Category Archives: Native Americans

19th Century, Exploration, History, Intercession, Jesus, Minnesota, Native Americans

Snake River Fur Post 1804

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British fur trader John Sayer, a partner in the North West Company, leads a crew of 15 men up the Snake River. They build a fur post, trade with the Ojibwe over the winter, and leave in the spring with hundreds of furs.*

Jesus, thank you for the blessings of trade to Minnesota through this post. Will You forgive any offenses here through John Sayer, and redeem any future interactions with the Ojibwe? By Your authority, I want to bless the Ojibwe people at Snake River, their generations, and their dwellings! Lord help them fulfill the wonderful destiny You have in mind for them!

*Note – PrayThroughHistory uses the timeline located for several years at the Minnesota Historical Society Web site, at this URL: mnhs.org/about/dipity_timeline.htm .  The current URL is www.dipity.com/Minnesota/History/Minnesota-History/ and only works if typed, not pasted, in browser. It is worth the effort!

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18th Century, Economics, History, Intercession, Jesus, Minnesota, Native Americans

North West Fur Co. 1784  

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“Grand Portage on Lake Superior becomes the western headquarters of the new North West (fur) Company. From here the British dominate the North American fur trade until Americans arrive in the early 1800s.” *

Father, I thank You for the blessing of work. It’s good to be productive and provide for our families. It’s a blessing to find joy in our job, whether simple or complex!

I don’t know what type of dominance the North West Fur company exercised in GrandPortage. However, I want to acknowledge how human it is to want control. Lord, forgive the offenses of N.W.F. Co. against You, and any other human parties involved! Father forgive any counter-judgments made by trappers supplying pelts to N.W. Fur.

We easily slip into judgments against our bosses and authority figures. Lord, forgive my attempts to control my own work life through the control of others! Will You wipe the slate clean?

*Note – PrayThroughHistory uses the timeline located for several years at the Minnesota Historical Society Web site, at this URL: mnhs.org/about/dipity_timeline.htm .  The current URL is www.dipity.com/Minnesota/History/Minnesota-History/ and only works if typed, not pasted, in browser. It is worth the effort!

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18th Century, Catholic, Culture, government, History, Intercession, Jesus, law, Minnesota, Native Americans, Transference, war

Spanish Claims 1763  

Louis XV France

Louis XV France

“Half of Minnesota passes to Spain when France gives up her trade west of the Mississippi. The exchange happens not because of activity in the Americas but as the result of a war in far away Europe.

No Spanish representatives are known to have visited the area after this trade and the Dakota and Ojibwe know nothing of it. Spain will return the land to France in 1800.” *

Charles III of Spain

Charles III of Spain

Allow me to amplify this story? Louis XV had just lost the French and Indian War to Britain. This meant that Canada was claimed by England. Simultaneously, France was losing the Seven Years War on the Continent. He contacted his cousin, King Charles III of Spain, and secretly ceded his rights to all New France west of the Mississippi to Spain.

These facts are plain, Lord, but why would France yield such a massive stake in lucrative North America stretching from Louisiana through Minnesota? Was it pure politics and resentment of Britain? Was it born of familial ties between these men, or the bonds of the Catholic faith? It did bring an absence of war, but is absence of war the same as peace?

Lord, I don’t know how this transaction affected our state in this era. Help me see. It seems that Spain ruled with such a light touch that most Minnesotans were not aware of the change. Will You forgive any bondage or bitter roots created in this specific geographical territory because of the judgments held by Britain, France or Spain, Dakota or Ojibwe?

Whether these men were kind-hearted or connivers, that is Your judgment, but I acknowledge that we are no different today. We use or perhaps misuse whatever measure of authority or influence at our disposal when we feel our claims are threatened. We, like these two cousins, may secretively craft plans to block the advances of the opposing team to “keep it in the family.”

Will You teach us Your humility in our diplomacy? When we lose in life, may it not be doubled by the vow, “I will lose to anybody else, but not them.” Christ have mercy on us. May we become the generation that is content to be the humble, temporary tenants of Your land!

 

*Note – PrayThroughHistory uses the timeline located for several years at the Minnesota Historical Society Web site, at this URL: mnhs.org/about/dipity_timeline.htm .  The current URL is www.dipity.com/Minnesota/History/Minnesota-History/ and only works if typed, not pasted, in browser. It is worth the effort!

 

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18th Century, Culture, History, Intercession, Jesus, Minnesota, Native Americans, Transportation

Horses Arrive 1740 to 1760

“By the mid-1700s, thUnknown-1e Dakota are riding horses, obtained in trade with other tribes, on their buffalo hunts on the prairie. They can now follow the herds farther west on the plains.

Horses had been extinct in the Americas for about 8,000 years. Columbus reintroduced them when he carried European breeds to the continent in 1493. Nearly 200 years later, horses were abundant on the plains, where they transformed the lives of the region’s inhabitants.” *

Master, thank You for the creation that You allow us to live and thrive in! Thank You that horses have blessed the lives of the Dakota and immigrant alike! Thank You for the gift of the buffalo to our forbearers! Thank You for reintroducing the horse to North America, and for it’s profound impact on Dakotans’ survival!

Why did You use Europeans to bless North America with the horse? It is good to remember that European explorers were not solely the “exploiters”  of North America as some revisionists may hold. In this case, will You remember those who brought the horse as “contributors?” Thank you, Father, that all cultures are free to choose to contribute and be blessed by those they may not yet know!

Will You bless both horse and rider in Minnesota forever? Will You make us better as a people in our treatment of all horses? Will You give us insight into Your masterpiece; the horse?

*Note – PrayThroughHistory uses the timeline located for several years at the Minnesota Historical Society Web site, at this URL: mnhs.org/about/dipity_timeline.htm .  The current URL is http://www.dipity.com/Minnesota/History/Minnesota-History/ and only works if typed, not pasted, in browser. It is worth the effort!

 

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18th Century, Catholic, Culture, Exploration, History, Intercession, Jesus, Minnesota, Native Americans, Transportation

La Vérendrye & Grand Portage Trail 1731

Google Images

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“Using a map made on birch bark by Assiniboin guide Ochagach, Pierre La Vérendrye follows the Grand Portage trail from Lake Superior to Lake of the Woods. It is not a way to the western sea, as he has hoped, but fur traders will follow this trail for the next 100 years.” *

Sometimes the easy way is the hard way. A portage is an overland pathway that avoids dangerous rapids or falls for those traveling by river. Ochagach likely thought that the “western sea” that La Verendrye sought was Lake Winnipeg. Regardless of his disappointment, La Verendrye and the voyageurs respected and appreciated the wisdom in taking this 8.5mile trail past the dangers of the Pigeon River.

We often balk at the delays of modern life, even though we have such incredible technologies that serve our whims and convenience. Will You make us like Ochagach, so that we can see the dangers of convenience in our lives? Will You make us like La Verendrye, that we may heed the warnings of our friends to not try to foolishly “shoot the rapids?”

Father, thanks that You lead us on our way. Thanks that You delight in sharing your mysteries with us. Bless the Assiniboin people, Ochagach, and P. La Verendrye for the gift of this trail. Thank you that these two men showed trust to each other! Thanks for the lessons of the portage!

**Note – PrayThroughHistory uses the timeline located for several years at the Minnesota Historical Society Web site, at this URL: mnhs.org/about/dipity_timeline.htm .  Currently the timeline seems to be unavailable.

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17th Century, Catholic, Culture, Exploration, France, History, Intercession, Minnesota, Native Americans

Hennepin at Falls of St. Anthony 1680  

 

 

Source:Google Images

“Early explorer who named St. Anthony Falls” copyright Ken Fox

 

“Louis Hennepin, a missionary with the La Salle expedition in Illinois, is sent up the Mississippi to explore the country. The Dakota stop him and his two companions and take them to a village near Lake Mille Lacs. While Hennepin is with the Dakota, he sees a great waterfall on the Mississippi and names it after his favorite saint–Saint Anthony.” *

Lord, thanks that You position us to encounter Your mystery! I don’t know if Hennepin was stopped by force or friendliness, but thank You that You moved him to see the Falls, and the Dakotas to lead him! What a gift these Dakotas’ shared with a total stranger?! What a generosity of spirit! Will You remember their willingness to share the findings of their exploration? Release us from any false judgments or assumptions, Hennepin to Dakota, or vice versa, that stem from this event. Release Your blessings on both groups; the explorers and first residents of Minneapolis, Minnesota. Amen.

*Note – PrayThroughHistory uses the timeline located for several years at the Minnesota Historical Society Web site, at this URL:mnhs.org/about/dipity_timeline.htm .  Currently the timeline seems to be unavailable. I am hopeful that it will be back up in the future, as it was a valuable, user-friendly tool for anyone wishing to explore Minnesota history.

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17th Century, Culture, Economics, History, Intercession, Minnesota, Native Americans

Dakota & Ojibwe Treaty 1679

 

“Tensions mount between the Dakota and the Ojibwe newcomers. At a meeting arranged by Daniel du Luth, a European trader interested in keeping the peace, they strike a bargain. The Dakota agree to let the Ojibwe hunt in their territory, and the Ojibwe will let traders cross Lake Superior to trade with the Dakota.” *

Lord, thanks for being a good dad! Thanks that You know how to deal with the pettiness of children…and adults. I want to acknowledge the tensions that have risen in my own heart through the judgments of others, and the property that You have entrusted them with. I am just like du Luth, the Dakota, and the Ojibwe!

Will You forgive the fears of these groups towards one another? Will You forgive any envy of these groups? Will You release both victim and victimizer from the judgements of this event? Will You release us in the present from any heritage of bitterness or self-righteousness as it pertains to trade and commerce on Lake Superior? May You bless all, like du Luth, who seek to establish chesed (right relationship) rather than conflict?

*Note – PrayThroughHistory uses the timeline located for several years at the Minnesota Historical Society Web site, at this URL: mnhs.org/about/dipity_timeline.htm .  Currently the timeline seems to be unavailable. I am hopeful that it will be back up in the future, as it was a valuable, user-friendly tool for anyone wishing to explore Minnesota history.

 

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17th Century, Exploration, France, History, Intercession, maps, Minnesota, Native Americans

Allouez Creates Map of Lake Superior 1671

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“Partie Occidentale du Canada ou de la Nouvelle France ou sont les Nations des Ilinois, de Tracy, les Iroquois, et Plusieurs autres Peuples; avec la Louisiane Nouvellement Decouverte etc. . . . 1688” Vincenzo Maria Coronelli / Jean-Baptiste Nolin. raremaps.com

 

“Claude Allouez, a missionary on Madeline Island in the 1660s, explores the western and northern shores of Lake Superior. In 1671, he produces one of the best early maps of the lake, indicating the first European awareness of Minnesota.” *

Lord Jesus, thank You that You are the Way! Thank You for the roadmap of forgiveness that restores broken hearts and relationship! Thank You for the discipline of map-making and bless Allouez, his generations, and dwellings for this gift! Will You bless all future Minnesotans who are committed to showing us the way?

*Note – PrayThroughHistory uses the timeline located for several years at the Minnesota Historical Society Web site, at this URL: mnhs.org/about/dipity_timeline.htm .  Currently the timeline seems to be unavailable. I am hopeful that it will be back up in the future, as it was a valuable, user-friendly tool for anyone wishing to explore Minnesota history.

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17th Century, Culture, History, Intercession, Minnesota, Native Americans

Ojibwe arrived in Minnesota 1650 to 1700

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“Boy Chief” ca. 1835 George Catlin. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ojibwe

“The Ojibwe Indians, who have been moving westward for generations, reach the land we now call Minnesota. They encounter forest-dwelling Dakota people already here. The Ojibwe have gradually moved west from the region near the mouth of the St. Lawrence River, north of present-day Maine. By 1680, they have divided into three groups; the northern and southwestern groups have traveled west along the shores of Lake Superior. They have been involved in the fur trade for generations and possess guns. Like the Dakota, the Ojibwe are nature-based hunters, fishers, and horticulturalists.” *

Lord Jesus, thank You for using Minnesota as a meeting grounds for the Ojibwe and Dakota tribes! What good was in Your heart in this season for these tribes? Again, a migration of peoples from east to west, but this time Native Americans meeting Native Americans. Thank You for the potential released through the gift of new friendships.

I ask for the continuation and refreshment of this alliance begun in 1650 between these two tribes. If there were any bitter seeds planted then, will You kindly uproot them and release Your peace in its place? Will You retake any legal ground the Enemy may hold through this event, and specifically as it affects these tribal lands? Will You send your grace and truth into any contentious areas? May all Dakota and Ojibwe be blessed by You; Exalted Chief of the hunter, the fisherman, and the planter!

*Note – PrayThroughHistory uses the timeline located for several years at the Minnesota Historical Society Web site, at this URL: mnhs.org/about/dipity_timeline.htm .  Currently the timeline seems to be unavailable. I am hopeful that it will be back up in the future, as it was a valuable, user-friendly tool for anyone wishing to explore Minnesota history.

 

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17th Century, Culture, Exploration, History, Intercession, Jesus, Minnesota, Native Americans

Radisson & Groseilliers 1659 to 1660  

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“Lured by rumors of vast untouched beaver preserves, brothers-in-law Pierre-Esprit Radisson and Medard Chouart (Sieur Des Groseilliers) ventured into the country north of Lake Superior in 1659 and spent the winter with the Dakota Indians in the Mille Lacs region. Their report of the wealth in furs led to the founding of the Hudson’s Bay Company in 1670.” *

Lord Jesus, thank you for this winter and the relationship of Pierre-Espirit Radisson and Medard Chouart and the Dakota Indians in the Lake Mille Lacs area of Minnesota.

Thank you for the generosity of the Dakotas.  Thanks for the wealth of natural resources given Minnesota, and in this case; a large beaver population. You managed the waterways of this state, long before humans, through this creature!

I want to acknowledge any bitter root judgments that stem from this event and the founding of the Hudson’s Bay Company. I acknowledge the envy of the human heart towards another’s wealth. I acknowledge the misuse of Your creation. Will You release us in the present from these past judgments and real offenses?

**Note – PrayThroughHistory uses the timeline located for several years at the Minnesota Historical Society Web site, at this URL: mnhs.org/about/dipity_timeline.htm .  Currently the timeline seems to be unavailable. I am hopeful that it will be back up in the future, as it was a valuable, user-friendly tool for anyone wishing to explore Minnesota history.

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