WERE EXILED FROM MINNESOTA AFTER THE DAKOTA UPRISING IN 1862.

REPORTER KAOMI LEE CROSSES THE BORDER INTO SOUTH DAKOTA TO VISIT ONE TRIBE THAT HAS NEVER FORGOTTEN IT.

>> KAOMI: J. GARRET RENVILLE IS CHAIRMAN OF THE SISSETON WAHPETON OYATE NATION IN SOUTH DAKOTA.

>> SISSETOWAN WAHPETOWAN, THAT'S HOW YOU SAY IT.

BASICALLY, IT'S FISHSCALE VILLAGE.

>> KAOMI: HE'S ALSO THE GREAT- GREAT-GREAT-GRANDSON OF THE TRIBE'S LAST CHIEF, GABRIEL RENVILLE.

HE SAYS HE OFTEN COMES TO HIS ANCESTOR'S GRAVE FOR GUIDANCE.

>> DEPENDING ON HOW YOU VIEW HISTORY, HE COULD BE A CONTROVERSIAL PERSON.

>> KAOMI: GABRIEL RENVILLE WAS KNOWN FOR TRYING TO BROKER PEACE DURING THE DAKOTA OUTBREAK OR UPRISING OF 1862.

SEVERAL BANDS OF DAKOTA ATTACKED WHITE SETTLEMENTS AFTER DELAYED U.S. TREATY PAYMENTS STARVED THEIR PEOPLE.

>> PEOPLE CALL IT AN UPRISING OR OUTBREAK.

I'VE HEARD VARIOUS NAMES.

AT THE END OF THE DAY, IT DISPLACED MOST OF THE DAKOTAS OUT OF MINNEOSTA WHICH IS OUR ANCESTRAL HOMELAND.

>> KAOMIP IN 1863, CONGRESS EXILED ALL FOUR DAKOTA TRIBES FROM MINNESOTA.

THAT FEDERAL LEGISLATION REMAINS TO THIS DAY.

>> IN THIS DAY AND AGE, THE TOPIC OF EXILE IS STILL DOMINANT NARRATIVE IN MOST DAKOTA HOMES.

WHEN WE'RE LOOKING AT ADDRESSING HISTORICAL WRONGS AND HISTORICAL TRAUMA, SPECIFICALLY WHEN IT COMES TO DAKOTA PEOPLE, WE HAVE TO LOOK AT THE 1863 EXILE ACT AND HOW DOES IT AFFECT US TODAY AS DAKOTA PEOLE, AS A DISPLACED PEOPLE.

AND WHY IS THAT BOOK ON THE LAWBOOKS TODAY?

THAT WHOLE NARRATIVE THAT AUTHORED THAT OR THE REMOVAL LAW IS BASED ON THE PREMISE THAT THERE'S A BAD INDIAN -- A GOOD INDIAN AND A BAD INDIAN.

IF YOU WERE EXILED OUT OF MINNESOTA, YOU WERE A BAD INDIAN.

>> KAOMI: IN A STATEMENT, MINNESOTA GOVERNOR TIM WALZ SAID, MINNESOTA CANNOT UNDUE THE FEDERAL LAW THAT EXILED THE DAKOTA PEOPLE BUT WE CAN ENGAGE IN AUTHENTIC GOVERNMENT-TO-GOVERNMENT RELATIONSHIPS WITH TRIBAL NATIONS.

LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR PEGGY FLANAGAN ADDED, THE LANDS IN MINNESOTA ARE HOME TO SEVEN OJIBWE AND FOUR DAKOTA FEDERALLY RECOGNIZED TRIBAL NATIONS, BUT TRIBAL-STATE RELATIONS IN MINNESOTA HAVE NOT BEEN ROOTED IN HONORING SOVEREIGNTY.

THEY HAVE BEEN HISTORICALLY PATERNALISTIC AND ROOTED IN REMOVAL.

THAT IS WHY WE ARE WORKING CONTINUOUSLY WITH TRIBAL LEADERS TO ADVANCE OUR SHARED PRIORITIES.

THE SISSETON WAHPETON OYATE ARE REMINDED OF THAT EVERY DAY ON THE BLUFFS AND PLAINS OF THEIR NEW HOME.

>> OUR RESERVATION IS SHAPED LIKE A TRIANGLE AND WE STARTED OUT WITH 918,000 ACRES AND NOW WE ARE CLOSE TO AROUND 200,000 ACRES AFTER THE ALLOTMENT ACT >> KAOMI: ABOUT HALF OF THE BAND'S 14,800 MEMBERS LIVE ON THE RESERVATION.

HE SAYS A DRUG EPIDEMIC, CHRONIC HEALTH ISSUES AND TRAUMA FROM DISPLACEMENT ARE A DIRECT RESULT OF COLONIZATION.

THAT'S SOMETHING RENVILLE INTENDS TO CORRECT, STARTING WITH FOOD SOVEREIGNTY.

>> THAT'S DEFINITELY GOING TO BE ONE OF THE THINGS MY ADMINISTRATION IS GOING TO PUSH FOR, THAT WE ARE FARMING OUR OWN LAND, BEING ABLE TO FEED OURSELVES, REALLY TAKING WHAT THE PANDEMIC HAS EXACERBATED AND BEING ABLE TO FIX THAT >> KAOMI: THE BAND HAS BEEN ALSO CULTIVATING AN 800-HEAD BUFFALO HERD ON MORE THAN 2000 ACRES OF GRASSLAND.

BUFFALO TECH STACY MILLER SAYS THEY HAVE ONE OF VERY FEW PURE GENE HERDS IN THE COUNTRY.

>> WE TRY TO KEEP THE GENETICS 100% PURE, SO THERE'S NOT BEEF GENES IN OUR HERD, AND ANYTIME WE HAVE OTHER ANIMALS THAT COME FROM DIFFERENT PLACES, WE HAVE THEM HELD IN A SEPARATE PEN.

WE HAVE THE BLOODWORK SENT BACK, WE WANT TO KEEP THEM 100% >> KAOMI: AND THEY'RE ACTIVELY HELPING OTHER TRIBES REPOPULATE, TOO.

FIFTEEN BUFFALO WILL SOON ARRIVE AT THE SHAKOPEE MDEWAKANTON BAND.

THE SOUTH DAKOTA BAND HAS JUST BUILT ITS OWN PROCESSING FACILITY.

THE HOPE IS TO ENCOURAGE TRADITIONAL FOODWAYS ON THE RESERVATION.

AND BE A MAJOR SUPPLIER ELSEWHERE WITH A RISING INDIGENOUS FOOD MOVEMENT.

>> WHERE WE'RE STANDING IS THE RESULT OF MANY... >> KAOMI: TAMARA ST. JOHN IS THE BAND'S TRIBAL ARCHIVIST AND HISTORIAN.

SHE TOOK ME TO THEIR SACRED BURIAL GROUNDS WHERE THE TRIBE PRACTICES TRADITIONAL PRAYERS AND RITES.

COLONIZATION ONCE MADE IT ILLEGAL.

>> NOW WE'RE NOT ONLY EDUCATING OUR CHILDREN IN AN ENVIRONMENT THAT SUPPORTS THAT CULTURAL IDENTITY BUT WE'RE RAISING THEM IN TRADITIONAL PRACTICE.

>> KAOMI: LAST MONTH, THE BAND MADE HEADLINES FOR REPATRIATING THE REMAINS OF TWO CHILDREN WHO DIED AT AN INDIAN BOARDING SCHOOL OUT EAST.

AMOS LAFRAMBOISE AND EDWARD UPRIGHT WERE THE SONS OF TRIBAL LEADERS AND DIED IN THE LATE 1800S.

THEY WERE SENT TO THE U.S. GOVERNMENT'S FLAGSHIP BOARDING SCHOOL IN CARLISLE, PENNSYLVANIA.

HOWEVER, BRINGING THEM HOME TOOK A SIX-YEAR BATTLE WITH THE U.S. ARMY.

>> WE'RE NOT ABLE OFTEN TO RETURN THEM TO THE PLACES THEY WERE STOLEN FROM, BUT HERE WE ARE ABLE TO BURY THEM AND RETURN THEM AND PROTECT THEM.

>> KAOMI: SHE SAYS THE CHILDREN WERE PART OF A FEDERAL POLICY OF ASSIMILATION.

THEY WERE FORBIDDEN TO SPEAK THEIR TRADITIONAL LANGUAGE OR WEAR TRADITIONAL CLOTHING.

THEY WERE ROBBED OF THEIR KINSHIP TIES.

IT WAS A WAY FOR THE U.S. GOVERNMENT TO BREAK THEIR TRIBAL SUCCESSION.

>> THIS IS HISTORIC.

THESE CHILDREN ARE THE CHILDREN OF CHIEFS.

WE KNOW THEY WOULD BE LEADERS.

WE LOST A WHOLE GENERATION OF LEADERSHIP WITH BOARDING SCHOOLS.

WE CHOSE TO HONOR THEM LIKE THE CHIEFS THAT THEY ARE.

>> KAOMI: THE CHILDREN WERE GIVEN A TRADITIONAL FOUR-DAY BURIAL WITH SONGS AND PRAYERS.

CHAIR RENVILLE'S DAKOTA NAME IS TI WAKAN INAGI, WHICH MEANS "SACRED LODGE."

HE SAYS BRINGING THEIR CHILDREN HOME, GROWING THEIR OWN FOOD, AND RE-INTRODUCING TRADITIONAL PRACTICES IS ALL PART OF THEIR INTENT TO DECOLONIZE.

RECLAIMING LAND IN MINNESOTA BEFORE THEIR EXILE IS ALSO HIGH ON THE LIST.

>> THAT'S OUR ANCESTRAL HOMELAND.

ONE OF THE TREATIES WE HAD SIGNED WAS GIVING UP 25 MILLION ACRES IN MINNESOTA.

THAT'S HARD TO FORGET THAT