In Manitoba, Portage la Prairie Mayor Sharilyn Knox apologized to members of the Dakota Plains First Nation on Wednesday for the expulsion of the Dakota people from the city in 1911. She acknowledged that it was a decision of a personal nature. racist.
It is a chapter that has left its mark on the Dakota people and their ancestral lands.
said Sharilyn Knox, during a ceremony organized in the community. It pushes us to acknowledge and reflect, and to apologize.
These actions not only erased their physical presences, but also harmed their cultural identity and heritage.
In the late 1800s, the Dakota Plains First Nation purchased a tract of land within Portage la Prairie. This city is located about 85 kilometers west of Winnipeg and has a population of almost 13,000 today.
In 1911, the city council passed a resolution ordering officials to write to the federal government of the day to suggest that it was best for Aboriginal people to be expelled from the city because of their addiction to alcohol and because their children had no future once they finished school.
Donald Smoke, the chief of the Dakota Plains First Nation, believes that at the time, the indigenous community had become self-sufficient and that municipal authorities took a dim view of this.
We were left to die and be dependent, so much so that we are no longer a people
he said. The federal government and the city of Portage la Prairie did not like the fact that we were not complying with them and made the decision to send us elsewhere.
The Dakota Plains First Nation was relocated twice before settling on land nearly 20 kilometers southwest of Portage la Prairie.
According to federal statistics (New window)this community has approximately 300 inhabitants.
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Donald Smoke is the Chief of the Dakota Plains First Nation.
Photo : CBC/Travis Golby
Donald Smoke says First Nation members worked very hard to transform the swamp land into a habitable place. He adds that many have waited a long time for an apology to be presented to them.
I think of my father, my uncle and the former chiefs of the Dakota Plains First Nation. They waited a long time for this apology to arrive
he said. People are happy that the truth is finally known. This apology means a lot to our people.
Several Indigenous leaders and Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew attended the ceremony Wednesday.
Wab Kinew praised the resistance and perseverance of the members of the Dakota Plains First Nation despite the difficulties they experienced.
You have continued to prosper and you continue to be part of this country and this province
he said.
With information from Arturo Chang
