PINE RIDGE, S.D. — Many of the Plains tribal chairmen were attending a conference in Bismarck, N.D., or in the nation’s capital preparing to testify before Congress.
Flandreau Santee Sioux Chairman Tom Ranfranz and Oglala Sioux Chairman John Yellow Bird Steele were both in Washington, D.C., as the devastating events unfolded.
Flandreau Vice Chairman Mike Weston said the first order of business was to find out about the welfare of a tribal delegation including the chairman, secretary and tribal lawyer who were in Washington testify for National Congress of American Indians issues.
Weston, who nearly flew to the capital decided to remain at Flandreau. The 41-year-old tribal vice president spent much of his time reassuring tribal members and trying to prevent panic as they heard the accounts of terrorism.
Family members called tribal offices worried about the tribal delegation stranded at a D.C. hotel. Tribal workers whose relatives were in other parts of the nation under high alert were worried about the possibility of further attacks, he said.
“They were concerned. They knew he was out there and what were we going to do,” Weston said.
An hour after the attacks, officials remaining on the northeastern South Dakota reservation received word their delegation was safe, but stranded.
“People here were really concerned. They weren’t concentrating,” Weston said.
He said tribal workers feared they might have lost tribal leadership in the series of attacks and that further attacks might be aimed at the nation’s capitol.
Tribal office workers took radios and portable televisions to work to watch as they waited for more information. The tribal offices were closed by noon as was the nearby EROS Data Center along with offices, malls and government buildings in Sioux Falls.
By Wednesday, the offices were open again and tribal offices were back to business.
“Congress is going back to work so everyone else is going to go back to work,” Weston said, adding that, “It didn’t seem real at first.”
Weston, who is reluctant to fly will drive as the tribe sends vans to return the tribal delegation to the reservation.
“We were really concerned about what was going on because we had two people going out there.”
Standing Rock Chairman Charles Murphy, who stepped away from a council meeting to talk about the reaction of tribal members, said they were gathered for prayer across the reservation and set up blood banks to assist in treating the injured.
Murphy said he first heard about the attacks against the World Trade Center and the Pentagon while at work. He didn’t see live news broadcasts of planes smashing into the skyscrapers that were a signature on the New York skyline until he arrived home from work.
Murphy noted there were concerns among people in the tribal offices whose radios were tuned to newscasts waiting for information of further attacks and the nation’s response.
A Vietnam veteran, Murphy said it was the first time he had seen the entire nation on alert since the Bay of Pigs. “It was shocking because people never thought it could happen in the U.S.
“I didn’t see it until last night. As a Vietnam veteran I had a lot of concerns. As a veteran who served in Vietnam, we don’t take this stuff very lightly,” Murphy said.
“These types of people are crazy. You don’t trust them anywhere. We continued to work yesterday because we’re not going to allow those terrorists to get a hold of us. They need to be put away or strung up some place.”
While hearing the reports of the planes smashing into buildings, Murphy said he became more alarmed when he heard the Pentagon had been one of the targets.
Murphy said tribal officials checked for traveling tribal members immediately to find out if any were in the areas hit by the terrorist actions.
“I still have fears because you can’t trust these people,” Murphy said.
Murphy added his concerns about implications for tribal members serving in the military and how other issues such as rising gasoline prices and their impact on his tribe. He
had already heard reports from areas of the country in many of the nation’s hubs including Minneapolis, Kansas City and Houston. Higher gas prices could compromise basic services such as public safety, ambulance runs and other services.
“I’m scared of that. We are going to have to take precautions from health care all the way down because we transport a lot of people.”
Murphy said his nephew is stationed in Missouri on alert, but he was preparing to move to another military installation.
Roger Trudell, president of the Santee Sioux Tribe of Nebraska, saw the event live on television at the Indian Health Care Clinic in Santee. “I was in my office when a pharmacist said, ‘You have to come and see this.’”
Trudell said he watched as the second plane flew into to the second tower of the World Trade Center. “My first thought is there was a lot of people in the World Trade Center and I have a lot of sympathy in for those people and their families.”
He suggested not enough money and time has been devoted to physically infiltrating such terrorism groups and the United States has relied too heavily on high tech surveillance and intelligence.
“Nothing beats direct contact with people. Even if they don’t like those people, they need to know what they are up to and establish some kind of contact,” he said.
“It was very unreal. It shows everybody we’re not as secure as we think we are.”
Trudell, who works for the Indian Health Service, travels often, but said he has been skeptical about boarding a plane for some time. “I don’t think I’m flying. If I can’t drive, I don’t need to be there.”
Trudell, whose tribe has minimal resources, said he is worried high gas prices will hurt tribal members and looks upon the rising prices at larger cities as retailers taking advantage of a national disaster.