The Diocese of South Dakota
Companion Diocese of
The Diocese of East Tennessee

The Right Reverend
Creighton L. Robertson
Bishop, Diocese of South Dakota

Bishop Robertson, consecrated in 1994, is the first Native American diocesan bishop of South Dakota.

In a welcome message on the diocese's Web site, Bishop Robertson says in part, "Our diocese has a rich history of ministering to the Native people of this land, who continue to contribute greatly to our common life. When the missionaries came to our part of the world and encountered the Native people, there began a great change in the native value systems. Some Native folks were able to retain old values and integrate them into a new way of life. So the old was combined with the new and a conversion to a new religion was then an easy extension of the the old shared life. For others, there was conflict, which was insurmountable, and there remained hostility and resistance to the missionaries and to the Christian message."

For a list of South Dakota and East Tennessee "sister parishes," click here.

About the Episcopal church in South Dakota

• South Dakota's combination of native and immigrant peoples has created a truly multicultural, multilingual diocese.
• There are approximately 12,000 baptized Episcopalians in South Dakota, about half are Dakota or Lakota (Sioux) Indian people.
• One half of all Native people in the Episcopal Church live in South Dakota.
• Of the 92 churches in the diocese, 65 are located on Indian reservations.
  

Source: Diocese of South Dakota Web site (www.diocesesd.org) and others

A brief history of the Diocese of South Dakota

The Diocese of South Dakota is unique in the Episcopal Church. The Indian ministry of the Episcopal Church here really began with the Minnesota Uprising of 1862. After years of government treachery and deceit, the Santee people rose up and broke free of the Minnesota Valley reservation. Many lives were lost, and despite the fact that Christians among the Santee saved the lives of missionaries and some settlers, all of the surviving Indians were imprisoned and later expelled to the Dakota Territory.

Episcopal deacon Samuel Hinman, who had served the Santee people in Minnesota for three years, accompanied them to South Dakota. The chaos of the Civil War, however, prevented the establishment of a new jurisdiction until 1871, when the Missionary District of Niobrara was created. William Hobart Hare, the first Bishop of Niobrara, was consecrated in 1873. Bishop Hare designed a Niobrara Cross to give to each new Indian Christian, inscribed, "That they may have life."

The present bishop of South Dakota, the Right Reverend Creighton L. Robertson, is a descendant of the Indian people expelled from Minnesota in the uprising of 1862. He was consecrated in June 1994.

For a more detailed history, please see Virginia Driving Hawk Sneve's, "That They May Have Life." [This book is out of print. However, the library at the University of the South in Sewanee has a copy. -ed.]

Source: The Diocese of South Dakota Web site, www.diocesesd.org

The Niobrara Cross

Certificates of Baptism and Confirmation meant nothing to Indian converts who could not read. Bishop Hare desired to give to those who took upon themselves obligations as Christians some token that would not only mark them as communicants, but also serve as a constant reminder to them of their Christian calling. He, therefore, in 1874, designed a cross to serve this purpose. It was his custom to give a cross to each Indian candidate he confirmed, just before he made his address to the confirmation class.

In June 1975, the Niobrara Deanery during their 103rd annual Convocation, voted to share with the whole Church in the Diocese the Niobrara Cross. To this day, all confirmands receive the Niobrara Cross as a symbol of their confirmation in the Episcopal Church.

The oval in the center of the cross is the Episcopal seal of the Diocese of South Dakota. The Greek letters on the cross which quarters the oval read, "That they may have life." In each angle of the cross is a tipi surmounted by a small cross. The seal signifies that Christ has come to the Dakotas and gathered them under the protection of the Cross, that they have accepted Him, and their homes have become Christian homes.

(That They May Have Life, Virginia Driving Hawk Sneve), www.diocesesd.org

Thunderhead Episcopal Center

TEC is located in the beautiful Black Hills near Lead, South Dakota. Nearby are some of the nation's greatest wonders, such as Custer State Park, Mount Rushmore, Crazy Horse Monument, Bear Butte, Devil's Tower, the Badlands, and historic Deadwood.

During summer camps, TEC emphasizes worship, group activities, and recreation for all age levels. Camps run from May until September.

Niobrara School for Ministry

The Niobrara School for Ministry provides quality theological education not only for candidates for Canon 9 ordinations, but also for all licensed and specialized lay ministries. In addition, NSM offers possibilities for continuing education for clergy and lay leadership. Its primary components currently are a Summer Seminary and four Ministry Weekends that are offered throughout the year.

(See the East Tennessee Episcopalian, July/August 2003) for a report on the school.)

Niobrara Convocation

The Niobrara Convocation is an annual gathering of native Episcopal congregations for food, music, fellowship and discussion. The convocation often draws a caravan of East Tennessee visitors.

(See the East Tennessee Episcopalian, July/August 2003 for a recap of the 2003 event.)

More about South Dakota / East Tennessee relationships

From the Niobrara Convocation to the Cheyenne River to the Rosebud Reservation, South Dakotans and East Tennesseans "choose to be related." See the Aug./Sept. 2007 East Tennessee Episcopalian for coverage of the two dioceses' relationships.

The Rev. Jocelyn Bell described her time at the South Dakota annual convention on p. 15 of the Oct./Nov. 2006 East Tennessee Episcopalian.

Bishop Robertson and his wife, Ann, traveled with the Rev. Marion Rectenwald, chairwoman of their diocese's Companion Diocese Committee, to East Tennessee's annual convention in February 2006. See pages 8-9 of the East Tennessee Episcopalian.

The Rev. Claire Keene attended the South Dakota convention in late 2004 with other members of the Companion Diocese Committee of East Tennessee. She reported on their experiences in the East Tennessee Episcopalian.