[[File:BruleBattle.jpeg|thumb|Battle of the Brule]]
[[File:BruleBattle.jpeg|thumb|Battle of the Brule]]
Later that year, the [[Battle of the Brule]] happened. The Dakota attempted to push the Ojibwe back further north. The Dakota, led by Old Crow, hoped to take advantage of the Ojibwe’s smaller numbers. The Ojibwe, led by Chief Buffalo of [[La Pointe, Wisconsin|La Pointe]], were able to take advantage of the Dakota’s confidence by sending a decoy unit of warriors, resulting in the Dakota splitting up their army and being defeated.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Treuer |first1=Anton |title=Ojibwe in Minnesota |date=2010 |publisher=Minnesota Historical Society |isbn=978-0-87351-768-3 |page=22 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Z9xFpixwsUUC&dq=%22battle%20of%20the%20brule%22%20treuer&pg=PA22 |language=en}}</ref>
Later that year, the [[Battle of the Brule]] happened. The Dakota attempted to push the Ojibwe back further north. The Dakota, led by Old Crow, hoped to take advantage of the Ojibwe’s smaller numbers. The Ojibwe, led by Chief Buffalo of [[La Pointe, Wisconsin|La Pointe]], were able to take advantage of the Dakota’s confidence by sending a decoy unit of warriors, resulting in the Dakota splitting up their army and being defeated.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Treuer |first1=Anton |title=Ojibwe in Minnesota |date=2010 |publisher=Minnesota Historical Society |isbn=978-0-87351-768-3 |page=22 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Z9xFpixwsUUC&dq=%22battle%20of%20the%20brule%22%20treuer&pg=PA22 |language=en}}</ref>
===1847 Treaty of Fond du Lac===
===1847 Treaty of Fond du Lac===
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The Dakota and Ojibwe fought a prolonged war from the late 1730s to 1858. The war happened mostly within the borders of what is now Minnesota.
Early European explorers recorded conflicts between the Dakota and Ojibwe as early at the fifteenth century. Periods of peace and conflict would be established and ended, usually on local scales.[1] In 1679, the Dakota and Ojibwe formed an alliance.[2] The Dakota and Ojibway met at present-day Duluth, and it was agreed the Ojibwe could make use of the Dakota’s coastal lands along Lake Superior in exchange for shared economic ties with the French.[3]
In 1717, war began between the Assiniboine, Cree, and the Dakota-Ojibwe Alliance. The Assiniboine and Cree convinced the French to begin sending more explorers and soldiers into the region of Lake Superior by spreading false rumors of a northwest passage connected to the lake. This was done in the hopes of being able to easily drag the French into the war on their side. French explorer La Vérendrye would be sent to explore the region in 1731, and urged the French to established good relations with both sides. This was done in the form of the French freely selling weapons to both sides of the war. In 1734, the Cree argued that by establishing permanent trade relations with them, it was now the obligation of the French to aid them in their war. The French agreed to side with them.[3]
Breakdown of the Alliance
[edit]
The exact breaking point in the alliance is not known. There are two known possible points in which the alliance was broken.
According to one account, the alliance broke in 1736, when the Dakota began to ignore the Ojibwe’s concerns, citing that technically, the Ojibwe were guests in the land and the Dakota were the actual owners of the land. The Ojibwe refused this, arguing that the land had long since become theirs as they had lived there for three generations, resulting in the Ojibwe breaking with the Dakota to fight to protect the lands they were now living on from Dakota claims.[3]
According to one account, the alliance broke in 1739, when the son of a French explorer was killed in a battle near Rainy Lake between a coalition of French, Cree, and Assiniboine forces against an alliance of the Dakota and Ojibwe. The French held the Dakota solely responsible, and the Ojibwe chose to break their alliance with the Dakota to preserve their economic relations with France.[4]
Regardless of which event resulted in the breaking of the alliance, the Dakota-Ojibwe war had begun and would last roughly 120 years.
Dakota and Ojibwe relations continued to deteriorate over the following decades, with notable battles being fought at Big Sandy Lake (1744), Mille Lacs (1745), on the St. Croix River (1755), Leech Lake (1760), and Red Lake (1770). By the 1770s, the Ojibwe had successfully pushed the Dakota out of the Forested areas of the region. Combined with improving economic conditions due to increasing trade with European powers, the Dakota and Ojibwe improved their relations.[4] In the Seven Years War, the Ojibwe sided with the French. However, neither the Dakota or Ojibwe actually participated in the war. Following a British victory, and the American Revolution, the Ojibwe then preferred to side with the British against the Americans.[5]
Battle of Battle Lake
[edit]
In 1795, the Battle of Battle Lake occurred. Ojibwe Chief Uke-ke-waus led a 50-man surprise attack on the Dakota. Uke-ke-waus and his three sons were killed in the battle. The Ojibwe would be defeated, with two-thirds of their company killed. The Ojibwe would come to call the lake Ish-quon-e-de-win-ing, meaning ‘Where But Few Survived’. The battle was later documented by William Whipple Warren.[6][7] One of the few survivors, Wenonga, now has a statue near the shore of the lake.
In 1805-1806, an expedition led by Zebulon Pike attempted to undermine british relations with the Ojibwe and end their war with the Dakota. This was unsuccessful. The Ojibwe would then side with Tecumseh’s Confederacy against the Americans in the War of 1812. The Dakota did not participate, leading to resentment in the Ojibwe following their defeat by the American army.[5]
In 1825, the American government tried again to end hostilities between the tribes, in the First Treaty of Prairie du Chien. The treaty specified an agreed upon border between the two sides, along with other borders in the area.[8]
Battle of Battle Creek
[edit]
Despite progress towards agreed borders, Ojibwe attacks on the Dakota persisted. In 1842, two Dakota women were farming in present-day St.Paul near Pig’s Eye Lake when they were fired upon and killed by an Ojibwe attack. Dakota warriors from the nearby village of Kaposia quickly responded. The Ojibwe force of about 100 was quickly in combat. After about two hours of fighting, the Ojibwe retreated further north. The fighting happened in the ravine of what is now called Battle Creek. The Dakota would be the victors, pushing north near Stillwater. American forces would be sent to put a stop to the battle, setting off from Fort Snelling, however did not arrive until after the Battle was over. The Battle would become known as the Battle of Battle Creek.[9]
Battle of the Brule
[edit]
Later that year, the Battle of the Brule happened. The Dakota attempted to push the Ojibwe back further north. The Dakota, led by Old Crow, hoped to take advantage of the Ojibwe’s smaller numbers. The Ojibwe, led by Chief Buffalo of La Pointe, were able to take advantage of the Dakota’s confidence by sending a decoy unit of warriors, resulting in the Dakota splitting up their army and being defeated.[10]
1847 Treaty of Fond du Lac
[edit]
In 1847, the 1847 Treaty of Fond du Lac was signed between the Ojibwe and United States, with the intention of separating the Dakota and Ojibwe by a corridor of settled land, populated by white settlers in some regions, and a large section for the Ho-Chunk. The Ho-Chunk would never settle the region.[11]
The Battle of Shakopee would be the final battle in the war. By this time the area was already settled by white immigrants. The battle was viewed from afar by white reporters. The battle was not fought in the city itself, but nearby on the shore of the Minnesota River.
On the morning of the 26th of May, 1858, 150-200 Ojibwe warriors arrived on the north shore of the Minnesota River. The following morning, they began their attack on the Dakota by firing upon a Dakota man fishing in the river. Forty to Fifty Dakota responded to the gunfire and arrived to their side of the river. Fire would be continued to be exchanged across the river until about 10:00 AM, when the Ojibwe retreated to Lake Minnetonka.
The Dakota would prepare for a second attack, which would not come. Governor Henry Sibley would order the Dakota to return to reservation land.[1]
Neither side would claim victory in the war, as white American settlement quickly overtook in importance and threat the disputes between the two tribes.
In the Dakota War of 1862, a group of Ojibwe volunteers fought against the Dakota on behalf of the United States, As many Ojibwe continued to consider the Dakota enemies. Ojibwe Chief Naw-Gaw-Nub would lead the Ojibwe who fought against the Dakota.[12]
