What I’ve learned from other Natives-- spiritual leaders--is that when something happens to you, or if we do something, it affects who we do it to for seven generations. So we have to be very careful how we treat people, because we affect them for seven generations. And that just kind of blew my mind. So I think of the things that I’ve had to go through in my lifetime and I just think: I want to be that person that changes. I want to change that so it’s different from before. I wanted to learn more about relationships and things like that, because my parents didn’t talk. It was quiet at home; we always had to be quiet. I taught my kids the same. We couldn’t be mad and we always had to be happy.
I want to be that person that changes.
I want to be that person that changes.
Ms. Anderson talks about how the Dakota spiritual values she's learned have influenced how she wants to live her life.
Audio Chapters
Chapter 1
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Barbara Anderson. "I want to be that person that changes.." https://www3.mnhs.org/usdakotawar/stories/contributors/barbara-anderson/986
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Oral History- Interview | Narrator Barbara Anderson Interviewer Deborah Locke made in Granite Falls, Upper Sioux Community, MN | Wednesday, May 4, 2011
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Citation: Minnesota Historical Society. U.S. - Dakota War of 1862. I want to be that person that changes.. May 23, 2025.

Other Stories by Narrator
- Chief Red Iron
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- I want to be that person that changes.
- They wanted to make sure that the Indians behaved
- How can you feel good about yourself when you’re restricted?
- I want to be an example of what they had to endure