Book review of Mni Sota Makoce: The Land of the Dakota

By Dave Fudally, Historian

I would not buy this book and I will state my reasons. A copy was loaned to me for my use. This book is written with agenda bias to present a story by choosing information that supports only their new creation story and new sacred spring story by leaving out facts known on Dakota Indian history and the Camp Coldwater historic site. These left out facts are from their same references listed. I have 26 years of study and personal knowledge on each of the subjects.

In this book a Dakota creation site story is presented. A quote is stated by the authors, "and may have been the missionary Stephen R. Riggs." The quote states, "One great natural fact which perhaps ought to be recognized and recorded at the start, is this, viz: That the mouth of the Minnesota river, lies immediately over the center of earth and under the center of the heavens." It is 100 % clear, it is the EXACT quote from "Gatherings from Traditional history of the Mdewakantonwan Dakotas," Dakota Friend article, May 1851, by Gideon Pond . In this same Pond article, 2 paragraphs down from the quote author used in their book, Gideon Pond states, "it asserts that they sprang into existence about the lakes at the head of the Rum River." Thus the author of this book quotes only the first part of Pond's statement, making it appear as if author of their statement was saying, that the Dakota creation was at the meeting of the two rivers! When in fact Gideon Pond finishes his thoughts, makes it clear that the Dakota creation story "is about the lakes at the head of the Rum River." The authors had the reference source article. Why was this creation site of the Dakota Indians statement omitted?

The author uses this Dakota Friend May 1851 article as reference for page 20 where they state, "The area of the Bdote....It is according to Dakota oral traditions, a place of creation." In fact that article does NOT say the Bdote area is a place of creation, it states, "it asserts that they sprang into existence is about the lakes at the head of the Rum River."

The facts are, the registered Dakota tribe placed a historical marker at the head of the Rum River stating this site as the creation site.

Black Tomahawk Dakota Indian historian early 1800's, documents the Dakota taking the lands of the Iowa Indians in 3 battles along the St Peter River Near Quinn's home (East Bloomington), Grey Iron's planting field (South of St Peter R. present Burnsville/Eagan border) and at Pilot Knob hill Mendota. Ref: Mn Historical Collections, Iowa Indians and the Mounds by Gideon Pond . The battles would be about the year 1685.

The first documented Dakota village, "at the mouth of the river St. Pierre, on the bank of which were Mantantans" in 1689 by Nicolas Perrot. Ref: The History of Hennepin Cty 1881 Rev Neil.

Pipestone National Monument sign in S.W Mn. says Oneota (Iowa) culture ends there about 1700. Archeology also supports that the Iowa Indians left this area about 1700. In this book Mni Sota, when talking about LeSueur meeting Mantantan Dakota, the authors states," it was not their custom to hunt in that region (Blue Earth river and St.Peter river) without being invited by those to whom it belonged to." Why did the authors leave out, "who told him the river belonged to the Scioux of the west, the Ayavois, and the Otactatas,"... "he must establish himself on the Mississippi, near the mouth of the St.Pierre, where the Ayavois, Otactatas, and the other Scioux could go as well." On the 22nd the Fort was completed and LeSueur sent out 2 Canadians to bring back the Ayavois and Otoctatas to put their village next to them to have them work for them. The book authors state, "it provides no evidence to disprove the idea that many Dakota were spending much of the year in the the region already." Well, not when you leave out the facts from their own references they use, that it was still the Ayavois and Octatas land as mentioned by the Mantantan Dakota and LeSueur. Ref: Memoires de Mr. Le Sueur and History of Hennepin County 1881 Rev Neil.

In the book the authors mention the first contact of whites (French) with the Dakota. Those sources given, all tell of the Dakota first contact villages with whites west of Lake Superior around Mille Lacs and north, west, and east of Mille Lacs lake. Not one mentions villages at the meeting of the Mississippi River and Mn River.

By 1680 with Father Hennepin and DuLuth going up and down the Mississippi River, not once was there any mention of villages in the Bdote area. So why did the authors not include these French descriptions of first contact Dakota villages locations, west of Lake Superior? Why would they not want you to know the area of location of those first contact villages?

Bdote location, the new creation story they present, hard to be the Dakota creation site when Dakota took the land from the Iowa Indians near the mouth on the Mn River as Black Tomahawk says, and Dakota created their first village there in 1689. This newly created creation site at the meeting of the Miss. and St Peter Rivers is said often in the book. Ask yourself, why did the authors change the Dakota creation story to the meeting of the Mississippi river and Minnesota/St Peter river from the Lakes about the head of the Rum River? Why were there only cherry picked facts only to support their new story?

The author gives a reference to an unknown frenchman in 1720 that says "say that the first sciou and the first woman of their tribe came out of the earth, which brought them forth on the prairie below St Anthony falls" So yes they came out of the earth...but does not say at that area mentioned, ...it says they were brought forth to that area!!! I take it to mean they are located there now. As the French were trading with the Dakota above the Falls.

The authors quote Missionary Riggs, "The Mdewankanton think that the mouth of the Minnesota River is precisely over the center of earth, and that they occupy the gate that opens into the western world." This clearly means they are talking about the center of Dakota domain area...nothing sacred!

Bruce White in the book talks about Camp Coldwater as a sacred Dakota site. The sacred Dakota tree and spring story was actually made up by two white environmentalists who wanted to stop Hwy 55 from going through land one half mile away from CCW. They chose Mendota group of Dakota natives because they needed help to protest the hwy 55 construction through Minnehaha Park in Mpls. Dakota Mendota leader Bob Brown stated they (Mendota group) needed land for a casino and the two white environmentalists took Bob Brown to trees and spring. In the book "My Way or the Highway by Mary Losure, Her interview with Bob Brown confirms the above statement. Ref: "My Way or the Highway." White also uses this Ref. source book as reference, but cleverly leaves out the above documented story in his reference book. I have documented e-mail from White admitting he knew this story 10 years ago when I first told him.

Carol Kratz in a documented radio interview on Jan 12, 1999 at 12:30PM on KVSC radio (88.1 in Minneapolis), documents that Mendota people never heard of, never been to, never saw Camp Coldwater until Mary Jo and Carol took them there the very first time in 1998.

White uses Gary Cavender as source for sacred site claim. Gary never heard of, never saw, never been to CCW until I lectured of my CCW discovery and its preservation at Dakota Society meeting which I was a founding member. Gary never became personally/tribally involved with CCW/BOM land until Jim Jones, Tribal Council Rep, notified SHPO MNHS office, on Jan 23, 1998 via letter that Cavender and Mr. Ross of Shakopee band wished to be notified of the status of the BOM federal land CCW spring is partially contained in.

There is no documented Dakota Indian or any Indian sacred stories until 1998 when the hwy 55 needed to be stopped and land for a casino as needed. Ref: "My Way or the Highway," Losure.

The real sacred land story is a hill one half mile away S.W. From CCW (Morgans bluff), and stated from there Unktahe, (Dakota water god) resides in a "subterranean passage through which they say the water god passes when he enters the St. Peter's." Ref: Dahcotah Life and Legends of the Sioux, Mary Eastman. Note: CCW spring flows into Mississippi River, NOT the St. Peter River.

There are 2 subterranean spring/caves just one half mile (Lincoln) and 1 mile (Bergen) east of the sacred hill(Morgans Bluff), and one half mile east another open spring closer to the sacred hill. Why aren't any of those springs made the "sacred spring" for the creation by the authors? They are just as close and even match the story better that Mary Eastman tells. WHY?...because the land at those other springs were not Fed land going to possibly be available if the Feds no longer wanted the land.

In 1998, 29 acres of federal land surrounding the CCW spring might be available, IF, it was taken out of Fed Control, and it WAS NOT.

The TCP native status for CCW author White laments, needs to have 50 years backwards of continuous Native use. It does NOT as the clock just started ticking in 1998 with false claims of sacred site by white environmentalists! Stating new oral traditions since 1998 and "what if" as if fact, does NOT meet the standards of this historian. Instead of presenting all the facts, the author presents half truths in which gives an appearance to convince those who don't know their history, that the stories of other areas and other places, actually happened at CCW instead! This isn't reading history "between the lines"-it's not even to the level of conjecture. It's the appearance of not using facts, to reach a desired conclusion, to discredit the authors of the TCP status, who simply found that the sacred stories are less than 50 years old.

BEST sources for Dakota Migration from creation site (Mille Lacs Lake) to Mn River area, "Kinship of Another kind" by Gary Anderson. Also "The Dakota as they were in 1834" S. Pond. My favorite, "History of Hennepin County" 1881 Rev Neil. "History of Ojibway People" by William Warren. There is an old saying and I will clean up the last part of it...If you know facts but choose not to use them, in order to further your agenda, it is wrong! No one has the right to change history from what it was.

Dave Fudally, Historian