Ivan Star Comes Out
Laws that govern us must be taught in our schools
By Ivan F. Star Comes Out I write this with due respect to all the tribal members who campaigned for public office regardless of whether you won or not. It is time now to place this ignored issue on the table for the sake of awareness. Our educational curriculum is embarrassingly inefficient as the Indian Reorganization Act (IRA) of 1934 and all its particulars have been omitted since the beginnings of “Indian Education.” As a people, we have been surviving under this new system of government for eight decades by electing our officials every two years. I imagine this election is the 40th and we are still enduring the poverty and misery synonymous of the Great Depression in the 1930s. This poverty has a powerfully adverse effect on the attitudes of most voters and their children. Anyway, I became aware of a rather embarrassing situation during this election. Listening to the interviews on KILI radio, I could not help but think about the high school students who participated in the forums, specifically their knowledge level regarding the IRA and the congressional legislation affecting our existence today. I also thought about our candidates, specifically how much they knew or understood of the history of the IRA on the Pine Ridge. I began to envision the classic metaphor of the blind leading the blind. In other words, the idea of one person trying to show someone else how to do something that they do not know how to do themselves sort of floated to the surface. Anyway, based on what I heard from the radio interviews, the collective knowledge level of our candidates leaves a lot to be desired. Now, before anyone loses control and begins thinking about abusing government power to get back at me, hear me out. I have a very realistic reason for making such a statement. Actually there are several components that have contributed to my opinion. The very first problem is actually a horrible flaw within our reservation education system. All of us learned about city, county, state, and federal systems of government so most of us have been working off of that and we have failed miserably. We must realize that not one word about the IRA, the very system under which we have been struggling, was ever taught in school. Everyone is aware of the enervative nature of life on the homeland but not one individual has admitted to seeing our educational system as the cause. Let’s face it, being unapprised of the IRA’s history and its particulars speaks for itself in terms of effective government here on the reservation. It will take time and effort but adults can overcome this deficit by learning about it. But as responsible adults, we have an obligation to establish a reservation-wide curriculum that is representative of what parents believe young people truly need to know to grow into productive adults. Ideally, 8th grade graduates should have a basic awareness and high school a workable knowledge of the IRA. This is not to overlook the proverbial “three R’s,” our youth absolutely need these. Our new administration must explore that which will empower our youth to forge a better life for themselves. Our current curriculum has not accomplished that for the majority. Additionally, I think an awareness of the congressional legislation that affects every aspect of our lives, our treaties, the old tiospaye system of government, and even our contributions to society will do wonders for our youth. We must realize that all reservation voters, including our leaders, are severely handicapped by not knowing the particulars and history of this new constitutional form of government. Clearly, our elected leadership does not understand the functions of each level of government regarding the districts, tribal council, executive office, judicial system, and the standing committees. It would be highly beneficial for our leadership and voters to be as aware as possible of the history and functions of the Bureau of Indian Affairs office at the local level all the way to the Department of Interior in Washington. As leaders, you must see that this educational deficit exists today. It was never included in our social studies curriculum in junior high. This educational deficit affects all levels of government. The districts try to operate under the tribal constitution’s Article VI while our legislature ignores the situation entirely. Under the old Article VI, districts and 50-plus communities were acknowledged as governing entities each with a constitution and by-laws. The 1997 amendments drastically altered Article VI. However, I saw that voters and officials alike are unaware. As an example, the new Article VI displaced the constitutional governments for Oglala District and its ten communities. Technically, most of these communities still exist, but the new Article VI vacated their constitutions and installed a district executive committee. The fact that district elected officials are not paid is also an awkward indication of this wide-spread lack of knowledge. Also, individual tribal council members have assumed district level responsibilities within their activities. Tribal Council is a legislature and as such is empowered only to make, amend, or repeal the laws of the Oglala Sioux Tribe. Recently I heard some discussions about reviving the pre-1997 constitutional system. It can be done but first we must realize why that old system was displaced. Major point being that the district voters did not understand the IRA and had been “operating” it in a haphazard manner thus rendering it useless. There are certain concepts that must be understood if we are to lawfully return to the old community and district constitutions. District voters must understand the purpose of a constitution and by-laws, recordkeeping, majority rule principle, voter rights, and responsibilities or duties of officials, to name a few. Above all else, we must learn to value other’s rights, not just our own. Tribal Council must rise to its responsibility as a governing body and correct this horrible educational gap on our homeland. Enact law (s) to inaugurate curriculum conducive to the posterity for our children. For the new council members, understand your duty as an elected legislator and as a standing committee member. Your job is to not meddle as managers, magistrates, and construction contractors. Individual tribal council members have been performing district level tasks. Your duty is to not meddle into day-to-day operations and/or immediate needs of the districts. I end here with the words of the late Gordon Tootoosis, (1941- 2011) teacher, actor, mentor, “Leadership is about submission to duty, not elevation to power.” (Ivan F. Star Comes Out, POB 147, Oglala, SD 57764; (605) 867-2448; mato_nasula2@outlook.com) Copyright permission Native Sun News
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