South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem has been banned from visiting 10 percent of the lands in her own state after accusing some tribal leaders of profiting from Mexican drug cartels.
The Standing Rock Sioux Tribal Council voted Tuesday to formally ban the governor, 52, from reserving “racially accusatory” claims she made during town hall meetings in March.
Standing Rock is the third tribal nation to be banned by the governor after the Oglala Sioux Tribe banished it from its reservation in February and the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe banned it last week.
“Governor Kristi Noem’s wild and irresponsible attempt to connect tribal leaders and parents with Mexican drug cartels is a sad reflection of her fear-based politics that do nothing to bring people together to solve problems,” said Tribal Chairman Janet Alkire .
“Rather than making uninformed and unsubstantiated claims, Noem should work with tribal leaders to increase funding and resources for tribal law enforcement and education,” she added.
South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem has been banned from visiting 10 percent of the lands in her own state after accusing some tribal leaders of profiting from Mexican drug cartels
Standing Rock is the third tribal nation to ban access to tribal lands after the Oglala Sioux Tribe banished Noem from its reservation in February and the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe banned her last week
Noem sparked outrage among Native Americans after she accused tribal leaders of working with Mexican drug cartels last month.
“We have a number of tribal leaders who I believe personally benefit from the presence of the cartels, and that’s why they attack me every day,” she said.
She also accused Native American parents of not being involved in their children’s lives and blamed them for poor academic performance in tribal areas.
“My next step would be to do what I can to get a tribe to join me in helping their children become more successful,” Noem said.
‘Because they live with 80% to 90% unemployment. Their children have no hope. They don’t have parents who show up and help them.
“They have a tribal council or a president who focuses more on a political agenda than really caring about making someone’s life better.”
Her comments infuriated tribal leaders, with five tribes including the Standing Rock Sioux, the Oglala Sioux, the Cheyenne River Sioux, the Rosebud Sioux and the Crow Creek Sioux since demanding an apology from Noem.
She has not apologized, instead issuing a statement last week calling on tribal leaders to ban the cartels.
“I call on all our tribal leaders to banish the cartels from tribal lands,” Noem said in the news release.
“The cartels are causing drug addiction, murder, rape, human trafficking and more in tribal communities across the country, including in South Dakota.
“I will work with you to sign law enforcement agreements to assist you immediately, respect your sovereignty and enforce tribal law,” she said.
The same day she released the statement, the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe council voted 12-0 to ban her from visiting the tribe’s lands.
“This person has made a lot of accusations about the tribes, about the cartel, about council representatives being in bed with the cartel, things like that. It’s all false information,” said District Five Representative Robert Walters, who introduced the motion.
Prior to the vote, Noem appeared uninvited and unannounced at the quarterly Pe’ Sla meeting, according to council members.
‘Mr. Chairman, I believe that some kind of policy needs to be put in place so that she can appear at these tribal meetings. She can’t just go in there and do her thing,” Walters said.
Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe Chairman Ryman LeBeau said of Noem, “The Governor of South Dakota speaks gossip and lies about our Lakota students, their parents and our Tribal Councils.
“The statements made by (the) SD governor on March 13, 2024 perpetuate stereotypes and misconceptions, which are inaccurate and untrue.”
The Oglala Sioux tribe was the first Southern Dekota tribe to ban the Republican following comments she made about the deepening crisis at the U.S.-Mexico border.
She was “banned” from the tribe’s Pine Ridge Reservation after she said she wanted to send razor wire and security personnel to Texas to help prevent migrants from crossing into the US.
Her comments infuriated tribal leaders, with five tribes including the Standing Rock Sioux, the Oglala Sioux, the Cheyenne River Sioux, the Rosebud Sioux and the Crow Creek Sioux since demanding an apology from Noem. Pictured: Standing Rock Sioux Tribe Chairman Janet Alkire (left) and Cheyenne River Sioux Tribal Chairman Ryman LeBeau (right)
Oglala Sioux Tribe Chairman Frank Star Comes Out said, “For the safety of the Oyate, you are hereby banished from the homelands of the Oglala Sioux Tribe, effective immediately!”
Pictured: Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota. The tribe has banned Gov. Kristi Noem from coming near their land following comments she made about the deepening crisis at the U.S.-Mexico border.
The tribe’s president, Frank Star Comes Out, accused Noem of using the border crisis to help Trump get re-elected.
He said, “For the safety of the Oyate, you are hereby banished from the homelands of the Oglala Sioux tribe, effective immediately!”
Speaking about the migrants entering the US, the tribal leader added: “They don’t need to be put in cages, separated from their children like during the Trump administration, or cut open by razor wire supplied by, of all places , South Dakota.’
Noem said a “gang” calling themselves the Ghost Dancers is killing people on the Pine Ridge Reservation. But the leader took serious offense to this.
The governor previously said, “Murders are being committed by cartel members on the Pine Ridge Reservation and in Rapid City, and a gang called the ‘Ghost Dancers’ is affiliated with these cartels.
“They have managed to recruit tribesmen for their criminal activities.”
The tribal leader said Ghost Dance is one of the Oglala Sioux’s “sacred ceremonies” in their community — and he said her reference to it was “used with blatant contempt and is insulting to our Oyate.”
In response to the ban, Noem spokesman Ian Fury said: “Banning Governor Noem does nothing to solve the problem. She calls on all our tribal leaders to banish the cartels from the tribal lands.”