Publication Date: October 10, 2023
Two cultures met in Minnesota-one striving to maintain its homeland and traditions, another trying to create a life of freedom, prosperity, and abundance.
Samuel Copeland was just a teenager in 1859 when he and his family left Vermont for the promise of a new life in Minnesota. But life is harder and more dangerous than he expected. Devastated by the loss of his father at the hands of Indians and seeking to protect his brother, Samuel joins the Union army believing he’d be safe on the frontier. WaabiskiMakwa was still a boy in 1850 when his father perished at Sandy Lake because of the negligence of U.S. government officials. Seeing his way of life crumbling around him, WaabiskiMakwa leaves his home to mourn his father and seek a new way, one that includes his lost-love, Agnes. Seeking their own solutions, neither Waabi or Samuel could see the collision course their paths had been set upon by a world in conflict. War was in their future and it was inevitable. But when war breaks out, and their cultures collide, so do their individual paths. Though they can’t stop the war, maybe they can help each other.
Fueled by years of mistreatment and seeing the opportunity provided by the War with the South, Dakota spokesman Little Crow and Ojibwe leader Bagone-giizhig, join forces in an effort to reclaim their Native lands. Spurred by early victories over Fort Ridgley and New Ulm, the Dakota-Ojibwe Alliance heads north to Fort Snelling, the beacon of American strength in the region. Once thought impenetrable, the fort and its small group of volunteer militia fights to hang on when a new enemy arrives from the West.
In Reclaiming Mni Sota, the true and lasting results of history are challenged. Acting as individuals, striving to protect ourselves and our families, it’s impossible to understand our role and impact in the much larger march of time. The United States is an abundant, beautiful land filled with wealth and opportunity, but its history is scarred by inequity and loss. What if the defeated became the victors? What would that mean for the world today and how would that illuminate the wrongs of the past?
While much attention has focused on the early days of the Civil War between the North and the South, other conflicts had reached the boiling point as white settlers battled the Indigenous population in Minnesota.
Author Colin Mustful dives into the five-week skirmish known as The U.S.-Dakota War of 1862 in his book Reclaiming Mni Sota. Unlike many historical accounts, the author takes a different perspective by delivering an alternate history.
Readers are introduced to Samuel and Waabi, both of whom play a significant role in this fictional account. Samuel and his family leave Vermont for Minnesota in hopes of a fresh start filled with prosperity. After his father is killed during a skirmish with Indians over cranberry ownership, Samuel is determined to seek revenge. Meanwhile, Waabi, a member of the Ojibwe tribe, straddles both his native culture and the one he’s exposed to in the classroom.
When the two meet, they soon learn the foolishness of making assumptions regarding good or evil, friend or foe. Their story is but a small side note in the larger narrative, flipping the script. What if the settlers had been the ones imprisoned in the camp under horrifying conditions?
The author’s thorough research resonates as the story unfolds. He doesn’t malign either group; he provides the framework for the story to unfold. The key, though, is understanding the impact that skirmish had, and continues to have, on future generations.
Reclaiming Mni Sota provides plenty of food for thought regarding race relations reverberating today while using the past as a reference point.
Colin Mustful is an independent historian, author, and publisher. His work, which includes five historical novels, focuses on the tumultuous and complicated periods of settler-colonialism and Native displacement in American history. He has a Master of Arts degree in history and a Master of Fine Arts degree in creative writing. He is the founder and editor of History Through Fiction, an independent press that publishes compelling historical novels that are based on real events and people. As a traditional publisher, he works with authors who want to share important historical stories with the world. Mustful is an avid runner and soccer player who lives in Minneapolis, Minnesota. He believes that learning history is vital to understanding our world today and finding just, long-lasting solutions for the future.
