mni sota

I’m not an expert on Native American studies.  The Caucasian kids in grade school up until high school used to call me Pocahontas whenever I wore my hair in braids.  Contrastingly, the Natives provided me with genuine warmth and welcomed me.  They became my safe haven.

I’ve been exposed to Native Americans and pow wows at an early age.  After all, this is Mni Sota (Minnesota), from the evocative names of lakes and rivers to the cities and streets.  These elements were more than just background details; they formed the core of my early cultural exposure and shaped my understanding and appreciation of the Native Americans.

I’m told that the MN Shakopee pow wow is more upscale, boujie if you will.  The Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux are one of the wealthiest tribes, each adult receives nearly $84,000 a month.  A month.  I love that for them but I don’t love everything that they had to go through.

The grand entries are awe-inspiring, as the dancers in their traditional regalia moved harmoniously to the rhythmic beats of the drums.  Each step is as if they connected with their past generations, creating an atmosphere that’s thick with spiritual and cultural pride. I’m drawn to the drums, chants, and the spiritual dances.  It reminds me of my temple stay in the motherland with the Buddhist monks droning in their prayers and the meditative movements of the temple rituals such as bowing 100 times.  

All the generational trauma that they’ve had to endure still resonates throughout the state.  Minnesota had one of the largest number of American Indian boarding schools.  The cultural eradication and abuse endured by the children in these boarding schools continued to have residual effects.  The US – Dakota War of 1862 also cast a long shadow…of decades of broken treaties and unmet promises, which caused significant loss and suffering for the Dakota people.