Woope—Lakota Knowledge Past and Present

The knowledge held by the Lakota people is the core of our historical and modern ways of life. The Lakota People’s Law Project encourages and facilitates education within our culture and among cultures.

We currently have two primary focuses: technical assistance to the Tribes toward establishing Tribal Child and Family Service Organizations that are based on traditional values with intentions of healing and reuniting families, and, secondly, trainings on the path to Oceti Sakowin self-government.

Our technical assistance team has top-notch expertise on the Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA). they are currently working with tribes on five South Dakota reservations. Among other things, this includes:

• Training on ICWA and related child welfare issues
• Information related to ICWA enforcement and new laws for Tribal Foster Care programs
• Assistance in implementing the law on the ground on reservations, and
• Information on all steps necessary to establish tribal Child and Family Service Organizations, including relevant seed funding opportunities, updating tribal codes and court procedures, planning and development, staff training, and grant writing.

Educational opportunities on the path to self-government include information on:

• The Oceti Sakowin form of governance
• Efforts to re-form the kinship system
• Traditional Lakota culture in the modern world, and
• The history of relationships between the Lakota people and the United States

We provide resource materials, workshops, and longer trainings. We will continue to develop our website to provide a full range of materials on the active LPLP issues.