On my way down to Winona last week for the Sesqui Capitol for a Day, I stopped by a roadside rest on Hwy 61 between Lake City and Wabasha to read the Minnesota Historical Society marker, erected in 1985, about Lake Pepin.
Nothing struck me at the time about the wording of the marker. But on Friday during the truth and reconciliation talk circle, I heard a couple of stories of how Indian burial grounds, including the park land where the circle was taking place, were destroyed and/or raided by the settlers… and how to this day, people are still looting burial grounds and selling the items on eBay. (See this 2006 Arizona Republic article, Stolen artifacts shatter ancient culture.)
One of the handouts at the Great Dakota Gathering and Homecoming table was a photocopy titled “Skulls of Chief Wabasha’s Children” and its text contains “Leaf No. 49 of Rev. Edward Ely’s Journal 1852-1853 — Extract from Winona Daily Republican June 29, 1867.”
It tells the story of how an “English gentleman and his wife… secured three genuine Indian skulls that belonged to the royal line of sovereigns that had governed this prairie for ages.”
When I got home, I re-read the text of the Lake Pepin historical marker (right photo above). It includes this:
Long before the European explorer Father Louis Hennepin “discovered” what he called the “Lake of Tears” in 1680, it served as a highway for Indian people of many cultures. Their burial mounds and earthworks can still be found along its shores.
That second sentence could easily be interpreted to mean that people today are still hunting for this stuff and finding it, as if that’s a fun hobby one should consider. That’s surely not the intent of the marker but a follow-up sentence that said something to the effect that “these are sacred sites, no different than the cemeteries where your relatives are buried, and should not be disturbed” would be a way to educate the public about the issue. Again, it’s a missed opportunity. Changing or replacing that marker might be prohibitively expensive but adding a new one that’s dedicated to educating the public about Indian burial sites would seem doable.
I applaud your documenting your cultural journey. I agree the atrocities need to be documented. I think this is essential in a community healing. As a homeschooling mom and a professional researcher, however, I wanted to offer something historians learn in their journey, often in school.
People must be very careful to not cover things up, but equally careful that we not use our standards to judge peoples of the past or other cultures. In doing so, we miss opportunities to understand.
I agree completely without reservation that it would be appropriate to remind people that the mounds are cemeteries. I have seen that posted in several locations. However, you stated you needed to “reread” the words after another experience. I can give you heartfelt assurances that I have indeed used the word “found” in referring to white cemeteries of historical significance. (I have also told my children rural cemeteries can be found everywhere.)
I have, with strong emotions, discussed the atrocities of the past with my children, but I think it is extremely important to remember that if people “find” slights in everything, the bigger picture becomes blurred as those people become tuned out.
I enjoyed your site. I applaud your efforts and appreciate the information about Sandy lake. I too intend to go to the Ft. Snelling event and have for some time. However, on the one interpretation where you feel that “one could easily interpret” permission to loot the mounds, I must respectfully disagree. I have seen that sign you spoke of, and not once, considered it permission to dishonor the remains. In fact, I took it as a reminder, stated or not, that the area is in fact, an honored place for Native Americans. I fully feel it is a simple acknowledgment that there are some that our ancestors have not managed to destroy.
I want you to know that there are people that care and want to remember and honor your people and their past. However, speaking from personal experience, it is important to not find hurts where they are not because, sadly, there is plenty that are already there and in doing so, the pain will consume you. Your path is one of great importance. Please do not lose sight of it.
Andi, thanks so much for your detailed comment. You make an excellent point and I hear you loud and clear that “it is important to not find hurts where they are not…”
When I blogged that, I was probably reeling a bit from learning that people are still looting burial grounds and using web sites like eBay to sell the items… so I was looking for a way to tell that story with some relevant experience. I agree that my choice of that highway marker to make my point was a bit of a stretch.
I’ll keep my eyes open for better examples.