The Reverend Stephen Riggs ^& his wife, Mary arrived at Traverse des Sioux in 1843 to establish a Protestant mission for the Dakota.
He a& other missionaries believed they had a duty to convert Indians to Christianity. Their efforts alienated most of the Dakota, who had their own deeply held spiritual beliefs & practices. When Riggs relocated to the mission at Lac qui Parle in 1846, the Reverend Robert Hopkins took over for him.
"Without their assent at all"
After the Dakota made a unanimous decision in 1849 to stop attending Christian worship services & the mission school, a disappointed Hopkins wrote his governing board. "We came here without the hearty assent of the Indians=perhaps without their assent at all...We found Brother Pond (a fellow missionary)here. He had been encamped here several days & was acquainted with the feelings of the people. The Rev. Stephen Riggs asked Mr. Pond whether he should ask the Indians for leave to stay here, He answered, not if you wish to stay."
Loading contexts...
