Flandreau tribal leader strikes conciliatory tone in substantive speech
Cyndi Allen-Weddell delivered the State of the Tribes Address Wednesday to the Legislature
PIERRE — Cyndi Allen-Weddell’s remarks to a joint session of the state Legislature Wednesday came as a surprise to her – she filled in for her boss President Tony Reider, whose plans to deliver the speech changed on short-notice due to travel delays.
“I’m nervous, as you can tell,” Allen-Weddell said, as she stumbled through her introduction.
But what followed was an issue-driven address that topped off a harmonious day between tribal leaders and state government – called by a number of lawmakers in attendance the “best State of the Tribes Address they had ever seen.”
Allen-Weddell, whose roughly 20-minute speech fell well short in length compared to the tribal addresses of the past, spoke about the issues that the Flandreau Santee Sioux Tribe had tackled or was still looking to find a solution for in 2024.
READ: The 2024 State of the Tribes address
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