Leaders of four Sioux tribes are condemning the remarks of an activist who reportedly told a university audience that “violence is the only way" to reclaim Dakota land and rights.

The Santee Sioux Tribe of Nebraska, the Crow Creek Sioux Tribe of South Dakota, the Sisseton Wahpeton Oyate of South Dakota and the Flandreau Santee Sioux Tribe of South Dakota heard about a speech made by Dr. Angela Cavender Wilson at Winona State University. The tribes don't want to be associated with Wilson, who says she is a member of the Upper Sioux Community in Minnesota.

“While we do not forget the history, we recognize that the past is in the past,” the leaders of the four tribes said in a letter to the university community, The Winona Post reported. “We choose to live in the present and work on behalf of our peoples’ long-term well-being.”

Nicholas Benike attended the talk and was upset by Wilson's remarks. According to Benike, Wilson said “we are going to attack the infrastructure of the United States along with incorporating other measures to ensure that my people take back what is rightfully ours.”

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Wilson remarks condemned by Sioux Nation (The Winona Post 11/29)