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. 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 ...

, part of the

Sioux The Sioux or Oceti Sakowin (; Dakota: /otʃʰeːtʰi ʃakoːwĩ/) are groups of Native American tribes and First Nations peoples in North America. The modern Sioux consist of two major divisions based on language divisions: the Dakota and ...

tribe of Native Americans. The reservation is located in Flandreau Township in central Moody County in eastern

South Dakota South Dakota (; Sioux: , ) is a U.S. state in the North Central region of the United States. It is also part of the Great Plains. South Dakota is named after the Lakota and Dakota Sioux Native American tribes, who comprise a large po ...

, 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 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