South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem (R) is now banned from visiting all tribal lands in her home state.
This comes after the Flandreau Santee Sioux tribe (FSST) voted Tuesday to ban Noem from its property. It is the last of the state’s nine official Native American tribes to do so.
The move comes after Noem’s controversial comments about tribal leaders allegedly profiting off of drug cartels in the state and prioritizing those cartels over parenting children on their reservations.
“[Flandreau President Tony] Reider informed the governor that a ban from our territories is imminent and requested that the Governor refrain from making future blanket statements that offend the tribes within the boundaries of the State of South Dakota,” the tribe wrote in a readout of their president’s meeting with Noem provided to CNN.
“It was recommended that the Governor clarify her statements and issue an apology to all tribal nations for the misunderstanding,” the readout continued. “Until such a time, the Executive Council and the people of the Flandreau Santee Sioux Tribe stand with our fellow nations.”
At a forum in March, Noem accused tribal leaders of catering to cartels while neglecting children and the poor on their reservations, according to the Associated Press.
“We’ve got some tribal leaders that I believe are personally benefiting from the cartels being there, and that’s why they attack me every day,” Noem said. “But I’m going to fight for the people who actually live in those situations, who call me and text me every day and say, ’Please, dear governor, please come help us in Pine Ridge. We are scared.’”
Earlier this month, the Yankton Sioux tribe and the Sisseton-Wahpeton Ovate tribe voted to ban Noem from their reservation. This follows similar votes by the Standing Rock Sioux, Crow Creek Sioux, Rosebud, Cheyenne River Sioux, Oglala Sioux and Lower Brule Sioux tribes earlier this year.
In a statement to CNN, Noem did not address the ban but said she hopes to work with tribal leaders in the future.
“I only want to speak truth to the real challenges that are being faced in some areas of Indian Country,” she said.
Noem’s banishment from tribal lands is the latest controversy surrounding the governor who was criticized over her book in which she describes killing her 14-month-dog, Cricket, and an unnamed goat. She also claim to have met with North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un while serving in Congress and canceled a meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron last year after he allegedly made “a very pro-Hamas and anti-Israel comment.”
Noem has since hinted that she did not meet Kim and French officials have denied arranging a meeting with Noem.
