Megan Treuer: Respect burial ground of Dakotas in Minnesota

Friday, January 20, 2012  

"I have been following the news about what may or may not happen with the Pamida property now that the store is closing. I think this is a great opportunity for the Bemidji community to fully acknowledge that there are at least 22 Dakota people buried there, under the pavement, and honor them.

This is a well documented fact; feel free to contact the cultural resources director at the Minnesota American Indian Affairs Council for more information. That entire stretch of river shore, as well as the shores of Lake Irvine and Lake Bemidji hosted many burial mounds. The Pamida site originally had a large mound and burial ground on it. Much of it was bulldozed prior to Pamida being built. When the store was constructed, however, 22 bodies were found. The remains were determined to be from the Dakota tribe, which was in Bemidji prior to the Ojibwe. The bodies were covered in concrete, the construction of Pamida was completed and the store opened for business."

Get the Story:
Megan Treuer: Let’s honor those buried on Pamida site (The Bemidji Pioneer 1/20)