Prairie Island Indian Community

About

We are the Bdewakantunwan – those who were born of the waters. We are one with the land. The waters, the bluffs, the prairies, the buffalo shape and define who we are as Dakota people. Our members descend from the Bdewakantunwan (Mdewakanton) Band of Eastern Dakota. We are the Dakota Oyate (people), are also commonly referred to as the Minnesota Sioux.

This is our homeland; our relatives lived on these lands that are now called Minnesota for countless generations. Dakota people from throughout the region gathered in this area to live, hunt, worship and raise their families. It is a special place; a spiritual place, and a final resting spot from many of our ancestors.

Despite past efforts to eliminate the Dakota Oyate from Minnesota, and the ongoing hazards we face, we are a resilient people and Prairie Island will always be our home.

This is our story – a story about the transformation of an Island – and we are proud to share it with you.

Our focus as Dakota Oyate is on preserving our way of life for the next seven generations. For too many years our voices were silenced, our history buried, and our language forgotten. For too many years, our people were pushed to the sidelines and diminished. Today, we are a strong, proud Tribal nation. We are still one with this land, shaped by the waters, bluffs, prairies and buffalo, but we are changing, and we are determined. The transformation of an Island will continue because our people– the Bdewakantunwan Dakota – continue.

We were here before it was Prairie Island, and Prairie Island will always be part of who we are.