“With social ills and new age addictions plaguing Indigenous homelands and communities, and incarceration numbers reaching alarming rates; Iron House Nation was created to shed light and to bring a voice to the table of humanity.”
Maza Tipi OyateOur goal
The direction of Maza Tipi Oyate is to create prevention initiatives for youth: our children are sacred. We have forgotten the teachings of our ancestors and this is not only the teachings of Native American ancestors but of all people.Together we want to motivate the youth, use our experiences to prevent them from being incarcerated and connect them with the positive influence of community leaders, educators, musicians, artists, lawyers and speakers to empower the future generations.
Mission Statement
With incarceration numbers reaching alarming rates, we know the Iron House will be the end result of many of our Indigenous youth. Those of us at Maza Tipi Oyate, hope by walking in the footsteps of our ancestors and reaching out to the world for help and unifying with the spirit of compassion, we can begin to mend our sacred hoop of life. The futures of Indigenous peoples and youth should not be as prisoners, and our homes should not be Prison Cells!
- Total Native American Population in South Dakota 7%
- Native Americans Incarcerated in South Dakota 21%
We need your help
To further this journey I am seeking people of true compassion and interest to help me advance my efforts.I need people to be a part of this voice, to educate the public, use social media to start a discussion, develop an organizing strategy, fund raise for outreach projects, and pressure politicians and decision makers to create change.
Regardless of who you are, or where you come from, you can make a huge difference for the Indigenous Peoples that have been forgotten.
Get in touch with us if you’re willing to help change the present into a better future.
Work Together
Write to us
Robert A. Horse #13466
Mike Durfee State Prison
1412 Wood Street
Springfield, SD 57062-2238
35 years and counting
By Richie Richards Native Sun News Staff Writer SIOUX FALLS –– The law does not forgive a person who is in a blackout during the commitment of a crime in South Dakota, especially when the victim is viciously beaten to death. In 1983, George Blue Bird, an enrolled member of the Oglala Sioux Tribe, beat a retired rancher, Herb Tech (83) to death in his home in Martin. After a long day of drinking in Martin, Blue Bird and his mother Lenora had gone to Herb Tech’s home. This is where mother and son’s version of the events of that fateful evening separate. Blue Bird claims he was struck by Tech with a wooden object when asked to leave his home and in his retaliation, although he claimed not to remember, is when Tech died during the fight that ensued. Originally charged along with Blue Bird, his mother Lenora, taking a plea deal, testified against her son. She claimed she witnessed her son punch and beat Tech until he lay lifeless. And that she returned with her son to check on Tech, when they noticed he was in fact dead, Blue Bird attempted to burn down the home to hide the evidence. The autopsy showed that Tech died of “blunt force trauma” to his head, chest and abdomen. Blue Bird was 24 at the time of his arrest. In an interview with Native Sun News in June, Blue Bird discussed his life as a young adult, free man. “I partied a lot. I used to like to do heroin and other drugs. I drank a lot too,” he said.... read more
South Dakota State Penitentiary Denies Native American Powwow Ceremonies
The South Dakota State Penitentiary is denying Native American inmates religious accommodations for their quarterly pow wow ceremonies. That after a U.S. District Court ruled that the state Department of Corrections had violated those inmates’ religious freedoms by banning their use of tobacco in prayer.
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