SWO Chairman delivers State of the Tribes address
KWAT
January 14, 2022
PIERRE, S.D. (AP) — The chairman of the Sisseton Wahpeton Oyate offered South Dakota’s Legislature a history lesson during the annual State of the Tribes address as he emphasized tribal sovereignty and government-to-government relations.
hairman Delbert Hopkins Jr. remind lawmakers that treaties with tribal nations have always been a part of the United States government, starting with the Constitution and George Washington.
State and tribal governments have perenially had an uneasy relationship in South Dakota. T
he annual State of the Tribes address is meant to foster cooperation.
Hopkins named several areas where the state and tribes could work together, including education, economic development and law enforcement.
