Healing Minnesota Stories Events
Opportunities for you and your congregation to join
an effort to create understanding and healing
between people of faith and American Indian people.
Mark your calendars for upcoming events!
The Saint Paul Interfaith Network launched Healing Minnesota Stories last year to highlight opportunities for you and your congregation to join an effort to create understanding and healing between people of faith and Minnesota’s American Indian people. In 2012, we spent our time and energy supporting Dakota-led events commemorating the Dakota-U.S. War of 1862 and its aftermath. That was a start, and we want to build on the relationships that were begun last year. We have several projects in the works, but nothing ready to announce. In the meantime, we wanted to make people aware of upcoming events that deserve attention.
April 24: Showing and discussion of the film "Star Dreamers—The Spirit Water People", led by filmmaker Sheldon Wolfchild. The event starts at 6:30 p.m. at the DuPuis House in Mendota, 1357 Sibley Memorial Hwy. The event is part of the Mendota Mdewakanton Dakota Tribe’s culture class. All are invited. The tribe’s website said of the film that Wolfchild’s: "15 year research unveils the truths and reasons for pre-war events from a traditional Dakota perspective in growing efforts to heal from past harms in Minnesota history as a shared effort to strengthen relations among the greater community." Bring a snack to pass!
May 1: Kick-Off Celebration of American Indian Month: The event starts with a gathering and opening ceremony at 9:30 a.m. at Cedar Field (Cedar Avenue South and 25th Street East in Minneapolis) near Little Earth of United Tribes. The Parade of Nations starts at 10:30 a.m. followed by a community feast at noon at the Minneapolis American Indian Center,
May 4: Remembering and Honoring our Dakota Grandmothers: On May 4th, 1863 the 1300 surviving women, children and elders at the Fort Snelling concentration camp were forcibly removed on cattle boat steamers to Fort Thompson (Crow Creek) South Dakota. A program and ceremony will remember and honor these Dakota ancestors on May 4th at the concentration camp site in Fort Snelling State Park beginning at 12:30 p.m. Meet near the Visitors Center under the Mendota Bridge. The program includes: Dr. Chris Mato Nunpa, Chair, Oceti Sakowin Omniciye; Larry Long, Troubadour; Jim Anderson, Chair, Mendota Mdewakanton Dakota Community; and Dr. Waziyatawin, Upper Sioux Community. Phyllis RedDay, Sisitunwan Elder, will hold a commemorative ceremony. (No photos during the commemorative ceremony.) A simple meal of soup, bread, and water will be served following the event. Call 320-981-0206 for more information.
May 5-6: The Year of the Dakota: Remembering, Honoring, and Truth Telling, Wesley Center for Spirituality, Service and Social Justice, Hamline University. This free two-day conference runs from 2 p.m. May 5 to the evening of May 6. It includes a series of speakers and panels. A PDF is attached with more details. Please RSVP to the Wesley Center at wesleycenter@hamline.edu or call 651-523-2750.
May 13: Anishinaabe Spirituality: A Look at the Ojibwe People’s Worldview, 7:00 p.m. at St. Joseph Parish, 8701 36th Ave. N., New Hope. Speaking will be Pebaamibines (Dennis Jones) who teaches Ojibwe language and culture at the University of Minnesota. He is from Canada and returns there every summer to practice the traditional ways of living off the land. The presentation will be followed by facilitated small group discussion. The event is free. Refreshments provided. The event is sponsored by the Minneapolis Area Interfaith Initiative. RSVP to maiimpls@gmail.com not required, but helpful for planning.
May 29: Mnisota Makoce, an Indigenous Place: Exploring Bdote Part of the "Lunch and Learn" series at the, Minnesota Humanities Center, 987 Ivy Avenue East, St. Paul, noon-1:15 p.m., $15/person, includes lunch. Come and hear Mona Smith, creator of the Bdote Memory Map, talk about Minnesota as an Indigenous place. As you challenge assumptions made about Dakota history and identity, you’ll gain a deeper understanding of the significance of places in Minnesota like Minnehaha Falls, Coldwater Springs, and the Mississippi River to this land’s first people.
May 30: 30th Anniversary of the Ain Dah Yung Center, Open House Celebration, 11 a.m.-2 p.m. at 1089 Portland Ave. S., St. Paul. "The Ain Dah Yung Center is a national model for providing a broad spectrum of culturally relevant and cost-effective social services to American Indian youth and their families – a group that has been reluctant to use mainstream government services and programs." Come and celebrate with traditional food and song—and door prizes.