New ‘Twin Cities Pilgrimage’ Offers Experiential Learning About African American Experiences in Minnesota

Healing Minnesota Stories and the Minnesota Council of Churches are excited to announce a new place-based learning opportunity called the Twin Cities Pilgrimage which will be a sacred journey of historical black narratives in Minnesota. It will follow the model of Healing Minnesota Stories’ popular and transformative Dakota Sacred Sites tours, which we have offered for nearly eight years.

Pastor Danny Givens will lead the Twin Cities Pilgrimage, which will offer stories of African American Origin, Sanctuary, Diaspora, Liberation, and Lament. The initial Pilgrimage will be Saturday, June 29, from 10 a.m.-2 p.m.. We will carpool and caravan to a few Twin Cities sites, such as the old Ronda Neighborhood which was displaced by I-94. We will listen to the stories that live in these spaces.

Healing Minnesota Stories Gets Star Tribune Attention

A quick shout out about a Star Tribune article: American Indian storytelling project unearths past to educate, heal, that highlights Healing Minnesota Stories transition to the Minnesota Council of Churches. The story features our friend, Bob Klanderud, a man who doesn’t seek the spotlight but deserves our love and thanks for all the work he does.

Here’s a snipet:

Wind rustled through wildflowers as Bob Klanderud pointed down the Mississippi River valley from atop Pilot Knob Hill in Mendota Heights.

He could see the distant skyscrapers of Minneapolis and St. Paul. But he was imagining its first metropolis — villages of animal hide teepees dotting the banks.

Over many years, settlement and war annihilated such images. For Klanderud and others indigenous to the area, the wounds are still fresh. …

Telling the stories is difficult but necessary for Klanderud.

“When we stand with a live heart of Dakota descendancy and use our sacred voices with our holy words, it takes a new dimension and the healing can come,” he said. “Not for the person telling, but for all the people.”

Click on the link for the full story.

Next Sacred Sites Tour June 24; Update on Enbridge Line 3; and Trump’s Review of National Monuments

Healing Minnesota Stories Sacred Sites Tour Now Open

Our next sacred sites tour will be Saturday, June 24, 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. Meet at Church of St. Peter, Mendota and the tour will car pool from there.

The tour centers around the confluence of the Mississippi and Minnesota rivers, what the Dakota refer to as Bdote, or “meeting place of rivers.” The tour stops include Fort Snelling, the site of the Dakota internment camp following the Dakota-U.S. War, and Pilot Knob Hill, a traditional burial ground.  Tours are led by Jim Bear Jacobs (Mohican) and Bob Klanderud (Dakota/Lakota), and offer an opportunity to learn about Minnesota history from a Native perspective through story telling. Come prepared for the weather (rain or shine), and bring your own snacks.

The suggested donation is $20-40 the day of the tour or on-line. Donations support Healing Minnesota Stories programs and events. Register names/email addresses at info@spinterfaith.org.

More items follow.

News and Events: Sacred Site Tours Restart; Book Release: White Birch, Red Hawthorn; First Minnesotans Caucus at the Legislature

With the weather warming, Healing Minnesota Stories is restarting its Sacred Site Tours. The first open tours are Saturday, April 15, 2017  and Saturday, May 13. Both run from 10 a.m. – 2 p.m.

Tours are led by Jim Bear Jacobs (Mohican) and Bob Klanderud (Dakota). The tours offer an opportunity to learn about Minnesota history from a Native perspective through story-telling and experiencing the sites in silence, meditation, and reflection. To register, to be placed on a waiting list, or for information on a future tour, contact us at info@spinterfaith.org.

There is no cost for the tour, but a free will offering is appreciated. Contributions for individuals are invited in the range of $20-$40. Donations support Healing Minnesota Stories programs and events. Space is limited to 40 people.

We are happy to arrange custom tours for faith communities, community organizations, or other groups of 12 or more.