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Buffalo’s Fire Staff

Buffalo’s Fire readers will notice a few changes to our website as we roll out a redesigned version aimed at improving user experience and responsiveness. We expect this transition to be smooth, but we apologize in advance for any temporary glitches or adjustments you may encounter as we continue to fine-tune the site in the days ahead.
One notable change involves our weekly newsletter. Starting next week, it will be delivered via <a href="https://imfa.substack.com/">Substack</a>, an updated service provider that will allow us to present the news in a more engaging and user-friendly format. This also means the newsletter will arrive from a new email address, and we want to warn users of the change.
With the website redesign, you&#8217;ll find news stories are better organized by topic, with a greater emphasis on content relevant to our community’s interests and a renewed commitment to transparency. We&#8217;ll be introducing additional features throughout the next week, including a new topic-based chat that will provide subscribers with a new opportunity to connect directly with the Buffalo&#8217;s Fire newsroom and participate in the discussion.
As always, we encourage readers to reach out and give us feedback and suggestions.

Buffalo’s Fire website and newsletter updated

Indigenous Democracy Reporter

Adrianna Adame

In North Dakota, some schools are seeing notable success in improving graduation rates for American Indian students, including St. John High School, which boasts near-perfect rates. Meanwhile, other schools are working to address dropout rates by offering flexible schedules and personalized support for students at risk of falling behind.
As the country focused on Native American Heritage Month in November, North Dakota educators continued their year-round efforts to improve graduation rates for American Indian students. The Department of Public Instruction unveiled its latest annual report in September, revealing the dropout and graduation rates for the 2023-2024 academic year. Buffalo’s Fire reviewed the North Dakota DPI dataset and conducted an analysis, finding that Native students experience greater disparities in graduation rates compared to white students, with considerable variation among schools.
The state&#8217;s K-12 system has a total enrollment of 118,878 students. American Indians constitute 10% of this population, making them the largest minority group, as reported by <a href="https://insights.nd.gov/Education/State/Summary">Insights North Dakota</a>, the state&#8217;s official source for information about public education. Approximately 82% of students graduated within four years.
<h3>High Performing Schools Success Factors</h3>
St. John High School in St. John has the highest American Indian graduation rate for the 2023-2024 academic year, approaching 100%. The next highest rates are Legacy High School in Bismarck, with 95%, and Eight Mile High School in Trenton, at 91%.
St. John High School, with a dropout rate of just 2%, is also among the top three schools in North Dakota with the lowest dropout rates for the 2023-2024 academic year. The other schools sharing this rate are New Town Middle School, Turtle Mountain Community Middle School in Belcourt and Wachter Middle School in Bismarck.
Charles Anderson, principal of St. John High School, has been an educator for 18 years, including 12 years in his current role. Along with alternative education instructor Dawn Mohberg, they have prioritized a credit recovery program that allows students to make up credits for classes they didn’t pass.
“For example, let&#8217;s say they didn&#8217;t pass the fourth quarter, and that caused them to have an F,” Anderson said. “We&#8217;re going to have them redo the fourth quarter, if that&#8217;s what is the reason. We&#8217;re not going to have them do the whole semester.”
Anderson said educators at St. John High School focus on fostering relationships with students and meeting students halfway. “It&#8217;s really important to us to get to know our students, to try to understand our students, and to be there for our students,” he said. “That&#8217;s kind of the culture we&#8217;ve built in our building.”
With a 95-100% graduation rate over the past 10 years, <a href="https://www.buffalosfire.com/native-high-school-near-turtle-mountain-reservation-sustains-near-perfect-graduation-rate/">St. John High School</a> was recognized with the Distinguished School Award for the 2022-2023 academic year. This last spring, 24 students graduated; 23 were American Indian. Educators acknowledge that each school has unique needs.
“We&#8217;re constantly pushing, and thinking about how can we improve,” Anderson said. “What are some outside-the-box things that we could do? And opportunities for our students?”
<h3>American Indian Graduation Rates and Disparities</h3>
In North Dakota, Indigenous students are less likely to graduate high school than other students.  The traditional American Indian <a href="https://insights.nd.gov/Education/State/GraduationRate#">graduation rate</a> for the 2022-2023 academic year sat at 77% compared to 93% for white students, according to DPI.
For the 2023-2024 academic year, the <a href="https://insights.nd.gov/Education/State/GraduationRate#">graduation rates</a> for American Indian students are 78% for “completer” students, 77% for the traditional graduation rate and 82% for the overall state graduation rate. DPI defines completer rates as all who graduate in a given year, whether with a traditional high school diploma or a General Educational Development certificate. The traditional graduation rate is based on seniors who graduate with a traditional diploma during that year.
<h3>The Complex Picture of Graduation and Dropout Rates</h3>
Understanding the state&#8217;s American Indian graduation and dropout rates requires considering multiple factors.
According to Ross Roemmich, the management information systems director at DPI, the data includes both low and high ranges due to many variables and to protect student identities.
In the 2023-2024 dataset, the state average dropout rate for American Indian students was 15%. The dropout rate remained the same compared to the 2022-2023 dataset.
According to the latest dataset, the two schools with the highest American Indian dropout rates are Souris River Campus Community High School in Minot and South Central Alternative High School in Bismarck, both at 59%.
Despite the data, several factors are not included in the numbers. Souris River Campus Alternative High School has 55 enrolled students, with approximately 13 of them identifying as American Indian, according to Principal Brian Aufforth. Because of the school&#8217;s small population, a single dropout can significantly impact the data more than larger institutions.
“Classrooms here are smaller, so they should have more one-on-one with teachers,” Aufforth said. “Max classroom size is 10 per class. And with that one-on-one, they should be able to get more support, more direct instruction for each individual student.”
Other schools are similar. South Central High School, for example, is not a typical high school; it serves a concentrated population of students at high risk of dropping out. According to Joe Kalvoda, the principal of SCHS, many of their students have already dropped out of the traditional high schools in the area.
“If not physically, at least mentally, they&#8217;ve dropped out,” he said. “That being said, we do a lot to try and engage the student to get them back into coming to school and being successful to give them the opportunity.”
Students face various challenges that make it difficult to stay in school, such as poverty, family obligations, special circumstances or stress from their home life. Additionally, Kalvoda noted that for some students, the current education system simply does not meet their needs.
“Traditional schools function in a controlled manner,” he said. “They&#8217;re going to tell you, sit here, do this. Then the bell rings, you get up, and you go across the hall. It&#8217;s very much about structure and order. While that works for a large portion of the population, there are students who don’t do well with that environment.”
South Central High School serves 118 students, with 35% to 40% identifying as Native, according to Kalvoda, who has been principal for the past 12 years. He explained that the school aims to give students a second chance to complete their education. South Central uses an individualized instruction model, offering flexible schedules that cater to students&#8217; unique needs and circumstances.
“I always tell students who come here, this is a second chance for you to be successful, but it&#8217;s also a second chance for us as Bismarck Public Schools to serve you better and to try another model to see if we can help you,” Kalvoda said.
<h3>Ongoing Solutions to Increase Graduation Rates</h3>
Lucy Fredericks, director of Indian and Multicultural Education at DPI, said the department continuously seeks solutions to improve the graduation rate and decrease the dropout rate. The department sponsored a North Dakota Dropout Prevention &amp; Reengagement Summit for three years from 2017-2019. The summit has not been held since 2019.
The department has initiated programs like <a href="https://www.nd.gov/dpi/districtsschools/essa/accountability-support-improvement/choice-ready">Choice Ready</a> to prepare students for higher education and the workforce.
St. John High School has been implementing the Choice Ready program. Anderson said the school tries to provide students with career opportunities by offering programs such as Occupational Safety and Health Administration certification, CPR certification and welding classes.
“I think Choice Ready is beneficial because our students aren’t pigeonholed to just what they&#8217;re doing academically,” Anderson said. “It&#8217;s how do we get kids ready for when they graduate high school for the path that they want and the choices that they have?”
DPI also began the <a href="https://www.nd.gov/dpi/education-programs/indian-education/native-american-needs-assessment-survey-and-action-plan">Native American Needs Assessment Survey</a> six years ago. Each need is linked to a variety of evidence-based strategies and resources. The Action Plan is a living document, updated annually with additional needs, strategies and resources.
“One of the questions on the survey was, ‘How can we assist you with attendance, graduation rates and dropout prevention?’’ Fredericks said. “That was one of the areas that came back as the schools and the educators wanted more information and strategies for them to support their students.”
<h3>Endgoal: Supporting Students</h3>
Fredericks said that despite ongoing challenges, the dropout rate has decreased since she joined DPI. “We still have work to do,” she said. “But just seeing that increase from the last 10 to 12 years is really something that we are happy about and are glad to see that it&#8217;s going in the right direction.”
Aufforth and Kalvoda also agree that numbers don’t tell the whole story. Kalvoda emphasized that success is measured by perspective and the impact of changing young people&#8217;s lives.
“People think if the student doesn&#8217;t graduate, they’re a failure,” he said. “That&#8217;s not true. We have a lot of students who come here whose life path is a negative trajectory. They&#8217;ve lost hope for a positive future. We help students find hope for a positive future and find a new path. If that includes graduating, great. But if it doesn&#8217;t –– that&#8217;s still okay.”
Ultimately, educators are working to improve the graduation rate by creating a safe and healthy learning environment.
“We know that if students come here to a place where they are comfortable and successful, they stay in school and we get them across the stage [at graduation],” Anderson said. “We&#8217;re extremely proud of the school that we have.”

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Data-driven insights: understanding disparities in dropout, graduation rates across North Dakota

Jodi Rave Spotted Bear, founder and publisher of Buffalo’s Fire and the Indigenous Media Freedom Alliance, moderated a panel on Wednesday during the <a href="https://www.unesco.org/en/articles/expert-meeting-and-media-partnership-forum-indigenous-peoples-and-media">UNESCO Media Partnership Forum on Indigenous Peoples and the Media</a>.
The panel, &#8220;Amplifying Indigenous Voices through Free, Independent and Viable Media,&#8221; brought together media leaders to explore strategies for empowering Indigenous communities in media. Spotted Bear led the discussion with panelists from the U.S., Norway, Ecuador, Bangladesh, and Colombia, focusing on themes such as free press, representation, and sustainability in Indigenous-led media.
“Indigenous peoples have long been underrepresented in mainstream media, and this session was an important step toward addressing that imbalance,” Spotted Bear said. “By sharing knowledge and strategies, we amplified the stories and voices of Indigenous communities worldwide.”
The Paris forum aimed to enhance Indigenous participation in media industries and addressed challenges of fair representation. Discussions over the two-day event included topics such as improving Indigenous representation, promoting collaboration between Indigenous and non-Indigenous media organizations, and advancing press freedom for Indigenous communities.
Panelists included:
<ul>
<li>Bryan Pollard (Cherokee Nation), Grant Operations and News Partnerships Manager, Associated Press (USA)</li>
<li>Johan Ailo Kalstad, Director of NRK Sámi, Sámi Division, Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation (Norway)</li>
<li>Jorge Guachamín, Executive Secretary, Coordinator of Popular and Educational Community Media (Ecuador)</li>
<li>Satej Chakma, Executive Editor, Indigenous Peoples’ News (Bangladesh)</li>
<li>Gustavo Ulcué Campo, Communications and Advocacy Coordinator, National Commission of Indigenous Territories (Colombia)</li>
</ul>
Spotted Bear’s participation underscored IMFA’s ongoing commitment to global Indigenous media initiatives and advancing press freedom.

Spotted Bear Moderates UNESCO Panel on Amplifying Indigenous Voices in Media

J.T. Shining Oneside stood before an audience of 100 at the North Dakota State Capitol, a pile of stuffed animals on the podium in front of her. She displayed a picture of one of her ancestors before embarking on a series of stories from a life imbued in Ojibwe and Anishinaabe traditions.
The visual aids were part of her unique approach to presenting as one of the storytellers at the Native American Heritage Month Celebration Nov. 15-16  in Bismarck. She learned about the event after seeing an advertisement back home on the Turtle Mountain reservation. Its call for dancers piqued her interest. Shining Oneside, a lifelong jingle dress dancer, said she enjoys reconnecting through dance.
The sponsoring North Dakota Native Tourism Alliance invited her to join as a storyteller. “Once I saw the flier and my name was on it for storytelling, I thought, great, I love to tell stories,” Shining Oneside said in an interview with Buffalo’s Fire.
The 62-year-old is an enrolled member of the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewas and belongs to the Moose Clan. Shining Oneside’s family raised her with cultural teachings she has clung to throughout her life, she said.
“The only reason why I come to know different stories about our people is because I sat with the elders growing up,” she said.“I dedicate what I know to my mom, dad and grandfather. Without our Turtle Mountain Chippewa and Ojibwe Anishinaabe roots, we wouldn&#8217;t be here.”
She talked about coming-of-age ceremonies, such as a young woman’s first moon time, and the sacred rites of birth.
“I started thinking about the child-rearing that our people did,” the elder recalled. “And I thought, I want to share that with our people because I don&#8217;t think that&#8217;s heard enough.”
During the event at the North Dakota Heritage Center, Shining Oneside acknowledged the hardships her ancestors endured. She explained that, like many other tribes, her people experienced forced assimilation and conversion to Christianity. This led to cultural erasure, and the resulting trauma has affected generations.
Turtle Mountain citizens “didn&#8217;t understand themselves because the missionaries did a really big number on our people,” Shining Oneside said. Outsiders “hurt our people by making fun of them and making them look like they were not important.”
Her love and appreciation for her culture inspired her to become an educator. She offered history and context to students eager to reconnect with their heritage, seeking to be a supportive guide throughout their journeys.
<blockquote>&#8220;[Turtle Mountain citizens] didn&#8217;t understand themselves because the missionaries did a really big number on our people.”
JT Shining Oneside, Turtle Mountain educator and storyteller</blockquote>
Shining Oneside has now been working as an educator at Dunseith Public Schools for 36 years. She previously developed a curriculum on Ojibwe and Anishinaabe culture. Currently, she serves as the Title VI project director and teaches cultural courses to students in grades 7 through 12. Title VI of the 1964 Civil Rights Act provides eligibility for federal funds where non-discrimination policies are in effect.
Throughout her career as an educator, she has taught her students many cultural lessons, including how to respectfully approach an elder and build trust.
“You don&#8217;t go up to them and say, ‘Hey, I got this gift, and I want to give it to you’,” she said. “You have to sit with that elder for a while. They&#8217;re not going to tell you all this stuff because you want to know it.”
While the elder holds a lot of traditional knowledge, Shining Oneside said, reconnecting is a lifelong process for her and others.
“There&#8217;s just so much to our way of life that&#8217;s beyond our scope,” Shining Oneside said. “The older I get, I always think, well, I really don&#8217;t know that much because there&#8217;s just so much out there to learn.”
Her advice to students who are willing to learn from elders is to keep an open heart and mind.
“You sit with them, you learn from them,” she said. “There are things that I didn&#8217;t know how to do, but I just got busy learning myself how to do it. There&#8217;s going to be trial and error, but don&#8217;t give up.”

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JT Shining Oneside shares generational wisdom at Native American Heritage Month Celebration

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Listeners tuning into the first episode of “Your Two-Spirit Aunties” are greeted by a joyfully goofy ditty.
“You have reached Your Two-Spirit Aunties Podcast. Please leave us a message after the tone. Da-da-da-da,” Shilo George says in a sing-song voice.
And so begins a singular podcast journey with George and co-host Brianna Bragg, who guide the way with “laughs, truth, heart, and all things Two-Spirit.”
Airing since 2022, the <a href="https://yourtwospiritauntiespodcast.buzzsprout.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">podcast</a> explores themes such as Indigequeer identity, Two-Spiritness, disability, boundaries, survivance and much more. The podcast hosts do so with a balance of humor, joy and intentionality — listeners are transported so it feels as if they are sitting in a room listening to a conversation between two friends: Shilo George and Brianna Bragg.
George (she/they), Southern Cheyenne and Arapaho descendent, is an artist and owner of a consulting business called <a href="https://www.shilogeorge.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Łush Kumtux Tumtum Consulting</a>, which translates to “a great awakening of the heart and spirit” in English. Their work focuses on organizational liberation and trauma-informed practices, often involving government agencies.
Bragg (they/them), Ihanktowan, co-runs the <a href="http://www.theuprisecollective.org/our-team.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Uprise Collective</a>, teaches at Portland State University and works in public health outside of podcasting.
In community together for years, the two worked together at the Native American Youth and Family Center (NAYA) in 2016 when George was working as a parent advocate and Bragg as an early childhood policy advocate intern. They were just across the hall from each other and remember getting in trouble for talking too much.
Those conversations evolved, laying the foundation for a conversation between friends in a podcast format.
“I don’t think I could have done it with anyone else,” Bragg said.
“Your Two-Spirit Aunties” started during the COVID-19 pandemic as the friends began to record their phone conversations, talking for hours about culture, activism and their feelings.
“We want to model how we talk to each other,” George said. “We want to model how we have built trust over many years and have conversations and ask each other and set boundaries or ask consent.”
<h3 id="it-s-a-magic">‘It’s a magic’</h3>
Along Killingsworth/Lombard in North Portland resides a billboard with an image of George standing with her cane, head thrown back in laughter.
The billboard is part of a campaign by the Future Generations Collaborative in collaboration with Multnomah County, TriMet and the local Two-Spirit community following the death of <a href="https://ictnews.org/news/my-child-is-not-filth">Nex Benedict</a>. The organization invited Two-Spirit community members to be part of a “<a href="https://fgcpdx.org/2s/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">2-Spirit Survivance Campaign</a>,” creating visibility and celebrating Indigequeer joy.
“Across Indigenous Nations, Two-Spirit people were historically held in high regard and considered sacred or divine. Holding important positions like: Matchmakers, Medicine People, Warriors on the front lines of battle,” reads a description on the campaign <a href="https://fgcpdx.org/2s/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">website</a>.
The term Two-Spirit serves as an umbrella term connecting Indigenous and Western ideas of gender and sexuality. Native nations each have their own understanding and terms for Two-Spirit people.
Along with centering Two-Spirit and Indigequeer joy, the campaign highlights the idea of survivance, which means “the conjugation between resistance and survival,” according to the campaign website.
“Visibilty is validation, right? Visibility means that when you are driving down the road feeling terrible, seeing Shilo can change your perspective in the moment,” said Bragg, who worked on the campaign. “[It’s a reminder] that I can do that. I can survive. I can be something that I want to be in the world and contribute meaningfully to my community’s health.”
Visibility carries through in the podcast as well, where Bragg and George provide examples through their conversations of joy and survivance.
“It’s a magic,” Bragg said about what being a Two-Spirit auntie means to them. “There is something about being Two-Spirit that feels magic. It’s medicine. And with it comes responsibility and a lot of humor.”
George long felt there was something missing with the European understanding of queerness. They spent time in prayer, reflecting with their ancestors, getting to know themselves and their role in community. Then they heard the term Two-Spirit and it just fit.
<h2 class="m-ellipsis--text m-card--header-text" role="heading" aria-level="2">Tribes reach for sun, start from ground up</h2>
Being Two-Spirit is a very personal relationship between a person, their community, elders, ancestors and creator, according to George. And not every Indigenous person who is queer is Two-Spirit.
Part of the goal of the podcast is to normalize Two-Spirit identity and also talk about the differences and nuances within that identity as well.
“Normalize being queer. Normalize being Two-Spirit. Normalize standing up for your community,” George said.
Throughout the podcast, George and Bragg have intersectional conversations about identity, healing and the state of the world. Though currently only eight episodes long, more are in the works and scheduled to release soon.
Each episode feels as if you are hanging out with two of your Two-Spirit aunties, imparting wisdom and healing through joy and laughter.
“We want people to feel loved. We want people to know that they belong and they matter,” Bragg said. “All the things that we needed when we were little.”
<h3 id="being-and-acting-in-humor">‘Being and acting in humor’</h3>
The episodes of “Your Two-Spirit Aunties” cover a wide range of topics, from living through a pandemic to what it means to be an auntie, and so much more. Throughout it all, Bragg and George tap into the healing power of humor, with the goal of bringing “hope and laughter” into their listeners’ lives.
For many Indigenous people, laughter is a form of medicine and humor a tool of survival.
“Being a traumatized people you’ve got two choices: you can cry or you can laugh about it,” Bragg said.
Laughter is a way to release emotions and transform them into something new, according to Bragg. George and Bragg say humor alleviates traumas in their own lives.
“Just being and acting in humor allows us to reclaim that joy that genocide and the colonial project want us to be rid of,” Bragg says on “Episode 4: Survivance.” “They don’t want us to be able to access that part of ourselves because, if we do, then we don’t need them to heal and we don’t need them to tell us what healing looks like.”
George and Bragg both reflected on what the coming four years might look like with another Trump presidency, and the need to tap into community, joy and laughter.
“I think we are going to need a lot of humor in the coming years,” George said.
<h3 id="joy-is-the-best-act-of-survivance">‘Joy is the best act of survivance’</h3>
Both George and Bragg needed time to process following the election on Nov. 5.
George remembers a panic starting to set in as the results came through. They processed by praying to and connecting with their ancestors and were given a strong image of <a href="https://www.underscore.news/land/barbies-village-officially-in-hands-of-native-organization/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Barbie’s Village</a>. That came with intense feelings of love, connection and support — a reminder to tap into and ground in community.
Bragg came to a similar conclusion.
“After he won, I went outside and smudged and sat and looked at the stars,” Bragg said. “And my thought process was, ‘There were people here before us and there will be people after us. And our job is to help as many people survive as we can.’”
Part of how Bragg and George plan to do this is through their podcast and a new series called “Entering the Slipstream Bullshit Era.” Episodes will cover a range of topics, including reflecting on their own processing; breaking down <a href="https://www.donaldjtrump.com/agenda47" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Agenda 47</a> and <a href="https://ictnews.org/news/how-would-project-2025-affect-native-communities">Project 2025</a>; and talking about coping skills learned during “his first reign of terror,” according to Bragg.
One episode will focus on community organizing and mutual aid, looking to revolutionary examples such as the American Indian Movement, the Black Panthers and the Zapatista Army of National Liberation.
And, through it all, there will be joy.
“Joy is the best act of survivance,” Bragg said. “To be joyful in a world that wants you to only suffer or to be dead, that is the ultimate act of survivance, is being able to engage in joy.”

Nika Bartoo-Smith

Learning and Laughing with ‘Your Two-Spirit Aunties’

<a href="https://www.rosalynlapier.com/">I am a direct descendant</a> of family members that were forced as children to attend either a U.S. government-operated or church-run Indian boarding school. They include my mother, all four of my grandparents and the majority of my great-grandparents.
On Oct. 25, 2024, Joe Biden, the first U.S. president to formally apologize for the policy of sending Native American children to Indian boarding schools, called it one of the most “<a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/speeches-remarks/2024/10/25/remarks-by-president-biden-on-the-biden-harris-administrations-record-of-delivering-for-tribal-communities-including-keeping-his-promise-to-make-this-historic-visit-to-indian-country-lavee/">horrific chapters” in U.S. history</a> and “a mark of shame.” But he did not call it a genocide.
Yet, over the past 10 years, many historians and Indigenous scholars have said that what happened at the Indian boarding schools “<a href="https://www2.stetson.edu/law-faculty-research/death-by-boarding-school-the-last-acceptable-racism-and-the-united-states-genocide-of-native-americans-2/">meets the definition of genocide</a>.”
From the 19th to 20th century, children were physically removed from their homes and separated from their families and communities, often without the consent of their parents. <a href="https://theconversation.com/truth-and-healing-commission-could-help-native-american-communities-traumatized-by-government-run-boarding-schools-that-tried-to-destroy-indian-culture-169240">The purpose of these schools</a> was to strip Native American children of their Indigenous names, languages, religions and cultural practices.
The U.S. government operated the boarding schools directly or paid <a href="https://www.oupress.com/9780806131535/mission-among-the-blackfeet/">Christian churches to run them</a>. Historians and scholars have written about <a href="https://theconversation.com/truth-and-healing-commission-could-help-native-american-communities-traumatized-by-government-run-boarding-schools-that-tried-to-destroy-indian-culture-169240">the history of Indian boarding schools</a> for decades. But, as Biden noted, “<a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/speeches-remarks/2024/10/25/remarks-by-president-biden-on-the-biden-harris-administrations-record-of-delivering-for-tribal-communities-including-keeping-his-promise-to-make-this-historic-visit-to-indian-country-lavee/">most Americans don’t know about</a> this history.”
As an <a href="https://www.rosalynlapier.com/">Indigenous scholar</a> who studies Indigenous history and the descendant of Indian boarding school survivors, I know about the “horrific” history of Indian boarding schools from both survivors and scholars who contend they were places of genocide.
<h3 class="wp-block-heading">Was it genocide?</h3>
The <a href="https://www.un.org/en/genocide-prevention/definition">United Nations defines “genocide</a>” as the “intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnical, racial or religious group.” Scholars have researched different cases of genocide of Indigenous peoples in the United States.
Historian <a href="https://cas.uoregon.edu/directory/ires/all/jostler">Jeffery Ostler</a>, in his 2019 book “<a href="https://yalebooks.yale.edu/book/9780300255362/surviving-genocide/">Surviving Genocide</a>,” argues that the unlawful annexation of Indigenous lands, the deportation of Indigenous peoples and the numerous deaths of children and adults that occurred as they walked hundreds of miles from their homelands in the 19th century constitute genocide.
The mass killings of Indigenous peoples after <a href="https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/features/goldrush-california/">gold was found in the 19th century</a> in what is now California also constitutes genocide, writes historian <a href="https://history.ucla.edu/person/benjamin-madley/">Benjamin Madley</a> in his 2017 book “<a href="https://yalebooks.yale.edu/book/9780300230697/an-american-genocide/">An American Genocide</a>.” At the time, a large migration of new settlers to California to mine gold brought with it the killing and displacement of Indigenous peoples.
Other scholars have focused on the forced assimilation of children at Indian boarding schools. Sociologist <a href="https://sfi.usc.edu/content/andrew-woolford">Andrew Woolford</a> argues that scholars need to start calling what happened at Indian boarding schools in the 19th and 20th century “genocide” because of the “sheer destructiveness of these institutions.”
Woolford, a former president of the International Association of Genocide Scholars, explains in his 2015 book “<a href="https://www.nebraskapress.unl.edu/nebraska/9780803276727/this-benevolent-experiment/">This Benevolent Experiment</a>” that the goal of Indian boarding schools was the “forcible transformation of multiple Indigenous peoples so that they would no longer exist as an obstacle (real or perceived) to settler colonial domination on the continent.”
<figure class="wp-block-image"><a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/628362/original/file-20241027-15-vryb1u.jpg?ixlib=rb-4.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=1000&amp;fit=clip"><img decoding="async" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/628362/original/file-20241027-15-vryb1u.jpg?ixlib=rb-4.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;fit=clip" alt="A black and white photo shows students seated in rows in a classroom, while the instructor is standing in front." /></a><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">First- and second-grade students sit in a classroom at the former Genoa Indian Industrial School in Genoa, Neb. Researchers are now trying to locate the bodies of more than 80 Native American children buried near the school. <a href="https://newsroom.ap.org/detail/LostNativeAmericanCemetery/d446f87825a941faa38b32a60c92483a/photo?Query=native%20American%20boarding%20schools&amp;mediaType=photo&amp;sortBy=&amp;dateRange=Anytime&amp;totalCount=50&amp;digitizationType=Digitized&amp;currentItemNo=31&amp;vs=true&amp;vs=true">National Archives/AP</a></figcaption></figure>
Indigenous writers have <a href="https://harvardlawreview.org/print/vol-137/the-constitutionalism-of-american-colonialism/">explained how this transformation</a> at Indian boarding schools occurred. “Federal agents beat Native children in such schools for speaking Native languages, held them in unsanitary conditions, and forced them into manual and dangerous forms of labor,” writes Indigenous law professor <a href="https://its.law.nyu.edu/facultyprofiles/index.cfm?fuseaction=profile.overview&amp;personid=56076">Maggie Blackhawk</a>.
<h3 class="wp-block-heading">What my grandmother witnessed</h3>
Secretary of the Interior Debra Anne Haaland has stated that every Native American family has been impacted by the “<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MhBqbgbPOkk">trauma and terror</a>” of Indian boarding schools. And my family is no different.
One of the more horrific stories that my maternal grandmother shared with her grandchildren was that she witnessed the death of another student. They were both under the age of 10. The student died of poisoning after lye soap was put in her mouth as a punishment for speaking her Indigenous language.
We know that <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2024/10/25/us/us-indian-boarding-schools-history.html?fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAR3qg8ZNRjKqdM__am0ouziR9LvFzh_EMptnURsT8WDqSnQyGKn3AGDNXVQ_aem_S4AinWBRdLrGV0-PjdYxqA">similar punishments happened</a> and children died at Indian boarding schools. The Department of Interior reported in 2024 that <a href="https://apnews.com/article/indian-boarding-schools-deaths-investigation-82645234fe9d7ce689e8375a51d7e161?fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAR0Cw7-F_RRLspUwJYPCyPlpTb7n1gHj_C9d4itAPtzoRwRccsaDFCmKo0M_aem_v-uzxosRr3VTRQVDDCLygg">973 children died</a> at Indian boarding schools.
Tribes are increasingly seeking <a href="https://missoulian.com/news/state-regional/blackfeet-nation-lawney-shorty-burial-carlisle/article_c5b065c4-7f4a-11ee-a03e-1307393594f1.html">the return of the remains of children</a> who died and are buried at Indian boarding schools.
<h3 class="wp-block-heading">Lasting legacy</h3>
The U.S. government is beginning to <a href="https://www.doi.gov/pressreleases/interior-department-launches-effort-preserve-federal-indian-boarding-school-oral">encourage survivors to tell their stories</a> of their Indian boarding school experiences. The Department of the Interior is in the process of recording and documenting their stories on digital video, and they will be placed in a government repository.
At 84 years old, my mother is the only living Indian boarding school survivor in our family. She shared her story with the Department of the Interior this past summer, as did dozens of other survivors.
Haaland stated these “first person narratives” <a href="https://www.doi.gov/pressreleases/interior-department-launches-effort-preserve-federal-indian-boarding-school-oral">can be used in the future</a> to learn about the history of Indian boarding schools, and to “<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MhBqbgbPOkk">ensure that no one will ever forget</a>.”
“For too long, this nation sought to silence the voices of generations of Native children,” Biden added at the apology ceremony, “but now <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/speeches-remarks/2024/10/25/remarks-by-president-biden-on-the-biden-harris-administrations-record-of-delivering-for-tribal-communities-including-keeping-his-promise-to-make-this-historic-visit-to-indian-country-lavee/">your voices are being heard</a>.”
As a descendant of Indian boarding school survivors, I appreciate President Biden’s apology and his effort to break the silence. But, I am also convinced that what my mother, grandmother and other survivors experienced was genocide.

Rosalyn LaPier

My family experienced Indian boarding schools – and genocide

The <a href="https://sdnativetourismalliance.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">South Dakota Native Tourism Alliance</a> became a nonprofit this year and is entering the next phase of its work, five years after it was started by the state&#8217;s nine Native American tribes and dozens of other organizations to promote entrepreneurship in economically disadvantaged communities and preserve and promote Indigenous culture.
Tourism is the state&#8217;s second-largest industry and a primary economic engine in plenty of towns across the state. The idea is to connect more of those millions of tourists and their billions of dollars with South Dakota&#8217;s rich American Indian culture.
&#8220;When you look at tourism and the idea of having a place for visitors to come that&#8217;s just off the interstate, I think that is tourism gold,&#8221; said Sisseton Wahpeton Oyate tribal archivist Tamara St. John.
The Tribal Historic Preservation Office in Agency Village features a growing collection of hundreds of historic artifacts and Native art. The collection is currently housed in the tribal administration building on the Lake Traverse Reservation in the northeast corner of the state.
&#8220;The tribe has been very accommodating, but we have outgrown (this space),&#8221; St. John said. The tribe is in the early stages of developing a visitor center to house the collection.
St. John&#8217;s belief in the opportunity tourism can offer reservation communities spurred her to spend the past five years as a state representative.
&#8220;Seeing that tourism is such a huge economic driver for the state of South Dakota, and it really could benefit our area,&#8221; she said. &#8220;I believe that it is an act of sovereignty for a tribe to take control of their cultural history by telling their own story. And what better way to do that than tourism with people from your local community to even internationally?&#8221;
Around the same time St. Join joined the Legislature, other stakeholders were meeting to discuss the potential of Native American tourist attractions.
&#8220;We&#8217;ve had fits and starts for decades with tribal tourism,&#8221; Secretary of Tourism Jim Hagen said in an interview with South Dakota Public Broadcasting earlier this year. &#8220;About five years ago we really made a concerted effort to reach out to our tribes, tribal partners and friends and say, &#8216;Let&#8217;s really get this going.'&#8221;
<h3 id="gwu-provided-guidance">GWU provided guidance</h3>
The Tourism department sought outside help from the International Institute of Tourism Studies at George Washington University, which &#8220;has been specializing in helping Indigenous people create tourism on their reservations,&#8221; Hagen said.
The institute served as a facilitator of early meetings of an ad hoc group of local and tribal entities with an interest in developing tourism in their communities.
That group eventually became the South Dakota Native Tourism Alliance (SDNTA), which earned 501(c)(3) nonprofit status earlier this year. The alliance <a href="https://sdnativetourismalliance.org/about/network-participants/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">includes more than 50 network participants</a> such as representation from tribes like St. John, the South Dakota Department of Tourism and businesses that operate in tribal communities.
&#8220;Together, we represent and try to get representation from all nine tribes in our area,&#8221; said Frank Kills in Water, SDNTA board chair. &#8220;It helps us as an alliance to have partners on every reservation to help bring tourism to each reservation in a good way.&#8221;
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The early work with George Washington University also resulted in a five-year Native American Tourism Development and Management Plan specific to South Dakota. The<a href="https://sdnativetourismalliance.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/South-Dakota-Report-FINAL-WEB12-16-1.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">145-page plan </a>includes existing attractions across the state&#8217;s nine reservations, along with opportunities for further development.
&#8220;Through these collaborations, we&#8217;ve come to find out that our experiences in Indian Country are very unique,&#8221; said Kills in Water. &#8220;And GW helped us to kind of enrich those and point them out, not only to the tourism industry but to ourselves as well. So we came to the understanding in these meetings that our culture was the way that we were going to be able to show the rest of the world that we&#8217;re still here.&#8221;
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<h3 id="encouraging-entrepreneurship">Encouraging entrepreneurship</h3>
Preserving and sharing tribal culture aren&#8217;t the only potential benefits of developing Native American tourism. There&#8217;s no direct line between the state&#8217;s nearly $5 billion dollar tourism industry and the economically disadvantaged reservation areas.
Both St. John and Kills in Water see tourism as an economic and entrepreneurial opportunity for tribal communities, where jobs can be scarce.
&#8220;The tourism that we want to start isn&#8217;t going to make our tribes rich,&#8221; said Kills in Water. &#8220;The ultimate goal is that ikce wicasa (common man) going out and using that skill and using something that he&#8217;s learned through the work of our alliance and our partners in the industry to go and bring that dollar home to his family.&#8221;
One of the small businesses represented in the SDNTA is Tatanka Rez Tourz, touted as the only Native American-owned tour company in South Dakota. It&#8217;s run by Guss Yellow Hair and Tianna Yellow Hair, a father-daughter duo on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation. The two also hosted a training for other prospective Native American tour guides in May through the SDNTA.
Guss Yellow Hair first suggested the idea for a tour guide business to his daughter in 2011, after his experience giving tours as a cultural consultant for the Pine Ridge Chamber of Commerce.
&#8220;A lot of people were asking questions, and in my mind I was thinking, &#8216;Well, who better to tell our story than me, a Lakota-Cheyenne person who grew up on the reservation?'&#8221; Guss remembered.
Tianna Yellow Hair initially presented the idea during a business plan competition at the Lakota Nation Invitational – and won. She and her father launched the business about nine years ago. They currently offer three tour packages that range in time commitment and the topics covered.
&#8220;We try to accommodate you and take that into consideration, while still following who we are and why we started this,&#8221; said Tianna Yellow Hair. &#8220;Which is to educate our visitors on things that have already been in the public but also to knock down a lot of those stereotypical views that people have of us.&#8221;
<h3 id="room-for-growth">Room for growth</h3>
The same difficulties that make developing a new industry in reservation communities appealing also make it a challenge – from remote locations to infrastructure needs.
Tianna Yellow Hair, who also serves as secretary of the South Dakota Native Tourism Alliance, sees common themes around the state.
&#8220;A lot of times, people who come through South Dakota want to see an Indian reservation,&#8221; she said. &#8220;And what we found in each of these reservations is we are open to the tourists, but we don&#8217;t have the facilities to really host them. Which is not only restrooms, ATMs. Also our roads are an issue, hotel stays, places to eat, restaurants. We really lack a lot of tourist accommodations.&#8221;
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Investing in accommodations for visitors can be a hard sell, especially when so many residents have their own needs. Kills in Water said buy-in from the tribes has not been universal.
&#8220;Our own people feel like when a bus comes through, they&#8217;re looking at us like we&#8217;re animals in cages,&#8221; he said. &#8220;They come and they see all our trash and our boarded-up houses and the struggles of reservation life &#8230; and some of our people, they see tourism in a negative light. They see that, &#8216;Oh, we&#8217;re selling ourselves out. We&#8217;re selling our culture.'&#8221;
Other proponents of tribal tourism, like St. John, have a different perspective.
&#8220;I would say that by developing a tourism program, you&#8217;re able to control those things. You&#8217;re really able to define by your policies or your code where people can go. What would you like them to see? What would you like them to know? It&#8217;s really a way of taking control.&#8221;
The South Dakota Native Tourism Alliance held its quarterly meeting at Crazy Horse Memorial earlier this month. Kills in Water hopes it becomes the go-to organization to help develop tourism opportunities for Native people in South Dakota.
&#8220;The entrepreneurial aspect of this is giving individuals a chance to go out and become tour guides. It&#8217;s giving them a chance to showcase their skills and what they do,&#8221; he said. &#8220;And it&#8217;s giving them a voice.&#8221;
<h3 id="how-to-watch-south-dakota-focus">How to watch &#8216;South Dakota Focus&#8217;</h3>
The next episode of &#8220;South Dakota Focus&#8221; airs on Thursday, Nov. 21, at 8:30 p.m. Central time / 7:30 p.m. Mountain time. It can be viewed on SDPB-TV1, Facebook, YouTube and SD.net.
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The episode includes:
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<li>A visit to the Tribal Historic Preservation Office of the Sisseton Wahpeton Oyate on the Lake Traverse Reservation</li>
<li>A conversation with the board chair of the South Dakota Native Tourism Alliance</li>
<li>How the Tatanka Rez Tourz business works to educate visitors on contemporary life on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation</li>
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Jackie Hendry

Native Tourism Alliance to support entrepreneurs

The North Dakota Native American Hall of Honor welcomed several new inductees Friday — including a superintendent, a former Bureau of Indian Affairs attorney, two accomplished athletes and the 1997-98 United Tribes Technical College basketball team.
The four individuals who were inducted are all members of the Mandan, Hidatsa and Arikara Nation. The basketball team included players from the Cheyenne River, Fort Berthold, Turtle Mountain, Crow and Omaha reservations.
Two inductees received the Hall of Honor’s leadership award: Marc Bluestone Sr., former superintendent of New Town Public Schools, and tribal law attorney Thomas Fredericks.
Bluestone, who is now retired, worked for the school district for more than three decades. Student attendance, graduation rates and test scores all improved under his tenure.
Bluestone advocated for a law passed by the 2021 Legislature requiring all North Dakota primary middle schools to teach Native history, and he has helped develop numerous educational resources on the subject.
Fredericks received a leadership award for his work as a Native American rights lawyer.
He said he first developed an interest in tribal law when he became the director of Standing Rock Sioux Reservation’s Community Action Agency in the 1960s. The agencies were established as part of former President Lydon Johnson’s Administration’s War on Poverty in the 1960s.
“It was a very, very eye-opening time,” Fredericks said.
In 1970, Fredericks helped start the University of Boulder School of Law’s American Indian Law Program.
He later served as associate solicitor for Indian Affairs — the first Native American to hold the position — and assistant secretary of Indian Affairs under President Jimmy Carter.
Fredericks also helped start the National Native American Bar Association and is a founder and former executive director of the Native American Rights Fund. He retired in 2020.
Terry Kraft received a sports award for winning state titles in high school football, basketball and track.
<figure id="attachment_103397" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-103397" style="width: 332px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class=" wp-image-103397" src="https://d2g6e42mls53l2.cloudfront.net/bf/2024/11/NativeAmericanHall-028-2048x1365-1-300x200.jpg" alt="" width="332" height="221" srcset="https://d2g6e42mls53l2.cloudfront.net/bf/2024/11/NativeAmericanHall-028-2048x1365-1-300x200.jpg 300w, https://d2g6e42mls53l2.cloudfront.net/bf/2024/11/NativeAmericanHall-028-2048x1365-1-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https://d2g6e42mls53l2.cloudfront.net/bf/2024/11/NativeAmericanHall-028-2048x1365-1-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://d2g6e42mls53l2.cloudfront.net/bf/2024/11/NativeAmericanHall-028-2048x1365-1.jpg 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 332px) 100vw, 332px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-103397" class="wp-caption-text">Marc Bluestone Sr., former superintendent of New Town Public Schools, receives a leadership award during the North Dakota Native American Hall of Honor induction ceremony on Nov. 15, 2024. Bluestone is a member of the Mandan, Hidatsa and Arikara Nation. (Kyle Martin/For the North Dakota Monitor)</figcaption></figure>
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MHA Chairman Mark Fox, who grew up with Kraft in Parshall, described him as a “natural athlete.”
Both reminisced about playing sports outside regardless of the weather.
“In a small town on a reservation, that’s all you did was play,” Kraft said.
Kraft served as a caretaker for Minot High School for nearly four decades, according to his nomination. He also coached junior high and tackle football for Minot Middle School and flag football for the Minot YMCA.
Rusty Gillette of Bismarck earned a sports award for his success as a high school basketball player, coach and powwow dancer.
His former coach at Bismarck High School, Steve Miller, described him not only as a star athlete, but someone of “great character.”
“Rusty took great pride in being a team player,” Miller said.
Gillette is also an accomplished graphic artist and business owner, his nomination notes.
The 12 members of the United Tribes Technical College basketball team were also recognized Friday night: Lonny White Eyes, Joe Howe, Dusty Traversie, Robert Webster, Galen Eberhard, Jon Derby, Travis Albers, Tanner Albers, Lee Logg, Jason Logg, Erik Abbey and Aron Abbey.
It was the first UTTC team to qualify for the National Junior College Athletic Association finals. The team is also remembered for achieving the program’s first 20-win season.
“That team, at that time — what they did was unheard of,” said former coach Kevin Finley. Gillette also coached the team.
The North Dakota Native American Hall of Honor is a collaboration among the North Dakota Indian Affairs Commission, the State Historical Society of North Dakota and the State Historical Society Foundation. In addition to leadership and sports, the Hall of Honor also recognizes individuals for military service and arts and culture. An exhibit honoring inductees is on display at the North Dakota Heritage Center.

Mary Steurer

North Dakota Native American Hall of Honor inducts new members

Tribal citizens running on the Democratic Party ticket – two of them women &#8212; swept up all the North Dakota statehouse winnings in the new majority Native voter District 9. Not lost on the candidates was the contrast with results in most other districts of the Republican-dominated Legislative race.
Thanking supporters, incumbent Rep. Jayme Davis urged further participation in state affairs.
“Get involved, get engaged, because as Indigenous people, we&#8217;re a minority of minority,” she said. “We&#8217;re a minority, and then we&#8217;re part of the minority caucus. So we need people to step up and use their voices.”
<figure id="attachment_103381" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-103381" style="width: 208px" class="wp-caption alignleft"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class=" wp-image-103381" src="https://d2g6e42mls53l2.cloudfront.net/bf/2024/11/headshot-297x300.jpg" alt="" width="208" height="210" srcset="https://d2g6e42mls53l2.cloudfront.net/bf/2024/11/headshot-297x300.jpg 297w, https://d2g6e42mls53l2.cloudfront.net/bf/2024/11/headshot.jpg 951w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 208px) 100vw, 208px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-103381" class="wp-caption-text">Jayme Davis is relieved to be reelected as District 9 state representative. She is grateful for the love and support she has received from her constituents. (Photo courtesy of Jayme Davis)</figcaption></figure>
A Turtle Mountain citizen, Davis initially won the seat and assumed office on Dec. 1, 2022, after hard fought redistricting created the new District 9 around her reservation and the Spirit Lake tribal nation. The state Democratic-Nonpartisan League elected her as caucus chair in 2023, making her the first American Indian to hold a leadership position in the North Dakota Legislature.
In the 2024 voting, District 9 residents also selected Collette Brown, from Spirit Lake, to become their <a href="https://www.buffalosfire.com/election-spotlight-key-issues-for-american-indian-communities-in-north-dakota/"> state representative</a>. Brown recalled taking part in the redistricting process. “I went and asked for our tribe to have its own district, and basically, before I even got to speak, a committee member came out to me and told me that, you know, <a href="https://www.buffalosfire.com/election-spotlight-key-issues-for-american-indian-communities-in-north-dakota/">you guys are a minority group</a>, and whatever you’re going to ask for –– it’s not going to happen.”
She slid in just ahead of the Republican candidate, with 35 votes more than David “Doc” Brien.
Davis earned 32% of the vote, according to the <a href="https://results.sos.nd.gov/resultsSW.aspx?type=LEGALL&amp;map=DIST&amp;cty=09&amp;name=Legislative%20District%209">North Dakota Secretary of State</a>. Brown and Brien each took 24% of the vote. Graywater received 19%. In total, 9,403 residents cast ballots in the election.
In the District 9 Senate race, Democratic incumbent Richard Marcellais of Turtle Mountain withstood the challenge of  Republican Judy Estenson, claiming 61% of votes.
<blockquote>&#8220;Get involved, get engaged, because as Indigenous people, we&#8217;re a minority of minority. We&#8217;re a minority, and then we&#8217;re part of the minority caucus. So we need people to step up and use their voices.”
Jayme Davis, District 9 state representative</blockquote>
The campaign took place under the shroud of the state’s ongoing 2023 federal court appeal to deny the certification of the majority Native district. <a href="https://narf.org/nd-redistricting-appeal/">Secretary of State Michael Howe’s appeal </a> is in response to <a href="https://www.buffalosfire.com/tribes-file-to-quash-north-dakotas-appeal-of-native-voting-rights-victories/">Native voting rights advocates’ success</a> in obtaining a court decision in favor of their proposed map, following the 2020 U.S. Census-mandated redistricting.
On election night Nov. 5, Davis and family members gathered to await the election results. Around 10 p.m., the Turtle Mountain citizen learned that she had been re-elected. Davis expressed her happiness that both she and Brown received the opportunity to represent District 9, especially given that North Dakota is historically a conservative state.
<figure id="attachment_103382" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-103382" style="width: 257px" class="wp-caption alignright"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class=" wp-image-103382" src="https://d2g6e42mls53l2.cloudfront.net/bf/2024/11/Collette-Brown-200x300.jpg" alt="" width="257" height="386" srcset="https://d2g6e42mls53l2.cloudfront.net/bf/2024/11/Collette-Brown-200x300.jpg 200w, https://d2g6e42mls53l2.cloudfront.net/bf/2024/11/Collette-Brown-682x1024.jpg 682w, https://d2g6e42mls53l2.cloudfront.net/bf/2024/11/Collette-Brown.jpg 853w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 257px) 100vw, 257px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-103382" class="wp-caption-text">Collette Brown also aims to prioritize tribal consultation and address the issue of tribal vehicle taxation. Additionally, she aims to introduce a bill that provides free school lunches for students statewide. (Photo courtesy of Collette Brown)</figcaption></figure>
“To see the numbers finally come in was a relief,” Davis said in an interview with Buffalo’s Fire. “And then to see that our district went back to being Democratic. It&#8217;s a blue dot in a sea of red. And so it just means that much more to me because our voices are unique. Our voices are needed in the state legislature.”
During the same evening, Brien and his family circled around the radio to hear the results. In addition, he kept an eye on the North Dakota Secretary of State website every 30 minutes. In an interview with Buffalo’s Fire, he said, “My reaction is that it was a close call in a close race and we wish we had won, but we didn&#8217;t.”
Brien said he intends to go on serving the Turtle Mountain community to the best of his ability. He works at Houston Engineering and is active on the airwaves at the reservation Two Hearts Radio KXYM-LP-FM, a Catholic broadcaster from Belcourt.
“My way of life is helping Indian Country,” he said. “So I just continue doing everything I can to help people help people and development. So my whole life has been spent helping Native American individuals and Native American communities.”
Davis is deciding which of her proposed bills she should begin to push once the next legislative session begins in January. The bills she has been working on include revision of the tribal vehicle taxation law, which passed during the last session, as well as measures requiring tribal consultation. This would ensure that any legislation directly affecting Native nations engages tribal leaders and the tribes in decisions. She is also focusing on mental health initiatives and creating an alert system for when Indigenous people go missing.
<figure id="attachment_103383" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-103383" style="width: 259px" class="wp-caption alignleft"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class=" wp-image-103383" src="https://d2g6e42mls53l2.cloudfront.net/bf/2024/11/IMG_8636-212x300.jpg" alt="" width="259" height="366" srcset="https://d2g6e42mls53l2.cloudfront.net/bf/2024/11/IMG_8636-212x300.jpg 212w, https://d2g6e42mls53l2.cloudfront.net/bf/2024/11/IMG_8636-725x1024.jpg 725w, https://d2g6e42mls53l2.cloudfront.net/bf/2024/11/IMG_8636-1088x1536.jpg 1088w, https://d2g6e42mls53l2.cloudfront.net/bf/2024/11/IMG_8636.jpg 1170w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 259px) 100vw, 259px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-103383" class="wp-caption-text">Despite not winning the seat, David “Doc” Brien is not deterred. The Turtle Mountain citizen still intends to assist his community to the best of his ability. (Photo courtesy of David “Dov” Brien)</figcaption></figure>
“There&#8217;s a lot of work that goes into getting the bills ready to be introduced,” she said. “It&#8217;s not just an overnight thing. It takes months and months of work. I can only carry a handful of bills and do them justice. So I have to be mindful and strategic.”
Like Davis, Brown aims to prioritize tribal consultation and address the issue of tribal vehicle taxation. Additionally, Brown wants to introduce a bill that provides free school lunches for students statewide.
Davis said she’s grateful for the support she has received from constituents. She is committed to representing them during the upcoming 80-day legislative session and hopes to see residents get involved and advocate for the bills she introduces.
Brien also thanked his supporters and continues to encourage them to become involved in their community. “Let&#8217;s just keep working together to help Indian country and all the citizens of District 9,” he said.
Davis congratulates tribal citizen Lisa Finley-DeVille (D) on her re-election as representative for District 4A state, which covers the Fort Berthold Indian Reservation. She also applauded Richard Marcellais (D) for winning the District 9 senate seat, while thanking Brien and Graywater for their run in this year’s election.
“I have nothing but respect for anybody that decides to step up, whether it be at the local level, county level, state level or federal level,” said Davis. “It&#8217;s all in the name of doing better, doing what we can for our people. I&#8217;m thankful for them. I hope they continue to still be active in what they believe in.”
Polling for the state Senate and House seats normally occurs every four years. But a court-enforced ruling on redistricting after the 2020 U.S. Census required 2022 and 2024 voting in District 9. The seats in the district will be on the ballot again in 2026, when the other odd-numbered districts are up for elections.

Democrats, women clean up in all-Native candidate match for North Dakota District 9

Late Thursday night, news broke that North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum was tapped to serve in President-elect Donald Trump’s cabinet as Secretary of the Department of the Interior, replacing Laguna Pueblo leader Deb Haaland, the first Native American to hold the position.
“I have full confidence that Gov. Burgum’s heart and intentions are in a place that will ensure tribal nations are heard and respected in the decisions that shape our shared future,” said Sisseton Wahpeton Oyate Chairman J. Garrett Renville in a statement to ICT and the Rapid City Journal.
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If confirmed by the U.S. Senate, Burgum would be responsible for the management of public lands and the protection of wildlife, national parks and monuments. Burgum also would oversee many tribal functions, particularly the Bureau of Indian Affairs and Bureau of Indian Education.
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<figure class="l-inline tml-image m-detail--tml-image--inline"><a><picture class="is-loaded"><source srcset="https://ictnews.org/.image/c_limit%2Ccs_srgb%2Cq_auto:good%2Cw_380/MjEwNzI4NjEyNTY1ODg2OTUz/image000000-3.webp 380w, https://ictnews.org/.image/c_limit%2Ccs_srgb%2Cq_auto:good%2Cw_620/MjEwNzI4NjEyNTY1ODg2OTUz/image000000-3.webp 620w, https://ictnews.org/.image/c_limit%2Ccs_srgb%2Cq_auto:good%2Cw_700/MjEwNzI4NjEyNTY1ODg2OTUz/image000000-3.webp 700w" type="image/webp" sizes="(min-width: 1240px) 700px, (min-width: 675px) 620px, calc(100vw - 40px)" /><source srcset="https://ictnews.org/.image/c_limit%2Ccs_srgb%2Cfl_progressive%2Cq_auto:good%2Cw_380/MjEwNzI4NjEyNTY1ODg2OTUz/image000000-3.jpg 380w, https://ictnews.org/.image/c_limit%2Ccs_srgb%2Cfl_progressive%2Cq_auto:good%2Cw_620/MjEwNzI4NjEyNTY1ODg2OTUz/image000000-3.jpg 620w, https://ictnews.org/.image/c_limit%2Ccs_srgb%2Cfl_progressive%2Cq_auto:good%2Cw_700/MjEwNzI4NjEyNTY1ODg2OTUz/image000000-3.jpg 700w" sizes="(min-width: 1240px) 700px, (min-width: 675px) 620px, calc(100vw - 40px)" /><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="m-detail--tml-image m-image" src="https://ictnews.org/.image/t_share/MjEwNzI4NjEyNTY1ODg2OTUz/image000000-3.jpg" srcset="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" alt="North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum met with tribal leaders at the governor's mansion on Nov. 13. Left to right: Brad Hawk, ND Indian Affairs Commissioner, MHA Nation Chairman Mark Fox, Standing Rock Chairwoman Janet Alkire, Gov. Burgum, Spirit Lake Oyate Chairwoman Lonna Street, Lt. Governor Tami Miller and Sisseton Wahpeton Oyate Chairman J. Garrett Renville. (Photo courtesy Janet Alkire)" width="1600" height="1200" data-src="https://ictnews.org/.image/c_limit%2Ccs_srgb%2Cfl_progressive%2Cq_auto:good%2Cw_700/MjEwNzI4NjEyNTY1ODg2OTUz/image000000-3.jpg" /></picture></a>
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North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum met with tribal leaders at the governor&#8217;s mansion on Nov. 13. Left to right: Brad Hawk, ND Indian Affairs Commissioner, MHA Nation Chairman Mark Fox, Standing Rock Chairwoman Janet Alkire, Gov. Burgum, Spirit Lake Oyate Chairwoman Lonna Street, Lt. Governor Tami Miller and Sisseton Wahpeton Oyate Chairman J. Garrett Renville. (Photo courtesy Janet Alkire)
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Compared to his neighbor South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem, who was tapped by Trump to serve as Secretary of Homeland Security and is currently banned from all nine South Dakota reservations, Burgum has a much better reputation and relationship with tribes in North Dakota and is credited with significantly improving dialogue between the state and five tribes.
Burgum was born and raised in small-town North Dakota and first took office as governor in 2016. Not long after he took office, protests broke out near Cannon Ball, N.D., over the Keystone XL and Dakota Access pipelines.
Fearing escalation, Burgum ordered all protesters leave the encampments by Feb. 22, 2017, saying he did not want protesters to be removed by force. The state is currently seeking to recoup $38 million from the federal government, under the Federal Tort Claims Act, saying it spent that amount policing the Standing Rock protesters. Burgum testified on Feb. 24 in the federal trial. The case is still ongoing.
Burgum’s response to the protests raised alarms for tribes, and he and the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe continue to have opposing stances on the pipeline, but the two maintain a solid relationship and meet regularly.
On Wednesday, one day before the news of Burgum’s nomination broke, leaders from the five tribes in North Dakota met with Burgum and North Dakota Indian Affairs Commissioner Brad Hawk at the governor&#8217;s mansion.
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<figure class="l-wrap-left tml-image m-detail--tml-image--left"><a><picture class="is-loaded"><source srcset="https://ictnews.org/.image/c_limit%2Ccs_srgb%2Cq_auto:good%2Cw_300/MjEwNzI4NjcwMDExMDc0Mzg1/img_7454.webp 300w, https://ictnews.org/.image/c_limit%2Ccs_srgb%2Cq_auto:good%2Cw_380/MjEwNzI4NjcwMDExMDc0Mzg1/img_7454.webp 380w, https://ictnews.org/.image/c_limit%2Ccs_srgb%2Cq_auto:good%2Cw_700/MjEwNzI4NjcwMDExMDc0Mzg1/img_7454.webp 700w, https://ictnews.org/.image/c_limit%2Ccs_srgb%2Cq_auto:good%2Cw_1400/MjEwNzI4NjcwMDExMDc0Mzg1/img_7454.webp 1400w" type="image/webp" sizes="(min-width: 675px) 300px, calc(100vw - 40px)" /><source srcset="https://ictnews.org/.image/c_limit%2Ccs_srgb%2Cq_auto:good%2Cw_300/MjEwNzI4NjcwMDExMDc0Mzg1/img_7454.jpg 300w, https://ictnews.org/.image/c_limit%2Ccs_srgb%2Cfl_progressive%2Cq_auto:good%2Cw_380/MjEwNzI4NjcwMDExMDc0Mzg1/img_7454.jpg 380w, https://ictnews.org/.image/c_limit%2Ccs_srgb%2Cfl_progressive%2Cq_auto:good%2Cw_700/MjEwNzI4NjcwMDExMDc0Mzg1/img_7454.jpg 700w, https://ictnews.org/.image/c_limit%2Ccs_srgb%2Cfl_progressive%2Cq_auto:good%2Cw_1400/MjEwNzI4NjcwMDExMDc0Mzg1/img_7454.jpg 1400w" sizes="(min-width: 675px) 300px, calc(100vw - 40px)" /><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="m-detail--tml-image m-image" src="https://ictnews.org/.image/t_share/MjEwNzI4NjcwMDExMDc0Mzg1/img_7454.jpg" srcset="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" alt="North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum and Sisseton Wahpeton Oyate Chairman J. Garrett Renville pose for a photo in the Governor's mansion on Nov. 13. (Photo courtesy Garrett Renville)" width="2267" height="2869" data-src="https://ictnews.org/.image/c_limit%2Ccs_srgb%2Cq_auto:good%2Cw_300/MjEwNzI4NjcwMDExMDc0Mzg1/img_7454.jpg" /></picture></a>
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North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum and Sisseton Wahpeton Oyate Chairman J. Garrett Renville pose for a photo in the Governor&#8217;s mansion on Nov. 13. (Photo courtesy Garrett Renville)
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“North Dakota tribes have such a great relationship with Gov. Burgum,” Standing Rock Chairwoman Janet Alkire said in a statement Friday. &#8220;We all have such an admiration and respect for the friendship, partnership and collaboration (we have) with Gov. Burgum. He always reached out if we had an issue.&#8221;
Trump has expressed a desire to increase oil and gas production, which Burgum would likely be responsible for spearheading as head of the Interior.
North Dakota is the third largest oil-producing state in the nation, with a majority of its supply coming from the Three Affiliated Tribes’ (Mandan, Hidatsa and Arikara) Fort Berthold Reservation.
“This position carries immense responsibility for stewarding our nation’s lands, and resources and fulfilling the federal government’s trust obligations to tribal nations,” Renville said. “We look forward to working with Gov. Burgum to advance critical issues, including the protection of tribal sovereignty and strengthening the relationships between the federal government and tribal communities.”