Indigenous Governance Database
Pine Ridge reservation
The Indian Reorganization Act at 80 years
At Pine Ridge, daily controversy surrounds the Indian Reorganization Act (IRA) of 1934. Congress enacted the IRA on June 18, 1934. However, the voting requirement was drastically altered just three days prior. This amendment (H.R. 7781, 49 Stat., 378) dated June 15, 1934, lowered the overall voting…
Pine Ridge Renaissance: From the Ground Up, Sovereignty Can Be Real
This article chronicles the groundswell of small business development taking place on the Pine Ridge reservation in South Dakota, home to the Oglala Sioux Tribe. It examines the critical importance that citizen entrepreneurs can and do play in developing sustainable economies in Indian Country.
Honoring Nations: Oren Lyons: Wounded Knee II: Honoring the Legacy of Ted Kennedy
Onondaga Chief and Faithkeeper Oren Lyons shares a story about late U.S. Senator Ted Kennedy's crucial yet little-known role in averting an attack by the federal government on those who took over Wounded Knee in 1973.
Credit union opens new doors at Pine Ridge
In only nine weeks since it opened, the Lakota Federal Credit Union has attracted 317 members, and $1.2 million in deposits. “We have already approved $100,000 in loans, and that has been by word of mouth. It’s been huge,” Tawney Brunsch, executive director for the Lakota Funds, announced. Brunsch…