The further marginalizing of Indigenous communities

BY RODNEY RICHARDSON, THE WAY OF THINGS

There are nine American Indian Reservations in the state of South Dakota and there is one governor. Her name is Kristi Noem, a Trumpublican (a republican who “kisses the feet” of Donald Trump). She is currently banned in five (over half) of those tribal lands for making accusations that drug trafficking ran by Mexican cartels, is rampant throughout Indian Country. There is no conclusive evidence to back her claims and it is believed by tribal leaders that she is fearmongering for political purposes. The Sisseton Wahpeton Oyate Tribe is the latest to join in uniting against allowing her to set foot on their territories. They can do this because all 570 federally recognized tribes in the US are (individually) Sovereign Nations–rightfully governing themselves under their own councils and jurisdictions. What this foolishly ambitious Euro-American lady is trying to do by inventing imaginary drug-trade-centers on Native American Reservations is a ploy that threatens the sovereignty they’ve had and defended for centuries. But the drug thing is not the only reason for tribes barring her from entering beyond their boundaries. She also made derogatory comments about Native American families in general–specifically regarding children. Sisseton Tribal Chairman J. Garrett Renville, after announcing the resolution that was passed, had this to say: “Noem has made statements and undertaken actions that have been injurious towards the parents of tribal children, thus detracting from the value of their education.” 

According to journalist Amanda Yen, of The Daily Beast “at a town hall in March (2024) where she was signing education bills into law, Noem touted her own achievements while throwing dirt at tribal leaders and parents, who she derided as lazy and uncommitted to their children’s educational success.” The following is a direct statement by Noem during a FOX News (or is it FAUX?) interview– “My next step would be to do what I can to get a tribe to participate with me to help their kids be more successful. Because they live with 80% to 90% unemployment. Their kids don’t have any hope. They don’t have parents who show up and help them. They have a tribal council or a president who focuses on a political agenda more than they care about helping somebody’s life look better.” 

Governor Noem’s belittling opinions about Native Americans are blatantly stereotypical but–typical coming from the viewpoint of a true-blue Trump supporter. As a reminder–her glorious Fuhrer quoted in the “not-distant enough” past at a reelection campaign rally, “There will be no Indigenous Day on my watch!” Thanks to nearly 300 years of white superiority propaganda American Indians have been portrayed as savages, drunks, shiftless, lazy, and ignorant people. All of which are false perceptions. Many Euro Americans still believe these degrading myths. The truth is Native Americans have had close knit family structures, complex ideologies, and fully developed languages for thousands of years. What Noem is doing is exploiting the whitewashed version of Native Culture to make herself look heroic in the eyes of her constituents while at the same time, further marginalizing Indigenous communities.