The Flandreau Indian Reservation is an
Indian reservation
An Indian reservation is an area of land held and governed by a federally recognized Native American tribal nation whose government is accountable to the United States Bureau of Indian Affairs and not to the state government in which it ...
, belonging to the
federally recognized
This is a list of federally recognized tribes in the contiguous United States of America. There are also federally recognized Alaska Native tribes. , 574 Indian tribes were legally recognized by the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) of the United ...
Flandreau Santee Sioux Tribe of South Dakota
The Flandreau Santee Sioux Tribe ( dak, Wakpa Ipakṡaƞ oyáte) are a federally recognized tribe of Santee Dakota people. Their reservation is the Flandreau Indian Reservation. The tribe are members of the Mdewakantonwan people, one of the sub-tr ...
. They are Santee
Dakota people
The Dakota (pronounced , Dakota language: ''Dakȟóta/Dakhóta'') are a Native American tribe and First Nations band government in North America. They compose two of the three main subcultures of the Sioux people, and are typically divided into ...
, part of the
Sioux
The Sioux or Oceti Sakowin (; Dakota language, Dakota: Help:IPA, /otʃʰeːtʰi ʃakoːwĩ/) are groups of Native Americans in the United States, Native American tribes and First Nations in Canada, First Nations peoples in North America. The ...
tribe of
Native Americans. The reservation is located in Flandreau Township in central
Moody County in eastern
South Dakota
South Dakota (; Sioux language, Sioux: , ) is a U.S. state in the West North Central states, North Central region of the United States. It is also part of the Great Plains. South Dakota is named after the Lakota people, Lakota and Dakota peo ...
, near the city of
Flandreau.
Tribal information
* Reservation: Flandreau Santee Sioux Reservation
* Division: Santee
* Bands: Mdewakanton, Wahpekute
* Land Area: Approximately 2,356 acres (3.68 sq miles) (without boundaries)
* Tribal Headquarters: Flandreau, SD
* Time Zone: Central
* Traditional Language: Dakota
* Enrolled members living on reservation: 726
* Major Employers: Royal River Casino, Flandreau Santee Sioux Tribe, Flandreau Indian School
Government
* Charter: Yes; Constitution and Bylaws: Yes - non-IRA
* Date Approved: April 24, 1936
* Name of Governing Body: Flandreau Santee Sioux Tribal Council
* Executive Committee: (4) President, Vice-President, Secretary, Treasurer, and 4 additional Trustees who are elected by the tribal members. Tribal Treasurer is appointed.
* Dates of Constitutional amendments: October 16, 1967, November 14, 1984, May 23, 1990, May 13, 1997
Elections
* Primary election is at least forty-five days prior to the general election and General Election is held in conjunction with the August General Council meeting.
* Number of Election districts or communities: 1
Executive Officers and Trustees serve four year terms.
Trustee terms of office are staggered.
Meetings
Quorum number: Executive Committee: 4 Executive members. General Council meetings must have fifty percent of qualified voters. General Council meetings are the first Saturday of February, May, August, and November of each year. Executive committee holds meetings at least once a month established by the President.
Education and media
The local newspaper is the ''Moody County Enterprise'', based in Flandreau, South Dakota.
Leaders: past and present
*
Chief Little Crow
Little Crow III (Dakota language, Dakota: ''Thaóyate Dúta''; 1810 – July 3, 1863) was a Mdewakanton, Mdewakanton Dakota chief who led a faction of the Dakota people, Dakota in a Dakota War of 1862, five-week war against the United States in ...
spent much of his life in Minnesota, where he was the head of a Santee band. Little Crow, established himself as a spokesman for his people. After becoming chief around 1834, he sought justice for his people, but also tried to maintain relations with whites. In 1862, he led the fight now known as the Minnesota Santee Conflict. In fact, this war was launched only in the face of starvation and only after the federal government didn’t present land payments as promised. Little Crow was killed the following year. He is buried near Flandreau.
Notable Flandreau people
* Dr.
Charles Alexander Eastman
Charles Alexander Eastman (February 19, 1858 – January 8, 1939) was an American physician, writer, and social reformer. He was the first Native American to be certified in Western medicine and was "one of the most prolific authors and speakers ...
(Ohiyesa), physician, author, and member of the Flandreau Santee Sioux (base enrollee).
Legalization of cannabis
In mid-2015, the Tribe stated their intent to begin growing cannabis on one authorized site on their reservation, and commenced selling the product on 1 January 2016, following a vote of tribal authorities which decided 5–1 to legalize cannabis.
References
South Dakota Office of Tribal Government Relations
External links
Flandreau Reservation Web Site
{{DEFAULTSORT:Flandreau Indian Reservation
American Indian reservations in South Dakota
Dakota
Geography of Moody County, South Dakota