fbpx
facebook app symbol  twitter  linkedin  instagram 1
 

The South Dakota Highway Patrol announced last week that Ivan Reddest, Jr., 24, a Kyle, South Dakota man, died as a pedestrian in Box Elder, a town next to Rapid City. Reddest was a tribal citizen of the Oglala Sioux Tribe from the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation.

His death was the fourth fatality involving an Oglala Sioux member in the last few weeks in western South Dakota. All were young and pedestrians walking along South Dakota highways.

The South Dakota Highway Patrol announced in a press release on Sept. 12 that a 24-year-old male walked out of the median and into the eastbound left lane of Highway 14/16. The incident happened on Saturday, Sept. 9, 2022 according to the press release that went on to say an investigation is pending.

“Preliminary crash information indicates a 2009 Ford Fusion was traveling eastbound in the left lane on U.S. Hwy. 14/16 just before 10:30 p.m. when a man walked out of the median and into the lane,” said the South Dakota Highway Patrol on Sept. 12. “The vehicle struck the pedestrian.”

The driver of the Fusion is 27-year-old Jake Rinder and has sustained minor injuries while wearing a seatbelt. The pedestrian, Ivan Reddest Jr., 24, was taken to Monument Heath Rapid City but had died as a result of his injuries.

The Sioux Funeral Home, on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation, announced that Reddest made his journey to the Spirit World on Sept. 9 and funeral arrangements are pending. 

Guardians, a non-profit organization that provides 24/7 emergency roadside services on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation, said in a Facebook post said of Reddest: “We lost another Guardian today, Ivan Reddest. Heaven needed another Guardian. Prayers for his family. Thank you for your service, Guardian Ivan Reddest. The Oyate [Lakota for the people] appreciates your service to the people. And thank you for being a friend.”

Last month, Native News Online reported two separate incidents that resulted in the deaths of three young Lakota women walking on the roadside in South Dakota by vehicles. One incident involved a hit-and-run that left two teenage Lakota girls dead as a result of their injuries in Porcupine, a town on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation, just outside their home. Another incident involved the reporting of a woman deceased in the roadway and that she was likely already run over before another vehicle ran her over and then reported it to the Pennington County Sheriff’s Office. 

Last year, the Oglala Sioux Tribe sued the federal government for failing to uphold its trust responsibility to the Tribe by providing adequate law enforcement on the 2.1 million-acre Pine Ridge Reservation. In May 2023, a federal court in South Dakota ruled in favor of the Tribe, acknowledging the reservation’s depleted police force and high crime rate and holding that the United States owes a treaty-based duty to fund law enforcement for the Oglala Sioux Tribe.

More Stories Like This

Native News Weekly (August 25, 2024): D.C. Briefs
US Presidents in Their Own Words Concerning American Indians
Native News Weekly (August 4, 2024): D.C. Briefs
Native News Weekly (June 22, 2025): D.C. Briefs
Read the Text of President Trump's Address to Nation on US Bombing Iran

Help us tell the stories that could save Native languages and food traditions

At a critical moment for Indian Country, Native News Online is embarking on our most ambitious reporting project yet: "Cultivating Culture," a three-year investigation into two forces shaping Native community survival—food sovereignty and language revitalization.

The devastating impact of COVID-19 accelerated the loss of Native elders and with them, irreplaceable cultural knowledge. Yet across tribal communities, innovative leaders are fighting back, reclaiming traditional food systems and breathing new life into Native languages. These aren't just cultural preservation efforts—they're powerful pathways to community health, healing, and resilience.

Our dedicated reporting team will spend three years documenting these stories through on-the-ground reporting in 18 tribal communities, producing over 200 in-depth stories, 18 podcast episodes, and multimedia content that amplifies Indigenous voices. We'll show policymakers, funders, and allies how cultural restoration directly impacts physical and mental wellness while celebrating successful models of sovereignty and self-determination.

This isn't corporate media parachuting into Indian Country for a quick story. This is sustained, relationship-based journalism by Native reporters who understand these communities. It's "Warrior Journalism"—fearless reporting that serves the 5.5 million readers who depend on us for news that mainstream media often ignores.

We need your help right now. While we've secured partial funding, we're still $450,000 short of our three-year budget. Our immediate goal is $25,000 this month to keep this critical work moving forward—funding reporter salaries, travel to remote communities, photography, and the deep reporting these stories deserve.

Every dollar directly supports Indigenous journalists telling Indigenous stories. Whether it's $5 or $50, your contribution ensures these vital narratives of resilience, innovation, and hope don't disappear into silence.

Levi headshotThe stakes couldn't be higher. Native languages are being lost at an alarming rate. Food insecurity plagues many tribal communities. But solutions are emerging, and these stories need to be told.

Support independent Native journalism. Fund the stories that matter.

Levi Rickert (Potawatomi), Editor & Publisher

 
 
About The Author
Author: Darren ThompsonEmail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Darren Thompson (Lac du Flambeau Ojibwe) is a staff reporter for Native News Online who is based in the Twin Cities of Minnesota. Thompson has reported on political unrest, tribal sovereignty, and Indigenous issues for the Aboriginal Peoples Television Network, Indian Country Today, Native News Online, Powwows.com and Unicorn Riot. He has contributed to the New York Times, the Washington Post, and Voice of America on various Indigenous issues in international conversation. He has a bachelor’s degree in Criminology & Law Studies from Marquette University in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.