You're moving history beyond the recounting of facts into a reckoning with how our society evolved into its current state. I look forward to reading your analysis.
When some people encroach by taking the lives and/or property of other people, how do they rationalize this? 1) They may dehumanize the other, therefore they don't see the people whose property or lives they take as truly human, 2) They feel they are exceptional or superior which affords them some special rights to encroach, and/or, 3) They blindly go with flow, the religious and or political crowd, whose "authority" guides their actions??? Guns, Germs, and Steel
Manifest destiny and the doctrine of discovery provide are rationalization. Whites have been ordained by God to move west and claim whatever they "discover" to be their possession. Guns, Germs and Steel was such a great book!
Your researched facts are starting to make a complicated story! Even if the settlers and their descendants (us!) deny being racist, it's hard to duck the institutional racism that has provided opportunities for one group of people at the expense of another group of people. Injustice based on race has not been limited to the old Confederate South. We need to acknowledge our complicity up here in the North country and your work is helping us to do that. Thanks!
I'm reading a new book titled The White Bonus by Tessie McMillan (updating Chicago Tribune journalist Clarence Page's concept of the Black tax) and shows the cash value of white privilege in five families. Eye-opening.
Your research has definitely taken you down a rabbit hole, and you have done such an amazing work on your research. I am feeling so sad to read how the land was acquired.
I look forward to your next instalment. This is fascinating work and I can see how this is so close to your heart. 💕🍃
Good for you for taking time to dig up and digest this complicated story! Your untangling of the relationships, cultures, and whitewashing of history is a huge contribution to our understanding ourselves and this country. I look forward to reading more.
I'll be back in two weeks with the next installment. And I'm so glad you are here for the bite-sized doses of exploring this land which meets the sky at Lake of the Woods.
It sounds like a worthy project to take slowly, to understand as much as possible the roles of all these people. The map at the top of this post was helpful for one living far from Minnesota. I love the tight focus on How the School Parcel was Ceded/Taken/Lost/Won.
My research goal is to learn how it came to be there were three allotments, including the one to Naymaypoke, given that Red Lake Nation had negotiated treaty agreements they would not be relocated and these lands reserved instead of allotments of land to individuals.
I’m curious if any of these thieves Moody, Jones, Lawson, and Berg or that english guy were big into religion since it seems church and education combined to rationalize boarding schools, land theft and lies around white superiority/supremacy. Hoping Reservation Dogs is soon off Hulu so I can watch. Thanks Jill for all your research we might not ever know. And for the book reference The White Bonus. It reminds me some of the book White Affirmative Action.
While they were active congregants of various Christian denominations, it doesn't appear these four men considered public school a venue for religious indoctrination. Like James J. Hill of the Great Northern Railway, these men intended to build build empires by bringing settlers further north.
Great question. I am digging into this with new research discoveries. I have evidence the Masonic lodge and the Modern Woodmen were early fraternal organizations. More to come!
This is a powerful piece of writing, Jill. "Their actions violated the treaty agreements which the US had made with the tribes, but they proceeded anyway." Sad to say, I feel like this describes so much that has gone wrong in US history - political leaders or people in positions of power who do what benefits them regardless of the consequences to others. l can think of many such acts in our contemporary society. Thank you for continuing to shine a light on all this with your research and terrific writing.
Thank you for sharing your research, Jill. I get a glimpse into how complicated this is--and also how the white settlers did what they pleased with the land and people who lived there. It was brutal and, in some ways, not much has changed. I imagine the people who originally inhabited this land could not have imagined what was being stolen. I also imagine that they would have lost rights to their land whether they signed legal agreements or not. Their way of life was doomed by the white invasion and this is true all over the world. I look forward to what you uncover next. (Last night I read an article in The Sun about the way the Indigenous Inughuit of Greenland were treated by the Danish invaders and colognizers. It's a similar story of disrespect and thievery.)
I'm intrigued with the Kevin Costner connection. It would appear the man (who is an actor that has played distinguishable characters in the west during the times of white settlement and after ie Dances with Wolves and Yellowstone) genuinely wants to tell the story about white encroachment. Maybe you can help him out with his story 😉
Wink emoji appreciated! Maybe he should write a memoir about his film career and his growing awareness of the facts about what really happened and the challenges he faced in telling this American saga.
It seems complicated for descendants of settlers to understand. I have always loved geography and have looked at the Minnesota map many times my family did a lot of camping and fishing when I was growing up, but I never realized that so much of Rosasu County was originally unseated Indian land. Well, actually all of it was Indian land.
I’m not familiar with Kevin Costner’s newest film. You have made me curious to want to watch it except that it’s three hours long. We have no air conditioning in our house maybe watch it in the basement.
I hear the movie will be available for streaming on MAX soon as it tries to build an audience for a theatrical release of chapter 2. I think it can be complicated to understand because it doesn't fit with the stories we have been told about "how the West was won."
Well done Jill!
You're moving history beyond the recounting of facts into a reckoning with how our society evolved into its current state. I look forward to reading your analysis.
Thanks Christopher for your encouragement. It means a lot.
I know, I know, I know, but I just want to say "Manifest Destiny" while very real and toxic just makes by blood curdle.
When some people encroach by taking the lives and/or property of other people, how do they rationalize this? 1) They may dehumanize the other, therefore they don't see the people whose property or lives they take as truly human, 2) They feel they are exceptional or superior which affords them some special rights to encroach, and/or, 3) They blindly go with flow, the religious and or political crowd, whose "authority" guides their actions??? Guns, Germs, and Steel
Manifest destiny and the doctrine of discovery provide are rationalization. Whites have been ordained by God to move west and claim whatever they "discover" to be their possession. Guns, Germs and Steel was such a great book!
Your researched facts are starting to make a complicated story! Even if the settlers and their descendants (us!) deny being racist, it's hard to duck the institutional racism that has provided opportunities for one group of people at the expense of another group of people. Injustice based on race has not been limited to the old Confederate South. We need to acknowledge our complicity up here in the North country and your work is helping us to do that. Thanks!
I'm reading a new book titled The White Bonus by Tessie McMillan (updating Chicago Tribune journalist Clarence Page's concept of the Black tax) and shows the cash value of white privilege in five families. Eye-opening.
Cash values which will lead to some form/s of reparations we hope.
Your research has definitely taken you down a rabbit hole, and you have done such an amazing work on your research. I am feeling so sad to read how the land was acquired.
I look forward to your next instalment. This is fascinating work and I can see how this is so close to your heart. 💕🍃
I'm so thrilled to hear you find this fascinating. I'll be back soon with more soon. Thanks for reading.
Good for you for taking time to dig up and digest this complicated story! Your untangling of the relationships, cultures, and whitewashing of history is a huge contribution to our understanding ourselves and this country. I look forward to reading more.
I'll be back in two weeks with the next installment. And I'm so glad you are here for the bite-sized doses of exploring this land which meets the sky at Lake of the Woods.
It sounds like a worthy project to take slowly, to understand as much as possible the roles of all these people. The map at the top of this post was helpful for one living far from Minnesota. I love the tight focus on How the School Parcel was Ceded/Taken/Lost/Won.
My research goal is to learn how it came to be there were three allotments, including the one to Naymaypoke, given that Red Lake Nation had negotiated treaty agreements they would not be relocated and these lands reserved instead of allotments of land to individuals.
I’m curious if any of these thieves Moody, Jones, Lawson, and Berg or that english guy were big into religion since it seems church and education combined to rationalize boarding schools, land theft and lies around white superiority/supremacy. Hoping Reservation Dogs is soon off Hulu so I can watch. Thanks Jill for all your research we might not ever know. And for the book reference The White Bonus. It reminds me some of the book White Affirmative Action.
While they were active congregants of various Christian denominations, it doesn't appear these four men considered public school a venue for religious indoctrination. Like James J. Hill of the Great Northern Railway, these men intended to build build empires by bringing settlers further north.
Curious who were the purveyors of “moral authority,” outside the empire building leaders? Were there civic groups? women’s clubs?
Great question. I am digging into this with new research discoveries. I have evidence the Masonic lodge and the Modern Woodmen were early fraternal organizations. More to come!
This is a powerful piece of writing, Jill. "Their actions violated the treaty agreements which the US had made with the tribes, but they proceeded anyway." Sad to say, I feel like this describes so much that has gone wrong in US history - political leaders or people in positions of power who do what benefits them regardless of the consequences to others. l can think of many such acts in our contemporary society. Thank you for continuing to shine a light on all this with your research and terrific writing.
Gosh, thanks. Now that you point it out, I can see how it speaks to present scenarios as much as the past.
Thank you for sharing your research, Jill. I get a glimpse into how complicated this is--and also how the white settlers did what they pleased with the land and people who lived there. It was brutal and, in some ways, not much has changed. I imagine the people who originally inhabited this land could not have imagined what was being stolen. I also imagine that they would have lost rights to their land whether they signed legal agreements or not. Their way of life was doomed by the white invasion and this is true all over the world. I look forward to what you uncover next. (Last night I read an article in The Sun about the way the Indigenous Inughuit of Greenland were treated by the Danish invaders and colognizers. It's a similar story of disrespect and thievery.)
I'll look for the article you mentioned. Thanks for reading!
I'm intrigued with the Kevin Costner connection. It would appear the man (who is an actor that has played distinguishable characters in the west during the times of white settlement and after ie Dances with Wolves and Yellowstone) genuinely wants to tell the story about white encroachment. Maybe you can help him out with his story 😉
Wink emoji appreciated! Maybe he should write a memoir about his film career and his growing awareness of the facts about what really happened and the challenges he faced in telling this American saga.
Great research, Jill! And I love that photo.
which photo? my favorite is of Roseau in the winter of 1893
It seems complicated for descendants of settlers to understand. I have always loved geography and have looked at the Minnesota map many times my family did a lot of camping and fishing when I was growing up, but I never realized that so much of Rosasu County was originally unseated Indian land. Well, actually all of it was Indian land.
I’m not familiar with Kevin Costner’s newest film. You have made me curious to want to watch it except that it’s three hours long. We have no air conditioning in our house maybe watch it in the basement.
I hear the movie will be available for streaming on MAX soon as it tries to build an audience for a theatrical release of chapter 2. I think it can be complicated to understand because it doesn't fit with the stories we have been told about "how the West was won."