Rasmuson Theater
November 19, 2015
1:00 P.M. – 5:30 P.M.

In the late summer of 1862 a war raged across southern Minnesota between Dakota warriors, U.S. military, and immigrant settlers. In the end, hundreds were dead, and thousands more would lose their homes forever. The day after Christmas, 1862, thirty-eight Dakota men were hanged in Mankato by order of Abraham Lincoln. It remains the largest mass execution in United States history. The bloodshed of 1862 and its aftermath left deep wounds that have yet to heal.

Held in conjunction with the exhibition Commemorating Controversy: The Dakota–U.S. War of 1862, on view at the National Museum of the American Indian in Washington, D.C., through December 29, this symposium examines the lasting consequences of the violent and divisive Dakota–U.S. War of 1862 that led to the exile of the Dakota people from their homeland. The program explores the subject from a variety of perspectives, with attention to the role of broken treaties; the effects on the community and Dakota history after the war; memory and multigenerational impacts; efforts at reconciliation and healing; and how cultural institutions address the Dakota War and their efforts in partnering with the Dakota people.

Live webcast at: http://nmai.si.edu/multimedia/webcasts