By Lee Egerstrom

Indigenous Peoples’ Day became an up close and personal celebration of the past and future for the people of St. Paul, the Dakota people of Minnesota, and for all who wish them well.

On that day, St. Paul Mayor Melvin Carter and leaders of the Wakan Tipi Awanyankapi non-profit organization announced they have agreed to co-manage the Bruce Vento Nature Sanctuary on St. Paul’s East Side.

The Bush Foundation announced it has granted $2.4 million to Wakan Tipi Awanyankapi (WTA) to implement the novel agreement and continues the foundation’s past assistance to the environmental group formerly known as the Lower Phalen Creek Project.

Mattie DeCarlo, Grantmaking Officer at Bush Foundation, said the agreement is “a first in Minnesota” and will help Native community members reconnect to the land and eco systems. This is an innovative approach that others in the field are eager to learn from and we look forward to seeing its impact over time.”

Mayor Carter made clear the city-Wakan Tipi agreement wasn’t coincidental with Indigenous Peoples’ Day. “Saint Paul is built on Dakota land,” he said in his statement. “We are proud to finally restore access and stewardship to this sacred site.”

Maggie Lorenz (Turtle Mountain and Spirit Lake), the WTA executive director, said the co-management agreement applies to the Bruce Vento Nature Sanctuary, a 27 acre park area that runs from Lake Phalen down to the Mississippi River through what is called St. Paul’s East Side.

It is a sacred place for Dakota people connecting historic and hallowed areas and has been protected as city park land. It is a site for gatherings and inner action among Dakota and other tribal people for at least 2,000 years.

The Bruce Vento Regional Trail passes through the area linking natural landscape features and plant life with the Indian Mounds Regional Park on the bluffs above the river, and above Wakan Tipi Cave.

Cooperating with Dakota people and concerned St. Paulites over the years, the city’s Parks Department has protective barriers around the mounds and signage clearly stating that is a sacred burial ground. Some signs remind visitors, “This is a Cemetery.”

Background information explains that the mounds were used for burials 2,000 years ago for ancestors of the Upper Sioux, Lower Sioux and Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux communities and Prairie Island Indian Community; and by the Ho-Chunk Nation of Wisconsin, the Iowa Tribe of Kansas and Nebraska, the Sisseton-Wahpeton Oyate, and others.

Dakota language translations for Wakan Tipi means “talking about where the holy sacred things live” or “where they dwell.” The translation for the longer Wakan Tipi Awanyankapi name is simply “Those who care for Wakan Tipi.”

That does describe WTA and the former Lower Phalen Creek Project. It states on its website, “Our work is powered by a dedicated board, staff and community of volunteers.”

Lorenz said the entire sacred and cultural landscape is known as Wakan Tipi. “The co-management agreement outlines what maintenance and stewardship activities will be the responsibility of the city, where we will collaborate, and what activities will be the responsibility of (WTA).”

This gives WTA more authority to manage “displaced plant relatives” such as invasive species, native plants, and to contract with licensed contractors for projects such as invasive buckthorn removal.

In the past, WTA volunteers were limited to tasks such as trash cleanup, pulling weeds and similar minor but also important tasks.

The trail through the area is named for Bruce Vento, a former East Sider who was an environmental leader during his service in the Minnesota Legislature and in representing St. Paul and suburbs in the U.S. House of Representatives.

In the co-management announcement, City Councilmember Cheniqua Johnson credited WTA for helping St. Paul and its East Side residents understand the Dakota experience. “This partnership honors Dakota cultural heritage and strengthens community ties, fostering a deeper understanding of our city’s shared history,” she said.

That role will get a big boost again in the coming year. A Wakan Tipi Center is under construction along the banks of the Mississippi. It is likely to have a grand opening in October 2025.

This area is under another construction site. A new Third Street / Kellogg Boulevard Bridge is being built over the river and that project isn’t likely to be completed until sometime in 2027. That may hinder access to the center in its first year.

But it will help WTA and all its partners in their environmental and historical education roles. Wakan Tipi Center will have a reception area, classrooms, exhibit space, a community gathering area and gallery space

These will “showcase and expand the value of the sanctuary as a place for cultural healing, life-long learning and inspiration,” WTA explains on its website. That will offer “unique educational opportunities to learn about the Indigenous Peoples of Minnesota, our shared histories, and current urban ecology.”