After one month, there are STILL people on Pine Ridge & Rosebud Indian Reservations that are without any power! They are being told it could be several weeks before it is completely restored.

by: Tamra Brennan
http://www.ndnnews.com/
November 15th, 2008
The power was restored today, in the community of Wanblee on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation. As of this afternoon the communities of Potato Creek and N. Allen were still without power, however it is expected to be restored by no later than Sunday. Once all power is restored to the Reservation, the Incident Command Center located at the Crazy Horse School in Wanblee, will close down. The closure is expected by the end of this weekend. The crew is in the process of cleaning up, in order for the students to return to school on Monday morning.
Monica Terkildsen, the co-Incident Commander of the location, stated today that many lessons were learned during this crisis. There were errors along the way; however their successes were tremendous, everyone pulled together in this crisis to help the people in need. Their first goal from the beginning was "life safety for the people." There has been rumors this past week, that fatalities occurred, due to the storm, but Monica stated this was inaccurate information and their was no loss of life. This was a relief to hear.
The President-elect Theresa Two Bulls, has also visited the command center and brought supplies. She will be inaugurated into office in two weeks.
Monica stated they will use this incident to help educate the new Tribal President and Vice President, with an orientation on how to respond in a crisis situation and what they learned during this process the past ten days.
Francis Big Crow, the Incident Commander stated the result of 60+ mph winds that slammed Western South Dakota with the blizzard on November 5th, 2008, in addition to 2.5 inches of ice on the cable lines, caused approximately 2,500 power poles to snap. This left hundreds of people without power clear across the Eastern side of Pine Ridge to the boarder of the Rosebud Reservation. Many areas of Rosebud are still without power.
Due to the remoteness of some areas, several people that were stranded without power and heating, were forced to walk many miles to arrive at the shelter.
Law Enforcement Ranger and Operations Manager of the Wanblee Command Center, Troy Billing stated, that he along with seven other vehicles were stranded along the highway during the blizzard. He and other crew members were on the road, rescuing people that were stuck. Once the blizzard finally hit, seven vehicles ended up stranded for 36 hours on the roadside. Snow drifts were past the side of the cab of their pickups. They had radios to communicate, however travel was impossible in an attempt to rescue them. They were also in communication with KILI Rez Radio during their ordeal, updating them on road and weather conditions. This enabled KILI Radio to share first hand info with the general public.
During the eleven day crisis the BIA Police and Tribal Police assisted the Command Center in delivering needed supplies and water to the stranded people in homes across these communities.
Supplies will continue to be delivered until power is fully restored to each community.
Everyone at the Command Center is extremely grateful for the support and assistance that the public has shown to their communities. They each gave a big "woplia tanka" to everyone throughout Indian Country that has assisted them, in this crisis.
It will take some time for residents to fully recover from this crisis. There are many people still in need. The Center is requesting that any future donations be brought or sent to the following address:
Evergreen Ministries
Attn: Gus Craven
210 Wasaba Ave
Wanblee, SD 57577
605-462-6002
All donations made will continue to be distributed to the members of the communities affected by this disaster.
There are many areas on the Rosebud Reservation that are still without power and heat. They also have centers set up to assist people with supplies, food and shelter.
We will be continuing to work with these centers and send out updates and info as it arrives.
Thank you everyone for all of your assistance, throughout Indian Country. We all need to stand together during this time of crisis, on the reservations.
For future updates, information and past articles, about the blizzard crisis please visit our website at http://www.ndnnews.com/ and our blog at http://news.ndnnews.com/ 

 

Unofficial tribal election results reported

By Heidi Bell Gease, Journal staff | Friday, November 14, 2008 http://www.rapidcityjournal.com/articles/2008/11/14/news/local/doc491cc81923d8e045992847.txt

It’s a pretty sure bet that Theresa Two Bulls is the new president of the Oglala Sioux Tribe, but results of the vice-presidential race won’t be certain until official election results are released this week.

For the Oglala Sioux Tribe Election Commission, last week’s snowstorm threw a wrench into determining results of the Nov. 4 tribal election. Votes are counted by hand, which generally takes a few days. In addition, tribal enrollment officials must verify challenge votes to make sure the person voting is a registered tribal member. There were 491 challenge votes cast in the election, officials said.According to unofficial results  released by the Oglala Sioux Tribe Election Commission, Two Bulls received 2,277 votes to Russell Means’ 1,918. The vice-presidential race was closer: Incumbent William “Shorty” Brewer received 2,139 votes and challenger Alice Perkins had 2,021.

The current tribal president, John Yellow Bird-Steele, finished third in the primary election.

Other unofficial election results follow. All districts elect two council members except for Pine Ridge District, which elects three.

Porcupine District – Anthony Wounded Head Sr. (310) and incumbent Phillip Good Crow (223) finished ahead of Beverly A. Tuttle (206) and David Pourier (157) but there were 41 challenge votes in the district.

Medicine Root District – Joseph Rosales (306) was the top vote-getter. Preliminary results showed Emma Featherman-Sam with 273 and Stanley Little Whiteman Jr. with 272 votes. Incumbent Austin Watkins had 219. There were 82 challenge votes.

Pine Ridge District – Robin Tapio and incumbent Ella “John” Carlow each received 358 votes and John Mousseau was close behind with 356. Gary Janis received 307 votes, Bette Goings 280 votes, and Lawrence “Larry” Eagle Bull 243 votes according to unofficial results.

Oglala District – Ivan Starr (305) and Barbara Dull Knife (271) were elected. Valerie Janis-Kills Small had 182 votes and incumbent Floyd Brings Plenty had 160. There were 40 challenge votes.

Wakpamni District – Incumbent Sonia Little Hawk-Weston was elected with 380 votes. Ricky Gray Grass was second with 283 votes. Maxine Lakota had 257 votes and Dan Rodriguez Sr. had 238 votes according to unofficial results.

Eagle Nest District – Incumbent Jim Meeks (219) and Billy Amiotte (191) were elected over James Red Willow (127) and Wayne Randall (102). There were 42 challenge votes.

Wounded Knee District – Phillip Jumping Eagle was elected with 284 votes. Incumbent Garfield Steel-Little Dog was second with 218 votes. Eugenio White Hawk Sr. had 199 votes and Garfield Apple had 178. There were 54 challenge votes.

Pass Creek District – James Cross defeated Anna Salomon, 165-107. Lydia Bear Killer was elected by majority vote in the primary.

Lakota Warrior Traditions” opening at Studio San Giuseppe
Contributed By Shauna Steigerwald | The Enquirer

“Lakota Warrior Traditions,” an exhibition of contemporary Lakota artworks illustrating traditional methods the Lakota used to transform themselves into fearsome warriors, opens at The Studio San Giuseppe Art Gallery at the College of Mount St. Joseph Nov. 2 and runs through Dec. 7.

The artworks and artifacts included in the exhibit encompass a variety of media: painting, sculpture, quilt making, quillwork, beadwork and leatherwork. A selection of artworks and artifacts are on loan from The Heritage Center, Pine Ridge (SD) Indian Reservation.

This exhibit parallels an ongoing relationship with the Mount’s Departments of Religious Studies and Behavioral Sciences, the Holy Rosary Mission (Pine Ridge) and the Lakota people. Students and faculty members have traveled during the past 12 summers to the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation for a Religious Studies/Anthropology class where they have immersed themselves in the cultural and spiritual atmosphere of the Lakota people. Professor John Trokan, D. Min., chair of the Department of Religious Studies and Susan Labry Meyn, Ph. D., consulting ethnologist to different museums in Cincinnati and adjunct professor at the Mount, lead the class and field experience for both undergraduate and graduate-level students.

This current exhibit follows the exhibits “Lakota Star Quilts” (1998), “Contemporary Native American Art: Mitakuye Oyasin” (2000), “Wounded Knee” (2003) and “Tiyospaye: An Extended Family” (2004).

The Lakota people come from a different social, economic, and political background with different languages, views and beliefs – tribal identities with deep roots. This is an opportunity to walk in their footsteps, to see what they see and feel what they feel.

A reception honoring Lakota guests – Linn Cross Dog, Lakota educator and director of transportation for the Red Cloud Mission at Pine Ridge, and Ivan Long, Lakota educator, artist and horse trainer (originally from Pine Ridge, now living in Montana) – will be held from 1:30 to 4:30 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 2. The reception is open to the public.

In conjunction with this exhibit, the College of Mount St. Joseph will also host a viewing of the movie “Skins” (released in 2002) at 7 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 30 in the Corona Room (Seton Center). The film is about the relationship between two Sioux Indian brothers living on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation. The movie will be followed by a discussion question/answer session with Linn Cross Dog and Ivan Long.

Studio San Giuseppe is a nonprofit art gallery located in the Dorothy Meyer Ziv Art Building on the campus of the College of Mount St. Joseph, Delhi and Neeb roads in Delhi Township. Gallery hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday and 1 to 5 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays. The Gallery is closed on major holidays and will be closed Wednesday thru Friday, Nov. 26-28, for Thanksgiving recess. Admission is free.

For more information, call Studio San Giuseppe at 513-244-4314.