SIOUX FALLS, S.D. - The Standing Rock Sioux Tribe is hosting two hearings about Native Americans in the foster care system ahead of a planned summit next month.

The tribe is hosting a pre-summit hearing April 20 at the Grand River Casino in Mobridge, S.D., and another one on April 26 at Prairie Nights Casino in Fort Yates, N.D.

The Bureau of Indian Affairs is holding a summit in May in Rapid City to address concerns raised by tribal members.

At the hearings, relatives of children in the foster care system will be able to share their experiences.

South Dakota tribal officials have alleged that the state is violating the federal law by removing too many American Indian children from their homes and putting them in foster care with non-Indian families.

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