Kristi Noem, Trump VP Contender, Banned in Six Native Reservations
Two Native American tribes in South Dakota have banned Governor Kristi Noem from their land due to her continued derogatory remarks about tribal leaders and reservation life.
These recent bans bring the total number of reservations barring her entry to six out of nine in the state. This comes after Noem ended a troubled national media book tour, tarnishing her once-promising political prospects, including being a potential running mate for Donald Trump.
The Sisseton Wahpeton Oyate and Yankton Sioux tribes passed resolutions prohibiting her from their territories, citing tribal sovereignty to exclude non-members. Governor Noem's clashes with tribal authorities highlight ongoing tensions over jurisdiction on reservations.
She was banished in 2019 by the Oglala Sioux Tribal Council after signing anti-riot legislation in response to Native-led protests against the Keystone XL pipeline, and then again earlier this year over rhetoric linking illegal immigration to crime on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation.
The governor also ignored tribal objections to a 2020 fireworks display over Mount Rushmore and clashed with tribal leaders after they set up coronavirus checkpoints to control visits to their reservations.
Most recently, she alleged Native children "don't have any hope" because of absentee parents and suggested without evidence that tribal leaders were "personally benefitting" from drug cartel operators.
"Governor Kristi Noem's wild and irresponsible attempt to connect tribal leaders and parents with Mexican drug cartels is a sad reflection of her fear-based politics that do nothing to bring people together to solve problems," Janet Alkire, chairwoman of the Standing Rock Sioux, wrote in a lengthy five-page rebuke in March.
Tribal leaders have called on Ms Noem to apologise, but she instead issued a statement earlier this month calling on them to "banish the cartels from tribal lands".
The governor's office did not respond to the BBC's request for comment.
It is the latest embarrassment for the former rising star of the Republican party.
In her new book, No Going Back, Ms Noem recounts how she shot dead her 14-month-old dog, Cricket, for bad behaviour. She also killed a goat she said smelled and was mean.
The governor said the shootings were examples of her willingness to do things that were "difficult, messy and ugly".
Ms. Noem claimed to have visited the demilitarized zone between North and South Korea and had a confrontation with Kim Jong Un, but there's no public record of this event.
Additionally, she said she was set to meet with French President Emmanuel Macron but canceled due to alleged "pro-Hamas" comments he made, yet French officials deny any record of such a meeting.
Despite her efforts to dismiss criticism as left-wing "spin," her attempts at damage control have been unsuccessful, resulting in canceled interviews. While Trump expressed support, insiders suggest her chances of becoming his vice president are now diminished.
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