Note to Readers – This blog post is about a potential campaign to raise funds to create an Indigenous Writers Grant. I am still in the process of determining how or if to move forward with this. I will share more updates with you as things proceed. Thank you!

When I first started reading, researching, and writing about the U.S. – Dakota War back in 2007, I did not understand the very complicated nature of that history and what it means for us today. I just wanted to know what happened and why. My curiosity, along with a multitude of life’s random developments and circumstances, led me to share my research through essays, blogs, videos, presentations, an online course, and novels. Over time I’ve discovered that there is a lot more at stake than just the history itself. My two major observations are these: It matters how and why the history is being conveyed; and many of the people currently pursuing, consuming, and living the legacy of that history have deeply-rooted thoughts and feelings about what it means. 

People often want to know why I’m interested in this particular history and whether or not my pursuit and portrayal of it is authentic and accurate. I can’t easily answer those questions, nor do I think it’s worthwhile to try. All that I can do is tell you what I’ve done and what I haven’t done. It is in that spirit that I share this blog post about my initial attempts to start an Indigenous Writers Grant. I’m not writing this post as any kind of indictment or judgment. It is merely done to share my story—my whole story so that you can learn, along with me, everything that’s involved in the process of being an author who writes about Minnesota’s complicated and tragic history. I don’t have any answers, and I have been wrong about many things. But I am always striving to learn and grow in my understanding to the degree that I am able. 

Louise Erdrich once pointed to the word “Conflict” in the title of my novel, Thy Eternal Summer: The U.S. – Dakota Conflict of 1862 and said, “There’s your first problem. The Dakota don’t view it as a conflict, they view it as a war.” That was eye-opening for me. It was, I’m sorry to say, the first time I stepped back to consider the history from a viewpoint other than my own. Since then I have learned dozens of invaluable lessons about how history has generally been portrayed and how it ought to be portrayed—that is, from a broader, more respectful, and more objective point of view. I have tried my best to incorporate those lessons in my own portrayal of The U.S. – Dakota War, the Sandy Lake Tragedy, and other related history. But having done that, and understood that, there is one thing I haven’t done. I haven’t taken any actionable steps toward reversing the long-lasting inequities created by historical wrongs, institutionalized by generations since, and accepted by generations present. Should I? I’m honestly not sure, but I’m willing to listen and find out. 

That brings me to today and an idea I had to take those actionable steps. My idea was to create and fundraise for a $10,000 Indigenous Writers Grant. My thought was to raise funds for the grant through the sale of my upcoming novel, Reclaiming Mni Sota: An Alternative History of the U.S. – Dakota War of 1862. This, I thought, would be an action I could take to use my writing to contribute to breaking down the systems in place that prevent and have prevented Indigenous storytellers from gaining access to the resources they need to share their side of the story—resources I have been privileged to utilize because of the legacies our history has created. You might expect that Indigenous and literary organizations would be eager to support and promote this cause. But that is not exactly the case. Before officially creating and launching the grant, I sought feedback from Indigenous community members. Then, after receiving little feedback, I sought advocates and donors from both Indigenous and literary organizations. The response has been underwhelming. I don’t wish to classify that as a negative thing, but it was disheartening.

Read the current draft of the grant’s GoFundMe Page.

As I continue down this path, I discover that there is a lot I don’t know and cannot anticipate. And that’s okay. I just don’t want to let it force me to change course until I’m ready. With all these things in mind, I’m going to share with you a list of all the people and organizations I have reached out to over the past six months seeking either feedback, partnership, advocacy, or donations for the creation and funding of an Indigenous Writers Grant. I’ve also reached out to a small number of organizations asking if they would accept donations that come from the sale of the forthcoming book. Below is that list and their response or lack of response. I will repeat that this is not an indictment. It is merely a way for me to share my story and the lessons I’m learning while also being completely transparent for those who truly are interested in the work that I do.

 

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