PINE RIDGE, SD — In a statement today, Frank Star Comes Out, president of the Oglala Lakota Sioux Tribe located in Pine Ridge announced the Tribe’s Withdrawal from the Coalition of Large Tribes (COLT) an alliance of tribal nations formed in 2011 with the stated goal of advocacy for tribal land interests.
Speaking out on Facebook, Star Comes Out has said quoted the official statement, saying “We will continue to speak for ourselves, stand with our people, and demand accountability from those who claim to represent us. The Oglala Sioux Tribe calls on other large land-based Tribal Treaty Nations to join us in this stand. Our strength lies in unity—not in selective representation or silence. We must reject reliance on intermediaries who interpret our issues through narrow lenses. Advocacy for Treaty Tribes must reflect the full diversity of Tribal Nations, including those who rely on direct services. Until that standard is met, the Oglala Sioux Tribe will chart its own course-grounded in our values, our sovereignty, and our responsibility to all our people”.
Among reasons cited for the Tribe’s departure from COLT are the organizations’ lack of transparency and communication, as well as a recent pivot toward appealing to the current US administration. “The Tribe will not remain silent or complicit. Advocacy in Washington DC must be bold, unapologetic, and rooted in truth.” read the statement from OST.
