President's Council for Indigenous RelationsPCIR

Gustavus Adolphus College aspires to be a community of persons from diverse backgrounds who respect and affirm the dignity of all people. President Bergman created the President's Council for Indigenous Relations (PCIR) during the 2021-2022 academic year. 

Land Acknowledgment 

Gustavus Adolphus College is located on the ancestral homelands of the Dakota people, whose spiritual traditions include the belief that this land, along with the creatures and people living on it, are their relatives. The Minnesota River and its watershed are sacred places; these waters and lands are interconnected with Dakota culture, language, creation stories, songs, and ceremonies. As a college, we seek to honor Indigenous people and communities by telling the truth about the history of our presence on this site. Over time and through sustained dialog, we are building relationships and taking deliberate steps toward co-creating a better future for all. 

PCIR Charge

The President’s Council for Indigenous Relations is charged by the Gustavus president with the following responsibilities:

  1. Formulate and communicate Gustavus’ vision and goals with respect to Indigenous relations.
  2. Cultivate relationships with Dakota communities and leaders in the region and include their voices and perspectives in the Council’s work.
  3. Build and sustain partnerships with other educational, governmental, or non-governmental organizations in our region who are also engaged in reconciliation work with Dakota and other indigenous communities.
  4. Advise the College on language for and use of land acknowledgements and ways of speaking, including but not limited to terms that will be used in formal college documents to refer to the Dakota and the immigrants who settled in Minnesota and descriptions of the Indigenous and immigrant history of this region that will be used formally by the College.
  5. Plan and implement education for the campus community about Dakota history and cultural practices in partnership with Dakota experts, scholars, teachers, and elders.
  6. Examine and reimagine institutional practices in response to Dakota relationships, partnerships, and research.
  7. Support and fund archival research of Gustavus’ relationship with the Dakota people along four historical threads: Gustavus’ land acquisition, Indigenous students and student organizations, Dakota and immigrant trauma narratives, and campus representations of Indigenous people; communicate research findings to the campus, community, and Dakota communities.
  8. Advance Indigenous studies courses and topics within the curriculum.
  9. Propose and coordinate events and initiatives that will enhance community engagement with Indigenous and immigrant history, culture, and communities.
  10. Develop a communication plan and report regularly on plans and progress to the Gustavus community and others.
  11. Review and update this charge and the work of the PCIR annually.

The Indigenous History of Saint Peter

Saint Peter is situated at the confluence of the tallgrass prairie, big woods, and Minnesota River. Archaeological finds show that this area has been populated by Indigenous people for well over 9,000 years. When Minnesota became a territory in 1849, white traders pressured the Dakota people to open land to white settlers.

In 1851, the Sisseton and Wahpeton bands of the Dakota signed a contract with U.S. Government representatives that promised education, goods, cash, and a reservation in exchange for the land. Two weeks later, two more bands of the Dakota signed an identical treaty in Mendota. In total, 24 million acres were ceded to the U.S. Government. However, before the Senate would ratify the treaties, they removed the provision for a reservation. The U.S. Government also kept over 80% of the money promised to the Dakota and left the Dakota people starving. This conflict was the primary cause of the Dakota War of 1862, a bloody conflict that decimated the Dakota population and forced them out of the area.

This war ended with the largest mass execution in American history. On December 26, 1862, 38 Dakota men were hanged in Mankato. Over 150 years later, in 2019, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz extended a formal apology to the Dakota people. At Gustavus, the President’s Council on Indigenous Relations (PCIR) works to educate students within the Gustavus community about Indigenous issues that affect the college. Acknowledging that the college is in Dakota territory; getting the community involved by learning more about Indigenous ways of life, values, and traditions; and reading a land acknowledgment before on-campus events demonstrate that Gustavus holds itself accountable for the past and is actively working to improve its relationship with the Indigenous community. Traverse de Sioux Treaty Center gives visitors the chance to learn about the deeply complex historical significance of the site.

For questions regarding the PCIR, please reach out to Katie Boone (kboone@gustavus.edu) or Kathi Tunheim (ktunheim@gustavus.edu). A list of the current PCIR Coorindating Group can be found here.