Last Updated on April 16, 2026
The Indigenous organization NDN Collective is calling for action after a decision by the U.S. Forest Service will allow exploratory mineral drilling at Pe’ Sla, a site in the Black Hills that is regarded by many tribes as sacred.
The permit, issued Thursday by the Black Hills National Forest, authorizes exploratory graphite drilling under the Rochford Mineral Exploratory Drilling Project, backed by Pete Lien & Sons, a mining company based in Rapid City.
NDN Collective commented that the decision “is a violation of the Constitutional treaty rights and religious freedom of thousands of Indigenous people,” arguing that the federal government failed to adequately consider the cultural and spiritual importance of the site.
The Black Hills Clean Water Alliance also warns that the mining project risks contaminating drinking water supplied to “Rapid City, Ellsworth Air Force Base, nearby communities, and reservation and ranch lands along the Cheyenne River,” stating that the project is “located in an essential supply zone within the Rapid Creek Watershed.”
Pe’ Sla lies within the Black Hills, which many Indigenous nations regard as the spiritual heart of their origin stories.
In 2012, a coalition of tribes raised approximately $9 million to purchase the Pe’ Sla area. They also worked with the federal government to place the central prayer site — along with a two-mile buffer zone — into federal trust. The move was intended to protect the land from development and recognize its religious significance.
Pe’ Sla gained federal Indian trust status in 2016 and it was acknowledged by Pennington County in 2017.
Standing Rock Sioux Tribal Councilman Frank White Bull said at the time, “Pe’ Sla has been in our hearts since the time of our creation, and by bringing the land into trust through unity among our tribes as one Sioux Nation, our children and grandchildren now have a place to prosper in our traditional ways.”
The Black Hills have long been at the center of disputes between tribes, mining interests and the federal government. The land was guaranteed to the Lakota Nation under the 1868 Fort Laramie Treaty, but the promise was broken after gold was discovered in the region. Mining has continued in various forms for more than a century, despite tribal objections.
The new drilling permit reflects a continuation of that history.
NDN Collective and The Black Hills Clean Water Alliance are urging supporters to contact the Forest Service and demand the permit be rescinded, stating, “They have no right to violate our rights or declare our culture an acceptable loss, and their decision to do so is racist!”
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