Dark history, hopes for future mix as Minnesota transfers state park to Dakota tribe

Mar 18, 20240

Elizabeth Flores, Star Tribune count

Carolyn Cavender Schommer, center, along with other tribal members, witnesses the signing of documents that officially marks the return of the state-owned land that was within the boundaries of Upper Sioux Agency State Park to the Upper Sioux Community (Pezihutazizi Oyate) at the Upper Sioux Community building in Granite Falls, Minn., on Friday.

UPPER SIOUX COMMUNITY - Before a word was said or a document was signed, boxes of tissues were laid out, at the ready.

It was an emotional day at the Upper Sioux Community, Pezihutazizi Oyate, in far western Minnesota, as the state officially returned Upper Sioux Agency State Park to the Dakota people.

The park, several people noted at Friday's ceremony, was originally created on the 100-year anniversary of the starvation of Dakota people on the land. The ensuing 1862 U.S.-Dakota War ended with the largest mass execution in the United States: 38 Dakota men hanged in Mankato.

https://www.startribune.com/dark-history-hopes-for-future-mix-as-minnesota-transfers-state-park-to-dakota-tribe/600351532/