Land Tenure and Livelihoods of the Oglala Lakota - Kathryn M ...

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Stromberg 8 while others can lease their allotments at rates that may be below the market value. When the leasing ranchers live off of the reservation, in some cases several states away, the money generated by land base of the reservation never even arrives there in the first place. Role of Culture Environmental Values Several enduring cultural beliefs and practices of the Oglala Lakota Nation have shaped the unique character of their current position as regards land tenure and use. This set of beliefs affected interactions with and incorporation into white American culture, and was simultaneously altered by it. Perhaps most influentially, the relationship between land, the environment, and economic prosperity is conceived substantially differently, at least among many Oglala Lakotas, than in the mainstream American economy. Several of those I interviewed shied away from defining land explicitly as an economic asset. As one Pine Ridge resident reminded me, "but then there‟s that traditional twist, where we don‟t view it as owning land. That was introduced to us through the Dawes act." Land is less often seen as a resource that needs developing or a source of income, and more often viewed in a holistic way. A Potato Creek woman told me: “We don't look at our land as an asset as they do in the white world. This land is for our use and for whatever we want to do with it. What the money value is, we don't know. Whereas in the outside world, it's probably worth a lot of money. For Indian people, it's our sanctuary, it's our safe haven, it's our safe harbor, especially if it‟s inside the reservation, where we're not subjected to the outside world.” Related is the fact that large-scale agriculture for subsistence or cash income is not a traditional aspect of the Lakota way of life. Many referenced the fact that this resulted only from
Stromberg 9 an external pressure of the U.S. government, though allotment and other mechanisms, rather than historical precedent. The Potato Creek woman continued, "Indian people were never into agriculture, they were forced into it. It‟s not something they wanted to do, it‟s what the government wanted them to do, so there's a lot of resistance.” This sentiment was repeated by a Oglala resident: “first of all, we're not farmers. Us Lakotas aren't good ranchers. We try, maybe a couple of cows, a couple of horses, but gradually we end up cooking them up for a feast. But the land has been given to us through the allotment act.” The physical environment, and society‟s treatment of it, is also seen through a different lens. Though the stereotype of the American Indian as an ecological saint is overblown, natives do draw upon thoroughly non-Western philosophical roots in crafting an environmental ethic. As one Kyle woman told me, “with our culture, you got to treat the land with respect because it gives back to you. If you don't take care of it, pollute it, whatever, it won't do anything for you. They outside leasers come in here, overgraze it, after a while it will quit producing.” That these differences in values contribute to land use patterns is fairly obvious—even ignoring policy components, tribal members bring a significantly different set of assumptions about the relationship between humans and land when they are contemplating various uses. ‘Mixed-bloods’, ‘Full-bloods’, and ‘Nosebleeds’ The enduring cultural dichotomy between „full bloods‟ and „mixed-bloods‟ is central to the context of land use on the reservation. Dated to the arrival of white settlers in the region and highlighted with the occupation of Wounded Knee in 1973, there is a continued awareness of the distinction between these two groups. Historically, those referred to as „mixed-bloods‟ have held prominent positions in tribal government and operations and have been more involved with
Page 1 and 2: Stromberg 1 Methods Land Tenure and
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Page 5 and 6: Stromberg 5 The belief that the U.S
Page 7: Stromberg 7 federal government. A S
Page 11 and 12: Stromberg 11 H.U.D.‟s policy of c
Page 13 and 14: Stromberg 13 restore pride to many
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