Frequently Asked Questions

Question: 01. Describe, briefly, the U.S.-Dakota War of 1862.
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Question: 02. What is the significance of the U.S.-Dakota War of 1862 to the state of Minnesota, the region and to the United States?
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Question: 03. What is the history of the Dakota in Minnesota before and after the U.S.-Dakota War of 1862?
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Question: 04. What should Minnesotans know about the war?
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Question: 05. How will this story be shared with the state’s schoolchildren?
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Question: 06. What is the Minnesota Historical Society’s mission in interpreting the history of the war?
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Question: 07. How has the Minnesota Historical Society’s interpretation of American Indian history and the inclusion of American Indian perspectives changed through the years?
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Question: 08. Is the Minnesota Historical Society telling the story of the white settlers who were killed during the Dakota War?
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Question: 09. What programs will the Minnesota Historical Society offer in 2012? What ongoing programs are offered?
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Question: 10. Describe the upcoming exhibit about the war at the Minnesota History Center and the Truth Recovery project.
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Question: 11. What are the Minnesota Historical Society’s policies for acquiring and preserving artifacts?
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Question: 12. What Dakota artifacts are in the Society’s collections?
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Question: 13. Can the public see sensitive items from the Minnesota Historical Society’s collections?
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Question: 14. Will the Minnesota Historical Society consider releasing sensitive items in its collections?
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Question: 15. Explain the Minnesota Historical Society’s past role in housing American Indian remains in its collections.
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Question: 16. Does the Minnesota Historical Society still collect or exhibit human remains?
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Question: 17. Did the Minnesota Historical Society display the remains of Taoyateduta (Little Crow) at the Minnesota State Capitol?
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Question: 18. What is the Minnesota Historical Society’s response to those who suggest that Historic Fort Snelling, as a symbol of imperialism, should be destroyed?
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Question: 19. Why does the Minnesota Historical Society operate the Alexander Ramsey House and why isn’t his role in the war and the removal of the Dakota from Minnesota discussed in the interpretation of the house?
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Question: 20. Could the policies of the U.S. government and the State of Minnesota government in the 1860s be considered genocide?
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Question: 21. Was the internment camp located below the current Historic Fort Snelling really a concentration camp?
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Question: 22. Why does the Minnesota Historical Society use the term “settlers” to describe people moving into the area now known as Minnesota during the mid-1800s?
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Question: 23. What role does the Minnesota Historical Society play in sharing American Indian history beyond that related to the war?
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