Tribe says BIA could have prevented incident

Wednesday, June 14th 2006, 6:15 am

By: News On 6

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) A Wyoming tribe says the Bureau of Indian Affairs should have stepped in and prevented a ceremony that led to a confrontation between members of the Cheyenne-Arapaho tribe of Oklahoma.

The Northern Arapaho Tribe of Wyoming and the Cheyenne-Arapaho Tribe of Oklahoma are at odds over a Sun Dance the Oklahoma tribe attempted to perform last week.

The dance is forbidden by injunctions by The Shoshone and Arapaho Tribal Court and the Cheyenne-Arapaho Tribal Court. The Northern Arapaho Tribe issued a news release yesterday saying the BIA should have stopped the ceremony before it started.

Geral Redman is the ceremonial leader for the Northern Arapaho Tribe. He says the Sun Dance is a holy ceremony of the tribe and must be conducted under the direction of tribal elders and in the correct traditional manner. He says the violation of the laws and sacred practices of the tribe hurts everyone in the tribe, and not just those who involved in the Sun Dance.