Flood Relief Mission Trip to Tokio, North Dakota

July 16-23, 2011

Tokio is an unincorporated community in southeastern Benson County, North Dakota, on the Spirit Lake Indian Reservation.   Tokio was established in 1906 as a station along the Great Northern Railway. The post office was opened in 1907, and remains in operation today. A railroad official chose the name Tokio, based on the local Dakota Indian word to-ki, or "gracious gift."  

The Spirit Lake Nation is a Sioux tribe, and its reservation is located in east-central North Dakota on the southern shores of Devils Lake.  Established in 1867 in a treaty, it consists of over 400 square miles of land. According to the Bureau of Indian Affairs, in 1998 there were 5,086 enrolled members of the tribe, with 4,435 members living on the reservation. The unemployment rate was at 47.3%. Benson Country is the 98th poorest county in the United States.  The largest community on the reservation is Fort Totten.

Bdecan Presbyterian Church: This is the only Presbyterian Church on a North Dakota Indian Reservation.  Kevin Kaufman is the pastor of the Bdecan church along with three other churches in towns surrounding Tokio.  He leads worship two Sunday each month at each location.

The tribe currently operates one casino, the Sullys Hill National Game Preserve, Fort Totten State Historic Site, and the tribal college, Cankdeska Cikana Community College.

Privately owned businesses on the reservation are few. They include such small, local operations as Paul's Grocery.  Spirit Lake Consulting, Inc. is the only private company providing professional and technical employment. Wireless access is also hard to come by. Fort Totten is the reservation's economic and government center. The tribal administration, tribal college and Spirit Lake Consulting offices all have their headquarters in Fort Totten. Also on the reservation is a Vocational Rehabilitation program, which works to assist the tribal members in finding employment.

The major water feature of the Reservation is Devils Lake, which comprises 90,000 acres of area stretched over 200 miles. There are also numerous small lakes on the Reservation. The Sheyenne River, which forms the southern boundary of the Reservation, is approximately 50 miles long.  Numerous small streams and springs within the Reservation also contribute flows to the Sheyenne River. In addition, the rivers and streams of the Reservation have substantial areas of associated wetlands.

May 1, 2010, KXMB-TV in Bismarck reported that President Barack Obama had declared a federal disaster for 22 North Dakota counties and the Spirit Lake Sioux Indian Reservation.  This provided federal aid to repair damage from caused by spring runoff and snow. 

SHPC will be partnering with the Schuyler Presbyterian Churchto continue the flood relief rebuilding which began more than one year ago.  We hope to send 25 members of both congregations to paint, put in culverts, repair roofs, etc.  Most importantly, the Mission Team plans to arrive on Saturday night so they can worship with the Bdecan congregation on Sunday morning.  The Mission Team members will each be paying their own living expenses, sleeping on the floor of the church, cooking in the church kitchen, and showering in nearby facilities.  While Presbyterian Disaster Assistance (PDA) is sponsoring the trip, the mission team will need to raise all of the funds to pay for transportation and rebuilding supplies.  SHPC’s goal is to raise $5,000 by June 15^th.