(Friday, May 24, 2013) Over a year ago I picked up a book at Garrison Keillor’s bookstore by Gwen Westerman, Bruce White and Glenn Wasicuna called “Mni Sota Makoce, the Land of the Dakota.” I opened it to an image of my ancestor, Wabasha II. Of course I bought the book, but only began reading it last night.
So many things I did not know! The Dakota say that their origins are in the Milky Way (Star People, Wicahpi Oyate) but came to earth at the confluence of the Minnesota and Mississippi Rivers, at Mendota (Bdote):
“When the world was created, Kunjsi Maka, Grandmother Earth, was just a rock, and she was chosen to hold life. The moons, the planets, the stars and the sun agreed to help her with the task she was given. Before the earth was made there was water everywhere; no land was to be seen. The Creator then made the animals that have fur and those that swim in the water. This was the beginning of everything.
“When the world was still covered in water, the Unkthi, a powerful water spirit, sent some of the animals down into the water one by one to reach the bottom to find some clay. Many animals tried but were unsuccessful and died. The muskrat took his turn, dove into the water, and after a long time surfaced with a paw full of clay. From this small amount, land was made and placed on the turtle’s back.”
The legend is that Unkthi lives under the water at Mendota, near the sacred sites of Oheyawahi (Pilot Knob) and Mni Sni (Coldwater Spring).
My ancestor attended the 1851 treaty negotiations in Mendota, held at the Faribault house, which is now part of Fort Snelling State Park. He refused to negotiate. The house sits in a hollow at the north edge of Mendota, a favorite snowshoeing spot for me and my coworkers this winter.
In the past 25 years, I have been employed at either Mendota or Shakopee (present-day home of the Wabasha clan and the Mdewakanton Dakota). I used to think this was completely by chance. My family also owned a log cabin on Mille Lacs when I was growing up; this is another sacred site (Bde Wakan, Spirit Lake).
I am stunned by the creation story most of all. My Big Dream of the muskrat (several years ago now) has Dakota origins; the only muskrat creation story I had been able to find up until this point was Ojibwe. I need to post that dream!
Very interesting. I like that you have been working at sacred sites and just now realize the magic in that. And I also like that you work with clay, just like the muskrat that goes under the water and finds the clay.