by Jami Patterson
"Whenever there was trouble or the people were feeling threatened, they used to depend on the warriors, the protectors of the people. One such warrior was Tasunke Witko (Crazy Horse). Whenever he would show up
during times of trouble, the people would feel safe. His presence would instill fortitude and bravery in the people. This was because they respected him and trusted that he would stand and fight for what was right and just. This is the reputation that the Lakota Student Alliance would like to earn. Strong hearted in the front and weak hearted in the rear." T.L. Standing Soldier, one of the founders of the Lakota Student Alliance
On a warm Saturday afternoon on October 4, 2003 in Kyle, South Dakota, in a room only a few dozen feet from where the Lakota Student Alliance (LSA) began, four men sat down to discuss the latest development of the
Lakota Student Alliance.
The reason for the meeting was to elect a Board of Directors and Officers for the Lakota Student Alliance. The Secretary of the State of South Dakota had certified the Lakota Student Alliance as a non-profit organization in April 2003. "We must now pursue non-profit status by acquiring our IRS 501c(3) exemption letter from the IRS to further our purposes," Robert Quiver, Acting Director of LSA, explained.
Those purposes, according to the Articles of Incorporation for the Lakota Student Alliance are to "advance the well-being, self determination, cultural/linguistic preservation of the peoples of the Great Teton Nation, inclusive of the Oglala Band of the Teton Nation."
"Any Board member, Officer, or any other member of the Lakota Student Alliance," says Quiver, "must also adhere to the four "S" Principles of our organization: Spirituality, Sovereignty, Support, and Sobriety."
The Lakota Student Alliance began in 1995 when three former students of the Oglala Lakota College, Robert Quiver, Sam Gardipe, and Tim Standing Soldier, decided to form a group. Calling themselves "The Lakota
Student Alliance," they joined with other students of the Lakota Nation and grassroots indigenous peoples to address what they perceived to be the common hardships facing them on the reservation: Alcoholism,
Poverty, Apathy, Exploitation of Spirituality, Exploitation of Earth, Economic Exploitation of Lakota resources, Racial Discrimination, Police Brutality, and Tribal authorities' abuse of power.
Their first response to these injustices occurred in February of 1996 when LSA assembled approximately 40 other Lakota students at Mt. Rushmore to reaffirm their support for the return of the Sacred He Sapa (Black Hills) to the Lakota Nation. The students provided information to other students from around the USA who had come to Mt. Rushmore for the filming of a performance by rock band 'The Presidents of the United States of America,' Standing Soldier explained, "We wanted to educate the younger generation so that they might have an open mind to indigenous issues later in their adult life."
Their next action took place in the spring of 1996 when LSA assisted grassroots groups in stopping the development of a Zeolite mining operation near the Badlands Stronghold Table.
In the fall of 1996, LSA was approached by twin sisters Corrie and Sarah Trimble to help stop a 60 year old mock Indian ceremony and caricature at the Bennett County High School Homecoming in Martin, South Dakota. In October of 1997, following an LSA coordinated protest attended by nearly 200 people, the Bennett County School system discontinued the offensive Homecoming Coronation mock ceremony.
LSA has continued to work on behalf of indigenous students and peoples since 1996, participating in several more direct actions. Their most recent action involved a march in the city of Martin in July of 2003. LSA joined with members of the American Indian Movement, LaCreek Human Rights, and other organizations to protest the splitting of law enforcement in Bennett County because they believed the break-up was due to a Native American having been elected as sheriff in Bennett County.
While LSA has participated in numerous direct actions in the past, Gardipe explains that LSA is ready for nonprofit status. "We need to secure funding so that we can finance the operating costs of LSA. Ideally, we want to get a LSA office and have salaried employees working full-time to effectively represent the interests and concerns of Indigenous Students and people of the Lakota Nation."
Future projects of LSA include starting and financing a Substance Abuse Prevention Treatment Project, an Indian Prisoner Support Project, and an American Indian AIDS awareness project.
Quiver would also like the Lakota Student Alliance to set up a one-year scholarship to attend Oglala Lakota College for GED graduates who have been active in the struggle for the rights of the Lakota Oyate."If we get enough funding, we may even be able to offer a full four-year scholarship."
A top priority of the Lakota Student Alliance will be to secure financing for LSA projects from non-governmental sources. Gardipe, Quiver, and Standing Soldier also hope to work with other tribes in this effort. "We can never be sovereign if we receive money that has conditions attached to it."
The Yellowbird family was represented at the meeting and would like to see the Lakota Student Alliance start their own newspaper. They hope their own news publication, "The Crazy Horse Advocate," whichbegan as
a print publication in 1972 and is now accessible on-line, can serve as a model.
The Lakota Student Alliance has an unmediated discussion group that is readable by anyone and can be accessed by going to www.topica.com/lists/lsalist/prefs/info.html. For more information on the Lakota Student Alliance, or to find out how to get involved, e-mail lakotastudentalliance@yahoo.com or visit their website at
www.oocities.org/lakotastudentalliance/index.html
