Compiled and written by David R. Schleper, 2021
Amy Ellen Mahtiya To Winyan Blue Sky Woman Crooks-Larca was born Nov. 13, 1946, in Pipestone, Minnesota, daughter of Amos L. Crooks (1919-1999) and Rosemma Coursolle Crooks (1925-2003). She was a member of the Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community. Her brother was Glynn Allyn Crooks.
Amy served as chairperson, vice-chairperson, and secretary/treasurer of the Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community Business Council.
She married Robert Larca, and they had six children: Tracy, Cyndy, Terry, Tricia, Melinda, and Terri Lynn, according to the McNearney-Schmidt Funeral Home.
Amy died April 1, 2012.
Dakota cultural practices have changed over time. There are many reasons for this: historical trauma, such as genocide; forced assimilation during the boarding school era (1860-1978) in which children were forcefully separated from their families and their language and cultural practices were brutally suppressed; the introduction of Christianity and the suppression of traditional ceremonies; and demographic changes beginning with World War II as many young Native people moved away, served in the military, and raised families outside of the tribal nation, according to Psychology Today.
People do not die, they walk on. Walking On implies a continuation of a journey rather than an endpoint on a linear path.
Like many Dakota, a traditional all-night wake happened on Wednesday, April 4 at the Glynn A. Crooks residence, according to the Minneapolis Star Tribune on April 4, 2012. It included a prayer service led by Spiritual Leader Danny Seaboy. The family of the deceased feeds everyone in attendance. At least one family member must stand by the body at all times.
The rituals and ceremonies are an important part of the grieving process and are meant to encourage the spirit into the afterlife. The Dakota do fear death or going to an underworld. They believe in a spirit world, Wakan Tanka, in the sky in which the deceased are free of pain and suffering.
A Christian ceremony is usually performed. Afterward, a medicine man performs a more traditional ceremony with prayers, songs, and a drum group.
After each ceremony, friends and family take turns paying their final respects to the deceased by giving them “spiritual foods” called wasna or pemmican to help the spirit on its travels. Gifts for the spirit, such as knives and shawls, are also placed in the casket before burial.
The funeral happened on April 5, 2011, at the Tiowakan Spiritual Center at the Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community. The Tiowakan Spiritual Center is a beautifully designed and welcoming church in Prior Lake. It is a diverse and inclusive Christian church. People are given the opportunity to share their testimony.
Officiating was the Rev. Marlene White Rabbit Helgemo.
Amy Ellen Mahtiya To Winyan Blue Sky Woman Crooks-Larca journeyed to the Spirit World on April 1, 2012, but her life continues with her family and her community.
For more information about the Dakota, Hoċokata Ti [ho-chokah-tah-tee], the Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community’s (SMSC) cultural center and gathering space, is worth visiting. The public exhibit, “Mdewakanton: Dwellers of the Spirit Lake,” enhance the knowledge and understanding of the Mdewakanton Dakota people and their history. Hoċokata Ti is at 2300 Tiwahe Circle, Shakopee, MN 55379. (952) 233-9151.