"It is certainly true that Indian issues do not get the attention they deserve, so any conference at which tribal leaders can voice their concerns to elected officials is - usually - good news.

In this case, though, we don't really know if the Saturday meeting was good news or not - it was a closed meeting. The news media and the public were not allowed to be part of a meeting attended by 200 people, all of South Dakota's tribal leaders, both U.S. senators and staff from our U.S. Representative's office.

The public is left to rely on the upbeat statements of participants that this was, in fact, a good meeting, the details of what was discussed - or decided upon - known only to those who participated."

Get the Story:
Editorial:Summit should have been open (The Aberdeen American News 9/29)

Related Stories:
Editorial: Dialogue needed between tribes, officials (9/29)
South Dakota tribal summit called a success (9/27)
'Sioux Summit' set between tribal and state leaders (09/10)