MANKATO, Minn. (AP) - An annual trek to Mankato to remember tribal members who were executed following the U.S.-Dakota war has been officially canceled due to the coronavirus, although a small group of horseback riders is making the journey anyway.
The annual Dakota 38 + 2 Memorial Ride begins when some Dakota riders start a 330-mile journey from Lower Brule, South Dakota, to Mankato. Other riders, as well as runners, join them along the way.
They eventually gather on Dec. 26 at Reconciliation Park near the Blue Earth County Library to honor the 38 Dakota killed in a mass hanging on the site that day in 1862. They also remember two chiefs who were kidnapped from Canada three years later, brought back to the U.S. and executed.
Despite the cancellation, at least some riders have been making their way to Mankato. They set up their camp in a park in Lake Crystal on Wednesday night after riding from St. James in the blizzard, the Mankato Free Press reported.
The event, attended by large crowds of area residents, features Dakota songs and prayers, often delivered in the Dakota language.
Besides honoring their ancestors, the ride and run are part of an ongoing reconciliation between the Dakota and area residents.
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