In week four of class, I was able to watch the film Dakota 38. This was about the 38 Dakota tribe men that were hanged for fighting back for their own rights and land. The majority of the film followed Jim Miller. He was a Dakota tribe member, and he had a dream about these 38 men. It sparked in him the ambition to travel 330 miles on horseback back to Minnesota, where the terrible event occurred. I thought it was great to see him talk about honoring those who were taken away by the hanging. I really wish that our culture was a little more like this. I guess it could just be the way my family has been raised, but I feel like not a lot of other white families really worry too much about their lineage/ancestors. This whole film really just demonstrated how great the spirits of the Natives are. They are so willing to do what is right. Not because they want to be seen that way, but because it is simply in their nature. A huge part of this was how Jim talked about how they were going to forgive the men who hanged the Dakota. With something this terrible, you would think they would never let it go, but they continue to demonstrate that they have strong spirits, and are willing to forgive because they feel it is the right thing to do.
I thought it was also really cool how for the trip, they allowed anyone to go on the trip with them. They didn’t restrict it to only Dakota lineage. They were willing to let anyone who wanted to help honor their people do so. This was a great way for them to show how they were willing to live among others. They were giving knowledge of their culture to the people who were giving their support. This also ties back to the whole cultural exchange. It showed a give and a take situation.