Tribes underscore how economic development, social programs are helping members

Leaders of tribal nations highlighted efforts to bolster their communities and strengthen their sovereignty at an annual summit this week.

Frank Jamerson, vice chair of the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe, said the tribe has made progress building relationships with other government agencies.

“We’re now able to take those steps forward so we can start showing the United States government that we as Native Americans can start taking care of ourselves,” Jamerson said.

During the event, which took place Tuesday and Wednesday at the Bismarck Event Center, the five tribes that share geography with North Dakota were invited to provide updates on projects and programs and to speak to accomplishments and challenges in their communities.

Standing Rock, for instance, will soon start construction on several new greenhouses. The goal of the program is to help the tribe produce more of its own food.

Standing Rock is planning a new records building, as well. The facility will store the tribe’s historical documents, Jamerson said.

“It will be like a teaching tool for our younger generation — that they can see the history,” said Jamerson, who spoke at the conference on behalf of Chair Janet Alkire.

The vice chair also highlighted a successful housing program for employees of the Prairie Knights Casino and a program that provides free meals for elders.

Spirit Lake Nation Chair Lonna Jackson-Street said her tribe is working to administer more public programs without assistance from the federal government.

“We believe that tribal government is the best-situated to provide for public welfare and law and order on the reservation,” Jackson-Street said at the conference.

Spirit Lake leaders are considering assuming responsibility for law enforcement services currently provided through the Bureau of Indian Affairs, Jackson-Street said.

The tribe has already signed an agreement with the bureau to employ three of its own law enforcement officers. She said the agreement allows the tribe to bypass the agency’s background check process, which in the past has significantly lengthened the hiring process.

She noted that the tribe already manages programs formerly administered by the Indian Health Service and the U.S. Department of the Interior.

The Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa recently opened a food distribution center and this fall will welcome a new addiction treatment center, Chair Jamie Azure said.

Turtle Mountain also is adding new recreational facilities, he added.

A new water park recently opened on the reservation, and a trampoline park is slated to open within the next few weeks.

“We started hearing that the kids wanted a safe haven to go to — somewhere fun in the community that was safe, where they felt safe,” Azure said.

Azure said the tribe has formed a drug task force to combat drug trafficking.

The task force and state are “working together to stop the drugs from coming into our communities,” he said.

MHA Nation Chair Mark Fox shared a long list of new developments on the Fort Berthold Reservation, including public schools, medical facilities, government buildings and community centers. Like Standing Rock, the MHA Nation is also planning to build a greenhouse.

Fox also noted that the 4 Bears Casino has taken a significant revenue hit due to the explosion of electronic pull tabs in North Dakota.

In order to help its tourism industry bounce back, the MHA Nation is also planning updates to the 4 Bears Casino, as well as to build a new casino near White Shield, Fox said.

“Our strategy is not to retreat,” Fox said. “Our strategy, given our resources and everything else we do, is to reinvest.”

In the future, the MHA Nation hopes to open a regenerative treatment center for diabetes and other illnesses.

Fox said the MHA Nation is also investing its wealth outside the reservation. It has purchased land for development in Las Vegas, for example.

“Real estate development makes money,” Fox said.

Leadership from the Sisseton-Wahpeton Oyate Tribe was unable to attend the conference.

Many tribal leaders also took the opportunity to bid farewell to Gov. Doug Burgum, who started the conference six years ago. Burgum is not seeking reelection to the office of governor. His term ends in December.

During the conference, Burgum urged a continued focus on state-tribal relations.

“My first challenge for all of you is to say, ‘Hey, this is just the beginning. … We’re keeping this thing going, we’re moving forward,’ ” Burgum said. “One of the advantages we have as a state is that we’re nimble, we’ve got all these abundant resources, and we can tackle even the biggest challenges.”

This story was originally published on NorthDakotaMonitor.com