Johnson Siblings from Prairie Island, MN. Approximately 1940s.
Prairie Island Dakota Oral History
White, Whitney
In order to contribute to the history of the Prairie Island Indian Community, this project’s author recorded the memories of elders’ experiences living at Prairie Island. The tribal elders were encouraged to express the history they wanted preserved for the community in their own words. Two tribal elders, aged 62 and 70 participated. Each participant was interviewed and digitally recorded over the course of two days. A list of topics was provided to begin the interview, but the interviews were not limited to those topics.
In the recorded interviews the two tribal elders shared their life stories and unique experiences. Their responses were compared and similarities and differences noted. The most significant finding was that both elders remembered a strong sense of community at Prairie Island while they were growing up, as well as during the lifetimes of their parents. They believed that this sense of community was not as strong today as it had been in the past.
Prairie Island Dakota Oral History Documentary
The primary source data was assembled through ethnographic interviews with Prairie Island Indian Community tribal elders. Each participant interviewed was asked: “What memories of your experiences living at Prairie Island would you like to record as part of the history of the Prairie Island community?” We reviewed various topics for conversation, but participants were allowed to steer the conversation whichever way they pleased. Topics included: family history and kinship, experiences growing up and going to school on Prairie Island or in Red Wing, memories of elders who have passed away, stories of community gatherings, powwows, and ceremonies, changes in the landscape and built environment, where people lived, how and where people traveled, connections with other Dakota communities and other tribal communities, economic activities, living conditions, stories passed down through families/generations, knowledge of sacred sites on Prairie Island, traditional medicine, and anything else interviewee considered an important aspect of Prairie Island history.