Pow-wow honors Dakota tribesmen

By CHRIS VETTER

Journal Staff Writer

RURAL MORTON -- Richard Milda stood patiently near the camp circle Saturday, awaiting the beginning of the Pow Wow. A Dakota Indian from Flandrau, S.D., Milda was dressed from head to toe in his native garb. Feathers donned his staff, while beads and bright-colored sashes covered his midriff.

Milda, like hundreds of native Americans from a six-state area, drove to Birch Coulee, north of Morton, to participate in the Gathering of Kinship. The event is meant to honor 38 Dakota tribesmen who were hung Dec. 26, 1862, in Mankato. The gathering was held on the grounds of a Dakota victory in a battle against white settlers in 1862.

For Milda, the ceremony is a solemn one.

"The people that died here were forced to fight," Milda said. "They fought for what they believed in. They believed enough to give their life. So I come to dance, to honor."

Many of the natives are from the Dakota nation, but others represent the Chippewa or the Sac Fox, said Fred Urich, a White Earth resident who coordinated the event.

Saturday's festivities began with a pipe ceremony and prayer songs. Chris Leith, a Prairie Island resident, led about 100 Indians in the songs, sung in the Dakota language.

"The energy is so powerful, it can stop a war," said Leith, who was spiritual leader for the gathering.

Drums, with the aid of microphones and speakers, filled the campground with music. A small group of men gathered under a tent, and led the natives in songs, chants and prayers, honoring the fallen Dakota from more than a hundred years ago.

"We honor them," Leith said. "The good they have done, and because of their innocence."

The prayers, then later, dancing, is all done within a circle drawn on the ground. Leith explained the circle has special meaning.

"In this life, there is no beginning and there is no end," Leith said. "Everything is in a circle, a circle of life."

For Garrett Wilson, the annual event is about meeting fellow natives and building friendships. Wilson said the event, "Mitaku Oyisn," means "gathering of relatives."

"We're all relatives, regardless of what color you are," Wilson said.

Wilson is pleased with the growth of the ceremony, now in its sixth year.

"It gets bigger every year," Wilson said. "We are making the circle stronger and stronger."

Clarissa Laplant came from Santee, Neb., to Birch Coulee. Laplant helped Tatiana Runnels, 9, put the finishing touches on her gown, a yellow dress with hundreds of small bells. Runnels stood nervously awaiting the 'Grand Entry', where she would be dancing.

"A lot of (the dress) has to do with her spirit," Laplant explained as she braided Runnels' hair. "Her dress is a symbol of medicine. She will dance for healing."

The 'Grand Entry' officially opened the ceremony, as war veterans -- from Korea to Vietnam -- led the way, followed by younger men and women. Most natives wore traditional headresses and tassles, but some danced in blue jeans and T-shirts.

Descendants of the 38 hung natives were honored throughout the weekend.

A memorial to honor the fallen warriors is slated for construction. It will be paid for with private donations. To Ruby Minkel, the memorial will be similar to Veterans Memorial in Washington D.C.

"It would show some of our culture, of what we believe in," Minkel said.