The Spirit of the Circle Monument

The Spirit of the Circle Monument. . , Indigenous peoples throughout the West have used medicine wheels of many forms. For thousands of years, Native peoples have used this wheel pattern for health and healing., The Spirit of the Circle Monument honors and remembers more than 1,300 Dakota people forcibly removed from their homelands in Minnesota to the Crow Creek Reservation in 1863, many of whom died of malnutrition, exposure, and disease. Delegations from the Dakota nations dedicated the memorial in 2002 on land provided by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The monument is a cooperative project between the Tribes and the Corps that emphasizes healing and coming together., The monument consists of a large medicine wheel, an important symbol for the Dakota people. The 13 flags represent the ten Dakota Nations along with the United States, Canada, and Native American veterans. The memorial stone at its center came from Minnesota, symbolic of the terrible journey endured by the Dakota people., Each year, a group of Native Americans rides from the Spirit of the Circle Monument to Mankato, Minnesota, in memory and honor of the Dakota people killed during the Uprising in 1862. The ride helps promote healing and reconciliation between Native and non-Native people. , Courtesy of Mitchell Republic, The Bighorn Medicine Wheel is in Bighorn National Forest in Wyoming. It is a site of sacred ceremony and scientific inquiry for many peoples. , Courtesy of Deatonphotos / Adobe Stock, "Look at this as a new beginning, a recognition that in spite of everything this tribe has survived and will continue to survive." , , Michael Jandreau, Lower Brule Sioux Tribe, at the dedication of the Spirit of the Circle Monument, Preserving and Protecting Cultural Resources , Cultural resources are the ideas and things that people associate with their lives, past and present. Material objects are often the only evidence that remains of the many indigenous cultures forcibly relocated to Reservations far from homelands. For this reason, tribal people believe the places and material things of their ancestors are sacred and must not be disturbed., Since these cultural materials are so important, site disturbances are investigated and prosecuted to the law's fullest extent. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Tribes, State and Federal Agencies, and other interested parties are working together to preserve these sites, and they ask for the public to help with the effort., To report disturbances of cultural resources, call the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers looting hotline: 1-866-No-Swipe.