The Dakota

In 1862, 38 Dakota warriors were hanged in Mankato Minnesota. The Dakota were the first people to live and thrive in Minnesota. They used the land to the fullest extent without abusing it, and have grown to have a deep connection to the land. Their connection and importance to the land was so profound, they had a number of origin stories. Places like B’dote, Pike Island, and Fort Snelling, all hold importance as it is believed that those are the origin points of the world. These sacred places that the Dakota held so dear, were taken from them through legalized theft and deceit. For these reasons, the Dakota should receive a large portion of southern Minnesota untouched by the government, as it is largely uninhabited and farm land. In addition,

In the book What Does Justice Look Like, the author,Waziyatawin, elaborates on the possibilities that could come from having a soil rich farm, and what good it could do for a community. It ensures a self sufficient system that would require little to no outside help and would have little to no down sides…… Winters a thing though. Waziyatawin mentioned the fact that the Dakota has always been cautions when using natural resources, that they would never deplete the land of its natural resources as the Minnesotans had in the 1800s. “Minnesotans harvested 2.3 billion board feet of lumber that year from our forest. They sustained that high level of exploitation for another ten years before yields began to decline and business interest had stripped our white pine forest” (Waziyatawin, 138-139). This shows the carelessness and the neglect from the settlers when it comes to the environment. They are only in for the money, nothing else. No relationships, friendships, nothing more than a good profit. Not to mention the personal connection to the land. The Dakota held the land very closely to them. As in the story Skywoman Falling, (Kimmerer, 7), it mentions that the point of origin for the Dakota is B’dote, and that the land, the animals, and the surroundings all worked as one to make everything that is. This a very different view than that of

Why give the Dakota land when they can already live in the city with everyone else? Why can 't we just pay them a certain amount, if any. There have already been public apologies for the errors of the settlers. Why put more thought into this matter? What would giving them farm land that no one uses, benefit anyone? There are already part of the US and cities within Minnesota that are meant for Native Americans, there is little to no need for more land to be bought out. “Native Americans received 11 million acres in parcel land grants, which were put into individual trusts dating back to 1887 known as the Dawes Act. The government at the time had deemed Indians incapable of handling the land responsibly, so it administers financial matters for them” (Pearson, John, and Geraldine Wagner, 150). By the looks of this, the Native Americans already received land from the American government and were deemed unfit to maintain the land. There are many forms of reparation that could be considered when it comes to the subject of the Dakota. However, only one seem truly appropriate for the matter; land reparation. Now, the amount of land is up for debate. Some would argue for more, and some would argue for less. “Reparations are not a practical response to the fact that prior generations of humanity conducted wars and otherwise behaved badly” (Pearson, John, and Geraldine Wagner, 151).