Minnesota Historical Society staff members collected dozens of stories from Dakota people throughout Minnesota, the Midwest and Canada as well as from settler descendants in southwestern Minnesota during 2011 and 2012. Full transcripts and audio versions as well as selected quotes are available on this website.  
 
Oral tradition is a way for cultures from around the world to remember and relay history throughout generations. Ancestors have passed down history in this way for thousands of years, and no one oral tradition is more valid than the other. They represent the personal feelings and memories of the person interviewed. They are all honored and respected in a good way, with a good heart.