Major Employers: Lower Brule Sioux Tribe Golden Buffalo Casino, Bureau of Indian Affairs, Indian Health Service and the Lower Brule Farm Corp. Median Family Income: $20,263. Unemployment Rate (Department of the Interior 2005): 52%. Joseph's Students Enrolled in this tribe: 21%. Lower Brule Tribal Office 187 Oyate Circle Lower Brule, SD 57548 605-473-5561.
The Lower Brule Sioux Tribe welcomes you! Discover our beautiful country along the western side of the Missouri Valley in South Dakota.
Chief Iron Nation (1815-1894) led the Lower Brule Sioux Tribe through some of its most challenging years. He worked diligently, both as a warrior and statesman, to ensure the survival of his people. Iron Nation signed the treaty to establish the Great Sioux Reservation in 1868.
The Lower Brule Sioux Tribe invites you to visit our Golden Buffalo Casino, just 15 miles north of I-90 (Reliance exit) on the Native American Scenic Byway. Gamblers can select from 195 state-of-the-art slot machines.

Government
Administration Center, Lower Brulé Indian Reservation
Location of Lower Brulé Indian Reservation, South Dakota
Coordinates: 44°05′N99°47′W / 44.08°N 99.78°WCoordinates: 44°05′N99°47′W / 44.08°N 99.78°W
Country	United States
State	South Dakota
Counties	Lyman / Stanley
• Type	Tribal Council
• Chairman	Boyd Gourneau^[1]
Area
• Total	207.189 sq mi (536.617 km²)
Population
• Total	1,308
Time zone	UTC-7 (MST)
• Summer (DST)	UTC-6 (MDT)
Website	Lower Brulé Sioux Tribe Official Website

The Lower Brule Sioux Tribe has always been known among the Lakota Nation as the Kul Wicasa Oyate and with the Rosebud Sioux Tribe, or Upper Brules composed the Sicangu Oyate, the Burned Thighs. The Lakota Nation or Great Sioux Nation includes the Oglala, Brule, Minnecoujou, Hunkpapa, Blackfeet, Without Bows and Two Kettle.

Hoop dance

The Lower Brulé Indian Reservation is an Indian reservation that belongs to the Lower BruléLakota Tribe. It is located on the west bank of the Missouri River in Lyman and Stanley counties in central South Dakota in the United States. It is adjacent to the Crow Creek Indian Reservation on the east bank of the river. The Kul Wicasa Oyate (lower…men…nation), the Lower Brulé Sioux, are members of the Sicangu (Burnt Thigh), one of the bands of the Lakota Tribe. Tribal headquarters is in Lower Brule.

3Government

History[edit]

The Sioux consist of a group of self-governing tribes speaking one of three dialects of the Siouan language: Dakota, Nakota and Lakota. The Dakota or Santee, who identify as by the autonymns of Mdewakantonwan, Wahpetowan, Wahpekute, or Sisseton, range in territory from the Ohio River valley to South Dakota. The Dakota or Nakota, known as the Ihanktonwan/Yankton or Yanktonai/Ihanktonwanna, range from eastern Minnesota to the Missouri River valley. The Lakota, or Western Teton/Tituwan Sioux, consisting of the Oglala, Mniconjou, Sicangu, Sihasapa, Oohenunpa, Hunkpapa, and Itazipco, traditionally ranged from lands east of the Missouri River valley to the Rocky Mountains. A common history and language, a strong respect for the land and nature, the common use of Pipestone and the reverence held for the stone, and ceremonies such as the Sun Dance, Sweat lodge, and Vision Quest, bind these peoples together.

The name 'Brule' comes from the French word brûlé (burnt), the name French fur traders used for the Sicangu in the late 17th century. The Sicangu divided into the Lower Brulé and the Heyata Wicasa, or Upper Brulé, in the late 18th century. The Lower Brulé favored lands at the confluence of the White River and the Missouri River, while the Upper Brulé lived further south and west.

The tribe has been working to improve the environment of the reservation and to protect its sacred places. In 2013, the tribe requested that the KELO-TV station find a new site for a transmission tower on Medicine Butte that had fallen.^[2] Medicine Butte rises about 200 feet above the prairie and is sacred to the Brulé. The town of Reliance developed nearby. KELO-TV agreed to the tribe's request and placed a new tower elsewhere.^[3]

Employment[edit]

Major employers are the Lower Brule Sioux Tribe, its Golden Buffalo Casino, Bureau of Indian Affairs, and Indian Health Service. The gaming casino has generated new revenue for the tribe.

Government[edit]

Two 'painted horses' grazing near the Missouri River on the Lower Brule Indian Reservation

The Lower Brule Sioux Tribe is a sovereign nation defined by its government-to-government relationship with the United States. As part of the Great Sioux Nation, the Tribe signed treaties in 1824, 1851, 1865 and 1868 with the federal government that constitute the legal documents establishing boundaries and recognizing the rights of sovereign tribal governments.

The Tribe was chartered under the Indian Reorganization Act of June 18, 1934. Its constitution was ratified on July 11, 1936, and bylaws were approved in 1960. The Tribe has contracted several aspects of self-government under the 1975 Indian Self Determination and Education Assistance Act, PL 93-638. On June 17, 1974, the constitution and bylaws were amended, and on September 2, 1986, they were again amended and a code of ethics adopted.

Tribal affairs are conducted by a six-member Tribal Council who are elected to serve two-year terms. Council offices include the chairman, vice-chairman, secretary/treasurer, and three Council members. The Tribal Council Chairman serves as the Chief Executive Officer and Administrative head of the Tribe.

The Chairman, Vice-Chairman, and Secretary-Treasurer, and the three Council Member positions are elected at-large.

Elections[edit]

A general election is held on the first Tuesday of September in even numbered years. Chairman, Vice-Chairman, and Secretary and Treasurer are elected at-large. The tribal council appoints, a Sergeant at Arms, a Chaplain, and other officers as necessary. Offices are held for two years. Elections consist of a Primary and General Election. The Primaries are held in August and the General is held in September, with Officials being seated during the October regular meeting. Council members also serve as officers or council representatives on various boards and committees.

Council meetings[edit]

Meetings are held the first Wednesday of each month with a quorum of five members.

Courts[edit]

The Lower Brule Sioux Tribal courts are established under a quasi-separation of power relationship with the Tribal Government. The 1986 Constitution/By-law amendments created the Chief Judge as an elected position, with a 4-year term. While the Tribal Council is the final authority on the Reservation, it has formally acknowledged the legal authority necessarily vested in the Tribal Courts.

The Lower Brule Sioux Court system also has established an appellate court and attendant processes. The Court hears all civil and minor criminal cases, while the federal courts hear all major felony cases.

Infrastructure[edit]

As part of the Pick-Sloan Missouri River Basin program, auth

Lower Brule Sioux Tribe Casino