Mendota Dakota Tribal Community To Apply For Federal Recognition

MENDOTA, MN — The Mendota Mdewakanton Dakota Tribal Community, a tribe of 125 members, is planning to apply to be recognized as a sovereign nation by the federal government, The Star Tribune reported.

The Mendota Dakota community is planning to submit a petition for recognition this summer, the publication reported.

The recognition would give them a seat on the Minnesota Indian Affairs Council and could help the community obtain land, as well as help them gain respect from other tribes, the publication reported.

A previous petition filed by the community is still in federal hands, the publication reported. Obtaining recognition is often a process that can take generations, the Mendota Dakota community's historian Greg Strandmark told the publication.

You can read the full story at The Star Tribune.