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Dakota Homeland and Owamniyomni

Introduction

Text-to-speech Audio

Mni Sota Makoce, land where the water reflects the clouds, is the homeland of the Dakota. For centuries, Indigenous people used a portage trail around the falls which is where you stand now. Owamniyomni (also known as St. Anthony Falls) was a place of spiritual power and a place to gather as a community. The word "Owamniyomni" describes the turbulent water that cascaded down the elevation change. The Dakota name Haha Wakpa (also known as the Mississippi River), means “river of the falls,” acknowledging the importance of Owamniyomni in the landscape of the river. Dakota, Ojibwe, and other Indigenous nations and peoples continue to make their home in Minneapolis.

Images

Performers at the Owamni festival, 2018.

Performers at the Owamni festival, 2018.

Backstory and Context

Text-to-speech Audio

According to Dakota oral tradition communities frequently fished and gathered together for maple sugaring in the area, and practiced seasonal use of the land, living in agreement with the land and its resources. 

Enduring Connection

From 1805 to 1858 a series of treaties removed the Dakota from much of their homeland and onto reservations. After the US-Dakota War of 1862, the US Congress nullified these treaties and forced most Dakota people from the state.

Despite a period of exile, the Dakota connection to their homeland has remained deep. Over time Dakota people returned to Minnesota in communities at Upper Sioux, Lower Sioux, Shakopee, Prairie Island, and Mendota. Today, many Dakota live in the Twin Cities including in Minneapolis, which is home to the largest urban Native community in the United States.

Within Minnesota today, Dakota, Ojibwe, and other Indigenous peoples continue to adapt to meet the changing needs of the community. Indigenous-led food programs, language education, art galleries, and other services based on cultural values are part of a deep and enduring connection to the land and community. 

To learn more about Dakota and Ojibwe history, please see the link for “Our Home” exhibit resources from the Minnesota Historical Society. 

Sources

Bellecourt, Clyde, as told to Jon Lurie. The Thunder Before the Storm: The Autobiography of Clyde Bellecourt. St. Paul: Minnesota Historical Society Press, 2017.

Lurie, John. "American Indian Movement," MNopedia. August 2nd 2019. Accessed July 20th 2020. https://www.mnopedia.org/group/american-indian-movement-aim.

Peterson, Teresa and Walter LaBatte, Jr. "The Land, Water, and Language of the Dakota, Minnesota’s First People," MNopedia. January 30th 2014. Accessed July 20th 2020. https://www.mnopedia.org/land-water-and-language-dakota-minnesota-s-first-people.

Smith, Mona M. 2016. “Owámniyomni, a Dakota Name for ‘St. Anthony Falls’” Open Rivers: Rethinking The Mississippi, no. 4 https://editions.lib.umn.edu/openrivers/article/owamniyomni-a-dakota-name-for-st-anthony-falls/.

Weber, Tom. Minneapolis: An Urban Biography. St. Paul, MN. Minnesota Historical Society Press, 2020.

Westerman, Gwen and Bruce White. Mni Sota Makoce: The Land of the Dakota. St. Paul, MN. Minnesota Historical Society Press, 2012.

Image Sources(Click to expand)

Minneapolis Parks and Recreation

Additional Information