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Dakota ban repeal may help to heal
If Congress backs state bid to repeal the 1863 act, advocates say the symbolism would speak volumes.
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A state resolution asking Congress to repeal the 1863 act that banished Dakota Indians from Minnesota can help heal wounds nearly 150 years after a bloody war between the tribe and white settlers, a representative of the state's Indian communities said Thursday.
"I do believe it is an act of symbolism and an act that says a lot today about the healing of past wrongs that were committed," said Annamarie Hill, executive director of the state Indian Affairs Council.
After the Dakota Conflict of 1862, which killed hundreds of whites and Indians, President Abraham Lincoln signed an act that removed four Dakota bands from Minnesota. The act provided each Indian with 80 acres of land outside the state, apparently as an inducement to farm; most of them wound up in Dakota Territory or in Canada.
Rep. Dean Urdahl, R-Grove City, sponsored the resolution after finding out that the federal statute was still on the books. It came to his attention as chairman of the state's Lincoln Bicentennial Commission, marking the 200th anniversary of the president's 1809 birthday.
The Legislature unanimously passed the resolution on the last day of the session, and it was signed by Gov. Tim Pawlenty.
"It is past time for this law to be repealed," said Urdahl, who has written two historical novels about the Dakota Conflict. "This is a much-needed symbol of reconciliation as we near the sesquicentennial of the conflict in 2012. Let the healing grow with the repealing."
Urdahl said that many Dakota still carry deep resentment against Lincoln, who heard calls from some Minnesota leaders to exterminate the tribe. Given a list of 303 Dakota to hang for their role in the conflict, Lincoln winnowed the condemned down to 38. The mass execution at Mankato remains the largest in U.S. history.
Lincoln "was trying to get it right, but they still got it wrong," Urdahl said.
Urdahl said that he has been in touch with U.S. Rep. Collin Peterson to discuss putting the resolution before Congress. Peterson, whose western Minnesota district includes two Dakota reservations and some of the battlefields, hasn't yet decided whether he will sponsor it, spokeswoman Allison Myhre said.
Kevin Duchschere • 651-292-0164
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