• 2 days ago
https://amzn.to/47oPglX
Transcript
00:00:00Let's all pray. We came this far. Some beautiful people and they prayed. So let's all pray
00:00:25together as a family.
00:00:51These writers they come from all over
00:00:53Canada, Montana, Iowa, South Dakota, North Dakota, Minnesota. There's even a guy here
00:00:59from Austria. It's from all over the world. These writers come. And that's the point.
00:01:06That's what we're trying to do here is we're trying to reconcile, unite, make peace with
00:01:11everyone. Because that's what it means to be Dakota. To be Dakota means to walk in peace
00:01:19and harmony with every living thing. That is our way. This ride came through a vision
00:01:28of a man by the name of Jim Miller. And in that vision, he saw writers going east. We're
00:01:34going home. That's what we're doing. We're going home.
00:01:38In 2005, when I received this dream, as any recovered alcoholic, I made believe that I didn't get it.
00:01:51I tried to put it out of my mind, but it's one of them dreams that bothers you night and day.
00:02:38I don't know what to do. I don't know what to do.
00:02:46I don't know what to do. I don't know what to do.
00:02:58St. Paul Pioneer Press, 1863.
00:03:02Good news for Indian hunters. The Indian hunting trade, if the game be at all plenty, is likely
00:03:08to prove a profitable investment during the present fall and winter for our hunters and
00:03:13scouts in the big woods. Having increased the bounty for each top knot of a bloody heathen
00:03:18to $200, there is likely to be considerable competition in the trade, and the best shots
00:03:24will carry off the most prizes.
00:03:32Christmas is coming.
00:03:40I wish you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.
00:03:49May God bless you all.
00:04:02May God bless you all.
00:04:08With settlers encroaching on us, they push us onto a little bitty strip of land along
00:04:13the river. All of our people were put there and were not allowed to leave or hunt.
00:04:18The Indians could not leave the reservation. If they left without permission, they would
00:04:28be considered hostile and could be shot on sight.
00:04:34They were supposed to be given rations, given the treaty, but people get greedy. That's
00:04:39how they call them, washichu. They started skimming off the rations and pretty soon they
00:04:44were starving them. When they were starving them, that's when this trader said, well,
00:04:48let them eat grass. And so they revolted. And the fight occurred and many were killed.
00:04:55It was a very short war. It only lasted a few months. When it was over, President Abraham
00:05:03Lincoln hung 38 of our leaders at one time, one pull of the lever, which is today the
00:05:11largest mass execution the government has ever carried out.
00:05:25My great-great-grandfather's waxwolf owl tail was hung that day. Those of us that are
00:05:38on this ride descend from them 38 that were hanged.
00:05:54My great-great-grandfather's waxwolf owl tail was hung that day.
00:05:58We'll never be able to feel what he felt, but we understand he was a spiritual man and
00:06:27he cared a lot about his people. And I think if he was alive, he would have did the same
00:06:32thing. To remember, he would have wanted to acknowledge the ancestors in a spiritual way.
00:06:39And when I heard about this dream, Uncle Sheldon Wolfchild, he told me this dream that Jim
00:06:46had and I wanted to be a part of it. There's something about that ride that pulls you to
00:06:51it. You want to get on a horse and help out. You feel pain in your ribs, your back, your
00:06:57legs. You get cold. We've been through blizzards. A lot of times, if you don't own a horse,
00:07:03you end up on the horse that nobody wants to ride, so that's a sacrifice in itself.
00:07:21I just want to tell everybody here that I love you very much. We don't have to blame
00:07:36the Washichos anymore. We're doing it to ourselves. We're selling drugs. We're killing our own
00:07:46people. And that's what this ride's about. It's healing.
00:08:16We were exiled from Minnesota by an order of the government which stated to annihilate
00:08:46the Indian race or forever push us from the borders of Minnesota. And that's what happened.
00:08:52Thousands and thousands of our people were slaughtered, froze to death, starved to death.
00:08:57Disease took a lot of our people also. A lot of them were marched on foot. Some were brought
00:09:04on cattle trains. Got down to St. Louis, they put us on riverboats and they were brought
00:09:11up the river to where we presently are now at Crow Creek, which was at that time a prisoner
00:09:16of war camp. From there, our people scattered to the four directions.
00:09:23Some of them, you know, would jump off their boats and just drown themselves and they couldn't
00:09:29deal with the hardships. And so it was a horrible thing. They thought it was the end of the
00:09:34world coming here. They had no more hope. And so for us, this journey back, this ride
00:09:40back is taking their spirits back, taking it home to the homeland.
00:09:46We're going to show up in Mankato at the hanging site on December 26th at 10 a.m., which is
00:09:51the anniversary of them 38 that were hanged.
00:09:57When you have dreams, you know when they come from the creator. You just know it.
00:10:10And I always know when it's a significant dream because he says, I've got to tell you
00:10:14this, you know. And so he gets up and he says, I got to tell you this. And I don't know what
00:10:19it means, but and he started telling, telling me he was being directed to make these offerings
00:10:28around the horse. The horse would carry these offerings and that these offerings were for
00:10:36all of the men that were hung in Mankato.
00:10:41Didn't know about Mankato till I had this dream in 2005.
00:10:48In his dream, he's seen all these, the 38 basically being hung at the same time and
00:10:54they were all reaching out, holding each other's arms.
00:10:58Our ancestry starts over there in Mankato. So keep that in your hearts. Keep that in
00:11:17your minds as we travel.
00:11:23So I love you guys very much. I'm a real easy man to talk to. I'm kind of a quiet guy. I
00:11:33pretty much keep to myself. But any atrocity that happened to you, any of you, it happened
00:11:42to me. I was sexually abused, physically abused, spiritually abused, emotionally abused. I
00:11:52have blood on my hands. I'm a Vietnam veteran. I spent time in Leavenworth. So I've been,
00:12:03I've been through the course. Any of you need to talk to me, call me a sign. We're all equal
00:12:12in this room. Nobody's higher or better than anybody. We're all equal. So let's have a real
00:12:23beautiful ride. We got a long haul ahead of us. I never did this before. I don't know what I
00:12:31like to expect in the next 16 days. But you do. You're my family.
00:12:49This horse has the six directions that we use in our ceremonies. The two front legs represent the
00:12:55west and the north. The two back legs represent the east and the south. The head points up. The
00:13:01ears point up. Represents Wakatake. Up above, the tail points downwards towards Mother Earth.
00:13:10When you put those six directions together, it creates a sacred center to bring Wowakan in. It's
00:13:18a sacredness that you can only have with these six directions. And you can pray while you're on
00:13:23your horse. You can think about a lot of things. Some people can remember things that ancestors
00:13:29went through. It's the horse leading the way because of its healing power.
00:13:53It feels good to walk in their steps and be on the land where they were. It's a completely
00:14:14different energy around here. I feel it. I feel like a different person now that I came here.
00:14:23Today, we're riding because of a healing that we need to continue.
00:14:38The reservation where I'm from is the poorest county in the United States with an average household
00:14:44income of $5,000 per year. We also have one of the highest suicide rates in the world. There is
00:14:52something that we suffer from.
00:15:00So basically, I'm riding for my family because they need help. I already lost my oldest brother.
00:15:12He passed away four years ago. And two of my other brothers are sitting in jail. My family is
00:15:20slowly falling apart and this is why I'm doing this for them. And now my little brother, he's getting
00:15:28sent away. I wanted to go see him before he gets sent away next year. But I came here and I don't
00:15:42regret coming here. So all I can say is I'm honored to be on this ride. And I thank you for listening to me.
00:16:04It's just not for our Dakota people, but everybody involved. So if you have horses or you want to be a
00:16:09part of the ride, I mean, come join us. This is our family and we want you guys to be a part of it. So thank you.
00:16:20I didn't know Mankato, like 38 Native Americans were hung here. I had no idea about that. I'm not Native American,
00:16:27but my mom's like Native Canadian and up there. So just having a little bit of that in me and hearing this,
00:16:35really means a lot. So, thank you.
00:16:42It was pretty good talking to them, letting them know our side of the story. And not what just came out of some book
00:16:49that some dude wrote. Coming from the real thing and from the people that are experiencing it. Yeah, it was pretty good.
00:17:00It was a pretty good ride.
00:17:04That's probably the burnt burger and the doughy pizza.
00:17:08No, that's just a joke.
00:17:11And I really don't associate with Caucasian people. I don't know why, it's just, I don't know, I never really.
00:17:19I used to, like when I was little, I had different races of friends when I was little.
00:17:24Like, we might as well just put it on the table, too, because it's the truth and it's the only way that we're going to be able to come together.
00:17:32My people and me, and we've talked about this, there's a lot of racism.
00:17:37And I'm willing to say, yeah, I have some racist moments where I think, oh, okay, they just did that because they're a white guy.
00:17:45Or they're not going to get it because they're white. They're just not.
00:17:49I was feeling like I didn't want to be a part of this anymore.
00:17:53Because I was feeling like everybody was talking to me as, like, Dakota Sarah.
00:17:58Like, oh, well, like, you know, like, you're Dakota first.
00:18:01So I'm going to ask everything, all my questions based on your race.
00:18:07You have to understand there's a certain amount of curiosity coming into a situation.
00:18:11I mean, if someone from Africa came to me, they would have a million questions, I'm sure, about Adam the white guy, the Italian kid from Long Island.
00:18:20So the fact that the questions are getting directed at me makes me feel like, oh, Adam was the only one who was asking questions, the only one who didn't come from the heart.
00:19:20It's going to be warm here in the next couple of days. It's going to be real cold.
00:19:25Real cold.
00:19:28The forecast this morning said Saturday, Sunday, Monday, blizzard warnings.
00:19:39Not much to say.
00:19:43I think some of the things that they're doing like this ride are important for their heritage.
00:19:50I think all people should be proud of who they are and their ancestry and their heritage.
00:19:56I'm proud I'm Norwegian.
00:19:59Golden, golden rims.
00:20:03I got pinched out here.
00:20:06Does she know the price in there? How much a tire was?
00:20:10Just, hey, just don't worry about it.
00:20:13Oh, come on now. I got to give you something.
00:20:17Don't worry about it.
00:20:18You sure?
00:20:19Yeah.
00:20:20Appreciate it. I really appreciate it.
00:20:22Yeah.
00:20:23I wouldn't be so generous, but I just watched that movie Pay It Forward, so.
00:20:27Oh.
00:20:32I wish more of this country was that way.
00:20:34Yeah.
00:20:35Needs to go back to that.
00:20:36Yeah.
00:20:37Yeah, definitely.
00:20:39We've got too many people that are worried about the dollar instead of helping the human being.
00:20:44Exactly. Exactly.
00:20:46I'm getting back in there. I better go.
00:20:48Yeah.
00:20:49I'll just fill that up and I'll come back out and shut that water off.
00:20:53Okay.
00:21:09Okay.
00:21:35Extreme conditions for much of the West
00:21:38as we go through the next several days.
00:21:39Let's get into this bitterly cold Arctic air.
00:21:41Don't forget there'll be a wind chill factor up and through here.
00:21:44I'm running behind you.
00:21:58Some people have loaded their horses here already.
00:22:00Yeah.
00:22:01This isn't where the horses are supposed to be today.
00:22:03Yeah.
00:22:04We didn't get permission to do that.
00:22:06Well, they accept us.
00:22:08This Jim.
00:22:10Jim.
00:22:12I think it's his name.
00:22:13Jim.
00:22:14Yeah, he's the county extension agent that I've been talking to.
00:22:17So he's here?
00:22:18He was here.
00:22:19He gave me this key.
00:22:20Okay, that's good enough.
00:22:21To water.
00:22:22Good enough.
00:22:33Go on.
00:22:34Go on.
00:22:36Okay, I'll get some snacks together and stuff.
00:22:38Oh, that would be so awesome.
00:22:40Yeah.
00:22:41Oh, they would love that.
00:22:42Okay, sure.
00:22:44And it made me feel uncomfortable because, like, in the back of my head,
00:22:47I always, you know, look at them.
00:22:49I was like, they're probably uncomfortable with all of us in here.
00:22:52Don't trust us too much or something.
00:22:54You know, I don't know.
00:22:56It's just how I was growing up.
00:22:58How much did you ride today, man?
00:23:00About, I don't know, 30, 40 miles.
00:23:05How are you feeling?
00:23:06Sore.
00:23:08What do you guys think of the horses?
00:23:10They're nice, but they hurt your butts.
00:23:12They hurt your butts.
00:23:14Yeah?
00:23:15Are you recording it?
00:23:17Yeah, man, you're on tape.
00:23:19Hi.
00:23:24Can I ride it?
00:23:27How can you get up there?
00:23:28How can you get up?
00:23:32I sure can't.
00:23:34Sorry.
00:23:35I'm not big enough to.
00:23:54For me, I love each of you.
00:23:56These little guys here, we're doing that for them.
00:24:00Our culture is one of...
00:24:06Oral.
00:24:07Everything's passed down to us.
00:24:11Riding across there today, I was crying coming.
00:24:16I wonder what my relatives endured when they came down on the boat.
00:24:22When we were taken off the boat, our first homeland in 1863,
00:24:26our first home was the Stockade.
00:24:30When Sitting Bull heard about that as a young man,
00:24:33he came on horseback to see how the people were being treated.
00:24:37And they were being treated worse than animals, I said,
00:24:40and that's why he stood his ground like that.
00:24:45These people call me today.
00:24:47There was two ceremonies that were going on back home
00:24:50called the Uipis.
00:24:53They said that crazy horse in Sitting Bull is riding with us.
00:24:59That means a lot to me.
00:25:17I went out with a regular pair of gloves
00:25:19and was out there about 15 minutes,
00:25:21and my hands started to get frostbite.
00:25:24I saw the weather report.
00:25:26It said 45 below, 50 mile-an-hour winds.
00:25:28It said you're taking your life in your own hands if you're on the road.
00:25:32The last time I walked with people, men, and women like this,
00:25:36I was in a Marine Corps.
00:25:38They were actually fighting for their rights.
00:25:41I don't know why they were fighting for their rights,
00:25:46but they were fighting for the right of that person who they were.
00:25:51They were fighting for the right to be an American.
00:25:54I think the other people who fought for us,
00:25:56they really did know what was going on in the world
00:25:59and women like this. I was in a Marine Corps. Yesterday, you know that bad
00:26:05blizzard? These riders wanted to go. They saddled up, they warmed their horses up.
00:26:10We couldn't even see 50 yards. Cold. And they still wanted to ride to make
00:26:23this trip. That's how important this is to us.
00:26:28So, if you don't mind, we're gonna just kind of wait this out. Yeah, and then, you
00:26:33know, if it gets really bad, we got that Quonset, you know, we can put the horses
00:26:36in there. There's quite a bit of room in there. Can we take a look? Yeah. Okay. So, let's get
00:26:44some panels and panel this off. Okay.
00:26:58We got the horses in the Quonset, and so I came back home, and then I'd say it was
00:27:18like four o'clock or something. Yeah, it was late afternoon. Yeah, when Jerry called
00:27:23and said, you know, where can we go to buy hay because the horses need hay? You
00:27:28know, I don't know where I'd send you. I know a lot of guys have got hay, but I
00:27:31don't think you can get there. But I said, you know, I don't know, I'll try. When he
00:27:36came back to the door, and he was all full of snow, and I said, what happened? He said,
00:27:40we've got it, we got to get the tractor going because I'm stuck up here in the
00:27:43ditch. He said, I didn't even make the corner. I thought, oh my god, if it's that bad, why
00:27:48are you even out? She gets me out, and I tell her, you know, you just need to take
00:27:55the tractor, go home. Then I take off west, and it's terrible. You know, again, I can't
00:28:02see anything, there's drifts on the road, and all of a sudden I'm right in a ditch again,
00:28:07and this is over a mile from home. And he called me, and he said, how are you doing?
00:28:13I said, not very good right now. I said, I'm in a ditch. He said, what? I said, yep, I ran in a
00:28:20ditch trying to get to town. It's crazy, man, it's psychotic. I never really thought of
00:28:26those people doing something like that, you know. She went out in the tractor and found him
00:28:34somehow in that blizzard. You almost can't top that as far as support or commitment to
00:28:44what we're doing.
00:28:53All the way from Marty, South Dakota. Do we have any Choctaws in the house? Follow me, Mark.
00:28:58Follow me, Ron.
00:29:00Whenever I'm away from you, I always get these lovesick blues.
00:29:06Never ever leave me alone, I believe.
00:29:17Look, they're taking off! Wow!
00:29:23Holy!
00:29:25All aboard, brothers.
00:29:36Let's go.
00:29:55We come with a message of forgiveness and healing, and we all got to share this planet together.
00:30:01Well, that's the purpose of your ride, is to, you know, have some reconciliation. You think that's
00:30:07already happening, maybe, in some ways.
00:30:09Oh, no doubt. I had an outpouring of support and love.
00:30:13Westington Springs, they end that holiday. So I give my blessings to them and we pray for them.
00:30:19Thank you very much. We appreciate it. Thank you. That was wonderful.
00:30:24We'll get that microphone if you do, and we'll let you.
00:30:28Thanks a lot. That was good.
00:30:30You did a good job. Thank you.
00:30:34I love you guys, and you guys have a good day.
00:30:37Oh, you as well. We'll be around. We've got lots of good pictures to get here today.
00:30:41Okay. Thank you. You bet.
00:30:43Have a safe ride. You bet. I will.
00:30:45Yeah. Yeah, this is awesome.
00:30:48To hear someone who's, you know, not angry at all and says, you know, this is about forgiveness.
00:30:54Wow. Not what I expected.
00:30:57There's a lot of racism in this state.
00:30:59There are a lot of people that are against Native Americans and kind of don't make any bones about it.
00:31:06It's okay to be who you are. You're Native, and you should be proud of it no matter what tribe you're from.
00:31:12Get to know your history because we are an awesome people, and you guys should be so proud of that.
00:31:28And I was in an eight-by-five cell, and it was hard. It was really hard.
00:31:33You know, I shed some tears in there.
00:31:35They say men don't cry, but we do.
00:31:38It takes a real man to cry.
00:31:41And thank you.
00:31:45The reason why I'm doing this journey is so I can maybe help one of you in this room today
00:31:51because our people are lost, and it's up to us to keep our language and our culture alive.
00:31:56We have to be the leaders because we're the next generation, and it's up to us.
00:32:01If not, our culture is gone. Our language is gone.
00:32:04And the Wakaija, the youth, the next generation, they'll be lost.
00:32:08They'll have nothing to turn to.
00:32:10On November 26, I celebrated a year of drugs and alcohol.
00:32:14I ain't going to lie. Sometimes I feel like using, you know.
00:32:17I get all my old buddies back home and say, oh, come on. Have a beer with us.
00:32:22Let's go get high. I got this joint, you know.
00:32:26But I choose to pray, go to sweat lodges.
00:32:29During the summertime, we attend sun dances.
00:32:32It's hard growing up where I'm from.
00:32:34You know, Pine Ridge is a hard place to live.
00:32:36They call it Poverty Plains, you know, but we choose to live like that.
00:32:40Now me writing is to hopefully make a change for our youth
00:32:44so that they won't have to grow up in a society that we grew up in today.
00:32:53I got caught speeding, and he left me behind.
00:32:59I turned the lights on him, so I drove around.
00:33:03Went to chase, parked.
00:33:10Any suggestions from life here, boss?
00:33:13I don't know.
00:33:15I don't know.
00:33:17I don't know.
00:33:19Any suggestions from life here, boss?
00:33:25My main concern is, like, hey.
00:33:31What's next in Canada?
00:33:36Again, for my family from here, you know, it's good to see everybody in.
00:33:41My main thing was to see you guys laughing, fed, and all that stuff like that.
00:33:46So, you know, I extend my thanks.
00:33:50You guys are coming over this hill down here, this little town.
00:33:53That was what I got afraid of.
00:33:56Man, these semis on 34, you know, they're going to come flying over,
00:34:00and as cold as ice it is.
00:34:03So I just stayed up there, and I see vehicles, try to slow them down.
00:34:07Hello.
00:34:09This is a lady right here.
00:34:10This is Esteph.
00:34:11She has been really great in doing the coordinating so much of the food,
00:34:18the help, the whole works.
00:34:20She's been fantastic.
00:34:21I had food coming all morning to my house, so my truck was loaded.
00:34:26Yeah, there was not even a question.
00:34:28As soon as we heard about it, we got the e-mail,
00:34:30and we responded back right away and said, yeah, count us in.
00:34:32We'll help out.
00:34:34When they marched the 38 to be hung, you know, they marched them to Manekato,
00:34:38and then after they hung them, they buried them in a mass grave,
00:34:41and the doctors from the local area, they dug up the bodies,
00:34:44and they buried them in a mass grave.
00:34:46So, you know, it was a big deal.
00:34:48It was a big deal.
00:34:50After they hung them, they buried them in a mass grave,
00:34:52and the doctors from the local area, they dug up the bodies and used them for science.
00:35:03So when we learn that history, then it's really hard.
00:35:20I own all the land back here.
00:35:22I'm just curious what is going on.
00:35:24I've seen all the trailers here.
00:35:26I grew up in Minnesota,
00:35:28and I had no idea that there had been a hanging of 38 warriors.
00:35:33And then the boarding schools, of course,
00:35:36to try to turn all the Indians into white people,
00:35:40and their spiritual ceremonies were illegal until 1978.
00:35:46Maybe U.S. white America will reach,
00:35:51or maybe is reaching the point where they can start acknowledging
00:35:56what really happened in this country.
00:35:59They can acknowledge the massive land theft,
00:36:033 billion acres within the continental United States.
00:36:06Maybe they can acknowledge the broken treaties,
00:36:10over 400 of them broken and violated by the United States of America
00:36:15and its U.S.-Euro-American citizenry.
00:36:18Maybe they can acknowledge the genocide that occurred,
00:36:2316 million Native people within the continental United States around 1500.
00:36:29And by four centuries later, 1900,
00:36:33the U.S. Bureau of Census said there was 237,000 left in the U.S.
00:36:39What happened?
00:36:45There's nothing left to be concealed
00:36:49Moving on seems surreal
00:36:53No, my heart will never, will never be far from here
00:37:00Sure as I am breathing, sure as I'm sad
00:37:04I'll keep this wisdom in my flesh
00:37:09I'll leave here believing more than I had
00:37:13And there's a reason I'll be, a reason I'll be back
00:37:25As I walk the hemisphere
00:37:29I got my wish to up and disappear
00:37:33I've been wounded, I've been healed
00:37:38Now for landing I've been, landing I've been feeling
00:37:44Sure as I am breathing, sure as I'm sad
00:37:48It's like my brother and I, we grew up shaking hands with everybody.
00:37:51Whether you seen them last night or, you know, stick that old black paw out there.
00:37:56Let somebody shake that thing for you, you shake it back.
00:38:01And when you got love in your heart, they feel that love.
00:38:04It could be the most bitter SOB there, but you know, he'll cool off and slow down.
00:38:12Like I said, we don't discriminate against anybody on this ride.
00:38:16Anybody's welcome.
00:38:18I was always scared to tell people that I loved them.
00:38:22And I'm not anymore.
00:38:26So, I just want to tell you guys I love you.
00:38:31And thank you for being here.
00:38:33I know it's hard, but let me know if you need anything.
00:38:36I'm more than willing to help.
00:38:38With Doc Yasin.
00:38:43No, it's her ankle.
00:38:45That one guy said he saw her step in a crack.
00:38:48Yeah.
00:38:49It's her ankle.
00:38:52Well, she ain't going to make this ride.
00:39:02You may not know it, because I don't tell very many people,
00:39:09but I'm 100% combat-related disabled.
00:39:15100%.
00:39:19Jim knows what I'm talking about.
00:39:30As a Vietnam combat veteran, my life is a battle.
00:39:35I'm a veteran.
00:39:37I'm a veteran.
00:39:39I'm a veteran.
00:39:41I'm a veteran.
00:39:44As a Vietnam combat veteran, my PTSD really kicked in today.
00:39:50It's a post-traumatic stress disorder.
00:39:54I'm 100% disabled.
00:39:58And the doctors tell me not to be on the horse.
00:40:03Today, it's really kicking in.
00:40:13I'm glad you guys let me be part of this.
00:40:37Mitalki Aapi.
00:40:53With that wawa coming inside those six directions, you place a man or a woman on a horse,
00:40:59you give it the seventh direction,
00:41:01which is the chokata, the center of all things.
00:41:05It represents mitalki awas, everything is related and balanced.
00:41:11And you put that all together, and you move forward,
00:41:14you're able to create power as you go.
00:41:19So that was their justification for going to war.
00:41:25That it was either to defend themselves,
00:41:30rather than starve to death.
00:41:33I learned a lot about the 38 plus two, because
00:41:38while I was on that ride, I could really look into the past.
00:41:42While you're sitting on that horse, it makes you realize you have a lot of time to think.
00:42:02Mitalki Aapi.
00:42:32Mitalki Aapi.
00:42:54They say that the spirits are the ones that lead the people.
00:42:57They are in front of that staff.
00:42:59They are the ones taking us through this cold weather.
00:43:02These elements, they say these elements are a part of life.
00:43:13We didn't realize how inspirational this was going to be.
00:43:17If they would bless us by coming back again some year,
00:43:20we would really welcome them.
00:43:23We hope it's an annual event, but we hope the weather is a little bit more cooperative.
00:43:29Mitalki Aapi.
00:43:59Mitalki Aapi.
00:44:09And we wanted to put welcome to our farm on it,
00:44:12but we didn't know how to spell it, or how to say it.
00:44:15So he came up with the word for thank you.
00:44:19We thought we can park all the vehicles, we have lots of land,
00:44:22and we have pasture for the horses and a shop to feed everybody.
00:44:26We just thought it was just a really neat thing you're doing,
00:44:29and a good message for the season,
00:44:31and something we wanted our kids to experience with all of you,
00:44:34and we thought it would be more personal here.
00:44:37So I'm going to sing this song on behalf of my relatives here
00:44:41to honor you today for this grateful thing that you have done for us.
00:44:46Ya-hey-oh-hey-oh-hey-dee
00:44:51Ya-hey-oh-hey-oh-hey-dee
00:44:55Ya-hey-oh-hey-oh-hey-dee
00:44:59Ya-hey-oh-hey-oh-hey-dee
00:45:02Ya-hey-oh-hey-oh-hey-dee
00:45:05I'm going to go forward.
00:45:16I'll never give up
00:45:17Ya-hey-oh-hey-oh-hey-dee
00:45:22Ya-hey-oh-hey-oh-hey-dee
00:45:25Ya-hey-oh-hey-oh-hey-dee
00:45:28Go-go-go-go yeah yeah
00:45:42We couldn't even see, the horses were like..
00:45:43couldn't even see like I mean the cars couldn't even see the horses were like
00:45:46doing this like faces the winds coming from this way and everybody's going this
00:45:50Julian stops gets out we're shutting it down we're shutting it down everybody
00:45:53gets off their horses they're not room enough in the car I look over there
00:45:56Gus's like truck is and trailers in a ditch over like things going terribly
00:46:02wrong and it didn't need to happen man it like it just have a conversation talk
00:46:07about it we have two days of rest the 21st and 22nd today is the 20th right
00:46:12you don't ride today you wait for the storm to pass Saturday and Sunday like
00:46:17you know the weather report said it was gonna be horrible then you ride on the
00:46:20day's arrest
00:46:24you gotta make arrangements you're gonna haul horses there you know he's gonna
00:46:28stop it you gotta haul them back makes complete sense to me but since I'm not
00:46:42involved in this I'm not a leader I can't you are a leader Adam we are all
00:46:46leaders yeah we're all leaders come on that's what it's a great saying and I'd
00:46:51like to believe that all we're doing here is a lack of communication that's
00:46:56all we have I told you guys when we first started I'm the only the person
00:47:03that had the dream so I try to step back and I try to let these leaders step up
00:47:13I
00:47:18could have made it easy
00:47:21yeah they do this girl got kicked by the end I saw that she got kicked this
00:47:30morning the little girl got kicked by Chris right in the hand
00:47:42I come from everybody's mostly still mad and what would happen and you know
00:47:49that's probably another reason why I don't really get along with the
00:47:54Caucasian people yeah
00:48:12they rose up to defend themselves starving to death to protect their land
00:48:30their way of life and their people was it wrong to defend ourselves
00:48:42that's the question within weeks 500 whites settlers soldiers and government
00:48:51agents were dead along with a smaller but unknown number of Indians there were
00:48:57pretty horrendous deeds done on both parts I mean some immigrant from Germany
00:49:04who wasn't privy to the signing of Traverse to sue treaty was probably
00:49:07pretty shocked to see his wife's you know womb cut open a baby take out the
00:49:12brain against the tree just as later when new home people attacked the
00:49:15Indians and killed a woman's child in front of her you know there's no heroes
00:49:21here it was just it was an ugly situation when I think about Abraham
00:49:26Lincoln that that's hard to swallow because he freed the slaves but yet
00:49:33really succumb to pressure from from the people to hang you know there was
00:49:40supposed to be 300 over 300 that were supposed to be executed but he reduced
00:49:49it to 38 you know we say this is a spiritual ride we're gonna be the first
00:49:57to ask for forgiveness we want to say our apologies as the natives we want to
00:50:07step up and say hey we apologize so we're gonna be the first ones to forgive
00:50:15what happened when they hung our ancestors in 1862 we're gonna be the
00:50:21first ones to forgive
00:50:56I can't and I feel like I I've done pretty good in the last 10 years moved
00:51:02forward pretty good and it's time to let those things go and press forward you
00:51:08know in a positive way
00:51:18you know poncho and I are the ones who were interacting with the family talking
00:51:22with Eli talking with Taylor the daughter she just Facebook to me talking
00:51:25with Brady you know because other if we don't if we're not talking with them
00:51:30everybody else you know within it within my opinion of the native community is
00:51:35doing their own little thing in in the corners
00:51:38Dave said he's never been into a white person's home and he's from Sistin you
00:51:42know and that's where all those guys are from I so it's probably hard for them I
00:51:48know it's hard for them but those people could not have made it easier and I'm
00:51:51not saying they how what they were feeling or but this family like they had
00:51:55won't beat up for peace on their shirts with a horse in rainbow letters it could
00:52:01not have said like welcome with their names on the back I mean they went to a
00:52:04lot of trouble for this I don't know if they normally walk around with that or
00:52:07they did it for this ride but they had you know the whole they the whole thing
00:52:11going I feel like we let him down a little bit actually yeah as a community
00:52:17I don't know it's just how I was grew up not having them trust us or thinking
00:52:22we're gonna steal something or you know something was gonna go missing and
00:52:26they're gonna blame us so I didn't I didn't really feel comfortable stopping
00:52:30at all those houses I mean it's cool that they did they did that man I like
00:52:34that a lot it's pretty crazy how it all worked out for the horses and for us
00:52:46what are you doing? I'm recording. What's your name? Amber. Amber? Are you gonna ride Amber? Are you? Are you excited? You're part of this group now so like
00:52:59don't be afraid to tell them how you feel because they don't know that you
00:53:04know to like do it publicly is a big yeah but it's a big thing but now you're
00:53:09part of the group so but am I do you know what I'm saying yeah I feel like I
00:53:14am but then it's kind of like you know am I
00:53:32a lot of us are getting sore throats and headaches and stuff and it's kind of
00:53:40hard to be in this climate if we're not used to it and I know the Canadians they
00:53:44don't care they go around naked I've seen I've seen Carl walking down the
00:53:50creek with just a blanket on this morning he was gonna chop a whole nice
00:53:56and take a bath he said but I think one of our leaders here made a some medicine
00:54:04in that container over there feel free to get some especially now when it's
00:54:09really warm and that's us guys take medicines huns we can take it I mean I
00:54:27don't want this ride to end I want to keep keep this ride going because this
00:54:32is the only time I ever felt how happy and because back home it's really hard
00:54:38makes me feel good riding for for my people
00:54:49our people
00:54:53suffer from something an elderly woman a full-blood Dakota from where I'm from in
00:55:01Crow Creek I was with her one time and a lot of bad things were going on a lot
00:55:09of bad things and I had asked her why does this always happen to us why do we
00:55:14do these things to each other why does it always happen and she didn't say
00:55:20nothing she's driving a car for a while I looked over and she was crying and she
00:55:29said in her language yokie Shisha a deep embedded genetic depression see our
00:55:39people at one time the Dakota people are all Native Americans had a very strong
00:55:45connection with the Creator a very strong connection with Mother Earth a
00:55:51very strong connection with nature the forces of nature all living things on
00:55:56this planet and all this was taken from us like that
00:56:06and we lost this connection with everything that we had that's where this
00:56:10depression comes from a lot of our people are severely depressed they don't
00:56:15even know it this depression is just now clinically diagnosed as the same thing
00:56:22soldiers suffer from when they return from combat
00:56:52In 1967, in 1968, in 1967, in 1968, in 1968, in 1968, in 1968, in 1968, in 1968, in 1968, in 1968, in 1968, in 1968, in 1968, in 1968, in 1968, in 1968, in 1968, in 1968, in 1968, in 1968, in 1968, in 1968, in 1968, in 1968, in 1968, in 1968, in 1968, in 1968, in 1968, in 1968, in 1968, in 1968, in 1968, in 1968, in 1968, in 1968, in 1968, in 1968, in 1968, in 1968, in 1968, in 1968, in 1968, in 1968, in 1968, in 1968, in 1968, in 1968, in 1968, in 1968, in 1968, in 1968, in 1968, in 1968, in 1968, in 1968, in 1968, in 1968, in 1968, in 1968, in 1968, in 1968, in 1968, in 1968, in 1968, in 1968, in 1968, in 1968, in 1968, in 1968, in 1968, in 1968,
00:57:23I served in a place called Vietnam.
00:57:26Why you young people don't know where that's at?
00:57:31At that time, I took 38 lives.
00:57:41Had no connection.
00:57:43Didn't make no connection with Mankato.
00:57:47Didn't know about Mankato till I had this dream in 2005.
00:57:56There was 38 that were hung, and how does that all tie in?
00:58:02I can't say that I know, I mean I really don't.
00:58:06But he had an experience around the fire,
00:58:12which I'm not going to go into deeply because it's his experience,
00:58:17which clearly showed him some things that he needed to do
00:58:22to release the 38 Vietnamese men that had been killed by him.
00:58:32And all of this was told to him by his mother,
00:58:35and his mother passed away when he was 10,
00:58:38but she came out of the fire and told him he needed to do this.
00:58:43I'm kind of an emotional guy.
00:59:08Those coming down the road, my boarding school days kicked in,
00:59:14my days in Vietnam kicked in, riding into the city.
00:59:20So all my abandonment issues, the hurts and the pains that I went through,
00:59:27coming down the highway this morning,
00:59:33I was wondering what our people went through the day before the hanging.
00:59:38What were their thoughts?
00:59:43Their feelings?
00:59:48In the early hours of Friday the 26th, as the time of the execution approached,
00:59:54some of the Dakota men lay sleeping on the floor.
00:59:58At dawn, many of the condemned men said goodbye to their captors
01:00:02in a display that fascinated the reporters.
01:00:06They shook hands with the officers who came in among them,
01:00:09bidding them goodbye as if they were going on a long and pleasant journey.
01:00:29And they all wanted their medicine men to speak on their behalf.
01:00:33The words are, don't let your heart be sad.
01:00:37We're going to see each other again.
01:00:39And when we see each other again, your heart and my heart's going to be so happy
01:00:43it's going to cry when we come together again.
01:00:46That's what the song says.
01:00:49Although it's been said many times, many ways, many ways.
01:00:58Although it's been said many times, many ways, Merry Christmas to you.
01:01:22Merry Christmas, guys.
01:01:28It was the day after Christmas when they hung them.
01:01:32You know, that's terrible.
01:01:34That's something very terrible to do during such a sacred time.
01:01:38You know, and those are things that we're slowly trying to wipe away.
01:01:43And it's working.
01:01:45And so the ceremony continues as we eat tonight,
01:01:51get up in the morning and get our horses,
01:01:55have our ceremonies and start our final ride to the hanging site.
01:02:01Yeah, go ahead.
01:02:03Oh, go ahead.
01:02:04Don't worry about it.
01:02:05Whoo!
01:02:06Whoo!
01:02:07Whoo!
01:02:08Whoo!
01:02:09Whoo!
01:02:10Whoo!
01:02:11Whoo!
01:02:12Whoo!
01:02:13Whoo!
01:02:14Whoo!
01:02:15Whoo!
01:02:16Whoo!
01:02:17Whoo!
01:02:18Whoo!
01:02:19Whoo!
01:02:20Whoo!
01:02:21Whoo!
01:02:22Whoo!
01:02:23Whoo!
01:02:24We're not only remembering, we're honoring our ancestors
01:02:27and those that have passed and struggled before us.
01:02:36It means a lot to me.
01:02:38We're kind of tracing through the footsteps of the 38.
01:02:42Dakota plus two that had to go through this,
01:02:45so we're kind of, I don't know how to explain it,
01:02:48but we're kind of going back through that experience again.
01:02:52DRUMS
01:02:58I've always believed in, you know, that they're watching over us, you know,
01:03:02like, you know, it's not just us out there running,
01:03:05so that's just kind of the way I see it.
01:03:08We know our history, and it hurts,
01:03:10but we're no longer in that prison no more.
01:03:13Reconciliation means something to everybody,
01:03:16and I think it's a collective.
01:03:18And we actually also had the opportunity to catch the run.
01:03:21We ran for two miles at about 3 a.m.,
01:03:24so it's been quite an adventure for the five of us who were there last night,
01:03:28so thank you to the riders, thank you to the runners.
01:03:33That's all you, brother.
01:03:35Yeah!
01:03:36Hey, sister!
01:03:37Thank you, sister.
01:03:40MUSIC
01:03:52On that fateful day, they were let out of the prison compound.
01:03:58They were shackled and chained together.
01:04:02They had hoods on them.
01:04:06They began wailing and weeping.
01:04:09One of the prisoners, in a loud voice, said,
01:04:12Namah umpho mitakwepi.
01:04:14Hear me, my people.
01:04:17Today is not a day of defeat.
01:04:22It is a day of victory.
01:04:24For we have made our peace with our Creator,
01:04:27and now go to be with Him forever.
01:04:31Remember this day to tell our children,
01:04:33so they can tell their children,
01:04:35that we are people who die a noble death.
01:04:40Do not mourn for us.
01:04:42Rejoice with us.
01:04:44It's a good day to die.
01:04:55And then he lifted up his voice and began singing.
01:05:00Wa kham kham kham.
01:05:03Tatu li tawa.
01:05:07Kham kaya na oka.
01:05:13Kham kaya na oka.
01:05:18Kham kaya na oka.
01:05:23Kham kaya na oka.
01:05:28Kham kaya na oka.
01:05:33Kham kaya na oka.
01:05:38Kham kaya na oka.
01:06:08Kham kaya na oka.
01:06:13Kham kaya na oka.
01:06:18Kham kaya na oka.
01:06:23Kham kaya na oka.
01:06:30I just want to tell all of you that I love you.
01:06:34We're doing this for our children,
01:06:37our grandchildren.
01:06:41And I want to thank all of you
01:06:44that helped me fulfill this dream.
01:06:49It's been a blessing for our people.
01:06:54Fifty-three years ago, I entered first grade,
01:06:58and I was taught nothing but misinformation
01:07:03about the people that preceded me on this land.
01:07:06And it wasn't until the 1980s,
01:07:09when I walked into my first powwow at the Land of Memories,
01:07:12when I realized that I didn't know anything
01:07:16except lies, for the most part.
01:07:19And so I started that day to listen.
01:07:22Whereas the Dakota people lived in unity with the land
01:07:25for many years long before the European people came,
01:07:28and whereas the Dakota people have suffered unimaginable hardship
01:07:32over a long period of time
01:07:35whereas the land and riches they once had
01:07:37were gradually removed from their control,
01:07:40and whereas the Dakota people have many times
01:07:43been forcibly relocated at the whim of the United States government,
01:07:47and whereas one outcome of their trials
01:07:50was the largest mass execution ever recorded in U.S. history
01:07:53during which 38 Dakota were hanged,
01:07:56and whereas the Dakota people have put forth tremendous effort
01:07:59in an attempt to continue to heal
01:08:02over all these years,
01:08:05and whereas the people of this community
01:08:08welcome the Dakota people to be part of our community
01:08:11today and always,
01:08:14and whereas the people of this community recognize
01:08:17the responsibility we must bear in this healing process,
01:08:20and whereas the people of this community
01:08:23wish to be part of the healing process
01:08:26as the wounds begin to close.
01:08:29And therefore, in recognition of the tremendous contribution
01:08:32made by the Dakota people toward that healing process
01:08:35to our community and communities in the region,
01:08:38I, John D. Brady, Mayor of the City of Mankato, Minnesota,
01:08:41do hereby proclaim December 26, 2008
01:08:44to be Dakota Reconciliation Okikutsuye Day.
01:08:47And in the sense of true reconciliation,
01:08:50I just want to say,
01:08:53welcome back to your home.
01:09:09I have just one little thing, and then I'll let you go.
01:09:12Just a little symbolism of that welcoming,
01:09:15I'm going to also offer Jim a key
01:09:18to the city of Mankato.
01:09:22It's a key that opens no locks,
01:09:25it only opens hearts.
01:09:31Thank you very much.
01:09:34I thank each and every one of you here
01:09:37in this room.
01:09:40I thank the city of Mankato.
01:09:43I hope this opens a jail cell or two.
01:09:52I'm going to pass this staff on.
01:09:55I have 2 extra feathers for the 2 Dakota
01:09:58that were hung 2 years later,
01:10:01and I want to present them to him also.
01:10:04We are going to keep this going.
01:10:07From here,
01:10:10to here,
01:10:13to here,
01:10:16to here,
01:10:20from here, forever,
01:10:23we're going to keep this ride going.
01:10:28There's a bald eagle just after he started singing.
01:10:31It was soaring just above us there.
01:10:34To see that,
01:10:37to see something like that
01:10:40would, you know, would make you cry.
01:10:43It would make any man cry
01:10:46to see something like that happening,
01:10:49because this is real.
01:10:52It's not going to end for me,
01:10:55I'm just going to keep that happiness with me.
01:10:58Once this ride ends,
01:11:01I ain't going to leave my emotions right there
01:11:04and just go back home to what I was doing.
01:11:07I'm going to take it with me,
01:11:10it's going to come home with me.
01:11:13Let's go home and reconcile our families,
01:11:16our differences.
01:11:19Let's go home and hug our children,
01:11:22tell them that we love them.
01:11:43Let's go home and hug our children.
01:12:13Let's go home and hug our children.
01:12:43Let's go home and hug our children.
01:12:46Let's go home and hug our children.
01:12:49Let's go home and hug our children.
01:12:52Let's go home and hug our children.
01:12:55Let's go home and hug our children.
01:12:58Let's go home and hug our children.
01:13:01Let's go home and hug our children.
01:13:04Let's go home and hug our children.
01:13:07Let's go home and hug our children.
01:13:10Let's go home and hug our children.
01:13:40Let's go home and hug our children.
01:13:43Let's go home and hug our children.
01:13:46Let's go home and hug our children.
01:13:49Let's go home and hug our children.
01:13:52Let's go home and hug our children.
01:13:55Let's go home and hug our children.
01:13:58Let's go home and hug our children.
01:14:01Let's go home and hug our children.
01:14:04Let's go home and hug our children.
01:14:07Let's go home and hug our children.
01:14:10Let's go home and hug our children.
01:14:13Let's go home and hug our children.
01:14:16Let's go home and hug our children.
01:14:19Let's go home and hug our children.
01:14:22Let's go home and hug our children.
01:14:25Let's go home and hug our children.
01:14:28Let's go home and hug our children.
01:14:31Let's go home and hug our children.
01:14:34Let's go home and hug our children.
01:14:37Let's go home and hug our children.
01:14:40Let's go home and hug our children.
01:14:43Let's go home and hug our children.
01:14:46Let's go home and hug our children.
01:14:49Let's go home and hug our children.
01:14:52Let's go home and hug our children.
01:14:55Let's go home and hug our children.
01:14:58Let's go home and hug our children.
01:15:01Let's go home and hug our children.
01:15:04Let's go home and hug our children.
01:15:07Let's go home and hug our children.
01:15:10Let's go home and hug our children.
01:15:13Let's go home and hug our children.
01:15:16Let's go home and hug our children.
01:15:19Let's go home and hug our children.
01:15:22Let's go home and hug our children.
01:15:25Let's go home and hug our children.
01:15:28Let's go home and hug our children.
01:15:31Let's go home and hug our children.
01:15:34Let's go home and hug our children.
01:15:37Let's go home and hug our children.
01:15:40Let's go home and hug our children.
01:15:43Let's go home and hug our children.
01:15:46Let's go home and hug our children.
01:15:49Let's go home and hug our children.
01:15:52Let's go home and hug our children.
01:15:55Let's go home and hug our children.
01:15:58Let's go home and hug our children.
01:16:01Let's go home and hug our children.
01:16:04Let's go home and hug our children.
01:16:07Let's go home and hug our children.
01:16:10Let's go home and hug our children.
01:16:13Let's go home and hug our children.
01:16:16Let's go home and hug our children.
01:16:19Let's go home and hug our children.
01:16:22Let's go home and hug our children.
01:16:25Let's go home and hug our children.
01:16:28Let's go home and hug our children.
01:16:31Let's go home and hug our children.
01:16:34Let's go home and hug our children.
01:16:37Let's go home and hug our children.
01:16:40Let's go home and hug our children.
01:16:43Let's go home and hug our children.
01:16:46Let's go home and hug our children.
01:16:49Let's go home and hug our children.
01:16:52Let's go home and hug our children.
01:16:55Let's go home and hug our children.
01:16:58Let's go home and hug our children.
01:17:01Let's go home and hug our children.
01:17:04Let's go home and hug our children.
01:17:07Let's go home and hug our children.
01:17:10Let's go home and hug our children.
01:17:13Let's go home and hug our children.
01:17:16Let's go home and hug our children.
01:17:19Let's go home and hug our children.
01:17:22Let's go home and hug our children.
01:17:25Let's go home and hug our children.
01:17:28Let's go home and hug our children.