Bryan Brewer, the newly elected president of the Oglala Sioux Tribe, will speak at Chadron State College tomorrow morning at 11:00 in the Student Center Ballroom. The presentation is open to the public free of charge.

The 65-year old Brewer, the retired former principal of Pine Ridge High School, defeated incumbent president John Yellow Bird Steele by 138 votes during in the tribal election earlier this month. It was his first foray into politics after 30 years in education.

A native of Pine Ridge and Navy Seabee who served two tours of duty in Vietnam after graduating from Oglala Community School in 1965, Brewer earned a degree from Black Hills State University in 1976 and went into education.

Brewer was a teacher, coach, principal, athletic director and dean of students…mostly at Pine Ridge High School…where he was a co-founder in 1976 of a small basketball tournament that is now the Lakota National Invitational Tournament.

The largest Native American high school basketball tournament in the United States with both boys and girls teams, the LNI also has wrestling as well as a strong cultural side. In fact, traditional handgames and Lakota Language and Knowledge Bowls now draw more competitors than basketball.

He became the first Native American to sit on the Board of Directors of the South Dakota High School Activities Association, and was honored by both the Association and the Rapid City Chamber of Commerce. Brewer is also a craftsman and sun dancer who designed and made his own dance regalia.

Bryan Brewer’s formal inauguration ceremonies will be Friday, Dec. 7 at the Pine Ridge High School gym. Ceremonies will get underway at 1:00pm with supper set for 4:30pm and a pow wow at 6pm.