North Dakota as a fantasy map

The state of North Dakota reimagined as a fantasy map. This map is part of the Integral States Project, an art series that encourages reflection about the actual, pre-colonial history of these landscapes as well as the indigenous peoples who called them home. Proceeds benefit native charities.

 You’re very welcome to snag a free copy. Please rate if you like it to help others find these. Thanks! Prints are available at: https://www.redbubble.com/people/aldayuan

 Project website: https://integralstatesproject.com. 

The original inhabitants of the area that is now North Dakota included the Sahnish (Arikara), Minnetaree (“to cross the water” or Hidatsa), Mandan, Chippewa, and the Sioux. The word Dakota comes from the name of the Dakota Sioux and means “friendly or allied.” The Mandan originally lived in the woodlands to the east but moved out into the plains where they established permanent walled settlements. Today, they have united with the Minnetaree and the Sahnish, who had also migrated west to form the Mandan, Hidatsa and Arikara Nation. Like these tribes, the Chippewa, who once lived in Minnesota, Wisconsin and Michigan, moved out onto the Great Plains and settled in what is now Turtle Mountain. In 1858, the Chippewa signed a treaty with the Dakota Sioux defining their lands include about 11 million acres. A few years later, the United States brought a Gatling machine gun to treaty negotiations in which they offered less than a cent/acre for “right of way” and stole all 11 million acres outright.