Local Methodists to Address Doctrine of Discovery; Mde Maka Ska Community Conversation; Renaming the Jeffers Petroglyphs; Creation Stories Film Screening

Upcoming Events

• Screening of the documentary: Doctrine of Discovery: Unmasking the Domination Code. Come see the film and join the post-film discussion. The film is being hosted by the United Methodist Church, and Bruce Ough, the UMC Bishop for Minnesota, North Dakota and South Dakota will attend. (March 16)
• Mde Maka Ska Community Conversation: Following the Sacred Current of Water (March 22)
• Minnesota Historical Society to hold public meeting on renaming and reinterpreting the Jeffers Petroglyphs. (March 25)
• Walker Film Series INDIgenesis: Indigenous Filmmakers, Past and Present. (Runs through March 25.)
• Screening of Dakota Creation Stories film. (March 26)

Details follow.

Reclaiming the Indigenous Identity of the “Jeffers” Petroglyphs; Criticizing Trump’s Use of “Pocahontas” as a Slur

Petroglyphs near Comfry, Minnesota. (Wikimedia Commons)

The “Jeffers Petroglyphs” are a collection of ancient carvings made by Native American ancestors more than 7,000 years ago in what is now southwestern Minnesota. As old as they are, they bear the name “Jeffers” because of a recent immigrant family that once owned the land.

The Minnesota Historical Society (MHS) is working on giving this site a more appropriate name and interpretation. This is part of a growing interest in recognizing the original inhabitants of this land, their contributions, and their original place names, such as restoring the Dakota name Bde Maka Ska to Lake Calhoun.