Mni Sota Makoce by Gwen Westerman

Mni Sota Makoce by Gwen Westerman

Much of the focus on the Dakota people in Minnesota rests on the tragic events of the 1862 U.S.-Dakota War and the resulting exile that sent the majority of the Dakota to prisons and reservations beyond the state's boundaries. But the true depth of the devastation 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.

Minnesota is derived from the Dakota phrase Mni Sota Makoce, Land Where the Waters Reflect the Clouds--and the people's roots here remain strong. Authors Gwen Westerman and Bruce White examine narratives of the people's origins, their associations with the land, and the seasonal round through key players and place names. They consider Dakota interactions with Europeans and offer an in-depth reading between the lines of historical documents--some of them virtually unknown--and treaties made with the United States, uncovering misunderstandings and outright deceptions that helped lead to war in 1862.

Dakota history did not begin with the U.S.- Dakota War of 1862--nor did it end there. Mni Sota Makoce is, more than anything, a celebration of the Dakota people through their undisputed connection to this place, Minnesota, in the past, present, and future.

Betty C. Monkman served more than thirty years in the Office of the Curator, the White House, retiring as Chief Curator in 2002. She is a frequent contributor to White House History.

Formerly a staff photographer at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Bruce White specializes in photographing art and architecture.

SKU	Unavailable
ISBN 13	9780873518697
ISBN 10	0873518691
Title	Mni Sota Makoce
Author	Gwen Westerman
Condition	Unavailable
Binding Type	Paperback
Publisher	Minnesota Historical Society Press,U.S.
Year published	2012-09-01
Number of pages	296
Prizes	Winner of Minnesota Book Award (Minnesota Subject) 2013
Cover note	Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary.