[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 82 (Monday, May 19, 2008)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E960]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




ACKNOWLEDGING NATIVE AMERICANS IN MINNESOTA WHILE CELEBRATING 150 YEARS 
                              OF STATEHOOD

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                          HON. BETTY McCOLLUM

                              of minnesota

                    in the house of representatives

                          Monday, May 19, 2008

  Ms. McCOLLUM of Minnesota. Madam Speaker, this weekend I had the 
honor of celebrating Minnesota's sesquicentennial by participating in 
an event sponsored by the United States Postal Service in which a 
beautiful commemorative stamp was unveiled. It was a pleasure to be in 
the company of Joan Mondale, a member of the Citizens Stamp Advisory 
Committee, her husband, former Vice President of the United States, 
Walter F. Mondale, as well as Mr. Richard Smith, the photographer whose 
magnificent image was selected for the commemorative stamp. The United 
States Postal Service conducted a fitting tribute to Minnesota that I 
found to be a very special event.
  While celebrating 150 years of Minnesota statehood it is important to 
recognize the hard work of the people who settled our State, but also 
acknowledge the enormous suffering of Minnesota's first people--the 
Anishinaabe--the Ojibwe and Chippewa--and the Dakota Sioux. Minnesota's 
Native American communities continue to make major contributions to the 
cultural and economic success of our State. Yet, there is a historical 
legacy that cannot be forgotten or ignored.
  Madam Speaker, I would request that the following remarks be entered 
into the Congressional Record.

 Remarks Made at the United States Postal Service Minnesota Statehood 
               Commemorative Stamp Ceremony, May 17, 2008

       Good afternoon.
       I want to thank the United States Postal Service for 
     honoring Minnesota and for celebrating the 150th year of our 
     State with this beautiful commemorative stamp.
       As Minnesotans we have much to be thankful for during these 
     150 years of statehood. We live in a blessed land with an 
     abundance of natural resources that allowed for settlement 
     and the development of our State.
       The Minnesota we live in today is the result of the hard 
     work and sacrifices of the generations before us--pioneers, 
     immigrants, traders, farmers, loggers, miners and factory 
     workers. Their toil, courage and vision have become our 
     inheritance and because of their contributions the Minnesota 
     of 2008 continues to be a place of opportunity, new 
     beginnings, and endless possibilities.
       There is another inheritance we must recognize as we 
     reflect on the history of our State.
       For all the pride we feel as Minnesotans, we must also use 
     this moment to acknowledge the full historic reality. 
     Minnesota's history is reflected in our State flag. ``The 
     Star of the North'' is in French. But another part of history 
     is reflected there as well--the Native Americans, and the 
     settlers who followed after the Louisiana Purchase.
       Hundreds of years before statehood in 1858 people were 
     living on this land we now call Minnesota.
       The first people of Minnesota, the first people of the 
     United States, were not European colonists and settlers. The 
     first people of this State were the Anishinaabe--the Ojibwe 
     and Chippewa--and the Dakota Sioux.
       The forests and prairies and waters sustained their 
     families and they treated the land with a sacred respect. For 
     the first people of Minnesota, this land could never be owned 
     or conveyed, it was where the Creator had placed them and it 
     was a sacred place. There was a balance between the men and 
     women and the natural world that existed for centuries.
       Then it changed. The European conquests of North America 
     not only disrupted the balance of life for Native Americans, 
     but began over two centuries of violence, oppression, 
     injustice, and pain.
       This legacy tragically continues to live within the 
     communities of First Minnesotans who reside across our State: 
     Mille Lacs, Shakopee Mdewakanton, White Earth, Bois Forte, 
     Prairie Island, Grand Portage, Red Lake, Leech Lake, Fond du 
     Lac, Upper Sioux, and Lower Sioux--as well as our urban 
     Native communities like Little Earth.
       These communities, like all Minnesota communities, are all 
     looking forward to brighter future for their children, but 
     they also have profound connections to their ancestors, their 
     history and their traditions.
       Last year, a Republican colleague and classmate of mine 
     from Virginia, introduced a Congressional Resolution--H.J. 
     Res. 3--that is unlikely to pass Congress, but it should 
     because it would have Congress say what needs to be said. The 
     resolution ``commends and honors the Native Peoples [of the 
     United States] for the thousands of years that they have 
     stewarded and protected this land.'' The resolution also 
     ``apologizes on behalf of the people of the United States to 
     all Native Peoples for the many instances of violence, 
     maltreatment, and neglect inflicted on Native Peoples by 
     citizens of the United States.''
       I am proud to be a congressional co-sponsor of this 
     resolution and from the deepest core of my being I believe 
     these words.
       Today as we celebrate the history of our state, we must 
     acknowledge our full history--and some of it is painful. This 
     is true in a family. It is also true for this State and this 
     Nation. As Minnesotans, let us commit ourselves to healing 
     the pain of the past and building a more hopeful future.
       Today we celebrate as one Minnesota--and let us move 
     forward together. Let us invest our energy, strength and 
     resources to caring for all of our children, families, and 
     communities, because the greatest asset our state possess is 
     the people of Minnesota.
       Thank you and God bless Minnesota.




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