Gwen Westerman,Bruce  White,Glenn Wasicuna
Much of the focus on the Dakota people in Minnesota rests on the tragic events of the 1862 U.S.â€“Dakota War and the resulting exileÂ that sent the majority of the Dakota to prisons and reservations beyond the stateâ€™s boundaries. But the true depth of the devastationÂ of removal cannot be understood without a closer examination of the history of the Dakota people and their deep cultural connection to the land that is Minnesota. Drawing on oral history interviews, archival work, and painstaking comparisons of Dakota, French, and English sources, Mni Sota Makoce tells the detailed history of the Dakota people in their traditional homelands for at least hundreds of years prior to exile.,â€œMinnesotaâ€ is derived from the Dakota phrase Mni Sota Makoce, Land Where the Waters Reflect the Cloudsâ€”and the peopleâ€™sÂ roots here remain strong. Authors Gwen Westerman and Bruce White examine narratives of the peopleâ€™s origins, their associationsÂ with the land, and the seasonal round though key players and place names. They consider Dakota interactions with Europeans and offer an in-depth â€œreading between the linesâ€ of historical documentsâ€”some of them virtually unknownâ€”and treaties made with the United States, uncovering misunderstandings and outright deceptions thatÂ helped lead to war in 1862.,Dakota history did not begin with the U.S.â€“Dakota War of 1862â€”nor did it end there. ,Mni Sota Makoce, is, more than anything, a celebrationÂ of the Dakota people through their undisputed connection to this place, Minnesota, in the past, present, and future.,Gwen Westerman, is professor of E nglish and Humanities at Minnesota State University, Mankato. ,Bruce White, is author of ,We Are at Home: Pictures of the Ojibwe People,.
History,Nonfiction,Native Americans,Literature,21st Century,Textbooks
Mni Sota Makoce: The Land of the Dakota