Lakota Indians Declare Sovereign Nation Status

The United States is going to have to do a lot to work with members of the Lakota Sioux in the days ahead. Wednesday, December 19, a group that represents various reservations and states declared sovereign nation status and has withdrawn from all treaties with the U.S. government.

The Lakota Freedom Delegation, includes Lakota activist and actor Russell Means; Ogalala Lakota Strong Heart Society leader Duane Martin Sr.; Gary Rowland, Leader Chief Big Foot Riders; Women of Red Nations founder Phyllis Young and others were at the Plymouth Congregational Church in Washington DC to announce the tribe's withdrawal from the treaties.

"For far too long our people have suffered at the hands of the colonial apartheid system imposed on the Lakota Sioux," a press release dated December 13 read, "Our treaties with the United States government are nothing more than worthless words on worthless paper - repeatedly violated in order to steal our culture, our land and our ability to maintain our way of life."

According to the organization, and the website www.lakotafreedom.com, Lakota men have a life expectancy of less than 44 years, the lowest of any country in the World, including Haiti. The infant mortality rate is 5x the U.S. Average and the Tuberculosis rate on Lakota reservations is approximately 800 percent higher than the U.S. national average.

"We have no choice but to take historic action to protect our people and our way of life," the group said, "and reclaim our freedom from the colonial systems of the United States Government." The group has also stated that they intend to issue their own driving licenses and passports.

The move focuses on lands in 5 states, including South Dakota, North Dakota, Nebraska, Wyoming and Montana. Lands the groups claims have been illegally homesteaded for years.

What will happen next is up to the United States government, but the group said in a news release that if the U.S. fails to act, liens will be filed on real-estate transactions across the region, an action that could cause title issues for literally thousands of purchasers.