Mdewakanton
Encyclopedia
Mdewakantonwan are one of the sub-tribes of the Isanti (Santee) Dakota (Sioux
). Their historic home is Mille Lacs Lake
in central Minnesota
, which in the Dakota language
was called mde wakan (mystic/spiritual lake).
As part of the Santee Sioux, their ancestors had migrated from the Southeast
of the present-day United States, where the Santee River
in South Carolina
was named after them. Over the years they migrated up through Ohio
and into Wisconsin
. They were pressured by the Chippewa and other eastern American Indian
peoples, and moved further west into Minnesota.
Nonetheless, in the fall of 1837 the Mdewakantonwan negotiated a lucrative deal under a "removal" treaty with the US government, with payment of nearly a million dollars for the remainder of their lands in western Wisconsin, an application of the Indian Removal
policy that benefited them. The Mdewakantonwan had earlier abandoned the lands because of intrusion by the Chippewa and various ecological reasons, and were effectively living in Minnesota.
The Mdewakantonwan are no longer a single unified Tribe but all their descendants ensure their Mdewakanton components survive within their respective communities. In the United States
, the Mdewakanton survive in part on the Santee, Flandreau, Sisseton-Wahpehton, and Upper Sioux
reservations as Dakota
, and on the Mille Lacs Reservation as Ojibwe
.
In Canada
, the Mdewakanton survives as part of the Sioux Valley Dakota Nation.
Mdewakanton-only communities are Lower Sioux
, Shakopee-Mdewakanton
and the Prairie Island Indian Community
in the United States
. The Mendota Mdewakanton Dakota Community is a non-federally recognized Tribe who are currently petitioning the US Department of the Interior for recognition.
Sioux
The Sioux are Native American and First Nations people in North America. The term can refer to any ethnic group within the Great Sioux Nation or any of the nation's many language dialects...
). Their historic home is Mille Lacs Lake
Mille Lacs Lake
Mille Lacs Lake is a lake in the U.S. state of Minnesota. It is located in the counties of Mille Lacs, Aitkin and Crow Wing, roughly 100 miles north of the Minneapolis-St. Paul metropolitan area....
in central Minnesota
Minnesota
Minnesota is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States. The twelfth largest state of the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.3 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the thirty-second state...
, which in the Dakota language
Dakota language
Dakota is a Siouan language spoken by the Dakota people of the Sioux tribes. Dakota is closely related to and mutually intelligible with the Lakota language.-Dialects:...
was called mde wakan (mystic/spiritual lake).
As part of the Santee Sioux, their ancestors had migrated from the Southeast
Southeastern United States
The Southeastern United States, colloquially referred to as the Southeast, is the eastern portion of the Southern United States. It is one of the most populous regions in the United States of America....
of the present-day United States, where the Santee River
Santee River
The Santee River is a river in South Carolina in the United States, long. The Santee and its tributaries provide the principal drainage and navigation for the central coastal plain of South Carolina, emptying into the Atlantic Ocean approximately from its farthest headwater on the Catawba River...
in South Carolina
South Carolina
South Carolina is a state in the Deep South of the United States that borders Georgia to the south, North Carolina to the north, and the Atlantic Ocean to the east. Originally part of the Province of Carolina, the Province of South Carolina was one of the 13 colonies that declared independence...
was named after them. Over the years they migrated up through Ohio
Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
and into Wisconsin
Wisconsin
Wisconsin is a U.S. state located in the north-central United States and is part of the Midwest. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michigan to the northeast, and Lake Superior to the north. Wisconsin's capital is...
. They were pressured by the Chippewa and other eastern American Indian
Indigenous peoples of the Americas
The indigenous peoples of the Americas are the pre-Columbian inhabitants of North and South America, their descendants and other ethnic groups who are identified with those peoples. Indigenous peoples are known in Canada as Aboriginal peoples, and in the United States as Native Americans...
peoples, and moved further west into Minnesota.
Nonetheless, in the fall of 1837 the Mdewakantonwan negotiated a lucrative deal under a "removal" treaty with the US government, with payment of nearly a million dollars for the remainder of their lands in western Wisconsin, an application of the Indian Removal
Indian Removal
Indian removal was a nineteenth century policy of the government of the United States to relocate Native American tribes living east of the Mississippi River to lands west of the river...
policy that benefited them. The Mdewakantonwan had earlier abandoned the lands because of intrusion by the Chippewa and various ecological reasons, and were effectively living in Minnesota.
The Mdewakantonwan are no longer a single unified Tribe but all their descendants ensure their Mdewakanton components survive within their respective communities. In the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, the Mdewakanton survive in part on the Santee, Flandreau, Sisseton-Wahpehton, and Upper Sioux
Upper Sioux Indian Reservation
The Upper Sioux Indian Reservation is located in Minnesota Falls Township along the Minnesota River in eastern Yellow Medicine County, Minnesota, five miles south of Granite Falls. It was created in 1938 when 746 acres of land were returned to the tribe...
reservations as Dakota
Sioux
The Sioux are Native American and First Nations people in North America. The term can refer to any ethnic group within the Great Sioux Nation or any of the nation's many language dialects...
, and on the Mille Lacs Reservation as Ojibwe
Ojibwa
The Ojibwe or Chippewa are among the largest groups of Native Americans–First Nations north of Mexico. They are divided between Canada and the United States. In Canada, they are the third-largest population among First Nations, surpassed only by Cree and Inuit...
.
In Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, the Mdewakanton survives as part of the Sioux Valley Dakota Nation.
Mdewakanton-only communities are Lower Sioux
Lower Sioux Indian Reservation
The Lower Sioux Indian Reservation, also known as the Mdewankanton Tribal Reservation, is an Indian reservation located along the southern bank of the Minnesota River in Redwood County, Minnesota, east of the city of Redwood Falls, just south of Morton...
, Shakopee-Mdewakanton
Shakopee-Mdewakanton Indian Reservation
The Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community is located within parts of the cities of Prior Lake and Shakopee in Scott County, Minnesota, and was previously known as Prior Lake Indian Reservation until it was modified by the Indian Reorganization Act on November 28, 1969. As of the 2000 census, there...
and the Prairie Island Indian Community
Prairie Island Indian Community
Prairie Island Indian Community is a Mdewakanton Sioux Indian reservation in Goodhue County, Minnesota, along the Mississippi River, in and around the city of Red Wing. It was created in 1889, with boundaries modified after that time. Much of the reservation land was lost following construction of...
in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The Mendota Mdewakanton Dakota Community is a non-federally recognized Tribe who are currently petitioning the US Department of the Interior for recognition.