Stronghold Treaty Alliance is a treaty council with roots to the Oceti Sakowin Treaty Council from Porcupine Pine Ridge, South Dakota. It is lead by David Swallow, Hoksida Wakon, and Counsel Naca.
Like a few other Treaty Councils, we are not incorporated as a nonprofit and we pay our own way. We also don’t represent any particular tribal government. The act of Congress called the Indian Reorganization Act of 1934 imposed the current form of tribal government upon us. Our people did not ask for this. The government is in a Corporate format and is run by the Bureau of Indian Affairs.
We believe that the restrictions of government policies and acts of Congress have set us up for extermination. The Indian Reorganization act is one such act. Our goal is to compel Congress to rescind the acts detrimental to the tribal nations. We call for the removal of BIA control so that each tribe can determine their own government relationships – up to and including complete independence.
Who We Are
We are indigenous people who “Own Ourselves”. When a person says “I Own Myself”, it is a traditional way of saying you own your live and are free. This includes your actions. The other way of looking it is a bit colonial – “You have self determination”. The Stronghold Treaty Alliance rejects the restrictions imposed upon us by the Treaty’s BIA and the government agency’s judiciary policies and acts of Congress. We and all like minded are the EMBERS Army that the invaders could not extinguish. We are “Our People’s Eternal Flame”.
Free Indigenous People
What We Seek
To Remove the acts of Congress detrimental to our Indigenous People, we need the American people. This is also a great start for reconciliation. There is much more to do after that. Getting our lands back can be done through the allocation of public and federal lands. We need unlimited access to our sacred sites and a return of our holy grounds. We are calling for classified materials regarding our people and lands to be made publicly available. We seek an act of Congress to apologize for the wrong-doings against our people. We seek repatriations to compensate for the damages made to our lands and the loss of the resources.
Waste in the American government has been excessive. Repatriations could have been done years ago, instead, the resources have gone to other causes – many of these causes have done nothing to strengthen the indigenous people, nor the United States of America.
Today we need the American People to join with the indigenous people. We need to stand for freedom, liberty, and justice. Join us Today.