I believe all this has little to do with water or burial grounds.
Goes back to why we fought in the 1800s but now we have a bunch of outside people stirring the pot before they leave. Our current president will never know, accept or understand what he has done. He sat us back many generation with the end result only more hate and no resolve between the races.
My grand parents came in the 1890's and it's been only a couple of generation along with the fact we kept the races separate with the beginning of the reservations. Worse thing that could of happen to all of us, natives included. However the French did a good job of mixing the blood up here.
One side will push and the other side will not accept. Not sure if there ever can be peace with all the old memories. If they want the black hills back it isn't going to happen. It is what it is and all need to accept that and the government also needs to accept that. If the government thinks by giving some land up to the natives, they will then have control and that it will please all, no it will not. Natives are not the only ones losing this ground or other ground to whoever including the government.
The government needs to understand people, the hurt and how to help heal not to open the wounds up again. The people also need to understand the need to settle old wounds.
Not until we accept each other and it is hard for me to do that when a lady building a bomb blows her arm, the white people lie about it and then gets 428,000 to help fix. If she made that bomb I hope she spends the rest of her life at my expense in a prison. And I have yet to see truth come out and agree to by both sides.
As a veteran I hope those veterans never see a dime raised for them and Clark gets it all (make your dad proud). Some whites never did quit screwing others.
I said before, the hippies protested for the sex and drugs (and may be a little for the cause) and not the monies paid to do it. db
