Lakota. In a vision my grandfather gave me my native name ‘ Lonely Wolf ‘ I do not go by my skin color. I dream of my life of many years ago. Please help me join my people. My records were destroyed by fire back in the 50’s. I need my people.
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poorer than Mexico! That is a horrible and racist comparison. We need to stop segregation.
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Thanks for the poorer than Mexico
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My heart and prayers go out to your people. I’m happy to say none of my family has done this to you. I cherish the Native Americans which I feel calling u this is disrespectful. My eyes are not blinded toward what has passed in your lives. I wish I could have bore what you’ve endured. this is a bad government one that hates the old the poor etc. I’ve seen the lies of what they have done and are doing. I’m giving u my email I’d love to help I don’t have much but I’d help all the same. I know to well the harshness of this world. ziggyatemykid@gmail.com feel free to contact me I’d love to hear from you. My heart wants to fly to u today to carry ur burdens for a day if only. Sharon ODonnell
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If your a Sioux Indian, how long do you have to live on land to own it
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who knows
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I have to say that I as a American with native American in my family tree I feel so very sorry for the way the natives have been done the the years if there is anything I can do to help this cause you may email me thanks and that all
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My” heart bleeds for my people”
My Grandmother is full blooded TAKOTA SIOUX INDIAN. And still to day the government tell ‘s
Us what we can and can not do.and still have not amended are treaties, even when
Russell Means took up arm against the
government at wonder knee on there own
Land. Still more Li’s and false promises, again.
When will it stop?, when we are all dead
And gone.Or well we stand up for are right ‘s,
Like Russell Means.look to the strength of your people, for it has not ended yet!!!,
It has Just begin.
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The Sioux came from out East further. This is not their original land, they took it from other Native Americans in tribal wars. But regardless, the US government did not honour the treaty and the last to hold it… oh, hang on…
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What can be done to help them. Are there groups to help them. This makes me ashamed to be white.
Cate Gross
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So sad , they wouldn’t have these problems if they hadn’t had everything wrongly taken from them, so sad, terrible
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I recently started researching my maternal ancestors. My mother would take donations to the Rosebud Indian reservation to help her relatives. We were taught not to acknowledge our heritage. My maternal grandfather was from Valentine NE. When my mother started researching the family roots in 1975 she found the records in Valentine had been destroyed in a courthouse fire. I am looking for more information.
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The Sioux aren’t even from the Dakotas originally. They migrated from Minnesota in the late 1700s, displacing the tribes that already were there.
Live by the sword, die by the sword.
They were given ample opportunity to assimilate and become civilized. Most of them rejected it. No sympathy.
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