Their arrival in Reconciliation Park marked the end of a 17-day journey that began at Fort Thompson on the Crow Creek Reservation in South Dakota. The horse ride was schedule to end Friday, Dec. 26 on the 163rd anniversary of the hanging of 38 Dakota men following the U.S.-Dakota War. This was the largest mass hanging in U.S. history. Reconciliation Park site of where the hanging took place in 1862.

The Makatoh Reconciliation riders were not alone in their journey to Reconciliation Park. The Dakota Exiles Ride, connected with Makatoh riders at Land of Memories of Park on Christmas Day. The Dakota Exiles Ride began in in Santee, Nebraska, on Sunday, Dec. 14. The Dakota Exiles Ride is held in honor of the Dakota who were placed in an internment camps following the U.S.-Dakota War and later relocated to reservations.

The Dakota 38 Memorial Runners also reached Reconciliation Park Friday morning. The Dakota 38 Memorial Run is a relay run that begins at Fort Snelling in St. Paul and concludes in Mankato. The relay run follows the same route the 38 Dakota were forced to take from Fort Snelling to Mankato.

The Dakota 38 Memorial Runners arrived at Reconciliation Park first. The runners crossed the Belgrade Avenue Bridge at 9:45 a.m.

The Makatoh Reconciliation and Healing Horse Riders, joined with the Dakota Exile Riders for the last charge into Reconciliation Park in Mankato, Friday, Dec. 26. The Makatoh Riders began their ride on Dec. 10 in Fort Thompson, South Dakota. The Dakota Exile Riders began riding on Dec. 14 from Santee, Nebraska. The two united in Land of Memories Park on Christmas Day.

Austin Owen with the Memorial Runners said the relay run is done in prayer and is not for likes or shares on social media.

He said they run for their relatives, for their elders and for the young people to carry on the tradition.

“We also do this for ourselves,” Owen said. The run lets their ancestors know their struggle was not in vain.

“We’re still here and living our culture,” Owens said.

At 10 a.m. the Makatoh Reconciliation riders and Dakota Exiles riders arrived together at Reconciliation Park.

Austin Owens, a member of the Dakota 38 Memorial Run, speaks in Reconciliation Park. The Dakota 38 Memorial Run is a relay run that begins at Fort Snelling in St. Paul and concludes in Mankato. The relay run follows the same route the 38 Dakota were forced to take from Fort Snelling to Mankato.

Wilfred Keeble, a Dakota elder from the Crow Creek Reservation, spoke on behalf of the Reconciliation Riders. He thanked the Dakota Runners and Dakota Exile Riders for participating and showing unity among the people. He said that was part of the healing process.

Jim Hallum with the Dakota Exiles Riders spoke on the need to remember the past and what their ancestors went through.

“We’re still in exile,” he said. “No matter the tribe, we cannot got back to our homes.”

However, he said the Dakota people had learned resilience in the face of great hardship.

“We’re not suppose to be here, but we still are,” Hallum said.

Wilfred Keeble, a Dakota elder from the Crow Creek Reservation spoke at Reconciliation Park following the arrival of The Makatoh Reconciliation and Healing Horse Riders arriving in the Mankato. The Dakota Exile Riders and the Dakota 38 Memorial Runners also gathered in the park to memorialize the 38 Dakota executed on the site on Dec. 26, 1862. He thanked the Dakota Runners and Dakota Exile Riders for participating and showing unity among the people. He said that was part of the healing process.

The ceremony in Reconciliation Park concluded with the elders reciting the names of the 38 Dakota men executed on that site 163 years ago.