Why not return Coldwater to Native people?

I noticed in Susu Jeffrey’s most recent article, “Reclaiming Coldwater” (Southside Pride January ’10 Nokomis edition), the statement that “Several federally recognized Dakota bands requested exclusive ownership of Coldwater and one mentioned casino development.” This misleading statement was intended to bolster Jeffrey’s argument that giving the site to a particular group is “tantamount to privatizing the commons (water, air, biodiversity).” While there may be reasons for thinking that public ownership by the federal government is the best option for the Coldwater site, fear of casinos is not one of them.

The Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community (SMSC) did mention casino development but only to put the issue to rest. On page 336 of volume 1 of the final Environmental Impact Statement for the Bureau of Mines property it is clearly stated: “In its proposal to acquire the Center, the SMSC states it will not conduct gaming on the Center site.” It is important to correct the record on this point.

It seems to me that if people are going to argue for the preservation of Coldwater, as many have done over the last ten years, by saying that Coldwater Spring is a sacred and culturally important site for Dakota people, then they ought to consider all the implications of that statement, including possible Dakota ownership and management. To do so without showing a commitment to the rights and interests of Native people today is hypocritical. There are many reasons why Dakota ownership makes sense. There is a matter of simple justice for a people driven into exile from Minnesota in 1863, and as the Trust for Public Land states on its website:”Tribes are proven leaders as natural resource stewards.”

Jeffrey has been consistent in opposing Dakota ownership, but she also states in her article that “Coldwater Park … respects the 1805 Dakota-Pike treaty guaranteeing all Dakota people the right to ‘to pass, repass, hunt or make other uses of the said districts, as they have formerly done.’” Whether Dakota people will agree with Jeffrey that a public park open to everyone is such a good way to honor Dakota treaty rights is something that Dakota people and their tribal governments will have to say themselves. But for non-Dakota people who want to advocate for the importance of Coldwater Spring, it is important to look beyond the restoration of trees and vegetation toward a commitment to the restoration of Native lands to Native people.

I discuss this topic in a lot more detail on my website, at http://minnesotahistory.net/?p=1924

Sincerely,
Bruce White
historian and anthropologist
www.minnesotahistory.net