Events: Indian Mounds Park Listening Session; Conversation on Inyan Sa (the Sacred Red Rock); and more

In this blog:

• Indian Mounds Listening Session tonight!
• Dakota elders to lead conversation on Inyan Sa (the sacred Red Rock) Saturday, 10 a.,m.-3 p.m.
• The Dakota Project, a reading of a play, Saturday, Aug. 3, noon
• Owámni Falling Water Festival, Saturday, Aug. 3, 1-5 p.m.

Indian Mounds Listening Session

Image: Two of the mounds in Indian Mounds Park, St. Paul. (Image: Wikimedia Commons)

Reminder: A listening session tonight, Monday, July 22, 5 p.m. at Marian Care Center, 200 Earl St., St. Paul to discuss the trail system around Indian Mounds Park in St. Paul.

There will be a light meal from 5-5:30 p.m. followed by a listening session. “The purpose of the listening session is to understand the cultural significance of the site and build common ground for an approach toward long-term management and future land use of the park,” according to one flyer.

A Facebook Post by Maggie Lorenz, director of the Wakan Tipi Center in St. Paul and an enrolled member of the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa, says:

Recommendations from the State Historical Preservation Office, Minnesota Indian Affairs Council, and Tribal Historic Preservation Offices at Prairie Island, Shakopee, Upper Sioux and Lower Sioux ALL determined that certain sections of the trail system in the park should be removed.

For more background, here is the city of St. Paul’s website for Indian Mounds Regional Park Cultural Landscape Study and Interpretive Plan.

Dakota elders to lead conversation about future home of Inyan Sa, the sacred Red Rock

Reminder: A group of Dakota elders will lead a conversation regarding the relocation of Inyan Sa, the sacred Red Rock, on Saturday, July 27, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at First Universalist Church, 3400 Dupont Ave. S., Minneapolis. A light lunch will be provided.

Here is the announcement:

You are cordially invited to a protocol-guided conversation about the future relocation and final placement of Inyan Sa, a granite boulder of immense significance to generations of Dakota people of the local area. Please join us as we collectively visualize a site commendation offered by a respected body of Dakota elders. Help us negotiate a non-adversarial, non political process to wisely arrive at a mediate consensus agreement regarding the permanent placement of Inyan Sa.

The Dakota Project

People are invited to a reading of the new plan The Dakota Project and a conversation with playwright Larissa FastHorse Saturday, Aug. 3, Noon, at the Minneapolis American Indian Center (Lower Gallery), 1530 E. Franklin Avenue, Minneapolis. The event is free and open to the public. Running time is 90 minutes.

The Dakota Project was inspired by the true-life story of two Dakota women who held their families together through decades of change in Minnesota, The Dakota Project is a story of faith, strength, and survival.

Owámni Falling Water Festival

The 6th annual Owámni Falling Water Festival will be held Saturday, Aug. 3, 1-5 p.m. at Father Hennepin Bluff Park, 420 Main St. SE. It’s a free family event celebrating indigenous music, art, food, exhibitors and more.

Owámni means “falling water” in the Dakota language, making it an apt name for a festival beside the only waterfall on the Mississippi River. Deanna Standing Cloud will emcee.