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DL: What contributions have the Dakota people made to Minnesota
and the country?
EL: Ever since the time of Columbus [Indians have] [introduced] many
foods to the world, corn, potatoes, green beans, squash, tobacco. Plenty of medicines were introduced to the
Europeans since the conquest of the native people. Penicillin comes from Peruvian bark in
Central America. Tea made from evergreen
trees that treats scurvy in seafaring people.
It’s vitamin C actually. Yes, we [made] many contributions. Our way of government was copied from the
Algonquin tribes by Benjamin Franklin who was an Indian Agent back during the
Washington administration. He took
thoughts and ideas from the Algonquin and introduced them to form the
Constitution of the United States. He
did. The word quorum is an Algonquin
word. It means the meeting, the
gathering of the people to have the same thoughts, how to run our government.
