PINE RIDGE - Skaters from Pine Ridge and across the region gathered in Pine Ridge on August 23 for the 23rd annual Toby Classic at the Toby Eagle Bull Memorial Skatepark, participants were competing in three categories, Big Air Ollie, Flat Ground Ollie and Best Trick and featured the Winyan of Shred Showcase; Pine Ridge skater Marcius Vocu took two events while Henry LaCaburra took the third. After the presentation of flags,the Brave Heart brothers sang the Lakota Flag song, Joe Giago offered a prayer. “Joe’s prayer connected the crowd to the buffalo harvested last fall,” said Jeanne Eagle Bull,...

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Just recently, Red Cloud Renewable celebrated the graduation of their third Pre-ARP cohort of 2025. It is also their second graduating class for the month of July 2025. Red Cloud Renewable empowers Native American communities by offering vital education in solar installation, sustainable building practices, and weatherization techniques. Through these initiatives, we equip individuals with the knowledge and skills necessary to implement renewable energy solutions, construct environmentally friendly structures, and improve the resilience of homes against harsh weather conditions. This impactful work directly benefits Native American communities by fostering self-sufficiency, reducing energy costs, and promoting sustainability, thereby enhancing the overall...

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When school is out for the summer, a cohort of 10th, 11th, and 12th graders enter university doors for two weeks. Inside the University of South Dakota, they find out what campus meals and dormitories are really like. But they also unearth belonging and ownership— over themselves and their art. This June, 20 high school students attended the annual, longstanding Oscar Howe Summer Art Institute (OHSAI). In between dining hall lunches and loft bed rests, these select teen artists learn from each other and renowned Native artists— they put pen or brush to paper, attend lessons, and utilize open studio...

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OGLALA - Last week the OST Council met in Oglala at Isna Wica Owayawa for their regular monthly meeting, with a vote of 13-5, the council approved the five constitutional revisions proposed by the Voices of the Elders group, a motion to table had been defeated 5-13. The five revisions included: 1) Electing one council representative per district, 2) At large election of the Secretary, Treasurer and Fifth Member, 3) The Treasurer shall be the custodian of all the funds of the tribe, received from any source whatever, 4) The districts of Pine Ridge Reservation include Oglala, Wakpamni, Wounded Knee,...

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The U.S. Government has reached an million settlement with victims of a Stanley Patrick Weber, a doctor who sexually assaulted Native American boys for decades at hospitals run by the Indian Health Service in Montana and South Dakota. The settlement is the latest against the government for its part in Dr. Stanley Patrick Weber's abuse of teenage boys in the IHS system. It's estimated that as many as a dozen IHS officials had knowledge of the accusations against Weber during his 20-year employment. Instead of terminating his employment, the IHS transferred him to a hospital in Pine Ridge, S.D.,...

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Native Americans have remarkably stood on the frontlines of the US military service, answering the call to defend the nation. Their contributions span every historic battle of the past century, from World Wars I and II to conflicts in Korea, Vietnam, Afghanistan, and Iraq. Today, these indigenous people make up about 1.7% of active duty service members despite comprising only 1.4% of the general population. Meanwhile, more than 140,000 veterans currently reside nationwide, with American Indians and Alaska Natives having served in the Armed Forces at five times the national average—the highest per-capita participation of any demographic in the military....

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Ramona Delilah Ashmore (Apple) Oct 30, 1938-Aug 26, 2025 George Black Feather May 14, 1957-Aug 25, 2025

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NOV 17, 1946-AUG 24, 2025 Melvina Bessie (Two Bulls) Winters was born on November 17, 1946 at home in the Payabya Community. Melvina made her journey to the Spirit World on August 24, 2025 at the Monument Health Hospital in Rapid City, SD. Melvina is survived by her children, Lynette Two Bulls of MT, Doreen (Robert) Runnels of #4 Community of Pine Ridge, SD, Joseph Winters of Pine Ridge, SD, Bernadette (Reynold Jr) Denny of Whiteclay, NE, Esther Winters (Isaac, Sanisteven) of Pine Ridge, SD, Courtney Warrior of Rushville, NE and Vesta Packed (John) Rouillard of Pine Ridge, SD, marriage...

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SIOUX FALLS — Native American radio stations will receive stopgap funding promised to them in a handshake deal with the Trump administration, U.S. Sen. Mike Rounds said Thursday in response to concerns expressed earlier this week by tribal leaders. The South Dakota Republican answered questions about the issue Thursday during and after a public appearance with the Greater Sioux Falls Chamber of Commerce. Tribal radio stations across the country said they haven’t heard from the Trump administration about the amounts or timing of grants needed to operate their stations over the next year, causing worry among managers and forcing them...

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In this powerful reframing of the stories that make us, Anishinaabe writer Patty Krawec leads us into the borderlands of history, science, memoir, and fiction. When a friend asked what books could help them understand Indigenous lives, Patty Krawec, author of Becoming Kin, gave them a list. This list became a book club and then a podcast about a year of Indigenous reading, and then this book. The writers in Bad Indians Book Club refuse to let dominant stories displace their own and resist the way wemitigoozhiwag--European settlers--craft the prevailing narrative and decide who they are. In Bad Indians Book...

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