The River We Remember

Content Warning: This section contains references to sexual assault and rape.

Sam Wicklow goes to interview Noah. Noah explains that Dakota is the proper term for the nation to which he belongs and gives a brief history of his own family and of the Dakota in the region. He points out to Sam that what white people call “The Sioux Uprising” was actually a series of wars that decimated the Dakota in and around Jewel. He notes the difficulty of being Indigenous in a majority-white area and explains that many with Indigenous ancestry try to hide their roots. He had worked for the Quinns because they were some of the few who had been willing to hire Dakota workers. He confirms the truth of the story that his family’s land had been stolen by the Quinns while many of its members were imprisoned in St. Paul at the end of the Dakota War. He explains that one of his ancestors had been killed at Inkpaduta Bend and argues that it is their crying that can still be heard there at night. Sam listens attentively and asks to be allowed to return for another interview.