The Lakota Indian tribe, descendants of legendary warriors Crazy Horse and Sitting Bull, have withdrawn from treaties signed with the U.S. 150 years ago. A delegation of Lakota representatives visited the State Department earlier this week announcing the unilateral withdraw. Indian rights activist Russell Means said, “We are no longer citizens of the U.S.A. and all those who live in the five-state area that encompasses our country are free to join us.” Tribe members from Nebraska, South Dakota, North Dakota, Montana and Wyoming plan to start a new country that issues passports and driver’s licenses and allows residents to live tax-free, if they renounce their US citizenship.
horraynus

This is pretty contentious.

Link

With the way the federal government has treated them, they may be better off going with succession and then filing for international aid as their own nation.

For real.

here's a link if anyone wants it: AFP: Descendants of Sitting Bull, Crazy Horse break away from US

edit: oh look someone already added a link.

i think that's great. can i move there or do i have to be a native american? i think they should let me move there. i'll herd cattle.

Just so you know, the link that I posted above states that the status of the succession is pretty questionable, because all the leaders cited are activist leaders -- not elected ones!

The activists have invited people to join them. They are mostly former American Indian Movement leaders.

ah, interesting. well, i wish it would happen. i mean, not so i can go herd cattle, that was just me being weird, but because i just want to barf when i think about how badly these people got fucked and continue to get fucked.

i'm wondering. let's say it does officially happen - how do you suppose washington will react? i do wonder.

I don't know that it would officially happen. But if it did, Washington would probably refuse to recognize the move. Or unleash some more '70s style terror against the tribes participating in the succession.

yeah, that's kind of what i was thinking. but i mean, i don't know what i mean. the whole thing just sort of excites me, not in a like "christmas morning!!!!" excitement, you know, but riles me up. i wish the whole thing would really blow up and turn into something big (even though it probably won't) because i just think that for all the stupid shit that gets made into a big deal around here, something like this would actually be worth people thinking/arguing about. but yeah. probably not.

That's interesting, but I was under the impression that all Reservations were separate from the US? Are the Lakota not part of a reservation? I'm confused. But good for them. I support anyone's right to secede.

its forthe principle of it all!
i startedthis whole sucecececs?eding thing
the sioux are meanies!
the us govt gave them ponca land
now theyre playin this!
uh!
nigga plz!
nointegrity!
haha

I remember reading about this ages ago and thinking it was the best thing I'd heard in ages. does anyone have anymore recent news on it?

last i had heard was that russell means was standing for election to chief of the tribe or something. I think they've making a legal argument that the tribe is a soveriegn entity when it made those agreements ceding land to the US, and as such can now back out of them since they weren't honoured by the US. I mean I can't see it getting far but I like the fact they're trying. Isn't pine ridge one of the worst places to live in america?

wierdly perhaps, I've been trying to learn the lakota dialect for ages and not getting that far

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There hasn't really been much going on with this since it became news. The tribes themselves are kinda divided, most of the Chiefs, as far as I know, quite hesitatant to support the idea.

Either way, I'm from "traditional Lakota territory," and if it ever is realized, I'm going to be on my way to join them.