Searching for Survival: The Division of Dakota Bands and the Roots of the U.S.-Dakota War of 1862

Abstract

In the latter months of 1862, tensions between the Dakota Sioux and settlers residing in Minnesota came to a head. Years of treaty making and living side by side with European Americans had not only greatly diminished Dakota lands, but threatened to take away the Dakota way of life. However, not all Dakota resisted this deculturalization and assimilation. In reality, the Dakota were divided between embracing and fighting assimilation into American culture. In both instances, Dakota bands sought the most viable path for their survival. Southern Dakota bands saw the Dakota way of life as viable, and perceived the American presence as a threat. Southern Dakota leaders, then, eventually made the decision to fight to maintain a traditionalist culture. Northern bands would remain loyal to the Americans that dominated the area. The result of the division, and eventual fighting, was the internment and removal of Dakota people regardless of their allegiance. It was threats to the standing culture, coupled with broken promises, that prompted the killing of five Euro-American settlers living in Action Township. Four Dakota men sparked a war that would only last four months, but would impact the lives of every Dakota band and every Dakota member for generations. Through the use of oral testimonies from the descendants of this event, narratives from Dakota people, and treaties, this capstone will demonstrate that the division of Dakota bands prior to the U.S.-Dakota War of 1862, was the result of Northern and Southern bands exercising agency in attempts to preserve Dakota life, culture, and traditions.