By Thomas Dahlheimer,

Griff Wigley is the Project Leader, Minnesota Sesquicentennial Advisory Committee for Native American Partnering (SACNAP). He has a Minnesota Sesquicentennial Commission guided Native American Minnesota blog site. He displayed a blog on his site, titled: "My Problem with Thomas Dahlheimer's open letter to the Oyate." We were corresponding with comments in response to this blog. He continues to not post the following comments of mine. 

Click letter to the Oyate to read my letter to the Oyate. In my letter to the Oyate I displayed a link to a longer presentation of the letter, tilted Dakota Creation Stories.

My un-posted comments to Wigley and his blog readers:

…..You wrote: "I already explained my position re: the Sesqui statement on genocide. I was glad to see it on their web site and I think it's significant that it's still there. But it falls far short of a public acknowledgment that Chris and others would like to see.

Never-the-less, the Sesquicentennial Commission did admitted genocide.

You wrote: "As I said to you that day at Coldwater, it doesn't matter to me right now whether there are one, two, or many Dakota creation stories. Everyone agrees about the importance/sacredness of the B'dote and Coldwater areas. That's all that matters, so leave it at that.

Your comment "it's all that matters" is getting me angry now. Who are you to say, "that's all that matters". Have you been working to rectify injustices being committed against the Dakota within their Mde Wakan (Mille Lacs Lake) ancestral homeland for over a decade? There is a Mde Wakan (Mille Lacs Lake) Dakota creation story, and not only two Mendota area Dakota creation stories. Christ Mato Nunpa and Jim Anderson used the Coldwater Springs gathering to spread their lies that misinform people about where all of the Dakota creation stories are located. It is important that people know that there is a Mde Wakan (Mille Lacs Lake) Dakota creation story, and not just two Mendota area Dakota creation stories. This is a common practice of theirs. And you post their lies on your blog.

You wrote: "I asked you to explain your obsession with the creation stories and your explanation then didn't really make sense to me. But your letter's inclusion of your statement that you believe you've been given it as a goal from the Great Spirit *does* explain it. I think you're very misguided and mistaken… and that continuing in this way really hurts your cause of getting the Rum River renamed.

I do not care very much what you think! I do not have an obsession with creation stories. Chris Mato Nunpa and Jim Anderson have an obsession with the Mendota area, including the two Mendota area creation stories… and do so, to the extent that they will not publicly acknowledge that there is also a Mde Wakan (Mille Lacs Lake) Dakota creation story. This is an injustice that I am trying to rectify.

Maybe you do not know that Native creation stories add to the importance Natives tribes place on sacred sites of theirs.

In response to my letter to the Oyate submission, the editor of the Sota Iyaye wrote: "Great". He did not have a problem with my belief and statement about the Great Spirit. It's you who are very misguided and mistaken…and your insulting comments could be hurting my movement to change the name of the Rum River.

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Comments by Dakota Indians:

Jeff wrote:

I grew up by the Rum River and never knew it's significance as a kid. I have since become re-connected with my deceased Dakota fathers' side of the family. I have learned a lot about what was important to our ancestors. The Mille Lacs area creation story is paramount to our ancestral identity as is the confluence of the Mississippi and Minnesota Rivers story. They are all wakan. The name "Rum" should definitely be dropped and changed to something more appropriate. Wakan or Spirit River, for instance.

Seems to me that claiming any ancestral rights to land in the vicinity of the Twin Cities metropolitan area spells M-O-N-E-Y. This may be why the individuals you mention seem to be disregarding the Dakota creation story of Mille Lacs Lake. Or it may be to avoid confusing wasicu who do not understand these things but with the intent of gaining rights to lands near the Twin Cities in lieu of rights to the Wakan River.

Jeff's Uncle wrote:

In all my travels amongst the people I personally have never heard it said that Mendota was credited with being the 'Center' of Dakota origins. Mendota was given this particular spelling and pronunciation by the American Fur Company who established a fur trading post there and the word itself comes from the Dakota word 'mdote' meaning where 'one river joins another or meets another' (the St Peters River now called the Minnesota R., and the Miss. R.) Ft. Snelling was established by the American gov't near that location to claim, protect, and establish their influence in the region. The natives of Mendota are called Mdewakantons for a reason. When working amongst my Lakotah brothers even they referred to their place of origins as 'Spirit Lake'. More can be said of the above issue but will let this suffice for now.

The Dakota's name for Mille Lacs Lake is Mde Wakan. When translated Mde means Lake, and when Wakan is translated it means Spirit. When translated into English Mde Wakan means Spirit Lake.  When translated into English Mdewakanton means people born of the waters of Spirit Lake.

It has been the tradition of Minnesota to distort the true history of Minnesota in order to cover up the atrocities it has committed against MN's Natives, and Wigley is doing a good job in keeping the tradition of covering up the truth going. He does not want the people of Minnesota to know about what happened in the Mille Lacs Lake area, therefore, he likes the way some leading Dakota activists are distorting the Dakota's history and therefore helps them promote their lies, and by doing so, distracts attention away from the Mille Lacs Lake area and the atrocities white people committed against the Dakotas within their sacred Mille Lacs Lake traditional/ancestral homeland.

For several months Wigley had not blogged anything about the bill to change Minnesota's derogatory geographic place names, including the derogatory Rum River name. Nor did he blog anything about the local (MN), national (U.S.A.) and international movement to change the faulty-translation and profane name of the Rum River back to its sacred Dakota name [Wakan]. Nor did he blog anything about the history of the Dakota people in their sacred Mille Lacs Lake ancestral homeland, where they had lived for nearly a thousand years. Nor did he blog anything about the Dakota's Mille Lacs Lake creation story. Nor did he blog anything about how the Dakota were violently forced from their sacred Mille Lacs Lake and Wakan/"Rum" River Watershed ancestral homeland. Nor did he blog anything about how Duluth, while following the edicts of his King and Pope, set up France's Coat of Arms in the Dakota's main Mille Lacs Lake area village and claimed all of the Dakota's Minnesota land for France. Land that was later transferred over to Britain by way of papal bull sanctioned international European colonial law , and even later, by way of following the same racist process or law, to the U.S.A.. Nor did he blog anything about the many Dakota rights activist initiative in the area, including the petition to change the derogatory name of Mille Lacs Kathio State Park. Nor did blog anything about the movement to regain the Dakota's Mille Lacs ancestral homeland . Nor did he blog anything about the Minnesota Indian Affairs Council's Draft resolution to change MN's derogatory names. Nor did he blog anything about the related Minnesota Apology Resoltution . Nor did he blog anything about the Dakota activist initiatives in Anoka, Minnesota, a city located at the confluence of the Wakan (Rum) and Mississippi rivers. And when he was forced to add a blog about the Mille Lacs Lake area it was deceptive and hateful, his way of discrediting the Dakota's and my activist work within the Dakota's sacred Mille Lacs Lake and Wakan/"Rum" River Watershed ancestral homeland.

More information about this topic can be viewed and read by clicking

(1.) http://www.towahkon.org/Dakotahistory.html

(2.) http://newsfornatives.com/blog/2008/02/16/mdewakanton-rights-activist-initiatives/

(3.) http://www.towahkon.org/alliance.html

(4.) http://www.towahkon.org/Changeknights.html

(5.) http://republicoflakota.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=13&t=18&sid=3c1461761b6dbdc2f0facadfbae1fb

(6.) http://www.towahkon.org/summary.html

On September 17, 2008 - the editor of the Sisseton-Wahpeton Dakota Nation's on-line newspaper published the following "Letter to the Oyate" of mine. This Dakota nation is a 12,000 member nation. A link to my article "Dakota Creation Stories" was published with the letter.

NOTE:  Griff Wigley, Project Leader, Minnesota Sesquicentennial Advisory Committee for Native American Partnering (SACNAP), is mentioned in this letter. He did not like this letter and wrote on SACNAP, in response to this letter and a comment of mine on SACNAP:  " As I said to you that day at Coldwater, it doesn't matter to me right now whether there are one, two, or many Dakota creation stories. Everyone agrees about the importance/sacredness of the B'dote and Coldwater areas. That's all that matters, so leave it at that."

The truth is, it is NOT "all that matters", it is very important that the importance that the Dakota place on their Mde Wakan (Mille Lacs Lake) traditional/ancestral homeland is not being demeaned, AT ANY TIME, and that the Dakota's Mde Wakan (Mille Lacs Lake) creation story is not being denied, AT ANY TIME, by Dakota activists or any one else for political gain. 

Check out my article The Coldwater Spring Deception for more information on this topic.

Letter to the Oyate

Greetings from the small town of Wahkon, Minnesota. I initiated and am spearheading the movement to change the name of Minnesota’s Rum River back to its sacred Dakota name, Wakan. On September 5th, I participated in a Dakota gathering at the sacred Coldwater Springs site. Where a small group of Dakota activists launched the reclamation of this sacred site. Jim Anderson, an organizer of the event, and I met at the gathering and had a good conversation. But unfortunately, during Chris Mato Nunpa’s press conference presentation, Mato Nunpa made a bold faced lie. He said the "Sesquicentennial Commission will not admit genocide." (ref.)

During the gathering, I asked Griff Wigley, Project Leader for the Sesquicentennial Advisory Committee for Native American Partnering, if he heard what Mato Nunpa said about the Sesquicentennial Commission. Wigley said that he did and that it was Mato Nunpa's "speed" and that it made his presentation "sound good". I then told Wigley that Mato Nunpa has also been lying to hurt me and my work. A few months ago, the Sesquicentennial Commission admitted that Minnesota committed a genocide against the Dakota people during its early history. (ref.)

I believe that Mato Nunpa lies and distorts the Dakota people’s history in Minnesota in order to gain leverage to accomplish his and Jim Anderson’s activist goals in the Mendota area. Anderson is the historian for the Mendota Mdewakanton Dakota Community. A few months ago, after showing Mato Nunpa evidence of what I believe he is doing, he became very angry with me and insulted me as well as told Jim Anderson to quit working with me, and do so, because I believe and publicly teach (in contradiction to what he teaches) that there are not only two Mendota area Dakota creation stories, but also a Mde Wakan (Mille Lacs Lake) Dakota creation story.

Leonard Wabasha, a Mdewakanton Dakota hereditary chief, has publicly acknowledged that there is a Mille Lacs Lake Dakota creation story. (ref.)

And Wilhelm Meya, an anthropologists who works with the Lakota, wrote: “The sacred lake (Mille Lacs) figures prominently in Lakota/Dakota creation stories. The lake is considered sacred because the Dakota people emerged from it as human beings into this world. You may want to look up the story itself in some of the Dakota mythology collections." (ref.)

By denying that there is a Mille Lacs Lake Dakota creation story, I believe that Mato Nunpa is demeaning the importance that the Dakota people attribute to their Mde Wakan (Mille Lacs Lake) ancestral homeland.

Not long ago, Anderson told the mayor of Anoka that the Mille Lacs Lake Dakota creation story is “one” of the Dakota’s creation stories. However, because of Mato Nunpa, Anderson no longer works with me, nor does he publicly tell people that there is a Mille Lacs Lake Dakota creation story.

Mato Nunpa’s lies are hindering me from accomplishing the goals that the Great Spirit has given me to accomplish in the Dakota’s sacred Mde Wakan (Mille Lacs Lake) ancestral/traditional homeland.

More about this topic can be found at: http://www.care2.com/c2c/share/detail/875739

Thomas Dahlheimer Director of Rum River Name Change Organization.

I initiated and am spearheading the local, national and international movement to change the faulty-translation and profane name of Minnesota’s Rum River back to its sacred Dakota name, Wakan.

I recently participated in a Dakota gathering at the sacred Coldwater Springs site. Where a small group of Dakota activists launched the reclamation of this sacred site with four days of ceremonies to celebrate the seasonal transition from summer to fall.

During the gathering, Jim Anderson, the historian for the Mendota Mdewakanton Dakota Community, and I met and had a good conversation. But unfortunately, during Chris Mato Nunpa’s press conference presentation, Mato Nunpa, a Dakota activist as well as an organizer of this event, made a bold faced lie. He said: "the Sesquicentennial Commission will not admit genocide".

Griff Wigley, Project Leader for the Sesquicentennial Advisory Committee for Native American Partnering, was at the gathering. We met and had a conversation. I asked him if he heard what Mato Nunpa said about the Sesquicentennial Commission. He said that he did and that it was Mato Nunpa's "speed" and that it made his presentation "sound good". (It "sounded good" but was not the truth) I then told Griff that Mato Nunpa has also been lying to hurt me and my work. A few months ago, the Sesquicentennial Commission admitted that Minnesota committed a genocide against the Dakota people during its early history.

Check out my article TheColdwater Spring Deception  for more information about this topic.

I believe that Mato Nunpa lies and distorts the Dakota people’s history in Minnesota in order to make his work in the Mendota area seem more important than it is. A few months ago, after showing Mato Nunpa evidence of what I believe he is doing, he became very angry with me and insulted me as well as told Jim Anderson to quit working with me. And Jim did what Mato Nunpa asked him to do, he quit working with me.

On a regular basis, Jim and I had been meeting with the mayor of Anoka. And I had set things up for Jim and other members of the Mendota Mdewakanton Dakota Community to meet with the Anoka Human Rights Commission. And I had spoken with the mayor of Cambridge, Minnesota and she had scheduled Jim and I to address the Cambridge City Council. And I had set things up for Jim to address the Anoka-Hennepin School District Indian Education Parent Committee and staff, etc. And this all came to an erupt and rude end because of Mato Nunpa’s influence over the Mendota Mdewakanton Dakota Community historian, Jim Anderson. Mato Nunpa draws in internationally renowned Native activists to give support for his and Jim Anderson’s activist initiative in the Mendoa area.

It seems to me that Mato Nunpa has a serious problem and that he is hurting the Dakota people. I recently sent a letter to the Mendota Mdewakanton Dakota Community wherein I wrote that it was my wish that all of the members of the Mendota Mdewakanton Dakota Community would become aware of this problem and do something to solve it.

The information presented throughout the rest of this blog is about Mato Nunpa’s lies that distort the true history of the Dakota people. Mato Nunpa ignores and demeans the importance that the Dakota attribute to their sacred Mde Wakan (Mille Lacs Lake) ancestral/traditional homeland, and he also over emphasizes the importance of the Mendota area to the Dakota people. And by doing so, he makes his work in the Mendota area look more important than it is.

On a Mille Lacs Kathio State Park interpretive sign, Leonard E. Wabasha is quoted as saying: "My people are the Mdewakanton Oyate. Mdewakanton means the People of Spirit Lake. Today that lake is known as Mille Lacs. This landscape is sacred to the Mdewakanton Oyate because one Otokaheys Woyakapi (creation story) says we were created here. It is especially pleasing for me to come here and walk these trails, because about 1718 the first Chief Wapahasa was born here, at the headwaters of the Spirit River. I am the eighth in this line of hereditary chiefs." (ref.)

During a three-day Dakota conference at Marshall, Minnesota’s Southwest Minnesota State University, a conference that addressed the history of the European colonists and Euro-American’s extreme mistreatment of the Dakota people, Angela Wilson and her father, Chris Mato Nunpa, told the conference participates that according to the (singular) Dakota creation story, the place referred to as Bdote (called Mendota in English), is the site where the Dakota people were created.

I knew that Wilson had read my article Regaining The Dakota’s Mille Lacs Ancestral Homeland and therefore knew that there is another Dakota creation story that says Mde Wakan (Mille Lacs Lake) is the site where the Dakota people were created. And when I asked Mato Nunpa why he and his daughter, Angela Wilson, were teaching that there is only one site where the Dakota people believe they were created, and that that site is Mendota, Mato Nunpa wrote: “People like you quote Leonard Wabasha”. By denying that there is a Mde Wakan (Mille Lacs Lake) Dakota creation story, Mato Nunpa and Wilson demean the importance that the Dakota people attribute to their Mde Wakan (Mille Lacs Lake) ancestral/traditional homeland.

When I was corresponding with Mato Nunpa, he sent me a message wherein he wrote that he was going to tell Jim Anderson to quit working with me. And do so, because I believe and publicly teach (in contradiction to what he and his daughter teach) that there is a Mde Wakan (Mille Lacs Lake) Dakota creation story. After Jim was told by Mato Nunpa to quit working with me, Jim quit working with me.