PRINCIPLES
for Engagement on the Black Hills Issue:
- Take direction from Lakota people who are leading the struggle for the Black Hills.
- Allies do not speak for Lakota people.
- The fight for the Black Hills will be lead by prayer and natural law.
- Allies will not take meetings on behalf of Lakota people on the Black Hills issue without Lakota people present and leading the meeting.
- Respect the self-determination of Lakota People.
- Allies will support the direction of our traditional treaty councils.
- Allies will support the direction of our Tribal leaders.
- Allies will respect our Elders.
- The Lakota pursuit of Justice and Liberation must be led by Lakota people.
CONTINUE
FAQ
Who has authority over the Black Hills now?
Currently the Black Hills are mostly “owned” by the United States Federal Government.
- The US Forest Service: 1.5 million acres (South Dakota & Wyoming)
- The National Park Service: 41,500 acres
- Wind Cave National Park: 38,971 acres
- Mt. Rushmore National Park: 1,238 acres
- Jewel Cave National Park: 1,274 acres
- South Dakota State Parks: 71,000 acres
- Private individuals & corporations: 300,000 acres
- Tribes: 2,000 acres
How do the Lakota get the Black Hills back?
There are four ways the Lakota people can get the Black Hills returned:
- Congress can return the federal lands via legislation.
- President Biden can use his executive powers to return the federal lands.
- Donors can help purchase private land with the Lakota.
- Current private landowners can donate land to the Lakota.
What are the current mining issues in the Black Hills?
Gold, lithium, rare earth elements, and uranium are all found in the Black Hills. The Lakota are asking the Bureau of Land Management to withdraw mining leases from all public lands in the Black Hills in order to protect them from further desecration. Most of these public lands are sacred places to the Lakota.
Timeline
Louisiana Purchase
President Thomas Jefferson finalizes the Louisiana Purchase, giving the U.S. sole imperial rights to claim Indigenous lands via treaty or war. This includes Oceti Sakowin territories and the Black Hills.
1851 Ft. Laramie Treaty
With the discovery of gold in California, the U.S. government creates the 1851 Ft. Laramie Treaty with several plains tribes to establish rail lines and safe passageways for westward bound prospectors. This treaty establishes the Great Sioux Reservation and it is the first to recognize the Black Hills as Oceti Sakowin territory.
1868 Ft. Laramie Treaty
The 1868 Fort Laramie Treaty further defines the Great Sioux reservation and holds that these territories would be “set apart for the absolute and undisturbed use and occupation” of the Oceti Sakowin in perpetuity.
Treaty conversations break down
In 1874, General George Custer fronts an illegal expedition for gold into the Black Hills, violating the 1868 treaty. The U.S. government’s attempts to sign a new treaty with the Oceti Sakowin band leaders fails as the Lakota refuse to cede any of their lands.
Battle of the Greasy Grass (Little Bighorn)
Spurning the government’s pressures to surrender and assimilate, Sitting Bull and Crazy Horse lead the Lakota in successfully defeating the U.S. military. These humiliating defeats provoke Congress to attach the “Sell or Starve” rider to the Indian Appropriations Act of 1876 to coerce the remaining free Lakota into ceding their lands.
Illegal seizure of Black Hills
To lay claim to the minerals and resources within the Black Hills, Congress ratifies the Act of February 28, 1877 that illegally seized the Black Hills and other territories from the Lakota.
Oceti Sakowin files compensation claims
The Oceti Sakowin successfully file for compensation claims in the Court of Claims to bring suit against the U.S. government for their illegal seizure of the Black Hills.
Siege on Wounded Knee
In 1973, 200 Oglala Lakota and members of the American Indian Movement reclaimed the town of Wounded Knee of Pine Ridge for 71 days. The action received widespread support from across the country.
Oceti Sakowin wins in the US Supreme Court
In U.S. v. Sioux Nation of Indians, the Supreme Court held that the Great Sioux Nation were due just compensation for the congressional Act of 1877’s annexation of Oceti Sakowin territory. However, the Oceti Sakowin refuse the growing settlement, now estimated at over $1.3 billion.
Pe’ Sla & LandBack
In 2012, various tribes purchased Pe’ Sla and the U.S. placed 2,022 acres of this land into federal Indian trust status. In 2020, the Land Back campaign rose to prominence after protests against President Trump's visit to Mount Rushmore and mining in the Black Hills, in 2020.
Learn More
Vine Deloria Jr - Reflections on the Black Hills Claim
Nick Estes - Our History Is the Future: Standing Rock Versus the Dakota Access Pipeline, and the Long Tradition of Indigenous Resistance.
Mario Gonzalez and Elizabeth Cook-Lynn - The Politics of Hallowed Ground: Wounded Knee and the Struggle for Indian Sovereignty
Craig Howe, Lydia Whirlwind Soldier, and Lanniko L. Lee - He Sapa Woihanble: Black Hills Dream
Black Elk and John G. Neihardt - The Sixth Grandfather: Black Elk's Teachings Given to John G. Neihardt
BLACK HILLS JUSTICE
THE BLACK HILLS ARE NOT FOR SALE.
X MARKS THE FRONTLINES
Thank you for joining the movement to return the Black Hills.
You are here because you want to be part of #LandBack with the Lakota people. We need you to be ready. We need you to come when called. Commit to taking action for Black Hills Justice.
KEY PLAYERS
Tribes and Ally Organizations Working on the Return of the Black Hills:
RESOURCES
Together, we have the power to return the Black Hills to Lakota hands.