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An
old photograph of U-Se-Do-Ha - Mdewakanton 1860
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There are several Dakota creation stories.There is a creation story
that says the Dakota came into existence about the lakes at the head
of the Rum River (near Mille Lacs Lake). Another related creation
story says that after a flood some of the people entered into Mille
Lacs Lake and lived underwater, and later emerged from the sacred
lake as human beings into this world. The wisest of teachings came
from the old white haired woman in the lakes, she was the mother of
a sacred lake people.
Here's the Bde/Mde Wakan (Mille Lacs Lake) Dakota (Oceti Sakowin
'Seven Council Fires') creation story: After the flood, some of
the people lived under the water at Bde Tanka of Bde Wakan. One
day a young boy and his sister were walking together. The boy looked
up and saw mniyomni to, a blue whirlpool, above them and reached
up for it. The whirlpool pulled him up to the surface and threw
him out onto the shore. A beautiful place of trees and hills. His
sister followed the bubbles of the mniyomni, reached up, and was
also thrown ashore. She followed her brother's footprints, eating
roots and berries along the way, and picked up a small stone to
suck in order to quench her thirst. Amazed at the beauty of the
place, she was distracted and swallowed the stone. It traveled through
her body and she gave birth to a first born child called Inyan Hoksida,
Stone Boy. Inyan Hoksida grew fast and brought about many great
things to the Dakota. This is how the people walked out of the lake
and became people who walk on the land again." "They are the
Mdewakanton, 'those who were born of the waters'"
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