In the early weeks of the pandemic, the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe in South Dakota enacted measures such as mask mandates to fend off the spread of the coronavirus across its stark and sprawling prairie land.

Efforts by South Dakota's Native American tribes are in sharp contrast to how Republican Gov. Kristi Noem has overseen the pandemic, where she has avoided implementing statewide mask mandates, lockdowns and the closing or restricting of businesses and churches.