February News: Minnesota returns 114 acres to Lower Sioux Indian Community

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

Meet Ramona Kitto Stately

For those who have seen our documentary film, Stories I Didn’t Know, you may wonder, “Who is Ramona Kitto Stately, and what is she up to these days as an educator and leader?”

Below find Ramona’s profile, along with part 1 of a recent interview with Ramona and Rita about Stories I Didn’t Know. The interview comes from Inclusivi-Tee – a company committed to “co-creating a sustainable, kind, and equitable future through the sale of earth-friendly books and fashion, the organization of workshops and podcasts, and participation in strategic partnerships.”

In this episode of Inclusivi-TALKS, Lori is joined by co-host Shannon Crossbear, filmmaker Rita Davern, and Ramona Kitto Stately, We Are Still Here Minnesota...

---

Ramona Kitto Stately is an enrolled member of the Santee Sioux Dakota Nation. She has a BA in Dakota Art and Culture, and a Masters of Education with an emphasis on Teacher leadership from Augsburg University. After 15 years teaching Indian Education in Minnesota, she is now Project Director for the We Are Still Here Minnesota, creating action for narrative change. Ramona is the mother of two children, an accomplished beadwork artist with moccasins on display in the Science Museum of Minnesota, a part of the scholars' team with of the Minnesota Humanities Center’s for Learning from Place: Bdote and has served as the Chairperson of the Minnesota Indian Education Association since 2016.

Ramona Kitto Stately - Santee Sioux Nation
Project Director - We Are Still Here Minnesota (WASH-MN)
MA Education & Teacher Leadership
ramonastately@gmail.com / (651) 263-0942

"Fostering cultural, social, and policy change by empowering Native Americans to counter discrimination, invisibility, and the dominant narratives that limit Native opportunity, access to justice, health and self-determination."

Ramona Kitto Stately (Still from Stories I Didn’t Know)

Recommended articles Vol.1

We’ve been keeping an eye for articles that reflect some of the themes and topics raised in our documentary such as land issues, restoring land, restitution, restorative justice and rewriting history books. Keep checking here and on our social media for more articles we recommend reading.

Landmark Supreme Court Ruling Affirms Native American Rights in Oklahoma
- The New York Times

A 5-4 decision declaring that much of eastern Oklahoma is an Indian reservation could reshape criminal justice in the area by preventing state authorities from prosecuting Native Americans.

Court Orders Dakota Access Pipeline To Shut Down Pending Environmental Review
- Forbes

Three years after the Dakota Access pipeline first started carrying oil, a federal judge ordered Monday that the pipeline must be shut down during a court-ordered environmental review that is necessary because the U.S. government violated federal environmental law, in a decision seen as a victory for the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe and a defeat for the oil industry and President Donald Trump, who backed it in 2017.

BIA Signs Reservation Proclamation, Adds 222 Acres to Shakopee Reservation
- Native News Online

The Bureau of Indian Affairs announced Wednesday that it signed reservation proclamations for two parcels of land for the Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community in Minnesota under the Indian Reorganization Act (IRA).

Irish Return an Old Favor, Helping Native Americans Battling the Virus
- The New York Times

In 1847 the Choctaw people sent $170 to help during the potato famine. Irish donors are citing that gesture as they help two tribes during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Screening and LIVE Q&A at MSPIFF39 with film directors and film’s subjects

We are looking forward to share our film with you and have a conversation afterwards about it.
You are now able to purchase tickets to our screening at the Minneapolis St. Paul International Film Festival that will will be available from Sunday, May 17 2PM until Saturday, May 23 11:59PM.

Purchase tickets here:

* Only people with a MN billing address are able to purchase tickets and watch the film at this time

Also, you can now register for the free LIVE Q&A with directors Rita Davern and Melody Gilbert and the film’s subjects that will take place on Sunday, May 17 5PM via Zoom.

View fullsize

View fullsize