| Abstract |
The present day members of the Rosebud Sioux Tribe of approx. 26,000 are the descendants of the Sicangu Oyate (Brule or Burnt Thigh Nation). The Sicangu are a part of the Tetonwan Lakota Oyate (Dwellers of the Plains), more commonly known to history as the Great Sioux Nation. The people of the Sioux Nation, from west to east, refer to themselves as Lakota, Nakota or Dakota, which means friend or ally. The expansive, rolling prairies, the shallow, winding creeks and rivers, and the ever-present winds are all integral parts of the continuing history, culture and remaining economic base upon which the Lakota people who call Rosebud home depend. Many of the Rosebud Sioux Tribe reside on the one million acre reservation, the nations 6th largest, in South Central South Dakota. In March 2003, through the vision of the late Alex Little Soldier Lunderman (1928- 2000) and the efforts of the Rosebud Sioux Tribal Utilities Commission, with assistance from DISGEN Inc. and ICOUP, along with grant funding from Dept. of Energy and a loan from the Rural Utilities Service, United States Department of Agriculture, the Rosebud Sioux Tribe commissioned a single 750 kilowatt NEG Micon wind turbine near the Rosebud Casino. The Little Soldier Akicita Cikala Turbine stands as a testament to the vision of a man and a people. This vision has carried on through the application and award of a DOE grant in 2003, in which the Rosebud Sioux Tribe was awarded a $448,551.00 for pre-construction activities in the development of a 30Mw wind farm called the Owl Feather War Bonnet Wind Farm. In this same award DISGEN offered in kind services of $78,750.00, and the Rosebud Sioux Tribe offered in kind services of $27,272.00. Pre-construction activities in wind development demand knowledge of many requirements in understanding site conditions, interconnection of the wind farm to infrastructure capability. Biological assessment of the site is also necessary to recognize and evaluate the impact of such a wind farm on the environment, flora and fauna, plus the evaluation of the impact on the cultural past and present human activity, along with the potential economic benefits to the tribe and its people. |
