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Vice President John LeClaire needs some help with research.
Vice President John LeClaire needs some help with research. This can go a long way in helping us with our federal recognition. Can you please donate some time to assist? If you are able, please call him at (651) 274-6214 or send him a message on our contact page. Thank you. https://mendotadakota.com/mn/contact/
Radio interview with Dan “The Oak Man” Keiser
Dan Keiser, The Oak Man by Brigitta Greene
The Mendota Dakota tribal community honored arborist Dan Keiser [pictured] at their annual pow wow in September of 2019. Keiser goes by “Oak Man,” a nickname he acquired during the years-long standoff over the construction of Highway 55 in the late 90s. The protest pitted environmental activists and native communities against MnDOT. A central symbol of the fight were four bur oak trees, well over 100 years old, that native communities believed to be sacred, and highway officials said needed to be cleared. The highway ultimately won out, and – 20 years ago this December – the trees came down. But behind the scenes, Keiser took cuttings from the oaks and brought them to an expert who was able to graft them onto new saplings. Keiser then transplanted the grafted trees on the historic grounds of St. Peter’s church in Mendota, and still cares for them today.
Message from Dan:
If you have about 10 minutes, check out this piece that KFAI radio aired
just last night! The whole show is an hour long, skip over most of it
(like 50 minutes), but tune into the interview from point 12:00 to 21:40.
https://www.kfai.org/episode/
Dan Keiser, “Dan The Oak Man” radio talk show
CUI Notice Federal Register Publication – human remains from Iowa
Good afternoon,
After conversation with George Garvin last week, I’d like to start making plans for reburial of the 138 individuals and 32 associated funerary objects in the attached Notice. As you know, the Ho-Chunk Nation has taken the lead in submitting a claim; I also received letters in support of this from the Otoe-Missouria, the Iowa Tribe of Kansas and Nebraska, and the Three Affiliated Tribes. I’ve been given the go ahead by George to start making arrangements, but do want to be as inclusive as possible. Given their distribution and keeping with reburying as close as possible to original burial locations, it seems that we could conduct reburials at each of our four state-owned cemeteries. So at this time I’d like to arrange a meeting to begin planning
As a starting point, I propose that we meet on November 12, after the OSA’s Advisory Committee meeting, at 1pm, as there will be several of our Indian Advisory Council members here at the OSA, and we can also set up a conference call for others to call in. Please let me know if you’d like to participate, but the date and/or time don’t work for you.
Lara K. Noldner, PhD
Bioarchaeology Director
Office of the State Archaeologist
University of Iowa
700 S Clinton St.
Iowa City, IA
319-384-0740
CUI Iowa 2019 notice map
VIDEO: Mendota Mdewakanton Wacipi POW WOW Grand Entry
Binaishee Quence Bellanger-Rook departed this earth on September 17, 2019 as her tiny newborn son arrived.
