Fish and Game Stamps of the Crow Creek Sioux Tribe

The Cow Creek Sioux

The Crow Creek Sioux Tribe are descendants of a nomadic people that once occupied Minnesota. Following the invasion of their territory by whites, and the subsequent fighting that has become known as the Minnesota Uprising of 1862, the remnants of the tribe were relocated to their present home by the U.S. Department of the Interior (Anonymous). The Crow Creek Reservation is located adjacent the Missouri River in central South Dakota between the cities of Chamberlain and Pierre (see Figure 10).

 

 

 

 

Of the approximately 270,000 acres comprising the reservation, about half is Indian owned land held in trust by the U.S. Government. The State of South Dakota considers the Crow Creek Reservation, as it does all of the reservations, to be a part of the state (Catlin). Although they enjoy a degree of self-government, the tribes cannot be viewed as completely sovereign nations in that tribal members enjoy state benefits such as welfare, full voting privileges and are represented in the state legislature (Catlin).

The Federal courts have confirmed that it is the tribal governments which have the authority to regulate hunting and fishing on the reservations (Moum). There are approximately 65,000 acres of tribal land within the Crow Creek Reservation which can be hunted with a valid tribal hunting license (Authority, 1990). Since the reservation is centered within the Central Waterfowl Flyway, there are massive numbers of migrating ducks and geese. Small and upland game is abundant, including ring-necked pheasant, sharp-tailed grouse, prairie chicken and Hungarian partridge (see Figure 11). White tailed and mule deer are plentiful, as are a variety of animals and birds that the Indians classify as varmints. These include coyotes, skunks, porcupine, ground squirrels, prairie dogs, jack rabbits and crows. Game fish include sturgeon, salmon, trout, bass and walleye (Authority, 1988, 1990).