The Little Wound Lady Mustangs walked away with the girls basketball champion title at the 39th annual Lakota Nation Invitational. Photo from Twitter

A note from the editor’s desk
By Brandon Ecoffey
Lakota Country Times Editor

Of all the issues we print throughout the year, the one we print the week of the Lakota Nation Invitational is by far my favorite to work on and contribute to. In the Native news media we spend so much of our time exposing injustices and providing commentary on the political issues facing our nations that we sometimes forget the joy that comes from watching our youth compete and perform.

As a writer there is just something about attempting to write about the game that you love. How does a person describe “poetry in motion?” The description of the game of basketball as a form of art has always been the most applicable to how I view the sport. To watch Lakota children play the game without the inhibitions that sometimes limit them in their personal lives, is a privilege that I highly value.

For many of us in Lakota Country this is one of the few weeks that we sort of let our guard down and just simply take in the beauty of watching our best athletes play the game of basketball. The game itself was most likely brought to us by Christian missionaries determined to rid us of our traditional Lakota ways, but, Ironically, Lakota people simply adopted the game as our own. Now we even use it to bring our people together to celebrate our existence and perseverance against our attempted assimilation.

I have always held the firm belief that the mere presence of Lakota people in this day and age is a form of political resistance and proof that we have never been defeated. It is for this reason that so much of what we do as tribal citizens and tribal governments is always so politically disruptive and watched by so many. We are political beings and it often difficult to escape this reality, but it cannot be denied.

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The Lakota Nation Invitational has somehow managed to remain apolitical and always focused on the youth of our nations. This focus on our youth has allowed for the event to grow in to the cultural phenomena that it now is. We can debate many topics amongst ourselves, but it easy to for us all to agree that what takes place this week is beneficial for all of us.

This singular event brings more of our people together in the sacred Black Hills than any other throughout the year. The power of our bands of Lakota coming together is presented in all its glory as we demonstrate our power as consumers, family members, relatives, and nations. It is for these reasons that I personally appreciate this week so much.

The mystique of LNI is really a testament to Bryan Brewer, his family, and the people who have for years and years given of themselves for the sake of our young athletes. LNI is proof of what our people can create when we come together for the common good of our people.

Brandon Ecoffey is the editor of LCT and an award winning journalist who was born and raised on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation. Brandon earned his education at Dartmouth College where he studied in Native American Studies and Political Theory.

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