Two sites claiming to hold Sitting Bull's remains being remodeled

[Waya]

Two Standing Rock reservation sites claiming to be the burial place of Sioux Indian leader Sitting Bull are being restored as a two-state rivalry becomes a partnership.
A site near Fort Yates and one near Mobridge, S.D., have been poorly marked and covered in debris _ unfit markers for Sitting Bull, known for uniting the Lakota and defeating the 7th Cavalry at the Battle of the Little Bighorn before he was shot and killed in 1890.
The 40-acre Mobridge site has new owners. The State Historical Society of North Dakota is making plans to transfer the 5-acre plot in Fort Yates back to the Standing Rock tribe.
Rhett Albers, one of the owners of the Mobridge site, said he is not interested in a debate over which site actually holds Sitting Bull's remains.
``It's for everyone to determine for themselves,'' he said, ``and along the way we hope they learn Sitting Bull's story.''
The Fort Yates site was designated a State Historic Site in 1956, when the Standing Rock tribe deeded it to the state of North Dakota. Last month, the tribe asked for the return of the property.
The historical society's directors scheduled a vote Friday morning. A signing of the agreement is already planned near the Heritage Center's Sitting Bull exhibit on the state Capitol grounds.
``The tribe feels they can maintain it and develop it, and they're right on the money,'' said Merl Paaverud, director of the State Historical Society. ``We have had it for a number of years, but haven't developed it because of the sensitivity of the site. Right now, the tribe is best suited to deal with that site.''
LaDonna Brave Bull Allard, the Standing Rock tribe's tourism director, said plans for the site include better markings, better parking and interpretive panels. A federal grant is to help pay for the improvements.
Allard's partner in the project, Pam Ternes, said the renovations could be completed by the summer of 2008.


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