August 26, 2009
Written by Lil

The 1868 Fort Laramie Treaty Article VII “ARTICLE VII.
… the necessity of education is admitted, especially of such of them as are or may be settled on said agricultural reservations, and they, therefore, pledge themselves to compel their children, male and female, between the ages of six and sixteen years, to attend school, and it is hereby made the duty of the agent for said Indians to see that this stipulation is strictly complied with; and the United States agrees that for every thirty children between said ages, who can be induced or compelled to attend school, a house shall be provided, and a teacher competent to teach…”

This section of the 1868 treaty guarantees Lakota children the right to education in buildings that are safe and equipped to ensure a quality education. When teaching about this treaty to Lakota students at Takini School, on the Cheyenne River Sioux Reservation in western South Dakota, they look around at water stained carpets and ceilings caving in above their heads. The air is thick with the musty, dank smell of mildew and mold. They wonder what the Minneconjou leaders,(their great great grandfathers) who signed this treaty would think of the conditions their grandchildren’s education system. Minneconjou leaders like One Horn, Iron Horn, Blue Cloud and Spotted Elk signed this paper with the assurance that they were providing a future for their descendants.

At this time, Takini students are again preparing to move into a second set of modular classrooms that are supposed to be temporary until a more permanent structure can be provided. The first set of this modular units were intended to be used for approximately five years, but they were in use for over fifteen years until spring storms destroyed roofs and ceilings. Takini School is concerned now with the arrival of these second set of modular units that are to be temporary for only a few years. We believe our students deserve a permanent structure for their education.