Mr. Childs reflects on the treaties made between the Dakota and U.S. government.
It was used against us; the generosity was used against us
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DL: What do you think about the treaties?
MC: They’re not worth the paper they were written on. It’s really sad because our people, they meant so much to us; unlike today where everybody writes out their speeches and stuff. Of course there’s a lot of litigation if you speak wrong, but even back then the white leaders, they had prepared speeches and different things, and the Native people, they didn’t need speeches; they spoke from the heart. Like I mentioned earlier, we didn’t own the lands, they belonged to everybody, and so we were willing to share with others. And it was used against us; the generosity was used against us.
Oral History- Interview |
Narrator Michael Childs Interviewer Deborah Locke made at Welch, Prairie Island Indian Community, MN |
Wednesday, April 20, 2011
Citation: Minnesota Historical Society. U.S. - Dakota War of 1862. It was used against us; the generosity was used against us December 18, 2024. http://www.usdakotawar.org/node/1033
Viewpoints: All viewpoints expressed on this website are those of the contributors, and are not representative of the Minnesota Historical Society.
