Star Tribune
Minnesota Historical Society will return ‘Mankato Hanging Rope’ to Prairie Island Indian Community
The Prairie Island Indian Community soon will be reunited with “Mankato Hanging Rope,” an object it claimed was stolen and then donated to the Minnesota Historical Society. The community filed a claim under the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA) on Feb. 29, requesting the repatriation of “Mankato Hanging Rope,” which was used in the Dec. 26, 1862, execution of Dakota ancestor Wicanhpi Wastedanpi (Good Little Stars).
Known also as Chaske, the relative might have been executed by mistake and was one of 38 Dakota men hanged following the U.S.-Dakota War of 1862. The rope became part of MNHS’ collection in 1869.
According to a statement from the Prairie Island Tribal Historic Preservation Office, the sacred item was stolen from Wicanhpi Wastedanpi’s grave and kept as a trophy before being donated to the Historical Society. If no one else attempts to claim it, the rope will be returned to the tribe within 30 days.
TKTKT QUOTE PRAIRIE ISLAND
The Minnesota Historical Society’s governing board agreed that the item is eligible for repatriation as an unassociated funerary object and as a sacred object, with cultural affiliation to Dakota Tribes. MNHS consulted with the Dakota Tribal Nations about the sacred object.
“This consultation process has been a deeply meaningful learning experience for all of us at MNHS. I am especially grateful to the Dakota community members who have engaged and provided valuable insights and perspective in recent days and over the years,” said Kent Whitworth, MNHS director and CEO.
As part of the repatriation process required by NAGPRA, MNHS communicated with all 11 of the federally recognized Dakota Tribal Nations. They agreed to support Prairie Island Indian Community’s claim.
The next step requires MNHS to submit a Notice of Intent to Repatriate to National NAGPRA that will become part of the Federal Register. If no one else attempts to claim the rope, within 30 days it will be transferred to the Prairie Island Indian Community. Until the time of transfer, the rope will remain in MNHS’ care.
This is not the first time that MNHS has been faced with a repatriation action. MNHS returned remains of five individuals listed in ProPublica data to the Minnesota Indian Affairs Council for repatriation in the mid-1990s.
On Jan. 12, NAGPRA updated its rules on displaying Native objects, requiring museums to obtain consent from tribes before showing cultural objects. MNHS said it is complaint with these new regulations.
LAFAYETTE, Wis. — About 25 children and adults were injured Wednesday when a wagon carrying them overturned at a western Wisconsin apple orchard.
The children, parents and chaperones were on a field trip to the orchard in Lafayette when one of two wagons being pulled by a tractor turned sideways and rolled over, Chippewa County Sheriff Travis Hakes told reporters. Hakes said the tractor was traveling at a low speed when the wagon rolled over while going downhill.
Three people suffered critical injuries, while injuries to five others were considered serious. Authorities didn’t say how many of the injured were children.
The elementary school-age children attend a school in Eau Claire. Lafayette is northeast of Eau Claire.
After about five minutes and several warnings that students participating in the protest would be suspended,, the protesters exited Northrop and Cunningham continued her speech. They later gathered outside on the mall afterwards to shout, “Cunningham, you will see, Palestine will be free.”
Cunningham recounted the story of Norman Borlaug, the U alumnus and agronomist whose research in wheat saved millions from starvation, and said she would prioritize keeping a college education affordable for students.
Cunningham actually took over presidential duties on July 1, replacing Interim President Jeff Ettinger. She oversees a budget of more than $4 billion to run the university’s five campuses, which enrolled more than 68,000 students and employed 27,000 people during the last academic year.
She was chosen for the job last winter over two other candidates: Laura Bloomberg, president of Cleveland State University and former dean of the U’s Humphrey School of Public Affairs, and James Holloway, provost and executive vice president for academic affairs at the University of New Mexico. She is the U’s second woman president, following Joan Gabel who held the office from 2019 to 2023.
Cunningham will be paid more than $1 million per year — about $975,000 in base pay and an additional $120,000 in retirement contributions. The compensation puts her in the top quarter of Big Ten university presidents.
Sgt. Gordon Blackey, once a security guard to Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, allegedly admitted to tracking the woman’s movements in her vehicle, according to a criminal complaint.
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