Community leaders, SMSC keep 'conversations flowing' during joint meeting

Prior Lake American

The relationship history between governments in the United States and tribal nations is complicated and often wrought with tragedy, to say the least.

But community leaders are hoping to learn from the past.

Representatives from Scott County, the city of Prior Lake, the city of Shakopee and the Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community met for five hours at Prior Lake City Hall on Tuesday afternoon to learn more about Native life and history.

Presentations were given on Native languages, Federal Indian policy, history, culture and tribal lands.

“If you look back over 500 years of what happened to the Native people, there was a lot of mistrust or lack of trust from the Natives’ point of view,” Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community Chairman Charles R. Vig said. “I’m fortunate enough to be elected at a time where a lot of those things are done.”

Attendees were encouraged to ask themselves how the presentations related to their professional and community roles and what steps could be taken by their organizations to enhance relationships with the Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community.

“One of the things that kind of illuminated my thinking ... is to realize just how fast this Mdewakanton Community has grown in the last 20 years,” Scott County Commissioner Michael Beard said. “Coming from burning Elm trees to a multi-billion dollar a year enterprise in the middle of our county is a big deal.”

Vig also talked about how far the community has come and changes the perspectives of its leaders in regards to working with other governmental bodies.

“The big thing for me is when you look at the maps ... and see how little we were not that long ago to what we are now, we’re bumping shoulders with Shakopee, Prior Lake, Savage,” Vig said. “All of our communities are growing.”

Shakopee Mayor Bill Mars said he didn’t believe the conversations that took place during the training would have occurred 20 years ago.

“To see the language, to see the culture, to see over 200 years of legal history and (we are) a very small part of that,” Mars said. “It leads to a better understanding, appreciation of the culture and what the Mdewakanton Community has gone through over the years and what they’ve become. The building and enhancement of long-term relationships has never been better, which I believe facilitated this.”

With the communities so close together, they have to collaborate moving forward, Vig said.

“We’re sharing the same streets, sharing the same employees and our kids are going to the same schools,” Vig said.

For Native people, there’s more work to be done to overcome the past, Vig said.

“Historical trauma is really tough ... I don’t even know if you can overcome it,” Vig said. “We’re dealing with things today that have been compounded because of that. There’s many reasons why Shakopee is where we are today ... (former community chairman) Stanley Crooks used to say we’re fortunate that Minneapolis and St. Paul decided to build here.”

The training was only the beginning of the leaders’ learning, Prior Lake Mayor Kirt Briggs said.

“It’s not what we did here that’s going to be the measure of what’s accomplished but what we do after,” Briggs said. “Let’s keep the conversations flowing.”

Mars also said the conversations regarding Native history need to continue.

“We all learned a lot today and we’re enriched because of it,” Mars said. “If we keep momentum, open conversations and build relationships, I see a lot of positives coming out of this.”