%C2%A9 Lakol 1995 %28Cultural Copyright%3B Lakol%3B of the Lakota Culture%29
They Say Minnesota Nice (Minnesota Nice Oyakepelo), 1995
Wanbli Koyakeexpand_more
Acrylic on paperexpand_more
The William Hood Dunwoody Fundexpand_more 96.5
On View in Gallery 259expand_more
This contemporary ledger art piece depicts events that took place after the U.S.-Dakhóta War of 1862. First, the U.S. government separated many Dakhóta families in southern Minnesota, known as Lower Sioux Reservation. Dakhóta women, children, and elders were then marched to Fort Snelling, where 392 Dakhóta males, accused of waging warfare against the United States, stood trial without English interpretation. Found guilty, 38 men and boys were hanged on December 26, 1862, in Mankato, Minnesota, under orders of U.S. President Abraham Lincoln. This event would be recorded as the largest mass execution in U.S. history.
Dakhóta, Lakȟóta, and Nakhóta people use art and storytelling as tools to depict historical events. Here, the artist used the form of a winter count (traditional pictorial calendars on hide) on paper to show the heartache of family separation and land estrangement for the Dakhóta Oyate (Nation). In the spring of 1863, the Dakota women, children, and elders remaining at Fort Snelling were sent by steamboat to Crow Creek, S.D. Many children and elders died during the trip. For many Dakhóta people, this would be their last time on their homelands.
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Details
- Title
- They Say Minnesota Nice (Minnesota Nice Oyakepelo)
- Artist Life
- American (ȟáŋwožu (Minneconjou) Lakȟóta), born 1954
- Role
- Painter
- Accession Number
- 96.5
- Curator Approved
This record has been reviewed by our curatorial staff but may be incomplete. These records are frequently revised and enhanced. If you notice a mistake or have additional information about this object, please email collectionsdata@artsmia.org.
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© Lakol 1995 (Cultural Copyright; Lakol; of the Lakota Culture)