Noem banned by seventh Native American tribe
A seventh Native American tribe in South Dakota has banned Gov. Kristi Noem (R) from its reservation after she commented earlier this year that tribal leaders benefited from drug cartels.
The Crow Creek Sioux Tribe in central South Dakota voted Tuesday to ban Noem from its reservation, citing her cartel comments, the tribe confirmed on social media.
The vote means just two of her state’s nine reservations have not banned Noem from visiting.
“The people voted unanimously to ban her along with the tribal council for her derogatory remarks about the tribes and cartels,” tribal council member Kyle Loudner told The Dakota Scout. “And about the remarks she made about the children being nobodies their whole lives because of the parents.”
The Hill has reached out to the Crow Creek Sioux Tribe for further comment.
“We’ve got some tribal leaders that I believe are personally benefiting from the cartels being there, and that’s why they attack me every day,” the governor said at a forum in March.
“But I’m going to fight for the people who actually live in those situations, who call me and text me every day and say, ‘Please, dear governor, please come help us in Pine Ridge. We are scared,” Noem said, referencing the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in her state.
Langkeek pushed back against this allegation, stating the tribe does not have cartels on the reservations, NPR reported.
“We have cartel products, like guns and drugs. But they pass over state highways getting to the reservation. So, putting us all together like that and saying that all tribes are involved in this really shows to the ignorance of the governor’s office,” he said, per NPR.
The Hill reached out to Noem’s office for further comment.
Relations between Native American tribes in South Dakota and Noem have been strained since she took office in 2019, but her recent comments have further fanned the flames.
Some tribes have alleged Noem, who has been floated as a potential running mate for former President Trump, of making decisions to help Trump’s campaign efforts.
Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe spokesperson Alli Moran told The Hill last month that numerous tribes “share the same sentiments” regarding Noem, specifically that she does not respect or “fully understand” tribal sovereignty.
Noem defended her comments in the midst of the bans, urging tribes to support her law enforcement initiatives last week.
“Tribals leaders should take action to ban the cartels from their lands and accept my offer to help them restore law and order to their communities while protecting their sovereignty,” Noem wrote. “We can only do this through partnerships because the Biden Administration is failing to do their job.”