The Flandreau Santee

Santee

Santee may refer to:Places:* Santee, California* Santee, Nebraska* Santee, South Carolina* Santee River in South Carolina* Santee Education ComplexPlumbing:...

 Sioux

Sioux

The Sioux are Native American and First Nations people in North America. The term can refer to any ethnic group within the Great Sioux Nation or any of the nation's many language dialects...

  Tribe consists of descendents of the “Mdewakanton

Mdewakanton

Mdewakantonwan are one of the sub-tribes of the Isanti Dakota . Their historic home is Mille Lacs Lake in central Minnesota, which in the Dakota language was called mde wakan .As part of the Santee Sioux, their ancestors had migrated from the Southeast of the present-day United States, where the...

wan” people, one of the sub-tribes of the Isanti (Santee) Dakota (Sioux) originally from central Minnesota.
In 1934, the Tribe was recognized under the Indian Reorganization Act of 1934. Today the Flandreau Santee Sioux Reservation is located on 2500 acres (10.1 km²) of land in South Dakota. Notable tribal member Chief Little Crow

Little Crow

The Little Crow is an Australian species of crow, very similar to the Torresian Crow in having white bases to the neck and head feathers but slightly smaller and with a proportionately smaller bill...

 participated in the Dakota War of 1862

Dakota War of 1862

The Dakota War of 1862, also known as the Sioux Uprising, was an armed conflict between the United States and several bands of the eastern Sioux. It began on August 17, 1862, along the Minnesota River in southwest Minnesota...

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Tribal Information

• Reservation: Flandreau Reservation; in Moody County
• Division: Santee
• Bands: Mdewakanton, Wahpekute
• Land Area: 2,356 acres (without boundaries)
• Tribal Headquarters: Flandreau, SD
• Time Zone: Central
• Traditional Language: Dakota
• Enrolled members living on reservation: 726
• Major Employers: Flandreau Indian School, Flandreau Santee Sioux Tribe, Royal River Casino

Tribal Government

• Charter: Yes; Constitution and Bylaws: Yes - IRA
• Date Approved: April 24, 1936
• Name of Governing Body: Flandreau Santee Sioux Tribal Council
• Executive Committee: (4) President, Vice-President, Secretary, Treasurer and 4 additional Trustees who are elected by the tribal members. Tribal Treasurer is appointed.
• Dates of Constitutional amendments: October 16, 1967, November 14, 1984, May 23, 1990, May 13, 1997

Tribal Elections

• Primary Election is at least forty-five days prior to the general election and General Election is held in conjunction with the August General Council meeting.
• Number of Election districts or communities: 1
• Executive Officers and Trustees serve four year terms. Trustee terms of office are staggered.

Tribal Council Meetings

• Quorum number: Executive Committee: 4 Executive members.
• General Council meetings must have fifty percent of qualified voters. General Council meeting are the first Saturday of February, May, August, and November of each year. Executive Committee holds meetings at least once a month established by the President.

Famous Leaders: Past and Present

• Chief Little Crow (1810-1863) spent much of his life in Minnesota, where he was the head of a Santee band. Little Crow, a bold and passionate orator, established himself as a spokesman for his people. After becoming chief around 1834, he sought justice for his people, but also tried to maintain relations with the whites. In 1862, he led the fight now known as the Minnesota Santee Conflict. In fact, this war was launched only in the face of starvation and only after the federal government didn't present land payments as promised. Little Crow was killed the following year. He is buried near Flandreau. Miron "Chaska" Taylor is one of many Santee Sioux that are still make tradition peace pipe makers.