Land Water Acknowledgement

• Mni Sota Makoce (Minnesota) is the traditional and current homeland of the Dakota people along with the Ho Chunk people (in SE Minnesota.)
• We recommend this excellent book Mni Sota Makoce the Land of the Dakota, MN Historical Society Press, by Gwen Westerman & Bruce White to learn more
• Anishinaabe people reside here, too, and reached their current homelands after following the megis shell to the food that grows on water (manoomin, or wild rice).
• Indigenous people from other Native nations also reside in Minnesota & have made innumerable contributions to our region.

RCC is connecting Twin Cities citizen groups, cities and counties and Indigenous-led initiatives to support their next steps for Land and Water Acknowledgement, place name and land recovery and Indigenous co-management of natural resources in partnership with MN Tribes and Indigenous communities.

RCC invites all interested citizen groups, Indigenous led initiatives and city and county leaders to join us to hear an update and brainstorm next steps to make the most of the

Met Council Regional Parks System Historical-Cultural Study

Project update for the METROPOLITAN PARKS AND OPEN SPACE COMMISSION Thursday February 1st 4pm to 5pm

In Person at the- Met Council Chambers 390 Robert Street North St. Paul, MN 55101 Or Watch Online – https://metrocouncil.org/Council-Meetings/UpcomingMeetings.aspx Invitation to interested persons to address the Metropolitan Parks and Opens Space Commission. Pre-register at public.info@metc.state.mn.us. Each speaker is limited to three-minutes

Staff expect that the Project Consultant and staff will be able to give an update on Feb 1 on next steps for completing the Met Council Regional Parks System Historical-Cultural Study (in advance of metro cities developing their 2050 Comp Plan updates) to

• “Describe and document the impacts that inequitable policies have had on the development of the Regional Parks System” and
• “Explore the development of a land acknowledgement that recognizes and respects Indigenous residents and the histories of the land where our regional parks and trails are located.” 

• MN Tribal-State Relations Training – highly recommended for cities and counties to send interested staff, elected and commission leaders to this excellent training, that was launched to train/educate Minnesota state employees about American Indian tribal governments, histories, cultures and traditions, in order to empower state employees to work effectively with American Indians and promote authentic and respectful relationships between state agencies and American Indian tribes. https://www.dot.state.mn.us/tribaltraining/about.html

• Our current listing of Metro and MN city and county land acknowledgement statements and next steps – send updates to sean@rccmn.co so we can share them here.

Hennepin County Land and Water Acknowledgement 

• https://www.hennepin.us/disparity-reduction/-/media/disparity-reduction/Stories/land-and-water-acknowledgement-statement.pdf
• Marion Greene, Chair Board of Commissioners c/o Laura Hoffman laura.hoffman@hennepin.us

City of Bloomington South Loop History Report

An Indigenous History of Bloomington, Aug 22, 2023 Event recording

National Park Service Mississippi Park Connection – BIPOC led outdoor experiences https://parkconnection.org/educators

Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board

Indigenous Land, People and Nations Acknowledgement / Parks for All Strategic Plan Carrie Ann Christiansen MPRB cchristensen@minneapolisparks.org

• Bde Maka Ska Park
• Chanté T’ínza Wínyan park means “Strong Hearted Women” renaming of Sibley Field Park.
• Owámni Falling Water Festival, annual fall celebration of indigenous Minnesota cultures at Mill Ruins Park, Water Works and Father Hennepin Bluffs Park.

City of St. Paul

UŊČÍ MAKHÁ PARK at Highland Bridge (Grandmother Earth in Dakota) https://www.stpaul.gov/facilities/unci-makha-park

Indian Mounds Regional Park Cultural Landscape Study and Messaging Plan

Wakan Tipi Awanyankapi (previously the Lower Phalen Creek Project) https://www.wakantipi.org/

Dakota County
Bison Re-introduction

Spring Lake Park Reserve Interpretive Messaging Plan focuses on honoring and acknowledging the Indigenous sites, spaces and histories located within Spring Lake Park Reserve.

SEND UPDATES TO SEAN@RCCMN.CO so we can share them.

Dream of Wild Health one of the only Native American-led farms in the Twin Cities has recently tripled its farmland from 10 to 30 acres in Hugo, MN. The farm is a safe space, a sacred place. https://dreamofwildhealth.org/farm

Basset Creek Ȟaȟa Wakpadaŋ renaming project and blog posts

Haha Wakpadan / Bassett Creek Oral History Project – 12 podcasts

Friends of the Falls (in Minneapolis at Owámni/ St. Anthony falls) https://thefalls.org/about/

Friends of Lake Hiawatha/ Bde Psin

Little Earth of United Tribes (East Phillips) https://www.littleearth.org/

Prairie Island Indian Community https://prairieisland.org/
112 acres of land that the Prairie Island Indian Community owns in West Lakeland Township could soon be placed in federal trust, becoming part of the reservation

Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community https://shakopeedakota.org/culture/our-environmental-stewardship/

Wakan Tipi Awanyankapi (previously the Lower Phalen Creek Project) https://www.wakantipi.org/

MN Historical Society Native American Initiatives department (NAI) is responsible for the vision and strategy of incorporating Native content throughout our institution and our historic sites.