St. Benedict's Mission, White Earth Indian Reservation (White Earth Band of Ojibwe). The various American Indian bands living in Canada and the Northwest Territory fought among themselves and the white settlers as Indian hunting grounds continued to be lost. The Dakotas finally settled farther west and the Ojibwe made land treaties with the U.S. government which reserved land around specific lakes in northern Minnesota for them. However, in 1867, the U.S. government ordered the Ojibwe to give up their scattered settlements and gather in one large reservation at White Earth. The reservation was then divided into agencies with government officials placed in charge. The bishop of the Northwest Territory sent Father Ignatius Tomazin to serve the Catholics at White Earth. Father Tomazin was a missionary from Yugoslavia who had worked among the Ojibwe for some years in the Crow Wing area and was known for his zeal in protecting their rights. While he was courageous in protesting the evils of discrimination practiced by the government agents, he perhaps lacked patience and diplomacy in his confrontations. As a result, Father Tomazin was forced off the reservation and transferred to Red Lake. In 1878, Abbot Rupert Seidenbusch, OSB, who had been appointed bishop of the newly-formed Northern Vicariate, asked St. John's Abbey to provide a priest and St. Benedict's Convent to provide teachers for White Earth. Fathers Aloysius Hermanutz and Joseph Buh from St. John's and Sisters Philomena Ketten and Lioba Brau from St. Benedict's were sent to meet the challenges of White Earth. Six days after they arrived, the sisters opened a day school for 15 pupils (12 girls and 3 boys), which increased to a total of 40 during the following week. (*The American Indian band in northern Minnesota prefer the name Anishinabe -- "Anishinaabeg" meaning "First People" -- while the French settlers called them Ojibwe, which is the more familiar name used in these records; and the government referred to them as Chippewa.) The sketch of the mission shown here is mounted on a card with the name, L. Bergman, Louisville, Kentucky, stamped on the back (SBMA, McDonald, pages 227-232), Pamphlet: "St. Benedict's Mission History, White Earth, MN, 1878-1978, as told by Benno Watrin, OSB (Printed by St. John' Abbey), 1978]
Studio portrait of John Beargrease (1858-1910) and his family. Left to right: Augusta (Constance), John, Joseph, Charlotte, Louise, and Mary Anne Beargrease.
Catholic prayers, instructions, and hymns in the Dakota language, with music. Includes 26 hymns, most of which include the melody notated in treble clef. Illustrated with engravings. University of St. Thomas, Archibishop Ireland Memorial Library call number: PM1024 .H75 1899
Contributing Institution:
University of St. Thomas - Archbishop Ireland Memorial Library
This short tract in the Dakota language describes the American Bible Society, founded in 1816. The Santee Normal Training School instructed Dakota children in the Dakota language. These children came from families who were removed from Minnesota to Nebraska after the U.S.-Dakota War in 1863. Reverend A.L. Riggs founded the school in 1870 as an academy to train Native teachers. The school developed a printing press in 1871 and produced many materials in the Dakota language.
Contributing Institution:
Synod of Lakes and Prairies, Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)
This is a print by the artist and military officer Seth Eastman, who was stationed in Minnesota before statehood. The print shows a mounted Native American man about to kill a buffalo with an arrow.
This is a print by the artist and military officer Seth Eastman, who was stationed in Minnesota before statehood. It shows a Dakota campsite along a body of water.
This is a print by the artist and military officer Seth Eastman, who was stationed in Minnesota before statehood. It shows several dwellings of the Dakota people.
This is a print by the artist and military officer Seth Eastman, who was stationed in Minnesota before statehood. Two Native American men on snowshoes are shown hunting buffalo.
This is a print by the artist and military officer Seth Eastman, who was stationed in Minnesota before statehood. A Native American is shown as he is catching fish by using a bow and arrow.
This is a print by the artist and military officer Seth Eastman, who was stationed in Minnesota before statehood. The print shows Native Americans moving with their belongings to a new location.
This is a print by the artist and military officer Seth Eastman, who was stationed in Minnesota before statehood. The print shows Native Americans tapping trees and making sugar.
This is a print by the artist and military officer Seth Eastman, who was stationed in Minnesota before statehood. The print shows a medicine dance performed by members of the Winnebago tribe.
This is a print by the artist and military officer Seth Eastman, who was stationed in Minnesota before statehood. The print shows a Native American activity in which a number of men are involved.
This is a print by the artist and military officer Seth Eastman, who was stationed in Minnesota before statehood. It shows a view of the Minnesota River Valley.
A selection from the Book of Common Prayer and liturgies of the Protestant Episcopal Church. In English and Dakota language (Santee dialect) on opposite pages with pages numbered in duplicate. University of St. Thomas, Archibishop Ireland Memorial Library call number: BV175 .S46
Contributing Institution:
University of St. Thomas - Archbishop Ireland Memorial Library
This pamphlet, in the Dakota language, includes two pieces. The first is a brief biography of Abraham Lincoln, and the second is a translation of seven of Aesop's Fables into Dakota. The Santee Normal Training School instructed Dakota children in the Dakota language. These children came from families who were removed from Minnesota to Nebraska after the U.S.-Dakota War in 1863. Reverend A.L. Riggs founded the school in 1870 as an academy to train Native teachers. The school developed a printing press in 1871 and produced many materials in the Dakota language.
Contributing Institution:
Synod of Lakes and Prairies, Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)
Two men standing in a fishing boat holding fish, the man on the right may be Ojibwe, end of birch bark canoe, hundreds of fish in foreground on the beach, may be Duluth or Grand Marais, may be fish drying stands in background, may be in a cove
Contributing Institution:
University of Minnesota Duluth, Kathryn A. Martin Library, Northeast Minnesota Historical Collections
Studio portrait of local Chippewa band members, including: Jim Cobenas, Tigoble, Red Lake, Joe Cobenas (holding a ceremonial pipe), and Charles Cobenas (holding a ceremonial pipe).
Informal portait of the Ross Indian Village in 1887. Individuals in the photograph include Chief Cobenas (center with feathered headdress) with two of his wives, Billy McGillis and a young girl. McGillis' wife is in the bonnet. Nineteen local Indians, including men, women, children and babies posed for this photograph. Two tipis and an oxcart are also visible in the photograph.
Bible history, criticism, interpretation, and stories in the Dakota Indian language, illustrated with engravings. University of St. Thomas, Archibishop Ireland Memorial Library call number: PM1024 .H8
Contributing Institution:
University of St. Thomas - Archbishop Ireland Memorial Library