LOCAL BRIEFS (June 2017)

LEECH LAKE APPROVES NEW PALACE CASINO PROJECT CASS LAKE, MN – Leech Lake Ojibwe members took to the polls in May to decide whether the tribe should move forward with a new casino construction project to replace the existing Palace Casino & Hotel in Cass Lake. Approximately 78% of the votes cast were in favor […]
“Scaffold” at Walker Art Center to be dismantled and burned

By Cat Whipple Outrage from the Native community in Minneapolis has put the Walker Art Center in the hot seat. The Center’s installation of a two-story gallows structure entitled “Scaffold”, by artist Sam Durant, includes references to the hanging of 38 Dakota men in Mankato in 1862 by the US government. “Scaffold” is a collection of […]
AIM Interpretive Center takes wild rice and Native culture to France

By Norma Renville and Jack Swanson After two years of planning and development work conducted by American Indian Movement Interpretive Center (AIMIC) board members, staff and consultants, the AIMIC sent a delegation to the Foire de Tours in Tours, France to introduce its citizens to real wild rice and to share their culture. The Foire, which […]
Am. Indian Cultural Corridor to be part of Minneapolis “Green Zone”

By Lee Egerstrom The city of Minneapolis has designated the Phillips Neighborhood, including the American Indian Cultural Corridor along Franklin Avenue, as one of two geographic areas to be “Green Zones” for future environmental and economic development. The city will be reaching out to Native and Indigenous organizations this month for participants to serve on […]
POLITICAL MATTERS (June 2017)

By Mordecai Specktor Offensive art On Sunday, May 28, I drove over to the Walker Art Center Sculpture Garden to see “Scaffold,” a construction by Sam Durant, a Los Angeles-based artist. The two-story piece, which resembles an elaborate wood and metal jungle gym (when I first saw a photo of it, I thought it was […]
Patriot Nations: Native Americans in Our Nation’s Armed Forces

The Historic Fort Snelling in Minnesota will host “Patriot Nations: Native Americans in Our Nation’s Armed Forces”, an exhibit that tells the history of the brave American Indian and Alaska Native men and women who have served in the US military. Using art, photography and essays, the show examines more than 300 years of Native people’s […]
Urban farming in South Minneapolis: May 2017

By LEE EGERSTROM A collaborative of Minneapolis faith-based, cultural and health organizations will soon start a second year of serious urban farming in an effort to change how Native Americans live and eat and take their neighbors along on the same healthy journey. Weather permitting, volunteers and staff from involved groups will transplant crops May 12 […]
The Wiindigo and the Water Protectors

Some things never change, no matter the cannibal. The standards are dropping quickly; that is, if there ever were standards. As Donald Trump shamelessly grabs more for corporate interests and fat cats, standards of law, human decency, and rules of engagement in civil society are brushed aside. While actively dismantling all social programs and environmental […]
WHAT’S NEW IN THE COMMUNITY (May 2017)

NACF Mentor Artist Fellowship winners The Native Arts and Cultures Foundation (NACF) has awarded its first Mentor Artist Fellowship to 12 artists in three regions of the United States: the Pacific Northwest, Southwest and Upper Midwest. The awardees reside in Alaska, Arizona, Minnesota, New Mexico, Oregon, Washington and Wisconsin. Beginning in July, each artist will […]