Marty Jackley, Pe'Sla and Megonia

Dakota Midday - 08/23/2012

South Dakota Attorney General Marty Jackley talks about the Corps of Engineers planning to temporarily make surplus Missouri River water available for regional needs in South Dakota. In a letter to the Corps this week Jackley said, "Last summer, South Dakota experienced the flooding effect of a mismanaged Missouri River. To add insult to injury, the Corps is now proposing to exceed its congressional authority and charge South Dakotans for what has long been recognized as our own water. Should the Corps continue to disregard the state's legal water rights, as Attorney General I will be placed in the position of seeking court intervention to protect South Dakota's interests."

Chase Iron Eyes, an attorney, writer and speaker is an advocate of Indigenous rights and spiritual dignity. Chase has also advocated for the protection of sacred sites, including "Pe'Sla," the Reynolds ranch property in the Black Hills which is on the auction block this Saturday. Chase was raised on the Standing Rock Sioux Reservation. Joining him is Reverend Linda Kramer, founder and director of Borderlands Ranch and Education Center which borders "Pe'Sla." She is concerned about the protection of the prairie. And longtime activist Rosalie Little Thunder joins Dakota Midday to discuss why she believes the land is sacred.

Maureen Koenig, Carolyn Gleason, and Sam Rhode of the band Megonia discuss their success and how they got their name. Together since 2009, Megonia draws from a musical style that Koenig studied in college. She spent a semester in the hills of TN in 2004, and the people there taught her how to play banjo. This resonated also with her sister, Carolyn Gleason. Megonia plays at the Corn Palace this evening; The Sioux Falls Old Courthouse Museum over the noon hour on Friday; and the Black Sheep Coffee House in Sioux Falls Friday night.

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