It’s not often that members of the Flandreau Santee Sioux tribal leadership team head back to school, but that is where Chairman Tony Reider, Treasurer Ryan Kills-a-Hundred and Council member Cyndi Weddell found themselves this past week.
The three went into Mr. Blake Savey’s Government classroom for a real-life lesson in tribal government.
“Having the Executive Council come to speak to our Government class on Thursday was a great experience for myself and our students,” Savey told the Moody County Enterprise. “A big part of Government is learning how different Governments interact with one another and having a Sovereign Nation right across the street is such a cool opportunity for our students. The Executive Council did a great job of sharing the unique parts of Tribal Government and gave students a better understanding of how treaties guide the modern-day relationship between Tribal Governments and the U.S. Government.”
Tony Reider, Cyndi Weddell and Ryan Kills-A-Hundred talked with students about their first-hand experience of working within Tribal government and businesses and further spoke on topics ranging from basic tribal history, to the complexities of nation-to-nation relationships. Newly appointed tribal spokesman David Kills-a-Hundred told the Moody County Enterprise that the Council wanted to thank the school for hosting them.
“Most of all, the Executive Committee wishes to thank Marilyn Allen of the FSST Education Department for arranging this opportunity to speak with the kids at FHS. It’s always exciting to engage and interact with the next generation. The students provided excellent questions and terrific conversation.”
