The Way It Is
By Pete Steiner
Of circles and drums and 40 and 150
Late summer winds, the increasingly oblique angle of the sun, shorter days and cooler temperatures — all foretell the impending change. Sensing that change, Native American tribes, as they have for centuries, will gather near the equinox, at the confluence of the rivers. They will greet each other, and sing and dance and tell stories, hoping to preserve the memories and traditions of their people. •••• We like round numbers. They give us a tidy means for remembering. Today’s numbers are 150 and 40. Almost exactly 150 years before the day you are reading this, fierce battles raged right here in the Minnesota River Valley, between white settlers who had recently arrived here and the Dakota tribes they were displacing. That conflict ended with the largest mass execution in U.S. history, the hanging of 38 Dakota near downtown Mankato. In the early 1970s, looking to heal old wounds, several local businessmen teamed with a Native American named Amos Owens, hoping to bring a wacipi, or powwow, here to Mankato. Their efforts bore fruit: This year will mark the 40th annual Mah-kato traditional powwow, to be held at Land of Memories Park. •••• Approaching from a distance, one hears the insistent drumming, the wailing voices, outward manifestations of the effort to connect with the Great Spirit. As the dancers move rhythmically in a circle, someone drops an eagle feather. Since 44 • september 2012 • MANKATO MAGAZINE
eagles are sacred, and the fallen feather represents a fallen warrior, the dancing stops, and an elaborate, lengthy ritual begins. The speaker at the podium explains: “Sometimes it seems that it takes a long time for these things we do, but it must be done.” Carefully observing the proceedings is a Caucasian American carrying a staff topped with a turtle shell and wearing a rabbit skin cap. John Shoemaker’s black shirt is adorned with 37 Eagle buttons. Those large buttons have signified paid attendance for all but the first two powwows, which the Mankato man also attended. “This is fun,” he says. “I get out and dance as much as I can. It keeps you warm.” With John is his 7-year-old nephew, himself already a veteran of five powwows. Anyone who wants to dance is welcomed at the “inter-tribals.” Just keep moving in the Circle. •••• Ancient traditions struggle to survive in a modern, digital world. The Dakota have adapted, and they’ve adopted capitalist ways. They may still pitch a teepee, but they’ll also charge a pretty penny for beautiful silver and turquoise jewelry. You can buy a buffalo bull’s skull, but it won’t come cheap. I try some Indian fry bread, a thick, soft, round pastry, drizzled with honey and sprinkled with cinnamon. Washed down with hot coffee, it’s a delicious treat on a cool September day. Some Dakota have also discovered capitalist riches in gambling. Stan Crooks, the chair of the Mdewakanton band for 20 years, was watching last year’s proceedings. The Mdewakanton operate Mystic Lake Casino and donate millions every year to other tribes. They support the Mah-kato Wacipi with tens of thousands of dollars. Crooks tells me he is not a Vikings fan. He smiles. Hoping to fund a new stadium, the Vikings had been trying for years to capture, through competing slot machines or a racino, some of the gambling dollars that go to Mystic Lake.
•••• For more than a century, even during the early years of the local powwow, the Dakota did not like coming to Mankato. It will always be the place where the 38 were hanged. But over the last quarter century, new efforts have been made at reconciliation. In fact, the Buffalo sculpture downtown is the centerpiece of what is called “Reconciliation Park,” and the park is being further upgraded for the 150th anniversary of the conflict. •••• Like the Dakota tribes, bald eagles have returned to the valley at the bend of the Minnesota River. The eagles were headed for extinction until the pesticide DDT was banned as an organic pollutant that was contaminating their food source. The Vikings, with a new stadium funding source in place that probably is as little a threat as Stan Crooks could have hoped for, have completed their annual training camp in Mankato. The stone buffalo maintains silent sentry at Reconciliation Park. The long hot summer is fading, and we know that all too soon, the snowy season will be upon us. We can’t hear the drums yet, but the dancers will be circling soon, just like the seasons. Everything goes around, then comes around again.
M
Pete Steiner is host of “Talk of the Town” weekdays at 1:05 p.m. on KTOE.