minnesota legislative report card on racial equity - Organizing ...

AMERICAN INDIANTRIBAL SOVEREIGNTYWe must honor the political relationship that tribes have with the U.S. government. Wemust honor the nation-to-nation and government-to-government relationship that tribeshave with the U.S and state government. 61 A stronger relationship between Indians andnon-Indians can be harvested by understanding the fundamentals of tribal sovereignty.Tribal sovereignty is a concept anchored in an internationally recognized idea of thepower of the people to govern themselves. 62 This government-to-government relationshipwas solidified into law by numerous major U.S. Supreme Court cases in the 1820s and1830s. 63 Later, U.S. Supreme Court decisions reaffirmed Indian rights to hunt, fish andgather in original treaty areas. There is, indeed, a tribal-state relationship in Minnesota,which is based on legal and historical documentation. From this sovereign authority,American Indian tribes in Minnesota work to promote social, cultural and economic wellbeingfor their membership. That includes but is not limited to reclaiming their Indianland base, reawakening and revitalizing their cultural, language and spiritual traditions.American indian legislationHF 1825/Urdahl (R-Grove City), SF 1623/Dille (R-Dassel)Resolving 1860s Dakota Conflict: In the wake of the Dakota War of 1862,38 American Indians were hanged in Mankato. Today, this event still marks the largestmass execution in American history. By September 9, 1862, in a letter delivered tonational and Minnesota lawmakers, former Governor Ramsey declared, “the SiouxIndians of Minnesota must be exterminated or driven forever beyond the borders of thestate.” 64 During that time, then-President Lincoln signed into law the Minnesota IndianRemoval Act, which led to the mass removal of Minnesota’s Dakota people from thestate. Despite the passage of time, that policy has continued to be the law of the land.HF 1825 encourages the president and congress through a nonbinding resolution tooverturn the federal law. This resolution also requires the Minnesota secretary of state toprepare a policy memorial to be sent to the presidential and congressional leadership. Thislaw is a historic and symbolic move for Minnesotans, particularly Minnesota’s tribes, byrecognizing their right to live here.4 Signed by the Governor (CH171)20 | 2009 <strong>legislative</strong> Report Card on Racial Equity