SAGE Development Authority of The Standing Rock Sioux Tribe To Host Historic Virtual Conversation Featuring All Four Living Tribe Chairmen of Last 40 Years

SAGE Development Authority of The Standing Rock Sioux Tribe To Host Historic Virtual Conversation Featuring All Four Living Tribe Chairmen of Last 40 Years

The event marks the first time all four of the living Standing Rock Sioux Tribe Chairmen will participate in a public conversation together. 

Fort Yates, N.D., March 30, 2021 — SAGE Development Authority (SAGE), the first-ever public power authority owned by a single Native nation in the United States, will host a historic virtual roundtable between all four living Standing Rock Sioux Tribe (SRST) Chairmen of the last 40 years on April 15 at 2 pm EST. The Chairmen will discuss renewable energy during their terms, the current effort to build a wind farm on the SRST’s Native land, and there will be an open dialogue on self-determination and development at Standing Rock. Attendance is open to the public, but registration is required. 

The #NoDAPL movement, which brought international recognition to the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe,  reaffirmed the SRST and SAGE’s commitment to fight climate change and bring enhanced awareness to the cultural values of its people by providing a model for renewable energy resources – replicable for other Native nations –  in accordance with Natural Law, which achieves balance by not allowing any one force to dominate or to take beyond their own need from nature. 

The conversation will take place via Zoom at 2 pm EST on Thursday, April 15, 2021. SAGE General Manager Joseph McNeil Jr. will moderate the discussion. 

Panelists will be:

Charles Murphy
Former SRST Chairman, 1983-93, 1997-2005, 2009-2013

Ron His Horse is Thunder
Former SRST Chairman, 2005-2009

Dave Archambault II
Former SRST Chairman, 2013-2017

Mike Faith
SRST Chairman, 2017-Present

The conversation will conclude with a live Q&A between the audience and the four Chairmen  – a momentous opportunity for spectators to communicate directly with four decades of Standing Rock Sioux Tribal leadership. 

“When it comes to infrastructure development in Indian Country, we must strive to work together to reach decisions that reflect the multifaceted considerations of tribes,” says Dave Archambault II. “Indigenous Peoples are still here, and we are not going anywhere. The biggest wins come when we are liberated and united in a vision of sustainability and self-determination for our people. We see this in land, water, and forest protectors defending sacred and ancestral lands. ”

In a recent meeting with U.S. President Joe Biden and Vice President Harris, Chairman Mike Faith stated the importance of  “recognizing our [Indigenous Nations] treaties and recognizing the tribes as a nation.”

The event is part of SAGE’s monthly talk series titled For Generations to Come: Anpetu Wi Dialogues from Standing Rock. The talks in this series are devoted to raising awareness for Native American issues and SAGE’s efforts to develop a utility-scale wind farm, Anpetu Wi  – www.anpetuwi.com – on their ancestral land at Standing Rock. Past Anpetu Wi dialogues have included notable panelists such as Alayna Eagle Shield, Christopher Peters, Chase Iron Eyes, Dallas Goldtooth, Nataanii Means, and YoNasDa Lonewolf.

“For the people of Standing Rock and me, the Anpetu Wi project is a prayer,” says Joseph McNeil Jr., SAGE General Manager. “It allows us something to leave behind for future generations of the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe ​and reflects our cultural values by prioritizing people, land, and nature over profit.” SAGE has a goal of existing for 500 or more years following the “Seventh Generation” philosophy that the decisions we make today should result in a sustainable world for at least seven generations.

SAGE’s current foundation partners include The Wallace Global Fund, The Sierra Club Foundation, The JPB Foundation, The Seventh Generation Fund for Indigenous Peoples, Tamalpais Trust, The Cedar Tree Foundation, The Christensen Fund, and a generous anonymous donor. 

SAGE is working in partnership with special advisors LIATI Capital, LLC, Connexus Capital LLC, and Hometown Connections, Inc.

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Media Contact:                                                 

Kelly Reilly, Powell Mayas                                             

kelly@powellmayas.com              

About SAGE Development Authority:  A federally chartered Section 17 Corporation approved by the U.S. Secretary of the Interior, SAGE is one of 2,000 public power authorities in the United States owned by a municipal, federal or tribal government that is in the business of providing electricity. SAGE was created by and for the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe in North and South Dakota. Charged with leading Standing Rock’s development of renewable energy resources for economic development on the Reservation, the company controls and operates the energy production assets within the Reservation, facilitates agreements with third-party entities, and holds Standing Rock’s equity interest. SAGE is governed by a women-led Board of Directors, consisting solely of enrolled tribal members appointed by the Tribal Council. SAGE is a member of the American Public Power Association, Renewable Energy Buyers Alliance, and the American Wind Energy Association. The company’s first project is a 235-megawatt wind farm named Anpetu Wi.

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sagesrst/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sagesrst/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/sagesrst

Link to Images and Video

Media Contact:                                                 
Kelly Reilly, Powell Mayas                                             
kelly@powellmayas.com              

About SAGE Development Authority:  A federally chartered Section 17 Corporation approved by the U.S. Secretary of the Interior, SAGE is one of 2,000 public power authorities in the United States owned by a municipal, federal or tribal government that is in the business of providing electricity. SAGE was created by and for the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe in North and South Dakota. Charged with leading Standing Rock’s development of renewable energy resources for economic development on the Reservation, the company controls and operates the energy production assets within the Reservation, facilitates agreements with third-party entities, and holds Standing Rock’s equity interest. SAGE is governed by a women-led Board of Directors, consisting solely of enrolled tribal members appointed by the Tribal Council. SAGE is a member of the American Public Power Association, Renewable Energy Buyers Alliance, and the American Wind Energy Association. The company’s first project is a 235-megawatt wind farm named Anpetu Wi.

About the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe: Located in North and South Dakota, Standing Rock has a population of approximately 8,000 tribal members within its borders and comprises an area just smaller than the state of Connecticut. The people of Standing Rock, are members of the Dakota and Lakota nations and have lived on these lands for thousands of years. The Standing Rock Sioux Tribe has become internationally recognized for its leadership in the non-violent protest against the Dakota Access Pipeline (DAPL), which poses a threat to drinking water for Standing Rock and millions of others who depend on the Missouri River for clean water. The #NoDAPL protest served to raise awareness of the negative impact that fossil fuel infrastructure development has caused to the environment. In the aftermath of this movement, SRST is committed  to sustainable energy and institution building within Standing Rock to ensure it is increasingly self-reliant in its present and future energy needs.