The Christmas holiday holds a different meaning for many in Minnesota.
For Indigenous Minnesotans, it’s a somber reminder of the mass public execution of 38 Dakota ancestors in Mankato.
Their memory is honored more than 150 years later in a sacred ceremony that brings together Indigenous and non-Indigenous people alike.
“I personally celebrate Christmas as well, but this day is a day of commemoration,” said AllenMichael Owen, as he helped to chop wood for a midnight memorial fire on Christmas night, marking the beginning of the annual ceremony.
That ceremony, the Dakota 38+2 ceremonial run, was started by Willard Malebear in 1986, and the legacy has been carried on more recently by his son and namesake, Willard Malebear, Jr.
“Just means a lot to me. You know, knowing that since my dad has passed, I’m able to sort of step up and continue on that, you know, in his memory, …