Truth did not matter to white Minnesotans in 1862. 

The white population was scared, angry, and fed lies by their leaders. They contributed to the brutality of the war and its aftermath. 

Dakota society was fractured, largely by the reservation system and the generations of corruption in U.S. Indian policy. When a small group of young men broke out in violence, it set off a rampage from their likeminded kin. Their disillusionment coupled with their disorganization began the bloodshed. 

Henry Sibley [pictured] warned that an Indian war was inevitable when corrupt treaties were made. That didn't stop him from making them himself. It also didn't stop him from leading the U.S. defense against the warring Dakota faction. He was both the leader spreading lies, in addition to being warped by the lies himself. He saw true horror in 1862. He inflicted horror himself. Truth mattered less to Sibley than vengeance. 

The U.S.-Dakota War of 1862 is a murky historical event. The truth that we can verify is deeply troubling. This podcast has discussions of genocide, rape, and warfare. Listener discretion is advised. 

Sam Temple and Logan Ledman discuss and explain Chapter Eleven of North Country, by Mary Lethert Wingerd.

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