Sioux talk about free trade

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The Standing Buffalo Dakota Nation played host in August to a summit of Sioux nations from across Canada and the United States.

Cultural and trade matters dominated the five-day convention, said Standing Buffalo Chief Mel Isnana.

The different Dakota, Lakota, and Nakota nations want to find out ways to increase trade amongst Native peoples across North America, he said. "We want to do some international partnerships with peoples in the United States and Mexico. We'll be going to be meeting this October in Mexico."

The North American Free Trade Agreement, signed seven years ago, doesn't have any categories regarding trade between the Indigenous nations of North America, he said. This should allow First Nations to set up their own trade agreements.

"With the free-trade agreement Canada, the United States and Mexico have, Indigenous peoples have been left out. We believe we can make our own partnerships and start doing some trade amongst ourselves.

"There are some products, some raw products, that we can barter with, wheat from Canada and the northern US, coffee from Mexico."

In addition, participants studied ways to preserve the unique language and heritage of the Sioux people, Isnana said.

"In order to preserve as a nation, we have to have a language. Our language is one of the things we want to preserve."

Preserving the Sioux language and customs will be difficult, but worthwhile, said the chief.

"One of the things we're trying to do is to get back our language . . . preserve the language and a culture of our nation.

"As by-products of the residential school system we hadn't got that training at home. We're trying to get our young ones retrained in our ways in our nation."

This was the 10th anniversary of the Sioux Nations summit. Standing Buffalo hosted the first summit in 1990.