While Lower Sioux was the name given to our band and our home after treaties with the United States in 1851, members of the Lower Sioux Community are part of the Mdewakanton band of Dakota. Dakota is a word that means "friend." We traditionally called this area Cansa'yapi ("where they marked the trees red"). Pride in our culture is at the heart of all we do. Many of the names, which were widely known when our tribe inhabited the Minnesota River Valley over a century ago, are still heard today, including Wabasha, Goodthunder, Renville, Prescott, and others.

Other community reminders of our Minnesota experience include the Birch Coulee School House and St. Cornelia's Church, both on the National Register of Historic Places.

THE POW WOW
Lower Sioux 31st Annual Traditional Wacipi Pow-Wow
June 13, 14 & 15, 2008
Grand Entry - Friday: 8pm
Saturday: 1pm and 7pm
Sunday: 1pm
MC: Butch Felix / Lyle Noisyhawk
Area Director: Chaske LaBlanc

Everyone Welcome!
For more information call 507-697-6185

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OUR PAST
Long ago, the Mdewakanton Dakota lived around Mille Lacs Lake in central Minnesota. Around 1750, our ancestors were displaced by another nation, the Anishinnabe, and they relocated throughout the southern portion of the state.

This was not the last time the Mdewakantons would be forced into a new home. Treaties in 1851 and 1858 resulted in nearly 7,000 Dakota people being moved onto a narrow reservation along the Minnesota River.

Conditions were not always good on the reservation, and treaty payments from the United States were often late or were taken by traders. Tensions mounted, and in 1862 the Mdewakanton joined other Dakota bands in standing up for what was due them. The results were disastrous: 38 Dakota were hung in Mankato, the largest mass execution in United States history. Thousands more were forced to flee or were exiled to other reservations in South Dakota. Many were later forced to walk to their new home site located on the Santee reservation in Nebraska.

Our story does not end here, though. Beginning in the 1880's, Dakota began returning to Minnesota from Nebraska and South Dakota. Our land base today consists of over 1700 acres. We represent a dynamic, vibrant part of Minnesota's cultural make-up, and we are one of the largest employers in Southern Minnesota.
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THE PRESENT
The Lower Sioux Community today is comprised of almost 930 enrolled members, more than half of whom reside here. The tribe, led by five elected council people, is constantly working to ensure its community members with benefits from Social Service programs to Higher Education, Economic Development and Housing. The casino, hotel and other community-owned businesses offer local sources for jobs. This is one of the main reasons many of our members are returning home.
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