A bill which would mandate the teaching of the Oceti Sakowin Essential Understandings, or OSEUs, has advanced from the Senate Education Committee.
The bill was brought by Lower Brule Republican Sen. Tamara Grove. She said the move is in the spirit of “resetting” state-tribal relations.
“I am honored and blown away for all seven of the Senators to stand with me on (SB) 196," Grove said. "To really lean into the rest that the good chairman from Sisseton Wahpeton Oyate called for is just unbelievable.”
Under Gov. Kristi Noem’s administration, state-tribal relations saw many polarizing moments, including Noem saying Native children “don’t have any hope.” That culminated in the then-governor’s banishment from every reservation in South Dakota.
In the State of the Tribes speech to lawmakers, Sisseton Wahpeton chairman J. Garrett Renville said this moment was a chance to reset that relationship.
Grove said teaching these lessons in all public schools is a meaningful step toward reconciliation.
“A big part of what (Native peoples) carry has been the rejection and the abandonment – those kinds of heart wounds," Grove said. "It’s part of the healing process, right? It says we want to move forward, and we want to be more inclusive about how we’re doing our education.
The bill will next be heard on the Senate floor.