Our ancestors fought for survival

Ms. Halverson talks about why her Dakota ancestors fought in the U.S.-Dakota War.

Audio Chapters

Our ancestors fought for our survival. They fought for survival. It was a thing – they had to go to war to fight for survival. You know, if they wouldn’t have fought, we would have all just died. We would have starved to death. If there wasn’t a bet, if they wouldn’t have done that, we would have starved to death.

Our people, that’s why we’re here today; we survived because they fought for survival.

Oral History- Interview | Narrator Pamela Halverson Interviewer Deborah Locke | Wednesday, February 23, 2011

Citation: Minnesota Historical Society. U.S. - Dakota War of 1862. Our ancestors fought for survival December 2, 2024. http://www.usdakotawar.org/node/1387

Viewpoints: All viewpoints expressed on this website are those of the contributors, and are not representative of the Minnesota Historical Society.