While sipping my morning coffee I began reading a White House document titled “2014 Native Youth Report.” As with every other tribal member, I am aware of the long-standing socio-economic quagmire we have been enduring.

The fact that we are still alive and well is short of miraculous and thought provoking. In this enclosed Lakota biosphere of ours, we have life fundamentals that should be public knowledge. However, we rely on outside entities to provide skewed numbers or statistics relevant to language, education, and population.

We have a severe need to develop and establish our own data regarding areas of public concern. Such statistics will be local, accurate, and up-to-date...