I think the Indians have long wanted the Black Hills. They probably think Obama is their best chance in years to make any progress.
But I will defer to others with more expertise in the issue.
It was theirs in the first place.
They have always owned the Black Hills - and still do, by legal treaty. the United States Constitution Article 6 states; Treaties are the law of the land
It's the gov't that has 'long wanted ' them .
The gov't left the Black Hills, by treaty, to the Indians, as they considered the lands not worth much.
Then, oops, thars gold in them thar hills!
Ever since, the gov't has used evey machination and false claim they can conjure to take the lands - even claim to own it. BUT THEY DO NOT.
There are still SOVEREIGN Native American lands inside the country - like the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) Confederacy (the Six Nations Confederacy: Cayuga, Mohawk, Oneida, Onondaga, Senaca and Tuscarora of upper New York State. They are in almost constant battle - sometimes all out battle with barricades, guns etc - to maintain their rights.
They travel the world on their own legal passports = not US passports, etc.
Neither N.Y. state nor the US gov't has ANY jurisdiction over them. Not that they don't constantly try.
The Lakota are in the process of reestablishing their sovereignty over several reservations - including the Black Hills lands - to form a confederation = they are establishing their own banks, their own energy company, etc.
Citizenship would be open to all. They, too, plan on having their own passports. Their form of gov't: a confederation that would respect the libertarian principles of posse comitatus and caveat emptor, would offer "individual liberty through community rule," and would collect no nationwide taxes - and the economy on the gold standard.
In other words, based on the form of gov't they had before the Europeans came...and is still practiced by the Six Nations.
Sound familiar? Sound like the original set up of the U.S.?
It should. When the Founding Fathers were trying to come up with a foundation for the new country, they had no experience with a free government OF THE PEOPLE. They called upon the leaders of the Six Nations and counseled with them in Albany - We owe much of our form of gov't to the Six Nations. It's all in our history, all documented, but ignored loudly.
HOwever, I hope the Lakota are successful. We may just need another 'country' to escape to in the near future.