South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem banned from entering 20% of her own state, but not for killing Cricket
Controversial GOP leader and South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem, who recently hit headlines for admitting to killing her own pet dog and a family goat, has been banned from entering 20 percent of the state.
However, the ban is not levied in response to the brutal murder of her 14-month-old dog ‘Cricket’. So what is it about?
The prohibition comes after Noem suggested that tribal chiefs benefited from narcotics traffickers, prompting several Native American tribes to deny her access to their lands.
“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,” she told a forum in March.
The tribes which have imposed a ban on the Governor include the Yankton Sioux Tribe, the Sisseton-Wahpeton Oyate Tribe, Cheyenne River, Standing Rock Sioux, the Oglala, Rosebud. Only three other tribes in the state are yet to announce any ban on her.
Following this, the Governor appeared to double down on her position on Thursday, addressing the discussion on social media.
“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,” she wrote on X.
“We can only do this through partnerships because the Biden Administration is failing to do their job.”
A look at relationship between Kristi Noem and Native American tribes
The relationship between South Dakota and its Native American tribes has long been strained.
Noem has previously battled with tribe authorities, notably during the 2016 Dakota Access Pipeline demonstrations at Standing Rock, which led to her temporary suspension from the Oglala Sioux reservation in 2019.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, tribes erected barriers at their reservation borders to reduce the number of visitors, further straining ties with the state.
In April, Noem encouraged tribal chiefs to remove the cartels from their lands and said: “The cartels instigate drug addiction, murder, rape, human trafficking, and so much more in tribal communities across the nation, including in South Dakota.”
“I will work with you to sign Law Enforcement Agreements to immediately assist you, respect your sovereignty, and uphold tribal law,” she added.
Earlier in March, Noem requested an audit of federal funding allocated to South Dakota’s Native American tribes. Following this, dozens of state’s Native Americans contacted her and hailed her for speaking the truth. They also sought some assistance.
The Governor stated that she has always helped the South Dakota tribe whenever they required her assistance.
“I will continue to speak the truth, call out corruption wherever I see it, and fight to protect the lives of Native Americans in our state – because that’s what they deserve,” she said, as per a release issued by her office.