BEMIDJI, Minn. (AP) — The closing of a Pamida store in Bemidji has revived a debate on American Indian remains buried on the property — with some members of the Indian community saying this is a chance to restore honor to a site their ancestors occupied for thousands of years.
Skeletal remains of 22 people were uncovered as an addition to the store was being built in 1988. It was determined that the remains were Dakota Sioux, and elders from Sioux communities decided at the time that the remains should be reburied where they were discovered.
Megan Treuer, who is Ojibwe, told Minnesota Public Radio News (http://bit.ly/ADN2NC ) that her family was so angry when the remains were discovered that they never shopped at the store again.
"Just the fact that people are going into this store right now to buy whatever they're going to buy ... it seems like a real ironic combination, because they're walking on a huge grave," she said.
Treuer and other American Indians said the store should be razed and a memorial should be built at the site.
Since 1976, Indian burial sites have been protected under state law.
American Indian remains have been unearthed in Bemidji before. In 1998, the city hired a Red Lake Nation archaeological team to map all known burial sites so they could be better protected.
Jim Jones, cultural resource director for the Minnesota Indian Affairs Council and a member of the Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe, said he is frustrated by a lack of respect for hallowed Indian ground. He said he knows some construction projects have gone forward near burial sites, but he was never told about them.
When it comes to the Pamida site, Jones said, the Indian Affairs Council believes it would be best if the building was removed. But that's up to the landowner, who hasn't talked about his plans for the site.
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Information from: Minnesota Public Radio News, http://www.mpr.org
Copyright 2012 The Associated Press.
Comments (11)
Add commentIf the elders
of the Sioux community decided it was ok to rebury them at the site, butt out, and mind your own business.
See how fast they put a casino
on the same spot. It would be nice if out American government would show as much respect for Americans that they do for everyone else.
Didn't the
ojibwe kill and chase the Sioux away from the best land up here?
So...if they remove the building, what changes?
Not a thing. The bodies will still be buried there, they will still be dead and nothing changes one iota. Its the old "if I stamp my foot long enough, loud enough, someone will be forced to do something about it" routine.
Dead people are dead. Nothing will bring them back.
Pay and Respect First
If the natives want the store razed and a memorial built they should be willing to buy same from the current owner for fair market value. Don't expect a handout from the rest of us.
Until the natives start respecting the land they already have, I see no reason to even sell them any more. I'm tired of the natives playing the persecuted race card - and even more tired of the bleeding heart groups and politicians listening to them.
Ignorance still alive in MN
First to think any tribe would but a casino there or on any burial mound is very unacceptable. But turn it around and say we put a casino parking lot on top of the cemetery where your family members were laid to rest. I believe the out cry against that would be unmeasurable and the finger of blame again would be pointed at the troublesome Indians. Native people had few rights in 1988 that would allow them to fully protect that burial site but those people that are buried there belong there and should be protected. That store never should have went on top of them and now that store is closed the ground should be turned back to its natural state and left alone. My people buried there deserve that and a lot more.
Pay first nativesuta
No issue with your post, just don't expect a free ride; pay for the store and site and then create your monument. Got it?
You want the rest of the U.S. to respect your people? Then play by the rules. We don't get special treatment and neither should you expect that.
Excuse me...
I guess I should not have used the term murdered in my earlier post, I meant that some of those buried there were most likely casualties of war when the Ojibwe moved in from the east and pushed the Sioux out with the rifles they procured from the white man... It is well documented that the two tribes had no love for one another.
Your a product of a free ride
First on me I am a member of a mn tribe but refuse to be told where I have to live to get a check. Also I am a USMC vet who has never went after any free money. It's not talking bad about those that do because there are people who need it. I don't I have worked for all I've got it's just the way I am. People need to learn that stereotyping a whole group of people like you have lendad is a show of true ignorance and a lack of educating yourself.
And to the rest of it we as a people don't need or want that respect. We have to just respect ourselves, our families, our traditions and our ancestors.
Finally to the free ride we could throw stones back and forth all day from you stole our land to natives are a drain on your apparent system. But the fact still remains we don't mess with your cemeteries so stay out of our burial mounds. And it is possible for time to be granted to the people to raise money to get the site and remove your sign of progress then it should be done.
On a off note Jim Jones does not speak for Dakota people and we as Dakota have not been asked about what we would like done with the site. We are not monument/statue builders we are mound builders. So don't expect to see a monument at pamida.
Thanks NAtiveusa
Excellent post!
Nativesuta
I thank you for your service to the USA, and for working for what you have. I wish there were more of you, white and red.
Nativesuta
Fantastic!
Thank you!