Plight of Native Children and Families Showcased by NPR

By Laura R. | Published: October 25, 2011

In “Native Foster Care: Lost Children, Shattered Families” NPR’s Laura Sullivan and Amy Waters present an amazingly accurate and painful picture of the suffering visited upon Native families by the South Dakota Department of Social Services. State officials can seize Native children at will if they suspect neglect. This chilling story provides more than one example of children being taken from loving protective homes without any notice, recourse, or due process. Lakota Peoples Law Project lead attorney Danny Sheehan was interviewed and was quoted as saying that individual law suits would be very expensive and would deal with one family at a time. By preparing to file a Federal civil lawsuit against the State of South Dakota, and by launching a national campaign to amend the Indian Child Welfare Act. If successful, the lawsuit will free the 2,200 children who have been taken in violation of the law, and it will stop the State from continuing to abuse the rights of Native families.  The Amendment, if it passes, will further ensure that Lakota relatives can protect their rights in Federal court.

According to the NPR report, there are strong financial incentives for the State to take the children. State officials reply that there are not enough Native foster homes and yet licensed Native foster homes are empty and not getting referrals. The investigative series, which aired over the course of three days, generated over 500 passionate comments on the NPR website.

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Madonna Thunderhawk on KPFA Radio

By admin | Published: December 7, 2010

On Thursday, December 1, Lakota People’s Law Project Organizer and Tribal Liaison Madonna Thunderhawk appeared on KPFA Radio’s Bay Native Circle Program to discuss the dire straits of Lakota children in South Dakota. The entire program focused on issues of native children and, in addition to Madonna, featured Shirley Begay on the NAHC Health Care Outreach and music by Chuna, Star Nayea, and a Radmilla Cody.

Madonna Thunderhawk is a member of the Oohenumpa band of the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe. She has dedicated her life to working on issues of Native American justice. A grandmother, literally and figuratively, to a generation of American Indian activists, Madonna is currently working with the Lakota People’s Law Project to organize Lakota grandmothers in South Dakota to effectively fight for the rights of their children and grandchildren against the state’s severe ongoing violations of the Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA).

Follow the link to listen to the Bay Native Circle program. Madonna begins speaking at approximately the 42-minute mark.

Support Madonna’s work by making a contribution today.

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LNI Features Conference on ICWA

By admin | Published: January 8, 2010

While the Lakota National Invitational (LNI) is most known as a State-wide basketball tournament, LNI has grown to include art shows, a Lakota language bowl, and hand game tournaments, along with many other festivities. With so many people congregating in Rapid City each year, many organizations take the opportunity to hold conferences during this time.

This year, the Lakota People’s Law Project and the Coalition of Sioux Tribes: United for Children and Families organized a three-day conference on Indian child welfare at the Rushmore Plaza Holiday Inn. Speakers covered topics such as the breaking of the Indian parent/child bond, the impact of current laws on family connections, and addressing victimization after prosecution.

See a copy of the Conference Agenda.


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LPLP Hosts Groundbreaking Training

By admin | Published: December 18, 2009

On December 2nd and 3rd of 2009, the Lakota People’s Law Project hosted a first-of-its-kind training. Attended by representatives from all of South Dakota’s Indian reservations, the training prepares participants to act as Qualified Expert Witnesses (QEW) in court proceedings involving Native American children. Due to a notable lack of certified Native-QEWs, tribes have historically been underrepresented in court while States and other parties have sufficient numbers of witnesses to testify for their side. Now, South Dakota’s tribes will be prepared to testify to the importance of keeping Lakota children with Lakota families. The training was co-sponsored by the Murphy Law Offices, the Roberts Law Offices, and Lorina and Cesna, LLP.

The training was covered in the Native Sun News. The full article is below.



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NCAI supports ICWA Amendment

By admin | Published: October 16, 2009

View a copy of the official NCAI Resolution.

In October of 2009, Lakota People’s Law Project staff Belva Morrison, Madonna Thunder Hawk, Sara Nelson and Daniel Sheehan attended the National Congress of American Indians (NCAI) 66th Annual Convention and Trade Show in Palm Springs, CA. Their goal was to secure support from the NCAI for our ICWA Amendment Initiative.

With the help of our friend and ally Ron His Horse Is Thunder (outgoing chair of the Great Plains Tribal Chairmen’s Association and NCAI Vice-President for the Great Plains Region), we were able to place a resolution supporting our proposed ICWA amendment on the Health Sub-Committee’s agenda. After some back and forth over the amendment and an initial motion to table the resolution, Madonna Thunder Hawk delivered a moving speech to the assembled crowd, discussing her own experiences with Indian children being taken from their families. Her heartfelt words opened a flood-gate of similar stories from other tribal nations’ delegates, and a motion to support passed easily.

On the last day of the Convention, the resolution was presented to the full plenary session for consideration. The Indian Child and Family Welfare Sub-Committee and Human Relations Committee announced their endorsement of the resolution and delegates from the 200-plus member tribes voted unanimously to pass the resolution in support of amending ICWA to the mandatory placement preference provisions of Sections 1915 and 1916 enforceable in federal court.

This is a major step forward in our effort to amend the Indian Child Welfare Act and our efforts to stop the seizure of Lakota children. To learn more, view a copy of the NCAI resolution and read about our Lakota Child Rescue Project and ICWA Amendment Initiative.


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