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| Great Plains Tribal Leaders' Council | |
|---|---|
| Name | Great Plains Tribal Leaders' Council |
| Formation | 1960s |
| Type | Nonprofit |
| Headquarters | Eagle Butte, South Dakota |
| Region served | Cheyenne River Indian Reservation, Standing Rock Indian Reservation, Lower Brule Indian Reservation, Crow Creek Indian Reservation, Sisseton Wahpeton Oyate |
| Leader title | Chairman |
Great Plains Tribal Leaders' Council is a regional intertribal organization based in Eagle Butte, South Dakota, representing multiple federally recognized Native American nations across the northern Plains. It was formed during a period of activism concurrent with the American Indian Movement and the era of the Kennedy administration's tribal policy reviews, to coordinate tribal responses to federal programs administered by agencies such as the Indian Health Service, the Bureau of Indian Affairs, and the Department of Housing and Urban Development. The Council functions as a consortium for member nations, engaging with entities like the National Congress of American Indians, the Great Plains Tribal Chairman's Association, and the Intertribal Council on Utility Policy.
The Council emerged in the late 1960s and early 1970s amid nationwide mobilization exemplified by events such as the Wounded Knee Occupation (1973), the Fish-ins of the Pacific Northwest, and policy shifts following the Indian Reorganization Act debates. Founders included tribal leaders who had worked with institutions like Bureau of Indian Affairs agents and advocates from the Office of Economic Opportunity. Early initiatives mirrored projects supported by the War on Poverty era and sought to implement programs similar to those run by the Native American Rights Fund and the South Dakota Native Homeownership Coalition. During the 1980s and 1990s the Council expanded services in response to federal acts such as the Indian Child Welfare Act and the Native American Housing Assistance and Self-Determination Act of 1996.
Governance is conducted through a board composed of elected tribal representatives drawn from member nations, modeled in part on the representative structures of the National Congress of American Indians and the Affiliated Tribes of Northwest Indians. Executive functions are overseen by a Chairman and an Executive Director, interacting with program directors responsible for areas analogous to those managed by the Indian Health Service, the Administration for Native Americans, and the Environmental Protection Agency's Tribal program offices. Financial oversight involves audits compliant with standards used by the United States Government Accountability Office and reporting required under statutes similar to the Single Audit Act. The Council maintains intergovernmental memoranda of understanding with entities resembling the South Dakota Department of Social Services and collaborates with academic partners such as South Dakota State University and University of North Dakota for research and workforce development.
Member nations include federally recognized tribes situated on reservations like Cheyenne River Indian Reservation, Crow Creek Indian Reservation, Sisseton-Wahpeton Oyate Reservation, Standing Rock Indian Reservation, and Lower Brule Indian Reservation. Jurisdictional matters intersect with treaties such as the Treaty of Fort Laramie (1868), court decisions including United States v. Wheeler, and federal statutes like the Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act. Tribal enrollment offices and judicial bodies coordinate with county administrations including Dewey County, South Dakota and Corson County, South Dakota, and with federal districts such as the United States District Court for the District of South Dakota.
The Council operates programs addressing health, housing, social services, and vocational training, aligning with funding mechanisms used by the Indian Health Service, the Department of Housing and Urban Development, and the Administration for Native Americans. Health initiatives often mirror collaborations found in partnerships with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and tribal epidemiology centers. Housing projects have drawn on resources associated with the Native American Housing Assistance and Self-Determination Act and technical assistance from organizations like the Enterprise Community Partners. Workforce development and education programs cooperate with institutions such as the Bureau of Indian Education, Sinte Gleska University, and community colleges in the Great Plains region.
Policy work involves advocacy before bodies like the United States Congress, the Department of the Interior, and advisory committees analogous to the President's Advisory Council on Native American Affairs. The Council participates in regional coalitions with groups such as the Great Plains Tribal Chairman's Association and national entities including the National Congress of American Indians to influence legislation on healthcare funding, natural resources, and tribal sovereignty. It has engaged in consultations related to Clean Water Act implementation on reservation lands and has submitted comments to regulatory processes administered by the Environmental Protection Agency and the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
Economic development efforts emphasize entrepreneurship, energy projects, and agriculture, coordinating with federal grant programs like those from the Economic Development Administration and investment partners similar to the First Nations Development Institute. The Council has supported renewable energy planning comparable to projects funded by the Department of Energy's Tribal Energy Program and has facilitated partnerships with regional cooperatives and corporations active in sectors such as wind energy and ranching, engaging stakeholders like Rural Utilities Service programs and local chambers of commerce.
The Council and associated enterprises have confronted disputes typical of intertribal organizations, including litigation over contract compliance, disputes involving grant administration subject to review by the United States Department of Justice or the Environmental Protection Agency, and controversies over land use echoing matters in cases like Carcieri v. Salazar. Internal governance disputes have sometimes led to contested elections and hearings before administrative fora similar to those convened by the Bureau of Indian Affairs. Allegations of mismanagement have at times prompted audits comparable to those by the Government Accountability Office and corrective action plans under federal grant rules.
Category:Native American organizations Category:Organizations based in South Dakota Category:Intertribal councils