Friday Friends - Marque Jensen

A week ago last Thursday, I wrote about the 150th anniversary of the US-Dakota War of 1862. In that post titled Lest We Forget, I gave a few helpful resources for learning more about this sad chapter of Minnesota-Dakota history.

Just a few days after writing that post, I learned that my friend, Marque Jensen, is riding with this year's Dakota 38 Memorial Ride. I'm the kind of guy that thinks this would be a great thing to do, but Marque is the kind of guy who actually does it. He's a thoughtful and gracious person, and I'm really thankful to know he is a part of this important reconciliatory commemoration.

Marque is blogging about this experience at mmjmpls.org. The ride began on December 10 in Lower Brule, SD and concludes on December 26 in Mankato, MN at the site where 38 Dakota men were hanged in the largest mass execution in U.S. history. Find out more about the closing ceremony here.

Photo by Kierston Dunbar Chase © Used by Permission. FineArtAmerica.com

The Dakota 38 Memorial Ride began in 2005 after Lakota Spiritual Leader Jim Miller had a dream in which he retraced the route of his ancestors, riding on horseback, until he came to the place where the hanging took place in Mankato.  The Dakota 38 Memorial ride serves as a means to promote healing and reconciliation, and to help communities along the route learn about this tragic and sadly neglected part of our regional history.

Here is the trailer of a documentary film about the Dakota 38:


CLICK HERE to watch the entire film in HD.