Pazoiyopa

Did you ever hear of the US/Dakota war during your growing up years?

TP: Yes.

DL: What do you remember hearing about that? What was your family connection?

TP: My family connection is my grandfather John Pashe’s father’s name was Pazoiyopa OK? And how they spread… How they moved around the United States… They moved around and then they came into Canada with Sitting Bull. Then they were left here. They wanted to stay because they didn’t want to go back. They were wanted over there. Maybe they were, I don’t know but they were wanted in the United States. I was told all these stories like how grandpa Pazoiyopa hid in Canada and stayed in Canada for fear of going back to be hung.

DL: Would he have had that fear because he was… Did he actually do any of the fighting in the battles?

TP: Yes.

DL: Which one, do you know?

TP: The Minnesota Uprising. He was involved in it from what I understand from my dad was grandpa Pazoiyopa was involved in a lot of battles.

DL: There were a few. There was the battle against the city of New Ulm. There was the battle against Fort Ridgely. There was Birch Coulee which was the site of some cavalry members who were burying the dead.

TP: Well what my dad said was that grandpa Pazoiyopa as it was told to my dad that he was part of the start of the Uprising. They killed some guys and they stuck grass in his mouth.

DL: Is it a good idea to commemorate the events?

TP: Yes.

DL: What’s the best way to do that?

TP: I think that we get together and start and… Have get togethers and realize these are our grandfathers. Some people don’t even know their grandfathers. They don’t even know they come from there. But to commemorate and have a celebration in honor of them, even a feast like feed the people in honor of our grandfathers who went down, who fought for us. Some of them had to flee for us and changed their lives for us.