On November 12, 2014, the Mille Lacs Messenger, a Minnesota county newspaper, published the
following letter of mine. It is also displayed here on the Messenger's
website.
Reconciliation
In 2014, Indian Country Today Media Network, the world's largest Indian new source, published
an article by Kevin Leecy, Chair of the Minnesota Indian Affairs Council. Mr. Leecy's article on ICTMN is titled
The
Truth About Our Origins Will Set Us All Free. It has three selective comments. The
third comment is my comment. [The article by Leecy is also located here on a different site.
A couple of excepts from the article read: "In Germany, students in grades
K-12 receive mandatory instruction about the Holocaust. In South Africa,
the Truth and Reconciliation Commission bore witness to the injustices
of Apartheid. These countries took such public steps because they
understand that casting light on the dark chapters of history is the
only way to move beyond guilt and anger to real healing."
"When Europeans began their influx into this continent, there were tens
of millions of Native people here with distinct cultures, communities and
forms of governance. Europeans, and later Americans, who wanted the indigenous peoples'
lands and resources reacted in a variety of ways that included deception,
outright lies and genocide."
My comment reads:
This Kevin Leecy's article is a sign among a number of other
signs that indicate that Minnesota is coming into the forefront of the American
and global movement that is shining a light on the dark chapters of colonialism, with the aim "to move
beyond guilt and anger to real healing."
I (Thomas Ivan Dahlheimer) am an activist who has worked with the Minnesota Indian Affairs
Council in the past. Rep. Dean Urdalh recently told me that he will soon honor my
request to introduce a bill to change some of Minnesota's derogatory geographic place
names, including a lake named "Redskin Lake".
Several years ago, during a meeting with Minnesota Dakota tribal leaders and Rep.
Urdahl I was asked to write and present a draft Minnesota apology resolution to
Urdahl. After he received my draft resolution he edited it and introduced it
to the Minnesota Legislature.
It has the Doctrine of Discovery in it, mentioning the harm it has caused Indian people.
Because of recent developments in Minnesota, Urdahl informed
me that we can go ahead now with more legislation to resolve these issues.
After sending a link to a recent article of mine
that has a statement in it about the Doctrine of Discovery to the Minnesota Council
Of Churches I received a message from Kim Olstad, the Interfaith/Multi-faith Program
Director at Minnesota Council of Churches. She informed me that she is involved with
a Saint Paul Christian interfaith organization named SPIN and that it was going to
have a fall series on the Doctrine of Discovery, called, "Disavowing the Doctrine of Discovery".
After corresponding with Kim Olstad I sent messages to both, Archbishop
John Nienstedt, the Archbishop of the Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis,
and Jason Adkins, the Executive Director of the Minnesota Catholic Conference.
In the messages I stated that I believed that Minnesota was coming into the
forefront of this global movement and that the church should participate in SPIN's
fall series.
It was not long after I sent this message that I received a reply
message from Jason Adkins. We began to dialogue. I then received a message
from Archbishop Nienstedt wherein he informed me that Father Erick Rutten,
the Head of the Commission on Ecumenism and Interreligious Affairs would
meet with me. We met and had a good dialogue session. We continue to
correspond. I was told that the Archdiocese is honoring my request for
it to get involved in SPIN's fall series and to also connect with
Rep. Urdahl, in order to help him get future legislation passed.
Thomas Ivan Dahlheimer
Wahkon
A related article of mine: Healing
the Dakota People's Painful Wounds Of Ethnocide and Genocide
