HERITAGE. It’s a word that identifies us, connects us to our families, to our ethnicity, to the way we were raised, the place of our roots. At least that’s my definition.
This week Faribault celebrates Heritage Days. I’ve never felt totally comfortable celebrating heritage in the city I’ve called home since 1982. My heritage, my home, my roots run deep in the southwestern Minnesota prairie some 2 ½ hours west of here.
But many are rooted in this community by birth, by families that trace back generations. If it’s one thing I’ve learned in four decades about the people of Faribault, it’s that many are related to one another via blood and marriage. But I’ve also learned much about the peoples who came before the French, the Irish, the Scandinavians, the Germans, the Cambodians, the Latinos, the Hispanics, the Sudanese, the Somalis… I’ve learned about the Dakota, the original inhabitants of this region.
That knowledge came through my own reading and via attending events focused on the Dakota. In April, I listened to local historian and artist Jeff Jarvis talk about the Dakota to a packed audience at Books on Central in Faribault. Jarvis is presenting again, speaking at 6:30 p.m., Wednesday, June 12, on the Wahpekute Dakota at The Cathedral of Our Merciful Saviour, 101 NW Sixth Street, across the street from Faribault’s Central Park.
The Cathedral and its founding leader played an important part in local, state and national history with then Bishop Henry Whipple befriending the Wahpekute Dakota. He also pled with President Abraham Lincoln to spare the lives of 303 Dakota men sentenced to death by the US government following the US-Dakota War of 1862. Eventually all but 38 were pardoned, partially due to Whipple’s efforts.
I expect Jarvis will touch on that in his Wednesday evening presentation. He’s an engaging speaker, knowledgeable and passionate. He’s met with Dakota people, compiled a summary of his research in a mini pamphlet titled “The Faribault Dakota, Wahpekute Band.” It features an historic timeline, a Dakota primer of place names, his original art and more.
Jarvis is involved in the Faribault Dakota Project, a local endeavor that aims to increase awareness, visibility and knowledge of the original inhabitants of this land. To that end, presentations like his set during Heritage Days are important for locals to attend.
Likewise, free tours of the Cathedral at 11:30 a.m. Sunday, June 16, following a 10 a.m. ecumenical church service, likely will provide more information on the Wahpekute and their connection to Bishop Whipple and the massive limestone church. Several stained glass windows inside the sanctuary were gifted to the Cathedral by the Dakota.
The Dakota and this house of worship, which focuses on connecting to the broader community, are such a vital part of Faribault’s history. That’s important to understand, to recognize, to honor no matter one’s heritage. I know locals who’ve lived here their entire lives and have never stepped inside the historic Cathedral. I find that almost unbelievable. We need to understand our past—our connections to peoples and land—to grow our future.
FYI: For a complete listing of Faribault Heritage Day events, click here.
© Copyright 2024 Audrey Kletscher Helbling
Minnesota Prairie Roots 
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