Santee Crisis

During the late 1800’s, the Santee Dakota (misnomer “Sioux”) Indigenous Red “Indian” Nation were guaranteed perpetual health and education services by the u.s. government – in trade for vast quantities of land, which contained enormous resource profits (valued over hundreds of trillions of dollars), including water, gold, oil, timber, farm and ranch land, and other business ventures.

Currently, the u.s. government (through their “Bureau of Indian Affairs” [formerly “department of war”] bureaucracy called “Indian Health Service, I.H.S.”) is denying the Santee their legitimate legal rights to total and perpetual health care by diminishing I.H.S. health care services to them – all in violation of Article VI of the U.S. Constitution which states, “Treaties made with Indian Nations shall be the supreme law of the land.”

In 1924, the u.s. government illegally tried to force “u.s. citizenship” onto Indigenous Red “Indian” Nations and Peoples (without their consent) by unilaterally passing the “Indian Citizenship Act” of congress. Both prior to and after this illegal act, the Santee were considered “Santee Dakota Sioux Tribe Citizens” - members of their own nation. Many moved to Sioux City, Iowa to work and establish homes among the non-Indian. Today, nearly 4,000 Santee Dakota make their homes in Sioux City - while only 400 have remained on the “reservation”, which is located 120 miles from Sioux City in northern Nebraska. The Santee will begin making great efforts to reform and reestablish their ancient and traditional Circle Meeting of the People (called “Oyate Omniciye” in their Dakota Language) form of governing within their Indigenous community of Sioux City, Iowa.

In Nebraska, as is, unfortunately, the case on most “Indian reservations”, a “tribal council” form of government exists – implemented again by an illegal act of congress in 1934 called “Indian Reorganization act (I.R.A)” – which denies women participation and which leaves Indigenous citizens voiceless to a controlling few. Oyate Omniciye governing includes women and is known as the last true democracy on Grand Mother Earth. Through Oyate Omniciye, all citizens of a community gather in a circle to each voice concerns for their community and to act upon those decisions. This is in contrast to a “1934 I.R.A. tribal council government” which was a handpicked, arbitrarily imbedded, male dominating, ‘board of directors-type’, puppet, controllable ‘dictatorship’.

The u.s. government honored their obligatory responsibilities both before and after the 1924 and 1934 “illegal acts” and provided health care to the Santee. The Santee Dakota Nation “Oyate Omniciye”, to be headquartered in Sioux City, Iowa, require that I.H.S. health care be immediately reinstated to the Santee Dakota who reside within Sioux City and anywhere else upon Grand Mother Earth.