- Kristi Noem has been banned from entering the land of six South Dakota tribes
- It comes after she suggested tribal leaders were profiting from drug cartels
- The decisions mean that the governor can no longer enter twenty percent of the state
South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem has been banned from 20 percent of the state after several Native American tribes barred her from their lands.
The bans come after Noem suggested tribal leaders were profiting from drug cartels.
Noem, who infamously wrote in her memoir about shooting her hunting dog for misbehavior, told a forum in March that “we have a number of tribal leaders who I think are personally benefiting from the presence of the cartels, and that is why they attack me every day. .’
The governor, who has been tipped as a front-runner to be Trump’s running mate in the upcoming elections, has now been banned by the Yankton Sioux Tribe, the Sisseton-Wahpeton Ovate Tribe, the Oglala, Rosebud, Cheyenne River and Standing Rock Sioux tribes.
There are only three other tribes in the state that have yet to ban it.
Kristi Noem has been denied access to the land of six South Dakota tribes, including the Sisseton-Wahpeton Oyate Tribe, pictured with tribal chairman J. Garrett Renville in February
Noem appeared to double down on her stance Thursday by addressing the controversy on social media
Noem appeared to double down on her position Thursday by addressing the controversy on social media.
“Tribal leaders must take action to banish the cartels from their lands and accept my offer to help them restore law and order to their communities while protecting their sovereignty,” Noem wrote on X.
“We can only do this through partnerships because the Biden administration is failing to do its job,” she added.
Relations between the state and Indian tribes in South Dakota have long been tense.
The 1890 Wounded Knee Massacre remains a major threat to many tribes, and continued disagreements over policies such as the environment have caused tensions recently.
Noem has personally clashed with tribal leaders in the past, most notably during the 2016 Dakota Access Pipeline protests at Standing Rock, which resulted in her temporary banishment from the Oglala Sioux Reservation in 2019.
Relations became tense again during the COVID-19 pandemic as tribes set up checkpoints at their reservation borders to limit the number of visitors.
Political science professor Cal Jillson told the Seattle Times that it is likely that Noem is exacerbating a disagreement with tribal leaders for political reasons.
Noem has personally clashed with tribal leaders in the past, most notably during the 2016 Dakota Access Pipeline protests near Standing Rock
Noem appears to be “actively pushing it, which suggests she sees a political advantage in it,” the Southern Methodist University professor argued.
“I’m sure Governor Noem doesn’t mind focusing on tensions with Native Americans in South Dakota because if we’re not talking about that, we’re talking about shooting the dog,” Jillson told the Times.
However, Jillson told the publication that the controversy could be an attack against her if Trump comes to choose his place as vice president.
“I think the chaos that Trump enjoys is the chaos that he creates,” she explained.
Adding, “Chaos created by someone else simply diverts attention from themselves.”