New report examines U of M history of mistreating Native Americans and outlines recommendations for improving relations

CATHY WURZER: Tribal and University of Minnesota researchers today released a report that details a long history of mistreatment of Native people by the University. There's a new report out this morning that examines the harm caused Native Americans by the school. Native leaders say it's the first time a major American University has critically examined its history with Native people. Dan Kraker has more on the TRUTH project.

DAN KRAKER: In 1851, the Dakota signed two treaties that ceded 24 million acres of land to the US government. In exchange--

ROBERT LARSEN: We were promised certain things.

DAN KRAKER: Robert Larsen is President of the Lower Sioux Indian community.

ROBERT LARSEN: We were promised 10 miles on each side of the Minnesota River, which at the time they figured, yeah, that was OK. We could survive on that. But then they realized on the North side, that's great land for farming, so they took that away.

DAN KRAKER: The treaties also promised money, supplies, and training to help the Dakota transition to farming.

ROBERT LARSEN: It wasn't ever paid, and that led to the war.

DAN KRAKER: The federal government's hanging of 38 Dakota men in Mankato in 1862 brought an end to the US Dakota War. It also led to a windfall for the University of Minnesota. Sales of land taken from the Dakota raised huge sums of money that were used to form the U. Of the signers of those treaties, Larsen points out, was Alexander Ramsey, one of the founding regions of the University. The U is known as a land grant university. Larsen says land grab is more accurate.

ROBERT LARSEN: Because they were granted this land that was stolen from us and never paid for. And they grew that wealth, and they still are today. Everything that they've achieved was on the detriment to our people.

DAN KRAKER: The TRUTH report released today delves into the details of how the university profited off of Native land and people. It concludes that the U's founding board of regents, quote, "committed genocide and ethnic cleansing of Indigenous peoples for financial gain."

And it shows how millions of in revenue derived from timber, minerals, and other resources from Native land were invested in municipalities around the state, but not in tribal communities. Shannon Geshick is executive director of the Minnesota Indian Affairs Council. She says it's the first report in which a major university critically examines its history with Native people.

SHANNON GESHICK: One part of me is really appreciative of the-- I guess-- courage of the university. But also the other part of me is like, it's time. It's important that other voices are heard, not only the dominant voice. The TRUTH project kind of just rips that open and really reveals a narrative I think that a lot of people just don't know.

DAN KRAKER: A team of Indigenous researchers spent six months digging into university archives. They cataloged and studied more than 5,000 pages related to the university's founding. Early on, they realized the work would be much more emotionally taxing than they had anticipated.

AUDRIANNA GOODWIN: As soon as we got into the archives and started to get those first hand accounts of what we experienced as a people, it was really hard to read and to learn about.

DAN KRAKER: Audrianna Goodwin was a TRUTH report researcher and a research fellow for the Red Lake Nation.

AUDRIANNA GOODWIN: You start to see the connections from the past and how that has transpired today.

DAN KRAKER: Goodwin says Native people have some of the highest rates of fatal overdoses from the opioid epidemic, some of the highest rates of suicide, diabetes, and other health and social disparities.

AUDRIANNA GOODWIN: And so sometimes when we were researching, we just have to stop. Those emotions would become so overpowering where you just want to cry. We carry all of that trauma and all of that pain. And hopefully with this report, we won't have to carry that alone.

DAN KRAKER: For An Garagiola, another researcher on the project, the work hit close to home when Goodwin came across documents showing the university's involvement in relocating 36 families on the Bois Forte Reservation in the mid 1900s. Garagiola is a descendent of the Bois Forte band of Chippewa. The names of the families weren't mentioned in the documents, but her grandmother was relocated around that same time.

AN GARAGIOLA: And thinking then of the trajectory that that set my family on-- I'm still trying to process that. And that was kind of the point where I knew I had to step away from the archives at least because I couldn't take in any more of that at the time.

DAN KRAKER: But Garagiola and others involved say there's also healing that can occur by uncovering these stories. Misty Blue was appointed by the Minnesota Indian Affairs Council to coordinate the TRUTH project.

MISTY BLUE: Trauma really asks us to forget. In contextualizing that history, I think there can be healing that is found. So hopefully through this type of process, these legacies of colonization can lose some of their power.

DAN KRAKER: Blue says the TRUTH report is notable for its Native-centered approach. Each tribe appointed a research fellow to explore histories important to them. For the Red Lake Nation, Goodwin explored medical research conducted by the university on young Red Lake children in the 1960s.

Some tribal members are concerned that children were given kidney biopsies without their parents' consent and that researchers may have withheld treatment. A companion report commissioned by the university says it's unclear whether there was consent because the Red Lake Nation refused to share records. Tribal Secretary Sam Strong says it was the U that failed to keep records.

SAM STRONG: In today's world, I was hoping for a more transparent and accountable university system, and it's really disheartening to see that they're trying to silence our voice. They're trying to silence the harm that they caused to our community.

DAN KRAKER: Strong says he'd like to see a greater investment from the university in learning the full extent of what happened. The report concludes with a series of recommendations for improving university/tribal relations moving forward. Among them is a call for perpetual reparations to Indigenous people. It also asks the U to invest the permanent university fund in a way that gives back to tribal nations.

Tribal leaders say the university under President Joan Gabel has taken meaningful steps toward addressing some of their concerns. She's met quarterly with tribal leaders and appointed Native leaders to high level positions in her administration. In 2021, the U created a program that offers free or substantially reduced tuition to many enrolled tribal members, but it's been criticized for only helping a fraction of Native students at the university.

ROBERT LARSEN: It was a great start, but it certainly shouldn't be the end.

DAN KRAKER: Lower Sioux Indian community. President Robert Larsen who's also chair of the Minnesota Indian Affairs Council says the intent of the report isn't to shame or blame people--

ROBERT LARSEN: But to put that simple truth out there because we were starved. We were marched. We were hanged. We were experimented on. All of these things tie into the university, and we need to heal.

DAN KRAKER: The researchers know that healing will take a while, but they remain hopeful the report will lead to transformative changes at the U. With reporting from Melissa Olson, I'm Dan Kraker, MPR News.

CATHY WURZER: By the way, the university has released a statement in response to the report. It says, and I'm quoting now, "We recognize the countless hours of work reflected in this report and the truth telling that will benefit us all going forward that's built upon the time, effort, and emotional labor of every individual involved. We want to reiterate our appreciation for each of you.

In recent years, the University has committed to acknowledging the past and doing the necessary work to begin rebuilding and strengthening relationships with tribal nations and Native people. Openly receiving this report is another step toward honoring that commitment. While documenting the past, the TRUTH report also provides guidance as to how the University can solidify lasting relationships with tribes and Indigenous peoples built on respect, open communication, and action. As we engage in the important discussions that will now follow, that guidance will be invaluable."

We also reached out to the University of Minnesota regents for comment but did not hear back by the time we aired this story. Finally, this story is made possible in part by the Minnesota Legacy Amendments Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund.