"I would say Tex G. Hall, tribal chairman of the Three Affiliated Tribes, is no slouch when it comes to making his voice heard.

He issued a resounding challenge - threw down the gauntlet so to speak - to North Dakota tribes (Standing Rock Nation, Spirit Lake and Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa). Which tribe can lose the most weight? Who can make a difference in the war on diabetes? Losing weight is one of the ways to head off or control diabetes, a major cause of death in Indian country.

Here is where it stands: On April 1 (I hope this isn't an April Fools joke, Mr. Chairman) 50 teams of five people each, which is 250 people, stepped on the scale at the local Indian Health clinic. When the total pounds were tallied, it was 27 tons! Yes, that's right and that is a whole lot of Indian adipose tissue. The average weight is 215 pounds per person."

Get the Story:
DORREEN YELLOW BIRD COLUMN: Tribes declare war on diabetes (The Grand Forks Herald 4/9)

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