This is what GOM must have felt like when she was elected Peace Chief of the Ho-Chunk prior to their split at Doty Island. She stood alone many times in her long years. The pressure must have caused some tremendous hurt. She was hurt by her people, abandoned by up to 1/2 the once united tribe. She stood alone when the French raided their crops and villages because she married a French man. She stood alone when her husband Joseph left to fight in the Battle of St. Foye. She stood alone when the tribal members treated her sons as outcasts.
Last night at a Heritage Preservation Meeting in DMC, I stood alone and called the Chair into question when he made a behind closed doors political move against me at the request of the History Center of Olmsted County Board Chair. A chair to chair type of male bonding. I did this at the suggestion of the City Attorney for DMC.
Why? I wear several hats in this DMC community. I am a member of the GRADS group, I was a member of the Advisory Committee for the History Center, and I am on the Heritage Preservation Committee. The HPC unanimously voted to have me inquire about how the HCOC could help us with our research of sites and properties in DMC at our end of April meeting. A day later I made an appointment to see the librarian at the HCOC and within hours of that phone call, the HPC chair ordered me to stand down from my assignment that the body of the HPC voted in favor of. Confused I agreed to do this, but I wanted answers. What had a done wrong? What where the accusations?
A few weeks prior to this meeting, I went to a meeting at the History Center. We were to meet Cara Clarey, the Curator. She, Museology and our Advisory Committee wrote a grant to plan for a permanent Dakota Ho-Chunk Exhibit. The Minnesota Historical Society declined the grant at first because there were NO INDIANS on the committee. Our Advisory Committee was born. Anyway, in mid April our GRADS group went to meet Cara at the History Center and we were met by the new Executive Director and she was NOT happy. She said Cara participated in some illegal activity and introduced us to the NEW Curator. We were all in shock. The New Director feigned that she did not know why we were there. She denied any knowledge of Cara's activities with our group. It was terrible. A gentleman from the Museology group said that he detected a great deal of hostility from the new director and she said with gritted teeth and distended neck veins, "Why do you think I am hostile?" Within a few feet from where we started our meeting she told her first lie. She boasted how she went to Mayo Clinic and IBM and got money from them and asked them how they would like their story told in the museum. She also went to the Sisters of Assisi Heights and asked them how they would like to be portrayed at the history center. Our GRADS President Betty Smith caught this and said, "You didn't ask us how we wanted to be portrayed." She said, "I knew Cara was talking with you people." She took us on a little tour and we found out that there was to be no planning for a permanent exhibit. There was to be no research involving our Elders. There would just be a tiny display of our ancestors "pre-contact."
When I left the encounter, I fired of a letter to the board and recounted the entire incident and asked them what they planned to do with all of their artifacts. I asked them it they would repatriate the items back to the tribes that they belong to.
Within a few days, the HCOC Chair called me and said that they planned to revise the grant. He said it was he and Mr. Suk, the President Elect, that told the director to tell us about the illegal activity Cara was involved in relative to the grant. He said he was just a construction worker and didn't know about museums or history. I thanked him for the information and fired off another letter that said despite how we were treated, despite our sadness at the firing of Cara Clarey, we would try to work with them in the spirit of reconciliation so that our people would be presented accurately in their revised exhibit.
Now back to the order to stand down issued from Jeff Alleman. I asked the City Attorney two times what I should do because I did not understand why the HCOC, namely Lisa Baldus and Jim Suk would do this to me. Bring it to the group and ask for direction. I contacted the Planning and Zoning group, John Harford and asked to be put on the agenda. When Jeff learned about this, he went ballistic. He threatened me, intimidated me, and hung up on me when we did speak on the phone with each other. He did his level best to dissuade me from talking about his punitive action against me in the public forum, namely at our next HPC meeting. The last straw came for me when he threatened me and stated, "Upon your insistence, and against my strong recommendation, we added your item to Tuesday's agenda. I believe your antagonizing both me and the HCOC distract the HPC from its mission and reduces any potential for celebration of your Dakota heritage with either group."
Despite the private support I had from the City Attorney, Mayor Brede, and other Commissioners, when it came time for the public forum, I stood alone. Jeff was excellent in this management of the meeting. I was last on the agenda of 9 items. We have never had 9 items. We have never had an agenda so loaded with actual HPC work. Jeff was actually kind to the "preservationist" as he calls them. He rushed me through my presentation, which was a letter addressed solely to the Commissioners with no public comments by me. I decided to take his suggestion and met him half way. Lo and behold, he whipped out a letter from a vacationing Jim Suk which said that he didn't want me at the HCOC because I wrote an "antagonistic" letter to the Board. Jeff made a plea to the body that he did this (changed the vote of the body) because he was thinking about the good of the HPC. He said I failed to disclose this (the antagonistc letter to the HCOC Board) to the HPC group. No comment from the commissioners when I asked for some action on the matter. No comments other than poor Justin Voss who said that perhaps next time this happens there could be full disclosure.
Great! This was just great. No comment when I said that this has implications for all of us. Anyone could call and talk with the Chair and be unhappy with us for any reason and we could have our role diminished. No comment from anyone. Jeff was in his glory. He said, "Does anyone have anything they want to say?" No comment. He went on to say that I tried to have Valerie not bring this up. I tried to talk with her. After several emails, telephone calls, she hung up on me...she didn't disclose her conflict of interest. I denied any conflict of interest. I didn't tell the group that Jeff contacted me in the 11th hour. He gave me just one day to respond. I had nothing to gain from making an inquiry at the Library at the HCOC. I had dealings with the HCOC Board not the Librarian. No Ho-Chunk luck as my Choka would say. As I was about to bring up the next issue on the agenda, Indian Heights Park and how Jeff threatened me, he cut me off. Chairmen can do that.
The meeting ended on a good note though, despite his threats, Indian Heights Park was added to the Stark List. Jeff and Justin tried to thwart it, but the silent partners were silent no more and it passed. Thanks silent partners. Yet, you must realize that someday you will have to stand for truth no matter of public of political opinion or support. Yet I thank you for your vote.
I have sent a letter of resignation to the Mayor and Jeff. I will resign effective September 1, 2014. I stood alone for one meeting, but I am not fond of masochism. I will stand alone until September. I do not need to feel a part of my community in this destructive and dysfunctional manner. I am the only woman of color on this commission. I was the only woman until this meeting. I can do more for my people away from these men, who happen to be all white, and keep my sanity.
I was hurt last night. Jeff made a mockery of my truth seeking. He made being truthful and forthright seem passe'. He used his political maneuvering quite effectively. I didn't speak ill of anyone. I wanted the group to make sure this never happens again, to anyone. While I will likely stand alone until I resign, I take heart that I am in good company. GOM stood alone through so much worse than I, yet she lived to govern her people in wisdom for years. I am grateful for her example and the example of my Gram who also stood alone so many times in her life time. I pale in comparison to these great women, yet I am hopeful that I can bear up under all the adversity that is yet to come.
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