Many Crows wrote: > > DAVID CHRISTENSON wrote: > > > "On the other hand it seems bizarre to me that natural features that were > > ignored for decades while the highway plan was on the back burner suddenly > > became revered for their historic and religious significance when the heavy > > machinery finally revved up. Very bizarre." > > Robert replies: > > Suppose information came to your attention about your family, information > thought to be totally lost. > In about 1990-91, I had occasion to do some histerical research about Phillips neighborhood for a series in the Alley Newspaper. I wanted to do some research on the Mdwakanton (sp.?) Dakota, who, according to American History "the o-fficial version", the Mdwakanton signed off on the 1805 Treaty with Zebulon Pike as rep. for the feds. I went over to the State Historical Society and sat down with a man whose name I no longer remember. I was pretty disappointed in his perspective on the Dakota People. I asked him about the 7 council fires of the Dakota, the Mdwakannton being one. (There are the Sisseton, the Yankton, etc.) His reply, and I quote, "There is no evidence of seven council fires, they didn't exist." Hello? Earth to Historical Society. I didn't get this information directly from the Dakota people I know, not wanting to appear to be a total ignoramous when I talked to them), I read a book available at the Franklin Library. [This is not to imply that every book at the Franklin Library is the gods' honest truth, but this particular book had good provenence.] My point with this palaver is to say that the general and even some very specific belief system of MN Anglos discredits information from Indians about their own history. My reason for so-saying would be rather flimsy were it not for the fact that we know where Sisseton is. We know where Yankton is. Those place names are Dakota words, but the towns got the place names because that is where the Yankton gathered, etc. Denial is more than just a river in Egypt. WizardMarks, Central _______________________________________ Minneapolis Issues Forum - Minnesota E-Democracy Post messages to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe, Unsubscribe, Digest option, and more: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
