Home of the Cheyenne River Lakota

Nation

About 8,500 people live on the reservation, among the rolling, grass-covered prairies of north

central South Dakota

The temperature drops to 30° below zero in the winter. The average temperature in the summer is 80° but will range from 69°

to 110° from June to August. The area suffers from occasional droughts in the

summer and severe blizzards in the winter. The spring and fall are very pleasant.

The unemployment rate on the reservation is

86%

The 2008 poverty rate of 54% was the highest in the nation, according

to the U.S. Census Bureau

Nearly a quarter of all Native Americans live below the poverty

line

The Cheyenne River Reservation leads the

nation in child poverty, with living conditions that rival developing nations

The child poverty rate at Cheyenne

River is 70.1%

The statewide child poverty rate in South Dakota is

18.3%

Nationwide, the child poverty rate is 18.5%

Homelessness is nearly 14%

One third of the people are classified as disabled

The average life expectancy is only age

48

Lake Oahe with the Oahe Dam and

Cheyenne River Reservation

In 1944 the United States Army Corps of Engineering and the Bureau of Reclamation developed the Pick-Sloan Plan, as part of the Flood Control Act enabled by Congress, creating reservoirs and dams across the Missouri River Basin. This plan resulted in the flooding of more than 200,000 acres of Lakota land and it caused more damage to tribal land than any other public works project that has taken place in the USA. The Lakota were only informed of the plan after it had been approved and their treaty rights were violated as they were forced to give up their best agricultural land and resources on the Missouri River.

In August 1948, construction started on the Oahe Dam, one of the five main projects of the Pick-Sloan Plan. The creation of the dam and the Oahe Reservoir swallowed up nearly 105,000 acres of the Cheyenne River Reservation. The largest town on the reservation and the original tribal headquarters – the Old Agency on the Cheyenne River – and two other smaller settlements were completely submerged. The tribe lost schools, hospitals, their police headquarters and other public facilities that they had built with tribal dollars. More than 180 families and 30% of the tribal population were forced to leave their homes and move 60 miles inland from the Missouri to the prairie town of Eagle Butte. The dam’s precious water resources are now used for hydro power to create billions of dollars of electricity a year, but the tribe sees little of these benefits. 

The population of the reservation rely on groundwater sources of often poor quality. At the community of Eagle Butte, the water supply exceeds federal standards for maximum levels of impurities and contains unacceptable amounts of iron, fluoride and dissolved solids. The high concentration of fluoride in the water is enough to damage the enamel of children’s teeth and the mineralized water has many other adverse side effects. Not only is the water unsuitable for consumption, it is also difficult to find and deep wells need to be sunk through heavy shale.

On January 22, 2010, a blizzard and ice storm swept across the reservation,

downing 3,000 power lines and leaving thousands of residents without power or

heat.

The tribe’s aging and inefficient water system, which was unable to cope with the

added pressure, collapsed, leaving the residents without running water for nearly

a month.

Although a state of emergency was declared, the situation did

not initially receive much attention in the media or from

legislators.

Contact: T Carter, President

Native American Alumni Association

George Mason University

t.carter08@comcast.net

She will be glad to speak to your organization and send information on how you can contribute to this tribe.