Mnisóta Makhóčhe, where waters reflect the clouds, extends beyond the modern border of Minnesota. North End, Saint Paul, stands on the ancestral, traditional, and contemporary Dakóta (Dakota) homelands. Dakota people were the first people of Mnisóta Makhóčhe. They have lived here for thousands of years. Some local sacred sites include Taku Wakan Tipi (Carver’s Cave), Eháŋna Wičháhapi (Indian Mounds Park burial mounds), Bdóte (confluence of Mississippi and Minnesota Rivers); however, we acknowledge that many more sacred sites and burial grounds have been destroyed and developed over.

    Anishinaabe people reside here, too. They followed the Megis shell from the East, which was the historic and sacred migration from the Atlantic coast to the Greats Lakes region, guided by the Seven Fires Prophecy to find a place where food grows on the water (manoomin, or wild rice). Along with the Dakota and Anishinaabe, the Ho-Chunk, Cheyenne, Oto, Iowa, the Sac & Fox tribes and many more nations and tribes acknowledge Minnesota as important to their tribal histories. 

    Even though Native nations negotiated in good-faith with the United States Government in the 19th century, Dakota lands were diminished by one-sided treaties that continued to benefit the United States government and all who immigrated to Minnesota. This land was taken by forced displacement and broken treaties.

     In 1851, the Dakota signed the Treaty of Traverse des Sioux, ceding land in southern and western Minnesota to the United States government. The United States government promised cash, goods, and yearly interest payments in exchange for the territory. Dakota leaders were misled into signing a second separate document that redirected hundreds of thousands of dollars of their promised money to pay off debts claimed by white and Métis fur traders. The federal government withheld large portions of the promised funds, leading to severe hunger and economic desperation for the Dakota, which directly contributed to the U.S.–Dakota War of 1862.

     In 1862, war broke out between some Dakota and the United States and Minnesota. This resulted in Governor Alexander Ramsey calling for all Dakota People to be exterminated or driven out of Minnesota. This genocidal policy resulted in violent and forced removal of Dakota people, including state sanctioned bounties for killing Dakota people, military campaigns, internment camps, and sending Dakota children to boarding school for cultural erasure in educational institutions. 

    By acknowledging the land we reside in, we honor Indigenous peoples and recognize their ancestral ties to the land. And by acknowledging this history, we can interrupt the legacy of colonialism and indigenous erasure. 

    Indigenous people are not relics of the past. They are still here and continue to demonstrate their talents and gifts amidst a backdrop of ongoing colonialism and oppression.

    Land acknowledgment is only one small part of supporting Indigenous communities. We hope our land acknowledgment statement will inspire others to stand with us in solidarity with Native nations.