Finding My Talk by Agnes Grant

Author:Agnes Grant
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: SOC021000, book
Publisher: Fifth House Books
Published: 2010-11-18T00:00:00+00:00

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Doris Pratt

The year was 1862. The Dakota, often referred to as the Sioux, who had traditionally hunted in the area now known as Minnesota, were starving. Buffalo herds had been systematically destroyed as a result of government policies destined to undermine the major food supply of Plains Indians and bring them to their knees. Treaties had been signed but the terms of the treaties were not being fulfilled by the American government and were subject to the whims of the Indian agents. There was a storehouse full of food for Little Crow’s band, but the Indian agent refused to release the rations. After repeated requests Little Crow sent an intermediary to beg on their behalf. The agent responded, “Let them eat grass.”

Little Crow’s band had hunted all day, finding nothing, since the prairies had been stripped of all wildlife by the starving Dakota. They came upon a small group of buildings and gestured that they were hungry. Fearfully, a woman gave them some food. As they were leaving the men passed a small chicken house and, peering inside, saw a hen sitting on a nest of eggs. Thinking of the hungry children back in camp, they attempted to take some eggs, but the outraged hen created a great uproar. Seeing her precious hen in jeopardy the woman rushed out and began to hit the men with her broom. To be hit on the body by anyone was an outrage for a Dakota warrior. To be hit by a woman was the ultimate humiliation, so they killed her. Recognizing the enormous consequences their actions would have, they killed the five other people on the settlement, as well.

Even today the Dakota refer to this incident as Witka nakhugha, literally meaning “breaking the egg by stepping on it.” Historians call it the Minnesota Massacre of 1862. The Dakota prepared for war. Federal troops with state-of-the-art rifles were sent to quell the uprising but not before the Dakota had killed the hated Indian agent, leaving him on the ground with grass protruding from every body orifice. The Dakota knew they were no match for the army since they were armed with only bows and arrows. Women, children, and old people were hidden in Birch Coulee, but the army sought them out and massacred them all. Ultimately thousands of Dakota lost their lives in the massacre. Today a cairn has been erected at Birch Coulee, near Mankato, Minnesota, to commemorate this loss of life.

Small groups of Dakota escaped the carnage, hotly pursued by the military. Doris Pratt’s great-grandfather, later given the name of Charlie Dowan by government officials, escaped with his family group of about fifteen members. When they came to the Red River, the army in hot pursuit, they hastily tied bunches of willow branches together, which they then tied to the horses’ tails for the women and children to cling to as the horses swam across the river. The army arrived in time to fire shots across the river, but it was too late for the bullets to do any harm.

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