Minot State University will host author and alumnus Hunter Andes for an on-campus event as part of the Native American Cultural Celebration in November. The visit is organized by the Minot State Native American Cultural Center, the MSU Diversity Council, and the Gordon B. Olson Library.
Andes, who wrote “The Elders: Stories from Fort Berthold,” will discuss his book on November 7 at 3:30 p.m. in the Gordon B. Olson Library. The book examines the forced relocation of residents from Elbowoods, Nishu, Van Hook, and other settlements to make way for the Garrison Dam project in the 1940s and 1950s.
Annette Mennem, director of the Minot State Native American Cultural Center, said, “Online research would report that the creation of the Garrison Dam was a contractual transaction; however, the people who contributed to the writing of ‘The Elders’ have a different view of this 1940s and 1950s U.S. Army Corps of Engineers project. The event provides the campus and community with an opportunity to hear about the writing of this book and hear from the author.”
The book tells about how approximately 1,700 people were relocated in 1953 for Lake Sakakawea’s creation despite objections from the Three Affiliated Tribes. Andes based his work on interviews with elders Marilyn Hudson and Edward “Ed” Hall—Parshall residents formerly from rural Elbowoods—and Gerald “Jerry” White and Almit Breuer—both from White Shield and formerly rural Nishu. Parts of these stories were initially published as a newspaper series in the McClean County Independent.
In a student feature story in 2020 on Minotstateu.edu, Andes explained his motivation: “I want people to understand what happened. I feel like a lot of people don’t understand; I feel like a lot of people don’t have empathy for what the (Fort Berthold) Reservation is like today because they don’t understand what truly happened.
“There was a series of unfortunate events caused by the federal government and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers; there were alternative options available. In the words of Ed Hall, you might say it was a string of bad luck.”
The event is open to everyone without charge, and copies of Andes’ book will be available for purchase.
