05/20/2026
In 1868, the United States signed the Fort Laramie Treaty, recognizing the Black Hills as Lakota land. Six years later, gold was found. The treaty was ignored. The land was seized.
In 1980, the Supreme Court ruled it had been stolen and offered financial compensation. The Lakota refused. They have refused every year since. The funds now exceed one billion dollars — sitting uncollected in a federal account.
To the Lakota, Paha Sapa is not a land claim. It is the center of their world. Some things cannot be purchased. Some wrongs cannot be settled with money.
Some stories are not often told.
Stories from Native American Way.