Frequently asked questions

Your donation is tax-deductible as SAGE Development is classified as a 501(c)(3) public charity as per the provisions of Section 509(a)(1) and 170(b)(1)(A)(vi) of the Internal Revenue Code. However, no goods or services can be provided in exchange for your contribution to be eligible. To claim a donation as a deduction on your U.S. taxes, please retain your email donation receipt as your official record.

S-Strategic- to establish a pathway
A-Advancement- continue to move forward for the betterment of all our relations
G-Goals-establishing benchmarks the desired outcomes to our efforts
E-Environment- The Wakinyan Oyate (thunder beings) and all that exists underneath

Anpetu, literally means “it is day”, Wi is the sun or sunlight, together.

“Anpetu Wi” is the morning light of the sun, the beginning of a new day, the light helps us see the way things really are, to pray traditionally is to face the east at this time of day asking Tunkasila (grandfather creator), Wakan Takan (great sacred mystery) for wisdom and understanding.

We are looking to better our conditions not only for our present day relatives but the impact of what we do impacts the lives of those for the next 500 years and beyond. We must act in accordance to the wisdom that guided our ancestors to take care of the land and water to protect our relatives that will come long after we’ve passed into the next world. Take the time to listen, learn and be deliberate in our actions, for the ripple in the water goes far, wide and is felt by those we cannot see. It is to have respect.

Tate means wind, Topa is the number 4, The Four Winds in our belief are female spirits and the four winds represent the cardinal directions being east, south, west and north, the other directions are just as relevant, above, below and inward directions. The north winds are cleansing, causing the leaves to fall, the western winds bring the rain, southern winds bring warmth and eastern winds brings the life of a new day that life is coming.

To live in natural law is to respect and observe the physical existence and spiritual existence of all aspects of the world as we do our own. The respect of individual, family, community and nations of beings and natural forces that we exist with and not dominate. We respect the balance of all living things and when one takes beyond their own need, there is a correction to that, the balance, the law. The industrial revolution and exploitation of the resources to enrichen nations to gain more resources and power over Indigenous Peoples over the world has led to in imbalance of the world and we are feeling it’s effects as the balance is occurring. Creating renewable sustainable energy systems that provide what is necessary without high margins profit for wealth accumulation, spread the benefit and create community that adheres to the well being of others and thusly oneself in respect to the land and nature .

These funds will help us help ourselves in a measured way. We have been working with foundations and donors to aid Standing Rock in the pre-development and proved a wind project is feasible, next is to de-risk the project further by building the cache of data and environmental studies to own more of the project through intellectual gathering means, regulatory administrative approval work, real time wind data accumulation, land siting, easement processing and our land control leasing capacity. We will own more assets through this process than if we went in cold and relied on the project developer to build the deals with all the afore mentioned costs included. The ownership stake for the Tribe will be increased through these efforts and benefit our ability to enhance our community energy development projects.

Phestola – In a spiritual sense the Phestola design are two triangles, representing the tipi on the earth facing up to the sky and the the other side is the sky facing to the earth. This represents our spiritual existence in both worlds, spiritual and physical, what we do in one world is reflected in the spiritual world. There is a connection at the top of the tipi that directly correlates to the adjoining tipi (world). The spiritual power therein is untapped until we need our relatives to come over to aid us in this world or likewise, upon realization and deepening, we aid them in their world. We are connected.

The Section 17 Organization under the Indian Reorganization Act (IRA) provide the Native Nation the ability to establish a corporation that can allow a waiver of sovereign rights to the corporation and it assets without waiving the rights of the Native Nation and it’s assets. It gives the SAGE Development Authority, autonomy, governance and corporate rights that allow it to be more flexible than the IRA allows for Native Nation originally under the IRA.