Peoples and Sovereignty
The Tribal Government has control over most activities inside of the reservation borders. The Tribe has its own court system, jail, treatment center, and even a tribal newspaper. In addition to the Tribal Government, there are also city and county governments, as well as a newly formed Sisseton Wahpeton Sioux Council. The Tribal Headquarters are located in Poplar, widely viewed as the capital of the Reservation . The Bureau of Indian Affairs has the Fort Peck Agency located in Poplar.
The reservation is home to The Assiniboine and Sioux Tribes (Assiniboine: įhą́ktuwąna ). Though separate, both tribes have similar sounding languages and are of the Siouan language family. The Fort Peck Tribes have an estimated 11,000 enrolled members, half of which reside on the reservation. There are also many "associate members" meaning they have Indian blood but not enough to be enrolled with the tribe. To be enrolled, or recognized as an official tribal member, a person must be at least 1/4 Fort Peck Indian blood. This is done through blood quantum measurements kept by the tribe.
Read more about this topic: Fort Peck Indian Reservation
Famous quotes containing the words peoples and/or sovereignty:
“A point has been reached where the peoples of the Americas must take cognizance of growing ill-will, of marked trends toward aggression, of increasing armaments, of shortening tempers—a situation which has in it many of the elements that lead to the tragedy of general war.... Peace is threatened by those who seek selfish power.”
—Franklin D. Roosevelt (1882–1945)
“... if we can imagine the art of fiction come alive and standing in our midst, she would undoubtedly bid us to break her and bully her, as well as honour and love her, for so her youth is renewed and her sovereignty assured.”
—Virginia Woolf (1882–1941)