The South Dakota Native Tourism Alliance addresses the urgent need for economic opportunity, authentic representation, and cultural revitalization across our nine Tribal Nations. Despite generating over $5 billion annually, South Dakota’s tourism industry leaves Native communities largely excluded. Our project reclaims tourism as a tool for social justice and heritage conservation by empowering Tribal members—especially youth—to share our stories in our own voices. Through culturally grounded training, mentorship, and enterprise development, we connect economic sovereignty with the preservation of land, language, and tradition, ensuring that tourism benefits our people and sustains our living cultures for generations to come.

The inspiration for this idea came during SDNTA’s work planning tour itineraries for the 2024 WILD 12 Convening. We wanted to elevate the voices of our youth, so we invited the Sicangu Youth Council of the Rosebud Sioux Tribe to share their story at Mato Paha (Bear Butte), one of our most sacred sites in the Black Hills. As they spoke about resilience and the responsibility to protect our sacred lands from mining for the next seven generations, it became clear that youth must lead this work. Their voices reawakened our shared purpose, to connect tourism with cultural and environmental stewardship.

SDNTA’s biggest challenge lies in addressing systemic barriers and infrastructure gaps that limit Tribal participation in tourism. Many Native communities lack access to broadband, transportation, and visitor-ready facilities, conditions rooted in historic underinvestment. These inequities make it difficult to develop sustainable tourism enterprises or attract outside visitors. SDNTA is working to change this by building partnerships, strengthening Tribal infrastructure, and ensuring that tourism development supports Native lands, cultures, and economies.

SDNTA’s work is informed by visionary leaders who bridge cultural knowledge, tourism expertise, and systems thinking. Tribal Elders and historians such as Victor Douville and Duane Hollow Horn Bear of the Rosebud Sioux Tribe ground our efforts in Lakota history, language, and cultural continuity. Partners at the George Washington University International Institute of Tourism Studies and South Dakota Tourism contribute national expertise and technical support, helping translate community vision into sustainable, infrastructure-ready tourism models rooted in self-determination and respect for Tribal sovereignty.

Tianna Yellow Hair, Secretary of the South Dakota Native Tourism Alliance, embodies the heart of our “Grow Our Own” project. As a high school student, Tianna developed a business plan for Tatanka Rez Tours, which won the Lakota Nation Business Plan Competition. Guided by her vision and supported by her father, they brought that idea to life after graduation – and eleven years later, they still operate Tatanka Rez Tours, the Oglala Sioux Tribe’s only Native-owned tour company. Tianna provides authentic, meaningful cultural experiences for visitors seeking to understand Lakota life, land, and values. Her journey – from a youth with an idea to a cultural entrepreneur and SDNTA leader – illustrates exactly what we strive to achieve: empowering Native youth to turn their visions into sustainable, community-rooted enterprises that preserve our culture, strengthen our economies, and ensure our stories are told in our own voices.