Dakota Exiles Ride, 2024 - Be Part of Our Journey!

Be a part of our journey - a journey of honor, strength, and survival. We ride because they endured. Wopila Tanka for joining us in this tribute to the Dakota Exile.

Link to video telling about the Dakota Exile

Imagine being torn from your home, stripped of freedom, and separated from loved ones, forced into a brutal exile where starvation, abuse, and death became your daily reality.

For thousands of Dakota men, women, children, and elders, this was not a nightmare—it was their life during and following the Dakota Exile.

This ride specifically honors the Dakota people exiled after the 1862 Dakota Wars and the subsequent Dakota 38+2 mass execution ordered by President Abraham Lincoln.

In the winter of 1862, nearly 1,700 Dakota were displaced to an internment camp at Fort Snelling, where an estimated 100 to 300 died from starvation, measles, and cholera.

In 1863, the remaining Dakota women, children, and elders were loaded onto overcrowded steamboats by the U.S. Army and abandoned far from everything they had known. Many leaped from the ships, risking drowning over the horrors awaiting them, and many others perished during this harrowing journey.

For those who reached shore, on what is now known as the Crow Creek Reservation, life was hell—starvation to the extent of forcing them to dig through animal waste for seeds, while over 300 children and many others succumbed to malnutrition, disease, and the harsh, extreme environment. Dakota women endured relentless physical, mental, and sexual abuse.

This traumatic experience left indelible scars on the Dakota community, impacting generations to come and shaping their enduring fight for survival and justice.

Through horseback riding, storytelling, and ceremony, we remember this dark chapter and honor our ancestors—their resilience and hope for a better future.

The Dakota Exile Ride strengthens bonds within the community, fostering youth leadership and cultural identity. Every mile reconnects us with our past and helps build a stronger future.

Why Your Support is Crucial: This is not just a ride; it’s a journey of remembrance, survival, and justice. Your support enables us to honor these ancestors and help the next generation carry forward their legacy.

Every contribution helps:

• Support the Riders: Your donation provides food, lodging, fuel, and safety for the riders who commit to this journey in honor of our ancestors.

• Empower Youth through Connection to Their History: The Dakota Exile Ride teaches young people the truth of our past, fostering resilience and pride.

• Preserve and Amplify Dakota Stories of Survival: Supporting this journey ensures the truth of the Dakota Exile—and the courage of survivors—is never forgotten.

• Promote Healing from Generational Trauma: This ride is about processing the grief our ancestors endured, so we can carry their strength into the future.

• Feed and Care for Our Horses: Your donations help cover food and essential care for our four-legged relatives, vital participants in this tribute.

Your donation, no matter how small, makes a difference in helping us remember, heal, and honor the legacy of the Dakota people.

Together, we can ride in the footsteps of our ancestors, carry their stories forward, and find healing as a community.

Please join us in this powerful movement of remembrance, healing, and unity. 100% of every donation will directly support this Ride's mission to preserve cultural practices, empower the next generation, and create meaningful change for our community.

Wopila Tanka—thank you for your support!

All Staffs are Welcome, as We Were All in Exile from Our Beloved Homelands and Way of Life.

Isanti Makoce to Mankato, MN (approx. 290 miles)

December 14th through December 26th, 2024

All Riders and Support Crew Welcomed

We will be camping out during this ride, so bring cold-weather gear.

The Ride will proceed no matter the weather, although weather may cause the Ride's schedule to adjust.

For more info contact

Jimmy Hallum 4029610085

Kermit Miner 6058480539

Laura Walsh 2486676366

FB Group: Dakota Exiles Ride FB Group

Important Ride info is stored on the FEATURE area, found under the photo banner at the top of the FB Group.