Carrying on the tradition of the Dakota 38 +2 Memorial Ride, started in 2008 by Jim Miller, a Lakota spiritual leader, the Makatoh Reconcilaition and Healing Horse Ride continued this year to honor the Dakota lives lost in the Dakota War of 1862, 162 years ago.
The ride of remembrance, healing and reconciliation made an overnight stop in Wessington Springs on December 11 again this year. Supporting the mission of healing and remembrance for the younger generations, local volunteers from the Wessington Springs Community Youth Group and members of the Wessington Springs FCCLA Chapter were among the servers who hosted a meal for the riders and their support teams before taking refuge in the ag building for the evening.
The ride commemorated 38 plus two men executed later in the war, also known as the Sioux Uprising. The battle was an armed conflict between the US and several bands of the Eastern Sioux. It began on August 17, 1862 along the Minnesota River and ended with a mass execution of 38 men on December 26, 1862 in Mankato. Miller ended the ride after 2022 and passed away in 2023.
The community surrounding the ride did not want to see it end completely, so they began the journey to create something new. It is now called the Makatoh Reconciliation and Healing Horse Ride. The ride led by Wilfred Keeble and Jim Hallum is focused on drawing attention to the exile of the Dakota people who were forced from their homeland in Minnesota and represent the tribal nations that were dispersed in different directions as a result. While the rides won’t be the same as the original, they aim to serve as an important reminder for younger generations about their culture and also to others about the hardships faced by the Dakota people.
The ride began in Lower Brule, SD on December 10. Later this week, the riders of the Makatoh Reconciliation and Healing Horse Ride are set to complete their journey and arrive at their destination at Reconciliation Park in Mankato, Minnesota.