The United States Libertarian Party's
platform position on
AMERICAN INDIAN
RIGHTS
holds that:
The major factors underlying the
unconscionable plight of America's Indians may be summarized as
follows:
(1) the unresolved complexity of dual national
citizenship;
(2) the attrition of reservation lands and abridgement of
Indian rights to remaining properties;
(3) the subjugation of individual Indians to the Bureau of
Indian Affairs and tribal governmental authority; and
(4) various federal commitments to provide the tribes with
health, education, and welfare benefits "forever" in exchange for
expropriated lands.
We favor the following remedies,
respectively:
(1) individual Indians should be free to select their
citizenship, if any, and tribes should be allowed to choose their
level of autonomy, up to absolute sovereignty;
(2) Indians should have their just property rights restored,
including rights of easement, access, hunting and fishing;
(3) the Bureau of Indian Affairs should be abolished and
tribal members allowed to decide the extent and nature of their
government, if any; and
(4) negotiations should be undertaken to exchange various
otherwise unclaimed and unowned federal properties for any and all
remaining governmental obligations to the tribes.
(5) holding fully liable those responsible for any and all
damages which have resulted from authorization of, or engagement
in, resource development on reservation lands, including damages
done by careless disposal of uranium tailings and other mineral
wastes, as well as damage from government activities such as
bombing ranges and training areas.
The South Dakota Libertarian Party agrees
with the Libertarian Party of the United States on the issues
and positions taken above.
Further we hold that:
The most alienated group of people in South Dakota are the
American Indians of the state, especially the three branches of
the Great Sioux Nation, the Lakota, Dakota, and Nakota, organized
into the nine federally-recognized tribes on South Dakota
reservations.
The current state administration has done nothing to reduce
the alienation of the Indian nations from the rest of South
Dakota. As a result, relations and conditions have worsened
significantly. Mr. Newland, as governor, will place a high
priority on reversing this trend, but it will not be easy.
South Dakota Libertarians agree with the tribes that much of
the land of South Dakota, including the Black Hills, was
unlawfully expropriated from the Great Sioux Nation and other
nations, in violation of the terms of the 1868 Fort Laramie
Treaty, and that this situation demands resolution.
Unfortunately, this all requires action on the federal level,
as established by the Constitution. Since the federal government
is literally the agent for the states, and since the federal
government has failed to properly handle this problem, South
Dakota has a moral obligation to take all steps it can to remedy
the situation with those people inside its borders who are both
sovereign and even, in a sense, the hosts of the 80-90% of South
Dakotans who are NOT Indians. South Dakota must do as much as
possible internally to correct this outrageous situation without
counting on any sensible federal action.
Therefore, the South Dakota Libertarian
Party and Mr. Newland would propose:
(1) that South Dakotans of all races establish a common cause
to get the federal government to initiate actions to correct the
above problems, both directly through our Congressional delegation
and indirectly through other states, lobbying efforts, and
legislative action; especially to petition that all federal lands
not essential for national defense within the former boundaries of
the Great Sioux Reservation be returned to the Indian people in a
way that provides for preservation and joint use of resources and
places of significance of all people now and in the future;
and
(2) that South Dakota enter into one or more compacts with the
nine sovereign nations which share this land with the State of
South Dakota or with new tribal or multi-tribal goverments which
might be formed, to resolve issues of jurisdiction, to transfer
lands that South Dakota now has which it received from the federal
government out of the land illegally taken from the Indians to
those tribal governments under conditions which provide for equal
benefits to both the tribes and the other citizens of South
Dakota, and provide for formal coordination at all levels of
state, tribal and local government, including sharing of resources
to reduce the cost of government and improve the welfare of all
South Dakotans, and that such compacts be subject to ratification
by a vote of the peoples involved.
This is a large task, and must be done one step at a time.
That is why Mr. Newland would ask Mr. Bill Kendle, former chairman
of the Rosebud Sioux Tribe (more properly known as the Oyate
Lakota Sicangu), to join his administration as the State's liaison
with the nine nations of South Dakota, a position of priority
access to the governor's office. Mr. Kendle is respected by people
of all races in South Dakota and has the political knowledge and
desire to see problems resolved that such a post demands.
Furthermore, Mr. Newland would appoint, to non-remunerated
posts, a personal representative from the governor's office to
each of the nine nations, to work with Mr. Kendle to ensure that
communications are clear. We shall be taking applications from
those interested in serving in such posts.
Mr. Newland would also meet individually with each tribal
council (assuming they would agree to do so) prior to taking
office, to plan for improved communications and joint efforts. He
would also request that the Senate and House of Representatives of
South Dakota allow each tribe to appoint a non-voting delegate to
their respective houses to participate in legislative
deliberations and ensure that the voices of the tribal members are
heard. He would lobby all concerned groups in a manner to
encourage cooperation of local governments (e.g., municipalities
and counties) with tribal and district councils, and to establish
formal exchange and coordination/consultation between various
state and tribal agencies. Furthermore, he would take steps to
ensure that the Indian people of South Dakota are properly
represented on various appointed boards and commissions of the
state.
These few actions are just the first of many required to
correct the damage from almost 140 years of poor relations between
the territorial/state government and the tribes, but this will set
the tone for further improvements and set an example for other
states and the federal government. At the same time, the
non-Indian people of South Dakota will benefit as much or more
from these and other Libertarian actions of the first Newland
Administration. This will include the abolition of property taxes,
better protection of the environment, improved management of fish
and wildlife, elimination of obstacles to economic development,
improved law enforcement and reduction of senseless
bureaucracy.
This is the fourth of a series of announcements by the South
Dakota Libertarian Party and the Newland for Governor campaign.
Over the coming months, Bob Newland will be announcing various
possibilities for appointments to administrative positions in
state government. Inquiries on policy should be directed to Nathan
Barton, manager of the Newland campaign. For policy and personal
comments on a large variety of issues, see
http://www.nakedgov.com/, Newland's website.
We have not spoken, unless otherwise noted, to the people we
have named as possibilities for appointments. In some cases, their
open consideration of such a suggestion might create the
appearance of a conflict of interest. In other cases, we simply
want to express our approval of the way some people do their jobs.
Bearing in mind that individuals and groups are judged by the
company they keep, our nominees represent the kind of people with
whom the Newland administration would like to keep company. We
shall be selecting possibilities for appointment throughout the
spring and summer.