Leech Lake TT Local will hold powwows in TC
(Written by K.E. MacPhie) – The Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe is notorious in the Minnesota circuit for hosting so many powwows throughout the summer season. Cass Lake usually kicks it off with the big Memorial Day powwow, but even the smaller communities on the reservation, like Ball Club, Round Lake, and Ongum, also host full events with vendors, dance contests, multiple drum groups, and beautiful grand entries.
Each Local Indian Council takes turns and coordinates schedules for different weekends throughout the summer in hosting at their community centers and circles. However, one community that has never hosted was the Twin Cities Local Indian Council. That changed on March 15.
The Leech Lake Twin Cities Local Indian Council meets monthly at the urban office in the Seward neighborhood of Minneapolis. They have been advocating for a while to host their own local powwow and were notified at the December meeting that they would be given a stipend and added to the official circuit of the Tribe in 2025. They immediately organized a subcommittee and started planning the event for a quick turnaround to host in March.
They managed to pull in vendors, book the Minneapolis American Indian Center, and coordinate a fantastic blend of reservation residents and council members along with urban area leaders and Band members. They had a feast catered by Trickster Tacos, a familiar food truck that serves many Native events around the Twin Cities. Local Indian Council members attended and welcomed guests and the door, and grand entry was lifted by the pride of urban Leech Lake Band members who could feel the energy of building the long bridge between the reservation and Band members who live in the metro. It was a groundbreaking powwow to kick off the season earlier than ever.
The Leech Lake Band will have eight more powwows this year between Memorial Day and the Battle Point powwow on September 19.
You can see the dates and locations at https://www.llojibwe.org/powwow/schedule.html
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Minneapolis Your Story
The City of Minneapolis has launched “Minneapolis Your Story,” a partnership with independent non-profit StoryCorps Studios to create an archive of community-centered stories focused on racial healing. The initiative aims to move the Minneapolis community toward a future grounded in racial equity and justice by harnessing the power of conversations to heal racial divisions.
“Change begins with a conversation. When we listen to one another and hear our shared stories, we find the common ground that connects us all,” said Mayor Jacob Frey. “Our city’s path to healing is ongoing and StoryCorps is part of that arch to our story.”
“In Minneapolis, one of the most powerful tools in our collective journey toward racial healing is storytelling. Storytelling allows individuals to recognize the common threads that bind us all together in this fight for racial justice,” said Prince Corbett, Director of Racial Equity, Inclusion and Belonging. “Diverse communities are encouraged to share their personal experiences, providing opportunities for deep empathy and understanding. Through these stories, we gain insight into the lived realities of others, breaking down barriers and fostering compassion. It is through this process of sharing that we can truly begin to heal and move toward reconciliation.”
Through May, people will be able to record their perspectives in their own words and archive them as part of this special partnership. The community archive will include stories about the history of racial discrimination and injustice in Minneapolis, George Floyd’s murder, the civil unrest that followed, and the ongoing efforts to reform the Minneapolis Police Department.
Following the collection of interviews, the City of Minneapolis will host a community listening session with residents and community leaders to hear selected recordings.
Record and upload your own story online through May 31. The StoryCorps mobile booth will be in Minneapolis, May 13-22 to record a curated selection of interviews with community members.
Everyone who participates in a StoryCorps interview can access a recording of their story and with permission, their interview is preserved in the national StoryCorps archive at the American Folklife Center at the Library of Congress.
The stories may also be featured at one of a number of additional partners such as the National Museum of African American History & Culture.
You can find more and upload your story at www.minneapolismn.gov/your-story.
