Dakota Plains Band Office - Rossendale

Dakota Plains Wahpeton First Nation is located in South Central Manitoba, 20 miles south west of Portage La Prairie.

The Dakota of this community were relocated here due to a motion made by the City Council of Portage La Prairie on March 11, 1920. The Federal Government in their ignorance– assuming the Dakota were treaty, would become treaty or would assimilate or better yet become extinct– acted on the motion that proceeded to move the families to this location after negotiating with Council of Long Plains for the land.

Previously while living south of Portage la Prairie, the ambitious Dakota workforce, realizing they would be on their own (and working year round), pooled their extra salaries and bought the property they resided on. After the purchase they started to build homes and constructed roads and streets. Along with the homes came wells, gardens and all the necessities to make a well-established, self-sustaining community, even including a church. The Dakota were very successful in their daily lives and had no need of any help, especially a government. Racism dictated the city council and citizens to rid the area of Indians.

The new location was 20 miles to a more remote area far from the town. Here, the only means of survival were in fact hunting, trapping and eventually farming. The latter was again a very successful venture to the point where people from adjoining communities were dependinh in the Dakota farm for produce, chickens, turkeys and cows being raised. However, the non-Aboriginal farmers in the area took exception to the “Indian” farmer and compained to Indian Affairs. Again, the government interfered and placed an Indian Agent near the community next door and took control of the farm; putting an end to the Dakota farmers’ free trade. This caused failures in all areas, to the eventual demise of the farm and private property signs ended hunting and trapping. So, the dakota had no means of survival now. We were introduced to the welfare system in the 1950’s, which was the final demise creating the now remote community. All the creation and development to date was a family effort, without money compensation, a Wahpeton tradition.

In 1972, we were finally accepted as a real people with a lasting community and registered in Ottawa but because we have no treaty, we remained far and away from impending policies such as the Indian Act. At the same time, there was a type of awakening by the beginning if educated First Nation from different tribal members encompassing the land now known as Manitoba. From the Manitoba Indian Brotherhood, a concerned group was started by a Manitoban Chief. Realizing the power in unity because of the vast area and reserves, the organization segmented into zones now known as Tribal Council. We were made a member of the Dakota Ojibway Tribal Council established August 1974, the southwest region of the Manitoba Indian Brotherhood.  

We are the poorest of poor, we don’t have location for any type of economic development projects because we are situated inside another reserve and are unintentionally at their whim. In a joint effort of a Water Sewer Project sanvtionef and accepted by the department of Indian and Northern Affairs, it was the region that denied the increase for water charge because of our portion to the project ($3.5 million). We now owe a quarter to a half million for water, where there was an agreement that our contribution of 3+ million to the project would suffice.

Our budgets are pitiful and no other opportunities due to the relocation. However, the Federal Government accepted that fiduciary responsibility of the Dakotas and they failed miserably.

  We tried to exercise our sovereignty by doing trade with another First Nation but we were charged and found guilty by the courts. While we were in business, we did that which the government could not do: bridged financed education, health, housing repair, childcare and helped our families