In Manitoba, Portage la Prairie Mayor Sharilyn Knox apologized to members of the Dakota Plains First Nation on Wednesday for the expulsion of Dakota people from the town in 1911. She acknowledged the move was racially motivated.
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 presence, but also damaged their cultural identity and heritage.
In the late 1800s, the Dakota Plains First Nation purchased a plot of land within Portage la Prairie. The town, located about 85 kilometres west of Winnipeg, has a population of nearly 13,000 today.
In 1911, the city council passed a resolution directing officials to write to the federal government of the day to suggest that it was better 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, Chief of the Dakota Plains First Nation, said the Indigenous community had become self-sufficient at the time and municipal officials looked upon it with suspicion.
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 appreciate the fact that we were not complying with them and they made the decision to send us elsewhere.
The Dakota Plains First Nation was relocated twice before settling on lands about 20 kilometres 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 the members of the First Nation worked very hard to transform the swamp lands 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 out. This apology means a lot to our people.
Several Indigenous leaders and Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew attended the ceremony Wednesday.
Wab Kinew praised the resilience and perseverance of the members of the Dakota Plains First Nation despite the challenges they have faced.
You have continued to prosper and you continue to be part of this country and this province.
he said.
With information from Arturo Chang
