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| Five years ago in 2020, Lakotas were arrested blocking the fireworks display at Mount Rushmore. Live video was shared by Unicorn Riot. |
Oglala Lakota Oppose Fireworks Event at Mount Rushmore. Qatar-Donated Luxury Jet Planned Overhead
Where the Epstein Files and Sacred Black Hills Intersect
By Brenda Norrell, Censored News, June 16, 2026
The U. S. Forest Service Chief Tom Schultz congratulates Chairman Ryman LeBeau (right), Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe and Faith Spotted Eagle, grandmother of the Brave Heart Society, chairwoman of the Ihanktonwan Oyate (Yankton Sioux Dakota) Treaty Committee (center) after the signing of the Black Elk Wilderness Memorandum of Understanding. (Forest Service photo by Preston Keres)
"The heart of everything that is." To the Lakota people, the “Pahá Sápa” (Black Hills) hold deep spiritual, cultural, and historical significance.
Co-stewardship means tribal voices shape decisions from day one—not after plans are already in motion. "We’re developing muscle memory in building the agency a more sophisticated conversation with Indian Country," says Reed Robinson, director of Tribal Relations for the U.S. Forest Service, the Forest Service said.
President Trump is considering taking the inaugural flight of the new Air Force One jet, gifted to him from Qatar, when he travels to Mount Rushmore in South Dakota next month as part of celebrations for America’s 250th anniversary, according to a senior White House official and a source familiar with the plans, NBC News reports.
"It could arrive at Mount Rushmore on the eve of America’s 250th anniversary celebrations, as reported by NBC News, against one of the most dramatic backdrops imaginable for the aircraft’s debut. The scale of the event only adds to the sense of grandeur, with South Dakota Searchlight reporting that the state has agreed to a $700,000 contract for the Mount Rushmore fireworks, complete with a backup light show if conditions prevent pyrotechnics, Luxury Launches reports.
PINE RIDGE, South Dakota -- The Oglala Lakota Tribal Council opposes a presidential visit to Mount Rushmore for a fireworks celebration in the Sacred Black Hills, on July 3, 2026, which President Trump is expected to attend.
"It should not occur," the Lakota Council said in its resolution, pointing out the violation of the aboriginal treaty, the Fort Laramie Treaty, and the distress Lakota already live with because of federal budget cuts.
The tribe's resolution points out the ongoing uranium mining and oil pipelines, including Keystone XL and Dakota Access Pipeline, where sacred sites are being destroyed.
The Keystone XL Pipeline, Dewey Burdock and Craven Canyon Uranium Projects, DAPLE and the USAP Sentinel Project -- all in the territory of the Great Sioux Nation -- have destroyed Sioux sacred sites and cultural resources, the resolution states.
Lakota oppose the event because of the violation of Winters Doctrine for the production of electricity on the Missouri River without payment to the Sioux Tribes, the resolution states. The Winters Doctrine guarantees tribes as much water as Native Americans need to survive.
Further, the fireworks event is opposed because of the ICE actions in Minneapolis, where Lakotas were illegally arrested and imprisoned by ICE in deportation sweeps, and two U.S. citizens were murdered by ICE.
The resolution was passed unanimously by the Oglala Tribal on Pine Ridge in South Dakota on June 9, 2026, and points out the seizure of its water without compensation to the Great Nation, destruction of sacred sites and cultural resources, and suffering caused by presidential actions.
The fireworks event is sponsored by the U.S. National Park Service and State of South Dakota. The site will be closed to the public, with tickets issued beforehand in a lottery, according to the National Park Service.
South Dakota State officials said more than 100,000 people applied for tickets. The Department of Tourism said around 4,800 people were selected to attend and were chosen at random among the 102,991 people who signed up for a lottery.
The Oglala Lakota Council urged the U.S. National Park Service and U.S. National Forest Service to cancel the fireworks event because of the local drought, posing a risk of wildfires in the Black Hills, that could threaten both Lakota and local residents and their properties.
The U.S. Forest Service announced co-stewardship of the Black Elk Wilderness on Tuesday.
"The heart of everything that is." To the Lakota people, the “Pahá Sápa” (Black Hills) hold deep spiritual, cultural, and historical significance.
Co-stewardship means tribal voices shape decisions from day one—not after plans are already in motion. "We’re developing muscle memory in building the agency a more sophisticated conversation with Indian Country," says Reed Robinson, director of Tribal Relations for the U.S. Forest Service, the Forest Service said.
Qatar-Donated Jet
"The $400 million luxury 747 donated by Qatar, already wearing bold American colors, will fly from its high-tech hangar at Joint Base Andrews to make its grand presidential debut at Mount Rushmore amid a lavish $700,000 fireworks display for America’s 250th birthday," reports Luxury Launches.
"It could arrive at Mount Rushmore on the eve of America’s 250th anniversary celebrations, as reported by NBC News, against one of the most dramatic backdrops imaginable for the aircraft’s debut. The scale of the event only adds to the sense of grandeur, with South Dakota Searchlight reporting that the state has agreed to a $700,000 contract for the Mount Rushmore fireworks, complete with a backup light show if conditions prevent pyrotechnics, Luxury Launches reports.
Resolution of the Oglala Sioux Tribal Council
Read more: Luxury Launches
Copyright Brenda Norrell, Censored News
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