Papers by Deborah Edwards-Anderson
Middle West Review, 2016
Commemorations of the U.S.-Dakota War of 1862 Our proximity to the sesquicentennial of the U.S.-D... more Commemorations of the U.S.-Dakota War of 1862 Our proximity to the sesquicentennial of the U.S.-Dakota War provides an opportunity to examine how this confl ict is remembered by the descendants of those most impacted by it-the Dakota Oyate, the confederation of large extended family groupings that claimed Minnesota as traditional territory and homeland for thousands of years. Dr. Kim TallBear (Dakota), whose anthropological research examines genetic science's intersection with notions of race and indigeneity, wrote in 2012, "As Dakota people, 1862 may be our most important origin story today. We refer daily to 1862 whether at family gatherings, at community events, anywhere we gather and talk. It is always there even when we are silent." 1 Although Dakota communities include sharply divergent perspectives about the effectiveness of the 1862 war, there is a shared conviction that the U.S. government treated their ancestors unjustly by expelling all Dakota from Minnesota in 1863, breaking treaties made with Dakota nations, effectively seizing Dakota reservation land to make it available to American settlers, and placing bounties on the heads of Dakota people found within Minnesota's boundaries after the war. TallBear describes 1862 as a defi ning moment that "re-circumscribed present-day Dakota geography, political economy, family relations, governance, and identity. This marked a bloody re-mapping of Dakota life." 2 This essay holds that in the past half-century, commemorations of the U.S.-Dakota War of 1862 within Dakota communities have been increasingly grounded in, and fueled by, efforts to revitalize the Dakota language, traditional culture, and connection to traditional territory. The outcome of
Several years ago, faint, but insistent, ancestral voices nudged me to learn, and then tell this ... more Several years ago, faint, but insistent, ancestral voices nudged me to learn, and then tell this story. They led me to the people and documents that would bring the story to life. I first thank my graduate advisors, Professor Anne Kornhauser and Professor Adrienne Petty. Each, in her own distinctive way, modeled ways to ask discerning historical questions, passion for her discipline and excellence in historical writing. I am grateful for their encouragement, guidance, high standards, patience, and good humor as I worked to clarify my ideas. My thesis would not exist if not for the generosity of spirit and intellect of my friends in Indian country, especially my narrators from Minnesota's Dakota communities. Thanks to Jamie Ford of the Indian Land Tenure Foundation who patiently and enthusiastically listened to my hunches and connected me with many resources. I owe a boundless debt of gratitude to Dave Brave Heart, Teresa Peterson, Franky Johnson, Vanessa Goodthunder, and Waziyatawin for welcoming me as a guest, the interviews they granted me, and their many trenchant explanations. Pidamayaye.
Several years ago, faint, but insistent, ancestral voices nudged me to learn, and then tell this ... more Several years ago, faint, but insistent, ancestral voices nudged me to learn, and then tell this story. They led me to the people and documents that would bring the story to life. I first thank my graduate advisors, Professor Anne Kornhauser and Professor Adrienne Petty. Each, in her own distinctive way, modeled ways to ask discerning historical questions, passion for her discipline and excellence in historical writing. I am grateful for their encouragement, guidance, high standards, patience, and good humor as I worked to clarify my ideas. My thesis would not exist if not for the generosity of spirit and intellect of my friends in Indian country, especially my narrators from Minnesota's Dakota communities. Thanks to Jamie Ford of the Indian Land Tenure Foundation who patiently and enthusiastically listened to my hunches and connected me with many resources. I owe a boundless debt of gratitude to Dave Brave Heart, Teresa Peterson, Franky Johnson, Vanessa Goodthunder, and Waziyatawin for welcoming me as a guest, the interviews they granted me, and their many trenchant explanations. Pidamayaye.
CUNY Academic Works CUNY Academic Works Renewing the Oyate; Dakota Language and Cultural Revitalization Renewing the Oyate; Dakota Language and Cultural Revitalization
From Reconciliation to Resurgence: Dakota Commemorations of the U.S.-Dakota War of 1862
Middle West Review, 2016
From Reconciliation to Resurgence: Dakota Commemorations of the U.S.-Dakota War of 1862
Middle West Review, 2016
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Papers by Deborah Edwards-Anderson