Innovative gift will close history gaps

Opinion editor's note: Editorials represent the opinions of the Star Tribune Editorial Board, which operates independently from the newsroom.

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For almost two decades, an annual horseback ride that began in South Dakota and ended Dec. 26 in Mankato marked a grim day in state history: the execution of 38 Native Americans following the bloody U.S.-Dakota War of 1862.

In 2022, the memorial trek's organizers announced an end to the official ride after 17 years. The efforts by all who participated, which often involved braving snow and frigid temperatures, are commendable. Lamentably, the ride may have been how many Minnesotans learned of this tragic event, which remains the largest one-day public execution in the nation's history.

Too often, the nation's complicated and often painful relations with Native American nations have lacked the sustained study they deserve in classrooms. The memorial ride's contributions to raise public awareness and promote reconciliation merit collective thanks. But its official end underscores the need for other innovative educational initiatives to ensure Minnesotans' understanding of state history is accurate and comprehensive.

Fortunately, the Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community (SMSC) is stepping up to help meet this need with a generous, far-sighted gift. On Monday, the SMSC announced new "Mini-Grants" of up to $2,000 available to K-12 educators statewide to teach students about Native American history, culture and modern tribal governments.

The program will make a total of $500,000 available in 2024. Applications will be accepted until 1 p.m. on Jan. 22. The funds are intended to be used for "classroom resources, materials and projects, professional development, or curriculum and resource development." Teachers in public, charter, tribal and private schools can apply, with application information available at tinyurl.com/SMSCMiniGrantApp.

SMSC, which is located in the southwest metro and operates the Mystic Lake Casino, has become a philanthropic force. The new mini-grant program continues its laudable focus on strengthening communities not just through charitable giving but through innovative visions for these dollars' use. For example, the pioneering Seeds of Native Health program sought to bolster health by spotlighting the link between nutrition and health conditions plaguing Native Americans, such as Type 2 diabetes.

The K-12 mini-grants are part of a broader SMSC campaign begun in 2019 that aims to "enrich and update the narrative about Native Minnesotans." In October, the community made available to state teachers 10,000 copies of a book that collected five generations of stories from one Minnesota family.

The copies of "Voices from the Pejuhutazizi" were snapped up in hours, resulting in SMSC making another 10,000 available. "There is a hunger for information that can be utilized in the classroom,'' Rebecca Crooks-Stratton, SMSC's secretary/treasurer and chair of the Understand Native Minnesota campaign, told an editorial writer on Thursday.

The mini-grants are a logical next step, and the push for them is rooted in a previous work by SMSC to assess educational needs.

In 2021, a statewide opinion poll commissioned by SMSC found broad, bipartisan support for teaching more Native American content in schools. It also found that this education is badly needed. Less than 1 in 5 people could correctly this question: How many tribal nations are located within Minnesota borders? (The answer: 11.)

In 2022, SMSC released a report after surveying educators across the state. It documented a strong desire to improve classroom lessons about Native American history. At the same time, teachers registered concerns about adequate training and access to educational materials. They also wanted to connect with tribal elders and other leaders but weren't sure how best to do that.

The mini-grants will help teachers get the training and educational materials they need. The program also gives teachers the freedom to use the dollars in the way they believe will best serve their individual communities.

Crooks-Stratton noted that the point isn't to tell teachers what to teach. Rather, it's to give them confidence and resources. She hopes that grant recipients will share curriculum improvements with other teachers, creating a lasting legacy for the program.

The new mini-grants, which SMSC has teamed up to administer with the Minneapolis Foundation, have understandably won praise across the state.

"Native people are too often seen as people stuck in the past, in part because our textbooks gloss over too much of the contributions Native people have made to our state throughout time," said Minnesota Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan, who is a member of the White Earth Band of Ojibwe. "We can get so much farther as a state if and when we teach our full history and value contemporary Indigenous contributions. I'm grateful to all the leaders, educators and organizations that have come together to make this happen."

Education Minnesota President Denise Specht said grants like this"will mean resources for our educators and students to make sure we are accurately teaching about the important and too often erased history and culture of Indigenous communities in Minnesota."

A more thorough understanding of Native American contributions and history has broad benefits. It will be particularly valuable for Minnesota's future political leaders whose obligations include honoring treaties and closing health and education disparities. SMSC's new grants are a smart step forward and will ensure that history taught here is comprehensive, not piecemeal.