Ian Brickey, ian.brickey@sierraclub.org
LAME DEER, MT — A Tribal Nation has issued a resolution opposing the Trump Administration’s executive order calling for a review of signs and exhibits at national parks and national monuments across the country, including the historic site of the Battle of Little Bighorn.
Last week, the Northern Cheyenne Tribal Council adopted a resolution opposing any changes or removals of signs and exhibits at the Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument. The Trump Administration has reportedly flagged two exhibits for non-compliance with Trump’s executive order — one that references broken promises to Native Americans and another referencing the loss of Indigenous cultures and languages under the boarding school system.
In January, the Sierra Club filed a lawsuit against the Trump Administration for refusing to release information related to the Administration’s efforts to erase history on public lands. Information received so far from the Bureau of Reclamation and Bureau of Land Management reveals significant public opposition to these efforts.
Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument commemorates the site of the 1876 Battle of Little Bighorn, which saw the Lakota Sioux, Northern Cheyenne, and Arapaho Tribes defeat a U.S. Army contingent led by George Armstrong Custer.
In response to the news, Gerry James, Deputy Director with the Sierra Club’s Outdoors For All campaign, issue the following statement:
“The Northern Cheyenne Tribe is standing up for truth, Tribal sovereignty, and the right of all peoples to learn the full and complicated history of our country through our public lands. The Trump Administration’s effort to rewrite history at Little Bighorn is an appalling attempt to silence Indigenous voices and whitewash the past. Sierra Club stands with the Northern Cheyenne Tribe in rejecting this Administration’s historical revisionism.”
About the Sierra Club
The Sierra Club is America’s largest and most influential grassroots environmental organization, with millions of members and supporters. In addition to protecting every person's right to get outdoors and access the healing power of nature, the Sierra Club works to promote clean energy, safeguard the health of our communities, protect wildlife, and preserve our remaining wild places through grassroots activism, public education, lobbying, and legal action. For more information, visit www.sierraclub.org.