Indigenous

A doctor check's a patient's breathing

South Dakota’s high health care costs causing many to skip treatments

Increasing health care costs are affecting almost everyone, but the unusually high costs in South Dakota are prompting some state residents to forgo necessary medical care, which in turn can drive up costs even further.

Native American students line up for recess at Sapa Un Jesuit Academy in St. Francis, South Dakota.

Hard realities on Rosebud reservation hinder educational goals: 'The cycle continues'

Sapa Un Jesuit Academy in St. Francis takes a more active, Lakota-based approach to education. 'It's a different kind of commitment," said principal Stacee Valandra.

Rose Cordier-Beauvais, 70, visits the gravesite of her grandson, Honor Beauvais, at St. Thomas Catholic Cemetery in

Remembering Honor: A year after blizzard ravaged Rosebud, boy's death raises questions

Honor Beauvais stopped breathing on the night of Dec. 15, 2022, and emergency crews couldn't reach him through the winter storm. His death on the Rosebud Indian Reservation has come to encapsulate the challenges and failures of the disaster response.

New Native American mentoring program in South Dakota builds lifetime bonds

New Native American mentoring program in South Dakota builds lifetime bonds

A South Dakota branch of Friends of the Children pairs paid, full-time professional mentors with thousands of at-risk children to help them grow into stable teenagers and eventually successful, well-rounded adults.

Tribe bans Dupree educators from reservation over child abuse allegations

Tribe bans Dupree educators from reservation over child abuse allegations

DUPREE, S.D. — A child abuse allegation against a teacher at Dupree Elementary School prompted the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe to take the unusual step of banning the teacher, a principal and the superintendent from reservation lands where the public school is located. As a result, the three employees have

Indigenous artists in S.D. travel new paths to prosperity

Indigenous artists in S.D. travel new paths to prosperity

WHITECLAY, NEB. – Within concrete walls that once housed a liquor store that fueled alcoholism and death among residents of the nearby Pine Ridge Indian Reservation, renowned Native American artist Evans Flammond Sr. deftly draws lines on a huge buffalo hide. Sitting at a table in the building in this small

Native American leaders in South Dakota forge ahead with educational reforms

Native American leaders in South Dakota forge ahead with educational reforms

RAPID CITY, S.D. — Early mornings at the new Oceti Sakowin Community Academy are a joyous time for the roughly 28 kindergartners who attend and the two staff members who teach them. Before classes begin, students join in a circle and sing the “Four Directions” song in Lakota, and students