Mni Sota Makoce-the land where the water reflects the clouds. Minnesota.
I’ve previously written that I didn’t think my Norwegian ancestors knew about the tragic events of 1862 in Minnesota since most of the Dakota people had been driven from the area nearly a decade before they arrived (In Minnesota we are all living on stolen land). I’ve changed my mind.
My 2nd great-grandparents, Martinus and Helga Femrite, arrived in Lac Qui Parle County from Norway in 1870. Another set of my 2nd great-grandparents, Ingebrit and Johanna Lindseth, began homesteading in Lac Qui Parle County in 1881.
Even though most of the Dakota people had been exiled to South Dakota or Nebraska, there still were a handful of Mdewakanton families that remained in neighboring Redwood County along the banks of the Mni Sota Wakpa, the Minnesota River. Eventually, another historic Dakota settlement was reorganized in Yellow Medicine County, less than 40 miles from my relatives’ farms.
Whether the Femrites or the Lindseths actually met any Dakota people, it’s doubtful to me now that they wouldn’t have been aware of these communities and the recent history of the land that they farmed. After all, the southern boundary of the reservation that the Dakota people had been living on in 1862 ran right through a portion of the Femrite farm. There were no physical markers of this line, but it was shown on the plat maps of the county well into the 20th century.
Now that I know the details of my ancestors’ relationship to the land they farmed, I feel that I should not only acknowledge the role they played, but do something tangible to account for it, something that could benefit the Dakota people who still live in Minnesota. But what would that be? Land acknowledgements can be a first step, but the response needs to be more than that to be meaningful in my opinion. A voluntary land tax can be the next step.
A voluntary land tax (or honor tax) recognizes our access to stolen Indigenous land. It is a way of respecting the sovereignty of Native Nations. It’s a concrete acknowledgement of the debts that settler-colonists have incurred on this land, the promises that the United States broke, and in this case, the enduring sovereignty of the Dakota Oyate who continue to steward Mni Sota Makoce.
Honor taxes have been in place for several years in communities on the west coast, two in California and one in Washington state. The California programs are the Shuumi Land Tax in the east San Francisco Bay area and the Wiyot Honor Tax in northern California. The Seattle program is called Real Rent Duwamish. The money raised through these voluntary programs goes directly to those tribal communities to use in whatever way they wish.
Is there an voluntary land tax option in Minnesota?
There is! It’s called Mni Sota Makoce Honor Tax and was organized several years ago by a descendant of settler-colonials who desired to give herself and others a pathway to offer financial remunerations to a Dakota Community. She asked the Lower Sioux Indian Community near Morton, Minnesota if they would accept any funds that this might generate for their nation. Their Tribal Council passed a resolution accepting the tax as a gift of governmental revenue.
For those interested in participating in this program, the next decision point might be the size and/or frequency of the voluntary tax. Will this be a one-time contribution or an ongoing one? What would be an appropriate amount?
I found the page titled How much should I contribute helpful:
” . . . think about your relationship to broken treaty promises and about your activities on stolen land. Consider your own income, personal wealth, family wealth, and debt. Your contribution may be a larger catch-up payment or a smaller ongoing amount. Use these sample donation amounts to consider the cost of other taxes as you decide on your contribution.”
The accompanying chart shows examples of sales tax payments, property tax comparisons, and income tax calculations that could be considered as comparable amounts. Since this is a voluntary program, there’s no right or wrong answer, just something that’s meaningful and realistic for the person or family asking the question.
Even though my journey along this road started with discoveries I made about my ancestors, it’s also significant that my family and I own and occupy land that was previously Dakota land. The Wapekute band of Dakota lived in southern Minnesota and northern Iowa and travelled often through the Cannon River watershed where we live. When I make my honor tax payments, I’m doing it not only for my ancestors, but for myself as well.
