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Beginning August 3, through September 28, an exhibition by 20 American Indian artists will be on display at the All My Relations Gallery in Minneapolis, before moving to the James J. Hill House Gallery in St. Paul Minnesota where the display will begin October 13 and continue through January 13, 2013.The “De Unkiyepi – We Are Here” exhibition reflects on the U.S. Dakota War of 1862, when between four and six hundred soldiers and settlers were killed in less than two months of vicious fighting. It is unknown how many Dakota lost their lives during the battle. On December 26, 1862, the war came to an end as the United States hanged to death 38 Dakota men, in what remains the largest mass execution in American history. Over one thousand Dakota prisoners were held at Fort Snelling, where up to 300 died because of the conditions inside the camp. One prisoner, Gabriel Renville said, “Amid all this sickness and these great tribulations, it seemed doubtful at night whether a person would be alive in the morning.”The exhibition is sponsored by All My Relations Gallery, the Native American Community Development Institute, and the Minnesota Historical Society, and funded in part through a Grotto Foundation grant.Arts and Entertainment News Brought to You by http://spokanecivictheatre.com
I remember a few years ago (and probably still today) that there were some American Indians likening Fort Snelling to some type of death camp. Mind you, Fort Snelling is right on the Mississippi in a prominent place in St. Paul and is probably a field trip destination for every other kid in Minnesota at one point or another. I had never heard such criticism of a place that I otherwise thought was a beloved Minnesota landmark, and the criticism rubbed me the wrong way.
I come from Oklahoma and don't have a drop of Indian blood in me, I was the only kid in my high school who did not belong to a tribe. I bet I have heard just about all the Indian complaints about the evil white man you can think of and then some.On my recent visit back home, I had occasion to visit the huge casino complex the Cherokee have built just outside Tulsa and have seen several others. The Indians make millions off of gambling and cigarette sales. All money they plow back into their tribes. They also get tuition money for college and health subsidies from tax receipts. I sometimes wonder who lost the Indian Wars.
