PRESORTED Inside this Sota Sota Per Copy STANDARD U.S. POSTAGE Native American Day cultural events at Tribal admin building Monday, Oct. 14th PAID Next Sota printed, distributed on Tuesday due to Native American Day holiday ORTONVILLE, MN SWO hosts well-attended VAWA conference PERMIT NO. 3 SWO Veteran Delano Renville receives national recognition Change service requested Warning: Drug sold as herbal supplement may be addictive Sota Iya Ye Yapi, P.O. Box 5, Wilmot, SD 57279 ¢ Tribe receives HUD grant to make housing safer Contents – Time-Dated News/Do Not Delay Tribal Education Dept. announces Language Immersion grant award Sisseton IHS Mammography Clinic open house Tuesday Mailed at Ortonville, MN, Monday, Oct. 7, 2019 75 September 2019 Tribal Council proceedings Publication of the Sisseton-Wahpeton Oyate Tribe of the Lake Traverse Reservation since 1968 Vol. 50 October - Ape Cancun Wi - “Moon When Leaves Shake and Fall” - Anpetu Iyamni - Oct. 9, 2019 No. 41 Iyapaha Butch Felix prepares to offer prayer during the opening ceremony on day one. By Shannon White SWO executives) and Enemy Swim advantage of during their stay. There are several provisions Sota Assistant Editor Councilwoman Cheryl Owen made Organizer Crystal Owen for VAWA to be applicable, they The Sisseton-Wahpeton opening remarks. thanked everyone for coming and explained, and gaps remain in Center stay for up to two years right. Oyate hosted the Violence Against The Iyapaha, Butch Felix, expressed her gratitude to Tamara the law, but VAWA is definitely a and receive a variety of services, She said to report those Women Conference October 1-3, introduced each presenter and St. John and Stacey Azure for huge step for tribes in addressing including mental health and suspicions, every time. 2019 at the Dakota Sioux Casino provided comic relief between contributing their “womanpower” in violence. addiction treatment, educational Patricia Roth discussed dating Event Center. Day one kicked off presentations. making the conference happen. Labrado gave the NCAI assistance and job skills. violence. with the SWO Kit Fox Society Julie Knudsen from the She noted the good vibes in the website as a resource for tribes to They discussed how children She said that emotional abuse bringing in the colors. The SWO Watertown Convention & Visitors room, saying, “There’s good energy view reports on VAWA, in particular and women are drawn into human is still violence. Vice-Chairman Eddie Johnson, Bureau welcomed all of the here! Everyone has a passion to a report that named Sisseton- trafficking, including grooming by She gave several examples Secretary Myrna Thompson (see conference attendees to Watertown share.” Wahpeton Oyate as one of five older men, with gifts, and through of behaviors that were unhealthy, sidebar with remarks from the three and suggested some activities to take She then gave instructions for tribes included as the pilot project social media. asking, “Are you living in the the first activity of the conference. for VAWA. Big Eagle told attendees to extreme?” Eighty-seven conference VAWA reports can be viewed at invade their children’s privacy by Patricia suggested that if attendees engaged in “get-to- www.ncai.org/tribal-vawa. checking their messages and social you see someone in a destructive know-you” exercises before the Judge Gaines discussed media accounts frequently, to take relationship, try getting them to see presentations began, which gave protection orders and elements that note if they were receiving gifts or their self-worth and raise their self- everyone an opportunity to do need to be included in a protection money, or even if they had new esteem. some networking and learn more order for it to be enforceable and phones or even two phones, because Grace Horne, a mother and about each other. They wrote their effective. all of those things were indicative of artist, gave a presentation she names, where they were from, if they She and the audience discussed a trafficker grooming them. originally developed for non-Indian were a talker or a listener, and what how states do not always want to Traffickers can be anyone – students at a Minnesota college. challenges they felt our youth faced. recognize tribal court orders as valid, men, women, other kids or family She said that Wisconsin is the They then found someone they but that it is important for Tribes to members. worst state for racism, followed by didn’t know to converse with. assert their sovereignty and for state Heth said, “If you see Minnesota and South Dakota. First presentation was by Esther agencies to realize that to ignore something, say something.” Her presentation centered on A. Labrado, Project Attorney from tribal court orders is a violation of Sometimes, you can see VAWA conference the National Congress of American federal law. something that is a little off, Continued on Page 2 Indians (NCAI) and the Honorable She spoke about violence something that you sense is not Kelly Gaines Stoner from the Tribal against women as a civil rights issue. Law & Policy Institute. “This is a gender-based crime, They spoke on the history of the it is a crime against women, and Violence Against Women Act, from against Native American women.” the challenges that tribes faced in Lisa Heth and Kendall Cadwell not being able to hold non-Indians Big Eagle from the Pathfinder accountable for their actions on Center presented on human Indian lands against Indian people, trafficking and internet safety. Dakota Kit Fox Society bringing in the eagle staff and flags on to the creation of VAWA. The Pathfinder Project is a day one. 14-bed facility for survivors of human trafficking. Each of the rooms is sponsored by a group or organization and is uniquely decorated. Clients at the Pathfinder Iyapaha Butch Felix. Crystal Owen. *DELANO RENVILLE NATIONALLY MOU between the VA & I.H.S. During Council this RECOGNIZED & HONORED: On Wednesday, week, Justin Chanku read the citation and Tribal Vice- October 2, 2019 United States Secretary of Veteran Chairman Eddie Johnson along with Tribal Secretary Affairs Wilke made history by nationally recognizing Myrna Thompson (see photo) presented Delano with Delano Renville for all the work he has done advocating a beautiful star quilt on behalf of a grateful Tribe for on behalf of Native American Veterans over the years. all the work he does behind the scenes. Thank you Needless to say Delano was very surprised as he Delano we are so proud of you and happy your work thought he was there fighting for more rights on our is recognized. (Read the recitation read by Secretary Wilkie and photos here.) *FIRST VETRANS COFFEE /BREAKFAST Panel: SD Attorney General Jason Ravnsborg, SD Senator Lyndi DiSanto, SD Rep. Tamara St. John, GATHERING: Wednesday, October 16, 2019 @ 9:00 and ND Rep. Ruth Buffalo. AM - 10:30 AM at Dakota Crossing Restaurant. Gabe had this great idea for all veterans to come together once a month to have coffee and just share the comradery of other Veterans. if you would like to come but need a Report to Akicita Continued on Page 2 Hau Mitakuyapi. The Tribal Education Department would like to announce that we have been awarded for the first time a grant from First Nations Development Institute for Native Language Immersion. The Native Language Immersion Initiative will award $90,000 to the Dakota Iapi Yukini Project, which will allow for the creation of immersion curriculum for kindergarten through 2nd grade. The curriculum developed will be used at the Enemy Swim Day School and Tiospa Zina Tribal School. This is a giant step in the direction that is outlined within the overall long-term strategic plan of this project to create new Dakotah speakers and in turn save the Dakotah Language. Immersion curriculum submerges students into the language which is different from having one class on the language a day. The immersion curriculum created will immerse students in all subjects at school using the Dakotah Iapi. This is of course on a volunteer basis but studies show that students who are learning a second language do better in school as a whole. Teaching a new language at a young age is also easier to become fluent and to learn versus learning as an In Council chambers last Thursday adult. Executives Tribal Secretary Myrna Thompson We are very thankful to the First Nations Development Institute for selecting our Tribe for this grant as it and Vide-Chairman Eddie Johnson honor is very competitive and we would like to encourage everyone to take advantage of this excellent opportunity for US Secretary of Veterans Affairs Dean Wilkie Delano Renville with this star quilt on behalf your children and to use the language at home as much as possible. recognizes SWO veteran Delano Renville. of the SWO Tribe. There were fifty people who came out last week for the Chairman’s tribe-wide unity gathering. More than fifty people turned out for the Tribe-Wide and Open- me in protecting our Tribal constitutional rights.” Dialogue Gathering last Wednesday, October 2nd, at There was a lot of lively discussion and sharing of the city hall in Sisseton, SD. information but many said they wanted more people to SWO Tribal Chairman Donovan White had come – there were scheduling conflicts. The Chairman said called for the event, “… appealing to you my Oyate another public forum will be announced; please read the brothers and sisters to join me in unity to fight corruption and stand with Chairman’s op-ed article on page three. Chairman Donovan White Michael Roberts explaining speaking at last Wednesday’s the numbers and how they were community gathering. arrived at. Live performance of “Sliver of a Full Moon” was one of the highlights.