And this is a link to the website for the movie, from which there are links to watch the full movie online, or even download the movie. It is only an hour and 20 minutes, so it's not like it's the biggest commitment you've ever made in the midst of a crazy and chaotic week.
And if you live in Minnesota, I strongly encourage you to head down to Mankato on Wednesday, 12/26/2012 for the 150th anniversary ceremony.
The Dakota 38+2 Wokiksuye Horse Ride – December 26, 2012
- Ceremonies will begin at approximately 10 a.m. at Reconciliation Park with riders on horseback, community members and visitors. The Blue Earth County Library will be open for this event. The Dakota 38 film will be shown at the library as a part of the event. Stay tuned - details continue to be developed. The Dakota Ride is a horseback ride of predominantly Native American riders that starts in South Dakota and ends at Reconciliation Park every year on December 26 in remembrance of the mass hanging of the 38 Dakota.
- Reconciliation Park - 100 North Riverfront Drive, Mankato
- On September 19, 1997, Reconciliation Park was dedicated. The park is the site of the largest mass execution in U.S. history where 38 Dakota Indians were hanged by the government. This was the result of trials during the U.S. Dakota Conflict of 1862. Tom Miller sculpted the buffalo from a 67-ton block of local Kasota limestone; it is surrounded by native flowers and prairie grasses. The buffalo symbolizes the spiritual survival of the Dakota People and honors the Dakota heritage of this area. The park is a site to reflect, meditate and remember." A reconciliation for all people." Dakota Elder Amos Owen, 1997.
HISTORY 1862
The history marks a tragic time for Minnesota, when policies were set in place causing ripple effects are still felt today. In 1862, approximately 1700 Dakota women, children and elders were force marched 150 miles across the state to the stockade winter camp at Fort Snelling. The entourage traveled approximately 20-25 miles a day. It is important to note that most of the Dakota on this walk were noncombatants who voluntarily surrendered to the US soldiers, and many had actually helped to protect, defend or even rescue the white settlers. But that autumn, Minnesota Governor Ramsey declared that all Sioux were to be “exterminated or forever removed from the borders” of the state, which led to their exile, beginning with this "Minnesota Trail of Tears" November 7-13, 1862.
While the Dakota families were marched to Fort Snelling, their men were being held at Mankato in preparation for trial. The day after Christmas, Mankato became the site of the largest mass execution in US history as 38 warriors were hanged and the remaining prisoners were removed from Minnesota. Two other Dakota warriors would be hung at Fort Snelling, for which the memorial ride is named to honor the 38+2.
ABOUT "DAKOTA 38"
In the spring of 2005, Jim Miller, a Native spiritual leader and Vietnam veteran, found himself in a dream riding on horseback across the great plains of South Dakota. Just before he awoke, he arrived at a riverbank in Minnesota and saw 38 of his Dakota ancestors hanged. At the time, Jim knew nothing of the largest mass execution in United States history, ordered by Abraham Lincoln on December 26, 1862. "When you have dreams, you know when they come from the creator... As any recovered alcoholic, I made believe that I didn't get it. I tried to put it out of my mind, yet it's one of those dreams that bothers you night and day."
Now, four years later, embracing the message of the dream, Jim and a group of riders retrace the 330-mile route of his dream on horseback from Lower Brule, South Dakota to Mankato, Minnesota to arrive at the hanging site on the anniversary of the execution. "We can't blame the wasichus anymore. We're doing it to ourselves. We're selling drugs. We're killing our own people. That's what this ride is about, is healing." This is the story of their journey- the blizzards they endure, the Native and Non-Native communities that house and feed them along the way, and the dark history they are beginning to wipe away.
While the Dakota families were marched to Fort Snelling, their men were being held at Mankato in preparation for trial. The day after Christmas, Mankato became the site of the largest mass execution in US history as 38 warriors were hanged and the remaining prisoners were removed from Minnesota. Two other Dakota warriors would be hung at Fort Snelling, for which the memorial ride is named to honor the 38+2.
ABOUT "DAKOTA 38"
In the spring of 2005, Jim Miller, a Native spiritual leader and Vietnam veteran, found himself in a dream riding on horseback across the great plains of South Dakota. Just before he awoke, he arrived at a riverbank in Minnesota and saw 38 of his Dakota ancestors hanged. At the time, Jim knew nothing of the largest mass execution in United States history, ordered by Abraham Lincoln on December 26, 1862. "When you have dreams, you know when they come from the creator... As any recovered alcoholic, I made believe that I didn't get it. I tried to put it out of my mind, yet it's one of those dreams that bothers you night and day."
Now, four years later, embracing the message of the dream, Jim and a group of riders retrace the 330-mile route of his dream on horseback from Lower Brule, South Dakota to Mankato, Minnesota to arrive at the hanging site on the anniversary of the execution. "We can't blame the wasichus anymore. We're doing it to ourselves. We're selling drugs. We're killing our own people. That's what this ride is about, is healing." This is the story of their journey- the blizzards they endure, the Native and Non-Native communities that house and feed them along the way, and the dark history they are beginning to wipe away.
A friend of mine has joined the ride this year. He is blogging about the journey, which would be a great way to dig deeper into this whole thing.
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