A journey of ceremony and prayer honors Dakota women who witnessed 1862 executions [View all]

Dozens of riders on horseback and travelers on foot arrived Friday morning at Reconciliation Park in Mankato.

Last year, two rides marked the revival of the famous reconciliation ride, honoring the 38 Dakota men hanged in Mankato on Dec. 26, 1862. Two additional men were hanged at Fort Snelling in 1865. The rides begin in both South Dakota and Nebraska, and end in Mankato.

However, another journey honoring the Dakota women of 1862 finished its fourth year in Mankato this year.

“We have always heard of our women that wept at the gallows,” said Gaby Strong, who organized the Dakota Omani, meaning “Dakota Travel” in English. Strong says Dakota Omani was purposefully named to welcome Indigenous communities to participate in the journey, whether they ride horseback, travel on foot or drive their vehicles.




https://www.mprnews.org/story/2025/12/26/dakota-omani-journey-honors-women-who-witnessed-the-1862-dakota-38-hangings