After an armed conflict in 1862, where the Dakota fought for their homeland, the United States government broke its treaties with the Dakota and most of the Dakota people were removed from Minnesota. The existence of the Dakota ancestors was sustained by their relationship with the earth and their surroundings.Īs European settlers began arriving in increasing numbers onto the Dakota’s native lands, conflict grew. Generations of Dakota families fished the rivers, gathered rice from lakes, hunted game on the prairies and established villages along the riverbanks and surrounding lakes. The vibrant prairies, riverbanks, and lakes of the Minnesota and Upper Mississippi River area have been home to the Dakota people for centuries. Yahipi Kin Waste, or welcome, to the Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux (Dakota) Community.
