Forty-four Democratic state lawmakers are asking the Minnesota Historical Society to modify Fort Snelling’s name to reflect the area’s significance to Native Americans by including the word “bdote” (buh-DOH-tay), which in the Dakotah language means the “place where two rivers meet.” Lieutenant Governor Peggy Flanagan, a member of the White Earth Band of Ojibwe, says the Historical Society’s listening sessions are critically important. “The people who were here before anyone else — the Dakotah people in particular — need to be acknowledged and valued, and my hope is that that is what happens throughout this process,” Flanagan says.
The Historical Society is holding statewide hearings through November 15th. Its board will then make a recommendation to the legislature.