A communal effort to preserve and share identities and cultures
By Lee Egerstrom Mary Anne Quiroz, a co-founder of the Indigenous Roots Cultural Arts Center in St. Paul, and Victoria Marie, who has an Indigenous wellness program housed at the center, spent a few moments recently laughing and commenting on how similar and interconnected Indigenous cultures are from around the world. Quiroz is originally from […]
Auger was a fierce advocate for those in need
By Diane Wilson On a warm afternoon in the summer of 2020, Sally Auger (Abenaki) stood on the newly purchased land that was growing the Dream of Wild Health farm into a 30-acre center for indigenous foods and Native youth programs. As the founder, this was Auger ’s dream come true; a vision that had […]
Minnesota eases COVID-19 restrictions for visiting elders in assisted living, senior care homes
By Lee Egerstrom With cold weather fast approaching, and after months of isolation for many elders throughout the state, the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) has issued new guidance for allowing families to visit loved ones in nursing homes, assisted living facilities, and others being assisted by home care providers. The new guidance and restrictions […]
Why AIM started the Heart of the Earth Survival School
By Jon Lurie/MinnPost In 1970, the American Indian Movement (AIM) declared its intention to open a school for Native youth living in Minneapolis. AIM had identified the urgent need for Indigenous children to be educated within their own communities. Two years later, Heart of the Earth Survival School opened its doors, providing hope to Native […]
Political Matters – April 2019
By Mordecai Specktor Ethnocide in the Amazon rain forest We tend to think that Trump is our misfortune, a corrupt and incompetent leader for the United States. However, the National Nincompoop represents a rising tide of authoritarian, right-wing leaders around the globe. Trump obviously admires these authoritarians – Russia’s Vladimir Putin; the North Korean dictator […]
Calendar of Events – April 2019
Thru April 30 MN Zoo Farm Babies Cuteness abounds with baby chicks, piglets, lambs, calves, goat kids, and bunnies. Check out the special “egg” treats for the animals. This fun form of enrichment will include colored Jell-O eggs, piñatas, and hard-boiled eggs. Minnesota Zoo, 13000 Zoo Blvd, Apple Valley. For info, see: http://mnzoo.org or call […]
Bluedog’s new album reflects the lives and times of Native Americans
By Lee Egerstrom The title of the forthcoming Bluedog band album shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone living in Indian Country. The title and message is a simple directive. Take a Stand. “There is something happening every week, every hour in Indian Country,” said cofounder Eric Buffalohead. That title is political, added cofounder Joni […]
Denomie exhibit: when reality and imagination combine
By Deborah Locke When you think of American Indian art, what comes to mind? Feathers, buffaloes, eagles, red and green peppers, a powwow dancer, a cradle board baby, a woman in a shawl with a shy smile? They are nice perhaps, but do they make you think? Jim Denomie, an Ojibwe enrolled at the Lac […]
Community Calendar – March 2019
Thru April 6 Jim Denomie: Standing Rock Paintings Bockley Gallery’s exhibition of Jim Denomie: Standing Rock Paintings, comprises of three large-scale, oil on canvas paintings and a series of smaller, but related, portraits. Denomie has cast his discriminating eye onto real- world events, specifically the Dakota Access Pipeline (DAPL) controversy and protest that erupted in […]
Mni Ki Wakan Water Is Sacred
By Wakinyan Skye LaPointe, Lemoine LaPointe, Thorne LaPointe, Laura Sioux Roberts The growing global water crisis is prompting many world leaders and organizations to respond through a myriad of top-down approaches. Consequently, Indigenous Peoples are often left out of leading global forums and dialogues on water—yet they are often the first to be negatively impacted […]
MN Elects First Native Lt. Governor
By Camille Erickson On Nov. 6, 2018, Minnesotans elected Peggy Flanagan to be the state’s first American Indian lieutenant governor, and the first American Indian ever elected to statewide executive office in U.S. history. How she got there: On an overcast Saturday in October 2017, then-gubernatorial candidate Tim Walz (DFL-Mankato) and his running mate Peggy […]
Native Food Perspectives: A different kind of ‘soul food’
By Lee Egerstrom Back a few years, when Christina Valtierra was cooking meals at the Little Earth neighborhood in Minneapolis, some residents would see her in the kitchen and go, “Oh, no. Healthy food again.” As time went on these same reluctant consumers would see her, break into a smile, and comment on how glad […]