Mendota Dakota still in limbo

Come February, the Mendota Mdewakanton Dakota Community doesn't know where it will hold its tribal council meetings, language classes and other activities. All it knows is that it wants to remain in Mendota.

Last week, the tribe's council met and discussed the likelihood that it will lose its community center in the small, riverside town.

The 300-member Mendota Dakota has used its current center, an aging two-story house on Sibley Memorial Hwy., as its central gathering hub for four years.

But funds from a three-year, $60,000 grant from the Otto Bremer Foundation have dwindled, and a recent request for more funds was denied.

The center's water has been out for several months, rendering its bathroom and kitchen sink useless. Now, there's a leak in the roof. Rumors are swirling that next door neighbor Axel's River Grille wants to purchase the property to possibly turn it into a parking lot.

Despite the possibility of losing their base, tribal leaders said they will continue to work toward their mission "to preserve, protect, and promote the Dakota culture for future generations."

"We're going to continue to run our outfit here," said Curtis LaClaire, tribal council chairman. "We may not always be where we want to be, but we're going to continue to do what we do."

"It's the center of creation, where the two rivers meet," said Jim Anderson, cultural chairman for the community. "It's pretty ironic that we don't have anything that's here that's ours."

But without federal recognition as a tribe and a steady source of revenue like the Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community, which owns the Mystic Lake Casino Hotel and Little Six Casino, it will be hard for the Mendota Dakota to afford a place.

Their rent was recently slashed because the group mentioned that it might leave before the owner could find a new occupant, LaClaire said. He said the building owner told the tribe that Axel's had made an offer for the property, but that things were still in negotiation.

"We've been offered other places [outside of Mendota], but we don't want to lose our identity," said tribal vice chairman Jim Albrecht.

Another possibility has opened up for the Mendota Dakota, the group said. A Mendota attorney has offered to share some office space with the group. The Mendota Dakota may have to accept the offer just to keep a presence in the town, though the space may be too small to host many of its activities.

The Mendota Dakota is accepting financial donations. It is also taking donations of new or used items in good condition that it can sell in eBay auctions. If interested, call Sharon Lennartson at 651-452-4141.