EAGLE BUTTE, S.D. – The Lakota Oyate, a group of tribal members looking for reform in tribal government, is petitioning for recall of Cheyenne River Tribal Chairman Gregg J. Bourland and removal of administrative officer J.R. LaPlante.
Meeting March 11, the group talked about why they want a new tribal chairman and changes in the way the tribe is dealing with issues including a merger between Si Tanka Tribal College and Huron University.
Allegations of nepotism and overspending were cited as reasons for the recall petition.
The potential agreement between the institution drew fire from members of the group led by Edna Thompson because of their fears students might be forced to travel to the Huron campus to complete their education, they said. They also spoke of the burden of a significant financial commitment on behalf of the tribe, without taking it to a vote of the tribal membership. Thompson is a tribal member and Bourland’s former secretary.
The group protested at the tribal building March 8 in response to the merger proposal. The outraged tribal members said they were greeted by a chilly reception from some councilmen as they shared views about the college merger and tribal representatives’ failure to explain it to members before a vote was taken.
“We’re putting up all the money for the merger on this college. They are putting up a bond. We have to put up something for collateral. That’s our tribal leases,” Alex Thompson said.
“The signatures on the on petition will mean a lot. It means there are people who might not have been able to come, but they are involved and aware,” he said.
“My main objection is that if this had been an ongoing thing, how come we in the districts didn’t know about it. They just didn’t give us the right to say anything about it.”
“They acted alone in this and didn’t give us a chance to say what we wanted,” Adrienne Bruguier said “We don’t even have roads in these communities, but we’re going to spend $6 million for Huron college. Bourland is saying our students can go over there and complete their degree. They are saying on one hand they can stay here to complete their education, but in the same breath they are saying students can go to Huron college to finish their degree. They shouldn’t have been negotiating anything in Huron without our permission. This is our reservation,” Bruguier said.
Bruguier said she was concerned such agreements might compromise the tribal tax exemption, eventually opening the doors to taxation of tribal members.
“We’re dealing with losing our reservation here. We’re not prepared to be tax payers,” Bruguier said.
The issue of employment on the only South Dakota reservation without gaming revenue is bothersome to Bruguier who said she looks upon the move as potential loss of jobs for tribal members and the impairment of further development which might net jobs for tribal members on an academic level.
“The people that don’t have jobs in those communities, they could have jobs. Instead of giving jobs to people in Huron, we could have jobs in these communities,” she said.
Bruguier, who said she supported Bourland and voted for him when he first ran for office, said, “We put him in there and we can get him out.,”
Thompson and others who attended the March 11 meeting claimed the tribal leaders attempted to intimidate them by recording license plate numbers of the protesters and that the presence of the officers deterred some tribal members from attending the meeting.
“They intimidated people,” she said.
“What Si Tanka College needs is a federal investigation,” said Bruguier, who indicated the college was facing financial troubles.
Some students hitchhike to class and without the physical presence of college staff it would be impossible for the students to access a higher education, said a counselor who didn’t want to be identified, fearing reprimands for attending the meeting.
“I was told by several people I wasn’t suppose to attend any meetings. I will probably get fired. People have really been done wrong. I supported Bourland two times,” she said.
“How long do we have to wait for him to sell us down the drain,” asked Billy Carter, brother of Janet Collins, a former tribal worker who was fired after her refusal to disclose names of clients of a family domestic violence prevention program.
“I don’t think Bourland has the authority to be telling our council what to do. A resolution rescinding his powers would be one thing to take back to the districts,” he said.
“It has to be mandated that the people want the constitution changed, that the council will rather than may recall the chairman,” Carter said.
“We probably won’t get anything done, but the amount of signatures will count for something. It means a whole lot. It means we are getting tired of this and they better do something,” Alex Thompson said.
Lyman Red Cloud alleged that councilmen were taking advances in pay. He said he wants a federal investigation and a full accounting of tribal finances.
Others in the group said they were upset about a series of purchases, including a $350,000 parcel of land purchased for a hospital. The tribal members said because of its location near the airport, it couldn’t be used for the facility.
Greg Eastman, who lives in District 6, said he wanted to see reforms in how tribal lands are leased. “That land is our life blood.”
Eastman said tribal lands are leased at a rate of $1.65 per acre while tribal allotments are leased at a higher rate of $1.37 more per acre. The rates translate to $4 per animal unit per month which is low in comparison to the $7 per animal unit lessees pay on the Rosebud Sioux Indian Reservation, he said.
“Leased land too low – the tribal council has completely deserted us. We need to take control of our own lives and need to pay for services,” Eastman said.
Eastman said he favored raising lease rates to $3.40, using the increase to fund a transportation system on a reservation with a huge land mass requiring people to drive more than a few miles to the nearest grocery store.
“People are having to pay for rides to shop for groceries and clothing for their children … I see no reason why we can’t buy 15 to 20 vans.
“We’re not getting the basic services we can be getting with these resolutions. We’ve got a referendum provision, let’s use it. People are hurting bad. Raising the leases might hurt small cattlemen, but tough. I’ve been broke all my life,” Eastman said.
More than 20 people signed the petition for the recall of the tribal chairman and 25 signed a petition to remove LaPlante from his executive post. Thompson said the tribe’s constitution requires a recall petition to be approved by the council before a recall referendum takes place.
She said tribal members hope for an amendment to the tribal constitution that will allow the tribal membership to call a recall without council approval.
