LAKE TRAVERSE RESERVATION, S.D. (Dakota News Now) – A northern South Dakota reservation continues in their goal of self-reliance, something that became a priority during the pandemic.

If you drive just south of Agency Village by the pow-wow grounds, you’ll see an expanse of farmers’ fields. Although the landscape remains the same, those working the land are changing.

“It’s something we started last year, coming into our new term. We see agriculture as a huge opportunity for the tribe,” said J. Garret Renville, Sisseton Wahpeton Oyate tribal chairman.

The leadership of the Sisseton Wahpeton Oyate Tribe continues to find new ways to strengthen food sovereignty, which means expanding their agriculture programming.

“Currently, we lease a lot of our land to farmers, and so now, we’re trying to do a lot more ourselves,” said Renville.

Soybeans, potatoes and corn seedlings will be popping up soon.

“When we talk about food sovereignty, that definitely has to be a part of this new endeavor. One part of it is to farm commercially but also to be able to feed ourselves in case of another pandemic or another disaster,” said Renville.

The tribe’s meat locker is just days away from opening.

“It came in during the pandemic — there was a shortage of beef. And so fortunately for us, we had buffalo to rely on,” said Renville.

Whether it’s a family or a First Nation, growing your own food and butchering your own meat brings pride.

“Even our agriculture continues to expand year over year,” said Renville.

Copyright 2024 Dakota News Now. All rights reserved.

RAPID CITY, S.D. (KEVN) – Voting for the primary election is June 4, and to ensure the process goes smoothly, the Pennington county auditor’s office is making their preparations.

To help organize the voter’s ballots, the auditor’s office uses their tabulating machines to help with the process. Before the primary, staff ensures the machines are working correctly by feeding them ballots for several hours at a time.

For more information regarding the South Dakota Primaries in June, take a look at KOTA Territory’s Voter Guide.

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Copyright 2024 KEVN. All rights reserved.

VERMILLION, SD (KTIV) – Grab your lawn chair to enjoy a night of tragedy, comedy and Shakespeare.

The South Dakota Shakespeare Festival will put on “The Merchant of Venice” at Prentis Park, in Vermillion, South Dakota. Performances start at 7 p.m. Thursday, June 6 and will run until Sunday, June 9.

The South Dakota Shakespeare Festival is bringing this story to life with the North Dakota Shakespeare Festival.

Beer, wine and other refreshments will be available for sale at showtime. The festival says “The Merchant of Venice” marks one of Shakespeare’s most intricate tales of comedy and tragedy to create a world where not everything is as it seems.

Before opening night, SDSF says they would like to warn the public that the play does contain theatrical elements of bigotry and antisemitism.

“Please be aware that this play includes theatricalizations of bigotry and antisemitism with the purpose of generating productive and restorative dialogue surrounding these challenging issues.” said the South Dakota Shakespeare Festival, “SDSF and NDSF are committed to creating places and opportunities for us to process how art and life collide.”

For audience members who wish to participate in these conversations, SDSF will hold “Community Building Conversations.” The event will include a talkback about the history of the production and the time period while focusing on how it relates to the 21st century.

The discussion will be from 1 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. at the W. H Over Museum on Monday, June 3. SDSF says they will also hold a post-show exchange with the production’s creative team on Friday, June 7 and Sunday, June 9th.

Besides the production and conversation, SDSF will have other events take place from June 2 through June 9th.

For more information, visit www.sdshakespearefestival.org or follow the festival’s Facebook page.

Copyright 2024 KTIV. All rights reserved.