February News: Minnesota returns 114 acres to Lower Sioux Indian Community
February 22, 2021
Stories I Didn't Know
We are unbelievably happy to share this news with you: the Lower Sioux Indian Community got its ancestral land back from Minnesota, Minnesota Historical Society.
In an emotional ceremony this month, the Minnesota Historical Society officially returned 114 acres along the Minnesota River bluffs to the Lower Sioux Indian Community.
The land transfer, approved by the Legislature in 2017, became official Feb. 12, returning about half of the southern Minnesota property around the nonprofit's historic site to the tribe.
Kelly Smith, Star Tribune
This is a victory for the Lower Sioux Community ... it's more than symbolic, it's actionable," said Kate Beane, director of Native American Initiatives at the Historical Society and a member of the Flandreau Santee Sioux in South Dakota. "What this specific incidence highlights is that there are actionable things that some agencies and organizations can do to help support the healing.
Kelly Smith, Star Tribune