Descendants of 1,700 Dakota Indians who were forced to walk 150 miles in the winter of 1862 are retracing the painful journey in hopes of furthering healing and understanding.

The Dakota Commemorative March began in Lower Sioux, Minnesota, on November 7. That was the day their ancestors -- mostly women, children and elders -- were rounded up by Army forces and told to walk to a fort.

The journey will end November 13 at Fort Snelling State Park, which tribal members call a concentration camp, where their ancestors were kept as prisoners for the winter. Along the way, an unknown number died.

On Christmas Day, 38 Dakota men, who had been rounded up separately, were hanged to death in the largest mass hanging in U.S. history.

Get the Story:
Nick Coleman: Dakota Indians retrace Minnesota's trail of tears (The Minneapolis Star Tribune 11/12)
pwlat

Relevant Links:
Dakota Commemorative March - http://www.dakota-march.50megs.com