CPTnet
13 December 2007
BEAR BUTTE, SD: Two small signs of hope; write SD Governor Rounds to commend
his reconciling actions

by John Spragge

Into a season of waiting and hope for Christians come two small gifts that
may contribute to a reconciliation between the First Peoples of this
continent and the newcomers.

Sturgis, South Dakota, home of the largest of the American motorcycle
rallies, sits just to the west of Bear Butte, a mountain called by the
Lakota Mato Paha, the most sacred site to the Arapaho, Lakota, and Cheyenne
people. For several years now, campgrounds near Mato Paha set up to
accommodate the motorcycle rally have threatened the peace of the mountain.
Now the most obnoxious of these entertainment and party complexes has lost
its liquor license. Jay Allen set up a twenty-four hour party venue two
miles from the mountain, complete with a bar, rock music venue, and on-site
centerfolds supplied by Larry Flynt's Hustler magazine empire. Allen has
reportedly failed to pay his contractors' bills for over a year now, and the
County Commission responsible for alcohol licenses has lifted his liquor
license because of his "character." He can still apply for a beer license
this spring, but he has already suffered two defeats, and we can hope, for
the peace of the sacred site, that the County Commissioners will not change
their view of his business practices.

The failure of Jay Allen and his party palace to pay their bills did not
happen in isolation. Attendance at the Sturgis Rally has fallen thirty
percent over the past three years, partly because many bikers heard about
the First Nations' concerns regarding Mato Paha and agreed with them that
Allen's enterprises were disrespectful.

South Dakota Governor Mike Rounds has apparently seen the signs of the
times, and has made a visionary proposal to have the state, aided by federal
and private funds, buy up development rights from Allen's neighbouring
landholders, thus ensuring that business interests will not desecrate Mato
Paha in the future. If Governor Rounds succeeds, he may preserve the peace
of the mountain to the great benefit of native and non-native residents of
South Dakota alike.

Pray for the peace of Mato Paha. And write to Governor Rounds commending
his intent to protect this sacred site at

Governor Mike Rounds
Office of the Governor
 500 E. Capitol Ave.
Pierre, SD 57501
USA

605.773.3212