UNITED STATES
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
OFFICE OF INDIAN AFFAIRS
CONSTITUTION AND BY- LAWS
OF THE CHEYENNE RIVER
SIOUX TRIBE
SOUTH DAKOTA
APPROVED DECEMBER 27,1935
UNITED STATES
GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE
WASHINGTON: 1936
CONSTITUTION AND BY-LAWS OF THE CHEYENNE
RIVER SIOUX TRIBE,OF SOUTH DAKOTA
PREAMBLE
We, the Sioux Indians of the Cheyenne River Reservation in the State of South Dakota in order to establish our tribal organization, to conserve our tribal property, to develop our common resources, to establish justice, and to promote the welfare of ourselves and our descendants, do hereby ordain and establish this constitution and by-laws for our tribal council as a guide to its deliberations.
ARTICLE I-TERRITORY
The jurisdiction of the Cheyenne River Reservation Sioux Tribe of Indians shall extend to the territory within the original confines all of the diminished reservation boundaries, which are described by the act of March 2, 1889 (25 Stat. L. 888), and including trust allotments without the herein mentioned boundaries and such other lands as may be hereafter added thereto under any law of the United States, except as otherwise provided for by law.
ARTICLE III-GOVERNING BODY
SECTION 1. The membership of the Cheyenne River Sioux
Tribe shall consist of the following:
(a) All persons of Indian blood whose names appear
on the official census roll of the tribe as of June 18, 1934.
(b) All children born to any member of the Cheyenne
River Sioux Tribe who is a resident of the reservation at the time of the
birth of said children.
SEC. 2. The tribal council shall have the power:
(a) To admit persons of Cheyenne River Sioux Indian
blood to membership upon a two-thirds (%) vote of the tribal council.
(b) To strike from the census rolls of the Cheyenne
River Sioux Tribe any person who makes application to sever his tribal
relationship and thereafter such person shall cease to be a member of Cheyenne
River Sioux Tribe of Indians.
ARTICLE III-GOVERNING BODY
SECTION 1. The governing body of the Cheyenne Riverr
Sioux Tribe shall consist of a council, known as the Cheyenne River Sioux
Tribal Council.
SEC. 2. The governing body under this constitution
and by-laws shall be composed of one (1) tribal chairman, one (1) tribal
secretary, and one (1) tribal treasurer; also fifteen (15) councilmen and
such offices as from time to time may be created by the tribal council.
SEC. 3. The tribal chairman, the tribal secretary,
and the tribal treasurer shall be elected at large by popular vote; councilmen
shall be elected from each district or political subdivision of the reservation
by the legal voters residing within the district or precinct from which
such councilman is to be elected. There shall be thirteen (13) districts
or voting precincts as hereinafter described in article III, section 4
of the by-laws. Councilmen shall be apportioned by and from each district
or voting precinct of the reservation as follows:
1. Agency precinct, which shall include the Agency
Swiftbird I, and Shepard Bottom communities: One (1) delegate.
2. Bridger precinct, which shall include the Bridger
community: One (1) delegate.
3. Cherry Creek precinct, which shall include the
Cherry Creek community: One (1) delegate.
4. Red Scaffold precinct, which shall include the
Red Scaffold community: Two (2) delegates.
5. Eagle Butte precinct, which shall include the
Eagle Butte community: One (1) delegate.
6. Four Bear precinct, which shall include the Four
Bear community: One (1) delegate.
7. Green Grass precinct, which shall include the
Bear Creek, Green Grass, and Sans Arc communities: One (1) delegate.
8. Lantry precinct, which shall include the Upper
Bear Creek community: One (1) delegate.
9. La Plant precinct, which shall include the La
Plant and Ridgeview communities: Two (2) delegate
10. Promise precinct, which shall include the Promise
community: One (1) delegate.
11. Robertson precinct, which shall include the
Black Feet and Swift Bird II communities: One (1) delegate.
12. Thunder Butte precinct, which shall include
the Iron Lightning and Fast Thunder Butte communities: One (1) delegate.
13. White Horse precinct, which shall include the
White Horse and the Black Tongue communities: One (1) delegate.
Provided: That the Cheyenne River Tribal
Council shall have the power both to redistrict the reservation and its
precincts and to reassign the number of councilmen to be elected from each
district in proportion to the number of qualified voters residing therein,
or on a population basis.
SEC. 4. The officers and councilmen provided for
in section 2 of this article shall be elected for the following term of
office; general elections will be held every two years on the first Tuesday
after the first Monday in the month of September.
(a) The tribal chairman, tribal secretary, and the
tribal treasurer first elected shall each serve until. October 1, 1938;
thereafter the term of office for these officials shall be four years.
(b) The councilmen elected at the first general
election in no. 1, Agency district or precinct; no. 2, Bridger district
or precinct; one councilman from no. 4, Red Scaffold district or precinct;
no. 7, Green Grass district or precinct; one councilman from no. 9, La
Plant district or precinct; no. 11, Robertson district or precinct; and
no. 13, White Horse district or precinct shall be elected and hold office
until October 4 1938, when there shall be a general election for councilmen
in these districts; thereafter councilmen shall hold office for a term
of four (4) years.
(c) All other councilmen elected at the first general
election from the no. 3, Cherry Creek district or precinct; one councilman
from no. 4, Red Scaffold district or precinct; no. 5, Eagle Butte district
or precinct; no. 6, Four Bear district or precinct; no. 8, Lantry district
or precinct; one councilman from no. 9, La Plant district or precinct;
no. 10, Promise district or precinct; and no. 12 , Thunder Butte district
or precinct shall hold office until October 1, 1940 thereafter; councilmen
shall hold office for a term of four (4) years.
SEC. 5. The first election of the tribal council
members shall be held on call of the provisional committee which shall
consist of twenty-six (26) members of the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe of
Indians, two (2) from each of the voting precincts on said reservation
on October 27, 1934, and five Indian Service employees, which committee
the superintendent of said reservation may appoint to supervise the election
of officers and councilmen within thirty; (30) days after this constitution
and by-laws has been approved by the Secretary of the Interior.
SEC. 6. This committee shall issue its certification
of election to the persons receiving the highest number of votes in each
district in accordance with the quota assigned hereby to each of said districts
provided for in article III, section 3.
The officers and councilmen so elected and certified
to shall report at the Cheyenne River Agency within ten days after the
election and take the oath of office. The reservation superintendent shall
administer the oath of office.
Said officers and councilmen shall convene within
thirty (30) days after the election and organize for business and elect
one assistant chairman from their own membership.
SEC. 7. The tribal council shall have supervision
and authority over all subsequent elections as provided through bylaws
or resolutions hereafter enacted.
ARTICLE IV-POWERS OF SELF-GOVERNMENT
SECTION 1. The tribal council of the Cheyenne River
Reservation shall exercise the following powers vested in the present council
under existing laws or conferred by the act of June 18, 1934 (48 Stat.
984) and acts amendatory thereof or supplemental thereto, subject to any
limitations imposed by the statutes or the Constitution of the United States,
and subject further to all express restrictions upon such powers contained
in this constitution and the attached by-laws.
(a) To enter into negotiations with the Federal,
State, and local Governments on behalf of the tribe.
(b) To present and prosecute any claims or demands
of the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe of Indians. It shall have the right to
assist members of the tribe in presenting their claims and grievances before
any court or agency of government. It shall have the right to employ attorneys
of record or representatives for such services, the choice of counsel and
fixing of fees to be subject to the approval of the Secretary of the Interior.
(c) To approve or veto any sale, disposition, lease
or encumbrance of tribal lands, interests in lands or other tribal assets
which may be authorized or executed by the Secretary of the Interior, the
Commissioner of Indian Affairs, or any other official or agency of government,
provided that no tribal lands shall ever be sold, encumbered or leased
for a period exceeding five years.
(d) To confer with the Secretary of the Interior
upon all appropriation estimates or Federal projects for the benefit of
the tribe prior to submission of such estimates to the Bureau of Budget
and Congress.
(e) To receive voluntary relinquishments of allotments
and heirship lands and to make assignments of tribal land to members of
the Cheyenne River Sioux Reservation in conformity with article VIII of
this constitution.
(f) To select subordinate boards, officials, and
employees not otherwise provided for in this constitution and to prescribe
their tenure and duties and to establish district councils; to authorize
and establish any association or organization having for its purpose and
sole object the benefit of the members of the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe.
Such association or organization shall have the right to engage in collective
or cooperative bargaining or marketing, or purchasing of supplies, crops,
equipment, seed, machinery, building, or livestock, the council reserving
the right to establish ordinances covering the activities of such association
or organization, and to enforce the observance of such ordinances.
(g) To administer any funds or property within the
control of the tribe; to make expenditures from available funds for public
purposes, including salaries or other remuneration of tribal officials
or employees. Such salaries or remuneration shall be paid only for services
actually authorized in a regular and legal manner and actually rendered.
All expenditures from the tribal council fund shall be by resolution duly
passed by the council to that effect and the amount so paid shall be a
matter of public record at all times.
(h) The council shall have the power when just cause
or extreme emergency exists which shall create a hazard to the peace and
safety of the tribe as a whole or to the individual members thereof, to
require the individual members of the tribe or other residents upon the
reservation to assist with community labor.
(i) To create and maintain a tribal council fund
by accepting grants or donations from any person, State, or the United
States, or by levying assessments of not less than ten cents, and not to
exceed one dollar ($1.00) per year, per capita on the qualified voters
of the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe, and to require the performance of community
labor in lieu thereof, provided the payment of such per capita levy shall
be made before any person shall vote in any election held more than six
months after the date of said levy; and to levy taxes and license fees
subject to review by the Secretary of the Interior, upon nonmembers doing
business with the reservation. Any money so collected shall be disposed
of as provided for in article IV, section I (g) of this constitution.
(j) To provide by ordinance subject to review by
the Secretary of the Interior, for removal or exclusion from the territory
of the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe of any non-members whose presence may
be injurious to the members of the tribe morally or criminally.
(k) To promulgate ordinances for the purpose of
safe-guarding the peace and safety of residents of the Cheyenne River Reservation,
and to establish courts for the adjudication of claims or disputes arising
among the members of the tribe and for the trial and punishment of members
of the tribe charged with the commission of offenses set forth in such
ordinances.
(l) To purchase under condemnation proceedings,
land or other property needed for public purposes, subject to the approval
of the Secretary of the Interior.
(m) To protect the public health and morals and
to promote the public welfare by regulating the use and disposition of
property of members of the tribe.
(n) To regulate the inheritance of property, real
and personal, other than allotted lands, within the territory of the Cheyenne
River Sioux Reservation, subject to review by the Secretary of the Interior.
(o) To provide by ordinance for the appointment
of guardians for minors and mental incompetents, subject to the approval
of the Secretary of the Interior.
(p) To adopt resolutions regulating the procedure of the council itself
and of other tribal agencies and tribal officials of the reservation.
SEC. 2. Manner of review.-Any resolution
or ordinance which, by the terms of this constitution, is subject to review
by the Secretary of the Interior, shall be presented to the superintendent
of the reservation, who shall, within ten (10) days thereafter, approve
or disapprove the same. If the superintendent shall approve any ordinance
or resolution, it shall thereupon become effective, but the superintendent
shall transmit a copy of the same, bearing his endorsement, to the Secretary
of the Interior, who may within ninety (90) days from the date of enactment,
rescind the said ordinance or resolution for any cause, by notifying the
tribal council of such rescission.
If the superintendent shall refuse to approve any
resolution or ordinance submitted to him, within ten days after its enactment,
he shall advise the tribal council of his reasons therefor. If these reasons
appear to the tribal council insufficient, it may, by a majority popular
vote, refer the ordinance or resolution to the Secretary of the Interior,
who may, within ninety (90) days from the date of its enactment approve
the same in writing, whereupon the said ordinance or resolution shall become
effective.
SEC. 3. Future powers.-The council shall
have the power to act on such other necessary or emergency cases as may
be delegated to the tribe by the Secretary of the Interior, or by any other
official or agency of the Government.
SEC. 4. Reserved powers.-The foregoing enumeration
of powers shall not be construed to limit the powers of the tribal council,
but all powers of local government not expressly entrusted to the council
by this constitution and by-laws shall be reserved to the legal voters
of the Cheyenne River Tribe. Such powers may be exercised through appropriate
by-laws and constitutional amendments.
ARTICLE V-ELECTIONS AND NOMINATIONS
SECTION 1. All enrolled members of the Cheyenne River
Tribe, 21 years of age or over, who have maintained legal residence on
the reservation for a period of one year immediately prior to any election
shall have the right to vote.
SEC. 2. No person shall be a candidate for membership
in the tribal or district council or other tribal office unless he shall
be a member of the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe, and shall have resided for
a period of one year next preceding the election in the district of his
candidacy, and he shall be over twenty-five (25) years of age.
SEC. 3. Any member of the tribe may become a candidate
for any office upon the signed petition of at least ten (10) legal voters
from the district where he is declared to be a legal resident. Any
legal member of the tribe shall be considered a candidate for office when
certified by the district council or other authorized organization of the
district presenting his candidacy.
SEC. 4. When any election is to be held on any or
at all the districts, the chairman of the tribal council shall appoint
a superintendent of an election in each of said districts and the superintendent
so appointed shall have power to appoint two (2) judges and two (2) ballot
clerks, which will constitute the election board. The duties of this election
board shall be to supervise the election
.
SECTION 1. If any officer or member of the tribal
council shall absent himself from any three (3) consecutive regular or
special meetings without sufficient reason, the other members may declare
the office vacant by two-thirds (2/3) vote of the council.
SEC. 2. Any officer or member of the tribal council
convicted by Federal, State, or Indian court may be removed from office
by two-thirds (2/3) vote of the council.
SEC. 3. If any vacancies occur in the membership
of the tribal council through resignation, recall, impeachment, or death,
the district council wherein he resides and is elected from shall proceed
to elect a new councilman to finish the unexpired term of such member.
SEC. 4. Recall.-Every person elected to a
tribal office by the Sioux Indians of the Cheyenne River Indian Reservation
is subject to recall from such office upon petition of 40% of the electors
of the reservation, or the district or voting precinct, qualified to vote
for such office, but no recall election shall be held without the approval
of the council.
SEC. 5. The ballot used at such election shall contain
the question: "Shall _______ _______ be recalled from office
on the Cheyenne River Tribal Council?" and shall contain a space opposite
such question, in which shall appear the words "Yes---No", and the voter
shall indicate by making a mark as to whether he wishes to vote for or
against the recall of the member so named.
SEC. 6. No member of the council shall take part
in the deliberations of the council, nor shall he have a vote in balloting
upon any matter pertaining to any recall election or the results thereof
when such member shall be the one whom it is proposed to recall.
ARTICLE VII-REFFRENDUM
SECTION 1. Upon a petition of at least three hundred (300) qualified voters of the Cheyenne River Sioux Reservation a referendum may be demanded on any enacted or proposed ordinance or resolution of the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribal Council, and the vote of the majority of the qualified voters in such referendum shall be conclusive and binding on the tribal council.
ARTICLE VIII-LAND
SECTION 1. Allotted lands.-Allotted lands,
including heirship lands, within the Cheyenne River shall continue to be
held as heretofore by their present owners. It is recognized that under
existing law such lands may be condemned for public purposes, such " roads,
public buildings, or other public improvements, upon payment of adequate
compensation, by any agency of the State of South Dakota or of the Federal
Government, or by the tribe itself. It is further recognized that under
existing law such lands may be inherited by the heirs of the present owner,
whether or not they are members of the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe. Likewise
it is recognized that under existing law the Secretary of the Interior
may, in his discretion, remove restrictions upon such land, upon application
by the Indian owner, whereupon the land will become subject to State taxes
and may then be mortgaged or sold.
The right of the individual Indian to hold or to
part with his land, as under existing law, shall not be abrogated by anything
contained in this constitution, but the owner of restricted land may, with
the approval of the Secretary of the Interior, voluntarily convey his land
to the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe either in exchange for a money payment
or in exchange for an assignment covering the same land or other land,
as hereinafter provided.
SEC. 2. Tribal lands.-The unallotted lands
of the Cheyenne River Reservation and all lands which may hereafter be
acquired by the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe or by the United States in trust
for the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe shall be held as tribal lands, and no
part of such land shall be mortgaged or sold. Tribal lands shall not be
allotted to individual Indians but may be assigned to members of the Cheyenne
River Sioux Tribe, or leased, or otherwise used by the tribe, as hereinafter
provided.
SEC. 3. Leasing of tribal lands.-Tribal lands
may be leased by the tribal council, with the approval of the Secretary
of the Interior, for such periods of time as are permitted by law.
In the leasing of tribal lands preference shall
he given, first to Indian cooperative associations, and, secondly, to individual
Indians who are members of the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe. No lease of
tribal land to a non-member shall be made by the tribal council unless
it shall appear that no Indian cooperative association or individual member
of the tribe is able and willing to use the land and to pay a reasonable
fee for such use.
Grazing permits covering tribal land may be issued
by the tribal council, with the approval of the Secretary of the Interior,
in the same manner and upon the same terms as leases.
SEC. 4. Grant of "standard "assignments.-In
any assignment of tribal lands which are now owned by the tribe or which
hereafter may be acquired for the tribe by the United States or purchased
by the tribe out of tribal funds, preference shall be given, first to heads
of families which are entirely landless, and, secondly, to heads of families
which have no allotted lands or interests in allotted lands but shall have
already received assignments consisting of less than an economic unit of
agricultural land, or other land or interests in land of equal value, such
unit to be determined from:time to time by the tribal council.
The tribal council :may, if it sees fit, charge
a fee of not to exceed $25 on approval of an assignment made under this
section.
Assignments made under this section shall be for
the primary purpose of establishing homes for landless Indians, and shall
be known as "standard" assignments.
SEC. 5. Tenure of "standard" assignments.-If
any member of the tribe holding an assignment of land shall, for a period
of two (2) years, faiI to use the land so assigned, his assignment may
be cancelled by the tribal council after due notice and an opportunity
to be heard, and the said land, may be reassigned in accordance with the
provisions of section 4 of this article.
Upon the death of any Indian holding a "standard"
assignment, his heirs or other individuals designated by him, by will or
by written request shall have a preference in the reassignment of the land
provided such persons are members of the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe who
would be eligible to receive a "standard" assignment.
SEC. 6. Grant of "exchange" assignment.-Any member
of the tribe who owns an allotment or any share of heirship land may voluntarily
transfer his interest in such land to the tribe in exchange for any assignment
to the same land or other land of equal value. If the assignee prefers,
he may receive, in lieu of a specific tract of land, a proportionate
share in a larger grazing unit.
SEC. 7 Leasing of "exchange" assignments.-"Exchange"
assignments may be used by the assignee or leased by him to Indian cooperative
associations, to individual members of the tribe, or, if no individual
Indian or Indian cooperative association is able and willing to rent the
land at a reasonable fee, such assignments may be leased to non-Indians,
in the same manner as allotted lands.
SEC. 8. Inheritance of "exchange" assignments.-Upon
the death of the holder of any "exchange" assignment such land shall be
reassigned by the tribal council to his heirs or devisees, subject to the
following conditions:
(a) Such lands may not be reassigned to any heirs
or devisees who are not members of the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe, except
that a life assignment may be made to the surviving widower or widow of
the holder of assignment.
(b) Such lands may not be reassigned to any heirs
or devisees who already hold more than a certain number of acres of grazing
land, or other land or interests in land of equal value, either under allotment
or under assignment, such amounts to be determined from time to time by
the council.
(c) Such lands may not be subdivided among heirs
or devisees into units too small for convenient management. No area of
grazing land shall be subdivided into units smaller than sixty (60) acres,
and no area of agricultural land shall be subdivided into units smaller
than two and one-half acres, except that land used for buildings or other
improvements may be divided to suit the conveniences of the parties. Where
it is impossible to divide the land properly among the eligible heirs or
devisees, the tribal council shall issue to such heirs or devisees grazing
permits or other interests in tribal lands of the same value as the assignments
of the decedent.
(d) If there are no eligible heirs or devisees of
the decedent, the land shall be eligible for reassignment in accordance
with the provisions of section 4 of this article.
SEC. 9. Inheritance of improvements.-Improvements
of any character made upon assigned land may be bequeathed to and inherited
by members of the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe or otherwise disposed of under
such regulations as the tribal council shall provide. No permanent
improvements shall be removed from the land without the consent of the
tribal council.
SEC. 10. Exchange of assignments.-Assignments
may be exchanged between members of the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe by common
consent in such manner as the tribal council shall designate.
SEC. 11. Use of unassigned tribal land.-Tribal
land which is not assigned, including tribal timber reserves, shall
be managed by the tribal council for the benefit of the members of the
entire tribe, and any cash income derived from such land shall accrue to
the benefit of the tribe as a whole.
SEC. 12. Purchase of land by the tribe.-Tribal
funds may be used with the consent of the Secretary of the Interior, to
acquire land, under the following conditions:
(a) Land within the Cheyenne River Reservation or
adjacent to the boundaries thereof which is not now in Indian ownership
may be purchased by or for the Cheyenne River Tribe.
(b) Restricted land, which is in heirship
status at the time of the adoption and approval of this constitution, may
be purchased by or for the tribe with the consent of all the adult heirs,
and the legal guardians of the minor heirs, payment therefor to be made
as may be agreed upon.
(c) Land owned by a member of the tribe who is over
the age of sixty (60) years, or is physically incapacitated, may
be transferred by its own tribe in exchange for a pension of not more than
twice the usual rental value of the land for the life of the pensioner,
to be paid out of available tribal funds.
(d) Land in excess of 320 acres owned by any member
of the tribe may be purchased by the tribe, with the consent of the owner,
payments to be made under such terms as may be agreed upon.
(e) Land owned by any member of the tribe who desires
to leave the reservation permanently may be purchased by the tribe, under
such terms as may be agreed upon.
SEC. 13. Method of making assignments.-Applications
for assignment shall be filed with the secretary of the council and shall
be in writing, setting forth the name of the person or persons applying
for the land and as accurate a description of the land desired as the circumstances
will permit. Notices of all applications received by the secretary shall
be posted by him in the agency office and in at least three conspicuous
places in the district in which the land is located for not less than twenty
(20) days before action is taken by the council. Any member of the tribe
wishing to oppose the granting of an assignment shall do so in writing,
setting forth his objections, to be filed with the secretary of the council,
and may if he so desires appear before the council to present evidence.
The secretary of the council shall furnish the superintendent or other
officers in charge of the agency a complete record of all action taken
by the council on applications for assignment of land, and a complete record
of assignments shall be kept in the agency office and shall be open for
inspection by members of the tribe.
The council shall draw up one or more forms for
standard and exchange assignments, which shall be subject to the approval
of the Secretary of the Interior.
ARTICLE IX-AMENDMENTS
SECTION 1. This constitution and the appended by-laws
may be amended by a majority of the qualified voters of the tribe voting
at an election called for that purpose by the Secretary of the Interior,
provided that at least 30 per cent of those entitled to vote shall vote
in such election; but no amendment shall become effective until it shall
have been approved by the Secretary of the Interior.
SEC. 2. It shall be the duty of the Secretary of
the Interior, upon presentation of a petition signed by at least two hundred
(200) legal voters of the tribe, and upon request by the council, to call
an election on any proposed amendment.
BY-LAWS OF THE CHEYENNE RIVER SIOUX TRIBE OF SOUTH DAKOTA
ARTICLE 1-DUTIES OF OFFICERS
SECTION 1. It shall be the duty of the chairman to
preside at all meetings of the council. He shall have a vote only when
a tie occurs.
SEC. 2. In the absence of the regular chairman the
assistant chairman shall preside and he shall have all powers, privileges,
and duties of the regular chairman, and may cast a vote in the case of
a tie.
SEC. 3. It shall be the duty of the tribal secretary
to keep a true and accurate record of all matters affecting the tribal
records and accounts, and to render a proper accounting of such records
and statistics as are required by the tribal council. He shall be present
at all meetings of the council and shall keep an accurate record of all
council proceedings, including the minutes of each special and regular
meeting.
(a) Minutes of all special or regular meetings shall
be in triplicate, the original copy to be filed at the Cheyenne Agency
Tribal Office, one copy to be presented to the superintendent, and one
copy to be transmitted to the Commissioner of Indian Affairs.
(b) The secretary shall have voice in the deliberations
of the council, but shall not vote.
SEC. 4. The duties of the treasurer of the tribal
council shall be as follows: He shall accept, receive, receipt for, preserve,
and safeguard all funds in the custody of the council, whether same be
tribal funds or special funds for which the council is acting as trustee
or custodian. He shall deposit all such funds in such bank or elsewhere,
as directed by the council, and he shall keep an accurate record, filing
same in the tribal council's office, and he shall report all receipts and
expenditures and accounts and the nature of all funds in his possession
or custody, once every six months to the tribal council in writing, or
at any time he is requested to do so by the tribal council.
(a) He shall not disburse any funds in his custody
belonging to the council except when authorized by a motion duly passed
and properly recorded by the council.
(b) He shall be present at all special or regular
meetings of the council, but will have no voice or vote in the deliberations
of the council, only when making reports or to furnish the necessary information
required by the council.
(c) The treasurer shall be required to furnish a
bond satisfactory to the council.
(d) The books and records of the treasurer shall
be audited at least once each year by a competent auditor employed by the
tribal council or under the direction of the Commissioner of Indian Affairs.
SEC. 5. There shall be a sergeant-at-arms and he
will be appointed by the tribal council.
(a) It shall be his duty to be present at all meetings
of the tribal council, and to maintain order and decorum within the council
chamber; he shall serve all summonses emanating from the council, and shall
perform such other duties as may be designated by the council. He shall
have no voice or vote in the deliberations of the council, except when
making reports or when furnishing information requested by the council.
ARTICLE II-QUALIFICATIONS OF OFFICE
Any person elected as an officer or councilman must
be a Sioux Indian, enrolled on the Cheyenne River Reservation, and over
twenty-five (25) years of age at the time of his or her election.
(a) No employee of the Indian Service shall be elected
as an officer or councilman.
(b) No person convicted of felony shall be elected
as an officer or councilman.
(c) The tribal council shall be the sole judge of
the qualifications of its own members.
(d) All councilman must be elected from their respective
districts, and be a resident of the district of which they are elected.
ARTICLE III-DISTRICT OR PRECINCT ORGANIZATION, ELECTIONS, AND CERTIFICATION
SECTION 1. Each voting precinct established under
this constitution as provided in article III, section 4, shall elect at
the first general election and biannually thereafter a president, secretary,
and treasurer. These district officials shall hold office for a term of
two years. The president shall call and preside over all councils of the
community whenever necessary for the consideration of matters of local
interest and may exercise such further powers as may be delegated to him
by the tribal council. He shall file with the tribal council and certify
all nominations for office within the precinct and at large, according
to section 3, article V of this constitution. The actions of the
precinct officers shall not be inconsistent with the constitution and by-laws
and ordinances of the tribe. A tribal councilman, in addition to the office
of tribal councilman, may hold any of these district offices if elected
to such office by the voters of his district.
SEC. 2. It shall be the duty of the district council
to see that all nominations for tribal office, including membership in
the council, shall be made in strict accord with the provisions of the
constitution and to certify as to the legality of such nominations, otherwise
it shall be considered illegal and ineffective by the tribal council.
SEC. 3. All tribal elections for officers shall
be canvassed and certified by the council, or a board appointed by them,
the results of such elections. No candidate shall be considered legally
elected, nor shall he hold office until such canvass and certification
have been made by the council within five (5) days after such elections.
SEC. 4. All necessary details concerning tribal
nominations and elections not specifically covered in these by-laws or
in the constitution, shalll be more fully set forth in ordinances to be
hereafter established by the council.
SEC. 5. Each district or voting precinct established
under section 3 of article III of the constitution are hereby outlined
by legal subdivisions, as follows:
No. 1. Agency district.-Beginning at it point
on the west bank of the Missouri River, following the township line west
to the SE corner of section 36, township 14 north, range 29 east; thence
south to the southeast corner of section 36, township 13 north, range 29
east; thence west to the southwest comer of said section 36; thence south
along the range line to where it intersects the west bank of the Missouri
River; thence north and east along the west bank of the Missouri River
to the point of beginning.
No. 2. Bridger district.-Beginning at a point
on the north bank of the Cheyenne River where the range line dividing ranges
19 east and range 20 east intersects said Cheyenne River; thence north
to the township line dividing townships 8 and 9 north; thence west along
said township line to the west boundary line of the Cheyenne River Reservation;
thence south along said line to the Cheyenne River; thence east along the
north bank of said Cheyenne River to the point of beginning.
No. 3. Cherry Creek district.-Beginning at
a point on the north bank of the river where the range line between ranges
22 east and 23 east intersect said river; thence north following said range
line to the township line dividing townships 10 and 11 north; thence west
to the southeast corner of section 36, township 11 north, range 20 east;
thence south to the southeast corner of section 36, township 9 north, range
20 east; thence west to a point to the range line dividing ranges 19 and
20 east; thence south along said range line to the north bank of the Cheyenne
River; thence along the bank of the Cheyenne River to the point of beginning.
No. 4. Red Scaffold district.-Beginning at
the southeast corner of section 36, township 9 north, range 20 east; thence
north along the range line to the southeast corner of section 36, township
12 north, range 20 east; thence west along the township line to the west
boundary line of the said Cheyenne River Reservation; thence south along
said reservation boundary line to where the township line dividing townships
8 north and 9 north intersect said boundary line of the reservation; thence
east along said township line to the point of beginning.
No. 5. Eagle Butte district.-Beginning at
a point on the north bank of the Cheyenne River where the range line dividing
range 26 east and range 27 east intersect said river; thence north to the
right-of-way to the Chicago, Milwaukee and Pacific Railroad; thence along
said right-of-way across section 36, township 13 north, range 26 east;
thence north following the township line to the southeast corner of section
36, township 14 north, range 26 east; thence west to the southeast corner
of section 36, township 14 north, an range 22 east; thence south to the
southeast corner of section 18, township 12 north, range 23 east; thence
west to the southeast corner of section 13, township 12 north, range 21
east; thence south to the southeast corner of section 36, township 11 north,
range 21 east; thence east to the southeast corner of section 36, township
11 north, range 22 east; thence south along the range line to the north
bank of the Cheyenne River; thence following the said Cheyenne River in
a northeasterly direction to the point of beginning.
No. 6. Fourbear district.-Beginning on the
west bank of the Missouri River at a point where the township line dividing
townships 15 and 16 north intersect said river; thence west to the southeast
corner of section 36, township 16 north, range 29 east; thence south along
the range line to the southeast corner of section 36, township 14 north,
range 29 east; thence east along the township line to where it intersects
the west bank of said Missouri River; thence north along the west bank
of the Missouri River to the point of beginning.
No 7. Green Grass district.-Beginning at
the southeast corner of section 36, township 14 north, range 26 east; thence
north to the southeast corner of section 36, township 15 north, range 26
east; thence west to the southeast corner of section 36, township 15 north,
range 24 east; thence north to the southeast corner of sectioik 36, township
16 north, range 24 east; thence west to the southeast corner of section
36, township 16 north, range 23 east; thence north following the range
line to the north boundary line of the Cheyenne River Reservation; thence
west to the northeast corner of section 2, township 17 north, range 22
east; thence south to the south boundary line of township 17 north; thence
east to where the range line dividing ranges 22 and 23 east intersect said
township line; thence south along said range line to the southeast corner
of section 36, township 14 north, range 22 east; thence east along the
township line to the point of beginning.
No. 8. Lantry district.-Beginning at the
southeast corner of section 18, township 12 north, range 22 east; thence
due north to the southeast corner of section 1, township 15 north, range
22 east; thence west to the southeast corner of section 1, township 15
north, range 21 east; thence south along the range line to the southeast
corner of section 13, township 12 north, range 21 east; thence west to
the point of beginning.
No. 9. LaPlant district.-Beginning at a point
on the. west bank of the Missouri River where the range line dividing ranges
29 and 30 east intersects said river; thence north following said range
line to the southeast corner of section 13, township 15 north, range 29
east; thence west to the southeast corner of section 18, township 15 north,
range 28 east; thence south to the southeast corner of section 31, township
15 north, range 28 east; thence west to the southeast corner of section
36, township 15 north, range 26 east; thence south following the range
line to the north bank of the Cheyenne River; thence meandering along the
banks of said Cheyenne River and the Missouri River to the point of beginning.
No. 10. Promise district.-Beginning at the
southeast corner of section 13, township 15 north, range 29 east; thence
north to the north boundary line of the said Cheyenne River Reservation;
thence west along said boundary line to the northeast corner of section
1, township 17 north, range 27 east; thence south to the southeast corner
of section 18, township 15 north, range 28 east.; thence east to the point
of beginning.
No. 11. Robertson precinct.-Beginning at
a point where the north boundary line of the Cheyenne River Reservation
intersects the Missouri River; thence west to the northeast corner of section
1, township 17 north, range 29 east; thence south following the range line
to the southeast corner of section 36, township 16 north, range 29 east;
thence east following said township line to the west bank of the Missouri
River; thence north along the west bank of the Missouri River to the point
of beginning.
No. 12. Thunder Butte district.-Beginning
at the southeast corner of section 36, township 11 north, range 21 east;
thence north following the range line to the southeast corner of section
1, township 15 north, range 21 east; thence east to the southeast corner
of section 1, township 15 north, range 22 east; thence north following
the section line to the north boundary line of the Cheyenne River Reservation;
thence west following the said boundary line to the northwest corner of
the said Cheyenne River Reservation; thence south following the west boundary
line of said Cheyenne River Reservation to the south boundary line of township
12. north; thence east to the southeast corner of section 36, township
12 north, range 20 east; thence south to the southeast corner of section
36, township 11 north, range 20 east; thence east following the township
line to the point of beginning.
No. 13. -White Horse district.-Beginning
at the southeast corner of section 31, township 15 north, range 28 east;
thence due north to the north boundary line of the Cheyenne River
Reservation; thence west to the northeast corner of section 1, township
17 north, range 23 east; thence south along the range line to the southeast
corner of section 36, township 16 north, range 23 east; thence east to
the southeast corner of section 36, township 16 north, range 24 east; thence
south to the southeast corner of section 36, township 15 north, range 24
east; thence east to the point of beginning.
ARTICLE IV-MEETINGS AND PROCEDURE
SEC. 1. Immediately after the election of members
of the tribal council and said elected members are duly certified.as provided
for in article III, section 6, the members shall assemble at the Cheyenne
Agency and organize for business, and appoint one sergeant-at-arms.
SEC. 2. The council shall meet regularly on the
first Tuesday of each month. The meetings shall be hold at the agency office
or other building provided for such purpose.
SEC. 3. Special meetings of the council shall be
held at such times as are designated by the chairman, and he shall notify
the members at least twenty-four (24) hours before the date of such meeting.
SEC. 4. At any special or regular meeting of the
tribal council with two-thirds (2/3) of the members present it shall constitute
a quorum, and the council may proceed to transact any business that may
come before it. Without a quorum the chairman shall adjourn the meeting.
SEC. 5. Special meetings of the council shall also
be held upon written request of either seven (7) members of the council
or by petition signed by one hundred (100) legal voters of the tribe. Such
written request shall be filed with the chairman or the secretary of the
council, and he shall notify the council members twenty-four (24) hours
before the date of such council meeting.
SEC. 6. All sessions of the tribal council (except
executive) shall be open to all members of the tribe. Balloting at all
sessions shall be either by acclamation or by secret written ballot, as
the presiding officer shall direct.
SEC. 7. The council may, upon motion duly passed,
go into executive sessions. At such sessions all persons shall be excluded
from the council chamber, and any such person whose presence shall be required
before the council shall be designated by the chairman, and no other persons
shall be allowed to be present other than the members of the council and
the secretary.
SEC. 8. The order of business at any regular or
special meeting of the tribal council shall be as follows:
(a) Council called to order for session.
(b) Roll call.
(c) Prayer by an authorized person.
(d) Opening address by the presiding officer or
by others.
(e) Reading and acceptance of minutes of previous
meeting.
(f) Reports of standing committee.
(g) Reports of council treasurer.
(h) Reports of the special committees.
(i) Reports of the board of directors or advisors.
(j) Reading of communications and reports.
(k) Impeachment trials.
(1) Installation of new officers.
(m) Unfinished business.
(n) New business.
(o) Appointment of committees and directors.
(p) Adjournment.
SEC. 9. It shall be the duty of the council to exercise
care and caution to the end that a complete record is preserved of all
acts of the council and of all committees appointed therefrom. Accurate
copies of all such records shall be preserved in the files of the council
and accurate copies of all necessary records shall be transmitted to such
bureaus, departments, or elsewhere as may be required.
SEC. 10. All records of the council and its committees
or delegates shall at all times be a matter of public record, and any member
of the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe or his authorized representative, or
any properly authorized officer or employee of any Government department
shall have full access to same during business hours. However,
it is provided that matters before the council while in executive session
shall be, at the option of the council, withheld from the public or from
individuals or their representatives, until after same shall have been
acted upon or otherwise quietly disposed of.
ARTICLE V-TRIBAL COURT (JUDICIAL CODE)
SECTION 1. (a) It shall
be the duty of the council to provide, through the necessary by-laws or
ordinances, for the establishment of a tribal court upon the reservation.
(b) This court shall have jurisdiction over
all such petty offenses not falling within the exclusive jurisdiction of
Federal or State courts, as may be provided in the ordinances of the tribe.
(c) This court shall have jurisdiction over
all Indians upon the reservation and over such disputes or lawsuits as
shall occur between Indians on the reservation or between Indians and non-Indans
where such cases are brought before it by stiuplation of both parties provided
that jurisdiction over Indian employees of the Indian Service shall be
subject to rules and regualtions prescribed by the Secretary of the Interior.
(d) The duties and jurisdiction of this court
shall be more fully prescribed by appropriate by-laws or ordinances.
SEC. 2. It shall be the duty of the council
to establish by ordinance, a tribal police force which shall have full
jurisdiction upon the reservation, the authority and duties of this police
force under which it will function may be otulined by the council, such
police to be employees of the council and shall be an agency of the tribal
court.
ARTICLE VI-RELATION BETWEEN FEDERAL AND TRIBAL GOVERNMENT
SECTION 1. The Indians of the Cheyenne River Reservation recognize their inability to control or assume all responsibilities of administration, such as: The supervision of health and educational services; employees of the Federal Government through whom we must make contact with the administrative office in Washington to manage wholly our internal affiars; and matters over which the tribal council has no authority.
ARTICLE VII-LAW OF PROPERTY
SECTION 1. It shall be the duty of the council to
pass rules ansd regulations to prevent unauthorized prospecting or mining
of any kind upon the reservation and to see that such rules and regulations
are properl enforced.
SEC. 2. The council shall pass ordinances for the
control of hunting and fishing upon the reservation, not conflicting with
any of the Federal or State game laws. The council shall enforce
such ordinances and cooperate with Federal and State authorities for protection
of game on the reservation. Further, the council may issue licenses for
hunting and fishing and shall establish and act for same.
ARTICLE VIII-PUBLIC WELFARE
SECTION 1. Charity.-(a) The council at all
times determines in careful manner what constitutes just cause for charity
or financial aid or assistance to the indigent members of the tribe, and
shall make proper provisions for recommendation to proper agencies for
relief.
(b) The council shall designate persons who shall
administer charity work on the reservation, and the solicitation and expenditure
of charity funds conducted in a systematic manner and that the right to
do so may not be abused. It shall seek and cooperate with such charity
organizations and thereby render assistance or aid to the poor and needy.
(c) The council shall at all times endeavor to discuss
and eliminate the cause for indigency, exercising wise and judicious supervision
and managemet of the affairs of the finances of individual members of the
tribe, to the end that need, privation, and financial distress may be entirely
eliminated among the members of the tribe.
SEC. 2. Education.-(a) The council shall
pass necessary ordinances to promote and increase learning and education
among the members of the tribe, studying present school systems, and recommending
plans for improving them to the proper bureaus or departments.
(b) The council shall enter into negotiations with
nonreservation schools and procure for the members of the tribe the highest
type of educational facilities, to the end that younger members of the
tribe shall have every possible advantage, attaining that degree of education
that will fit them to meet and take part in the modern civilization and
advancement.
SEC. 3. Social welfare.-(a) The council shall
encourage and promote among the residents of the reservation by every practical
means a proper system of social and home education in home economics, hygiene,
home demonstrations, agronomy and farm demonstrations, with the cooperation
of State, county, and Federal departments, and agencies which seek to promote
such social welfare and agricultural development work.
ARTICLE IX-LOANS
The tribal council shall act upon all applications for loans under a revolving fund or reimbursable regulations for the purchase of property, stock, or equipment, or loans to Indians, for the payment of tuition for higher education or trade schools, out of the allotment to the Cheyenne River Reservation as provided in the act of June 18, 1934 (48 Stat. 984), for such purposes.
ARTICLE X-APPLCATION FOR F'UNDS
The tribal council shall act in an advisory capacity
upon all applications to the superintendent for the withdrawal from the
United States Treasury of trust funds, Sioux benefits, or the Cheyenne
River Reservation 3% funds, or any other tribal funds, may adopt rules
and regulations not in conflict with law, subject to the approval of the
superintendent governing withdrawal of individual Indian money.
ARTICLE XI-TRIBAL CLAIMS
The council shall make a thorough survey, research, investigation, and study of the history and title of all lands which are now tribal in character or that have been tribal in character in times past and shall endeavor to reestablish the tribal equity, if any, in such lands so as to obtain through proper channels just compensation for such lands, which it shall find to have been unlawfully removed from the present jurisdiction of the tribe and without just compensation.
ARTICLE XII-GUARDIANSHIP
The council shall pass all necessary ordinances whereby the rights of minors and incompetents shall be properly safeguarded, and shall see that the administration of such funds and other assets shall be for the exclusive benefit of such minors or incompetents. It shall be the duty of the council to make semi-annual reports concerning all such guardianship funds or assets, and that such reports be matters of public record, with the exception of the trust funds and individual Indian money, upon the approval of the Secretary of the Interior, which is deposited and supervised by the superintendent.
ARTICLE XIII-NATIONAL SIOUX COUNCIL
The tribal council shall have the further power to select delegates to sit in national councils of the entire Sioux Nation. Said national council of the Sioux Nation shall be formed by the meeting of said delegates whenever five (5) of the following Sioux Tribes shall adopt a constitution containing a provision similar to this: Standing Rock, Cheyenne River, Lower Brule, Crow Creek, Pine Ridge, Rosebud, Santee, Fort Peck.
ARTICLE XIV-ADOPTION
This constitution and by-laws, when ratified by a majority vote of the qualified voters of the Sioux Tribe of the Cheyenne River Reservation voting at an election called for the purpose by the Secretary of the Interior, provided that at least 30 per cent of those entitled to vote shall vote in such election, shall be submitted to the Secretary of the Interior, and, if approved, shall be effective from the date of approval.
CERTIFICATION OF ADOPTION
Pursuant to an order, approved October 29, 1935,
by the Secretary of the Interior, the attached constitution and by-laws
were submitted for ratification to the Cheyenne River Tribe of Sioux Indians
and were on December 7,1935, duly ratified by a vote of 576 for, and 366
against, in an election in which over 30 percent of those entitled to vote
cast their ballots, in accordance with section 16 of the Indian Reorganization
Act of June 18, 1934 (48 Stat. 984) as amended by the act of June 15, 1935
(Public, No. 147, 74th Cong.).
HARRY F. C. WOODS,
Chairman of Election Board.
LUKE GILBERT,
Chairman of Cheyenne River Sioux Tribal Council.
JAMES E. HIHAWK,
Tribal Secretary.
WALTER F. DICKENS,
Superintendent.
I, Harold L. Ickes, the Secretary of the Interior
of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority granted me
by the act of June 18, 1934 (48 Stat. 984), as amended, do hereby approve
the attached constitution and by-laws of the Cheyenne River Tribe of Sioux
Indians.
All rules and regulations heretofore promulgated
by the Interior Department or by the Office of Indian Affairs, so far as
they may be incompatible with any of the provisions of the said constitution
or by-laws are hereby declared inapplicable to the Cheyenne River Tribe
of Sioux Indians.
All officers and employees of the Interior Department
are ordered to abide by the provisions of the said constitution and by-laws.
Approval recommended December 23, 1935.
JOHN COLLIER,
Commissioner of Indian Affairs.
HAROLD L. ICKES,
Secretary, of the Interior.
[SEAL]
WASHINGTON, D. C., December 27, 1935.