Owámniyomni Okhódayapi

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In "Owámniyomni: Still We Gather," Kachina Yeager, Sage Yeager, and Shelley Buck (Pte Wicota) discuss how Owámniyomni (also known as St. Anthony Falls) in Minnesota is being transformed back to an Indigenous place through the leadership of Owámniyomni Okhódayapi . This Indigenous-led organization is bringing Dakota values and people back to the site. Read more at: https://lnkd.in/e6TuAsun November is National American Indian Heritage Month. Throughout the month, look for more content from #OpenRivers that highlights the work of Indigenous contributors as part of our commitment to educating people about where we stand and what we stand for. #nationalamericanindianheritagemonth #stanthonyfalls #mississippiriver #dakotaplace #sugarloafbluff

Loved celebrating the progress of Owámniyomni Okhódayapi during the Wild Rice Storing Moon season with Shelley Buck (Pte Wicota), Rebecca Crooks-Stratton, Chad Poitra and so many other inspiring Native leaders on this journey to transform five acres of land at St. Anthony Falls in Minneapolis into a place of restoration, education, healing and connection. Visit owamniyomni.org to learn more. (Photos courtesy of talented Goff Public alum Tim Hunt.)

Owámniyomni Okhódayapi reached a major milestone when it signed a 25-year lease with the Army Corps of Engineers to host cultural programs at the Falls and continue its design and engineering work at the site. President Shelley Buck (Pte Wicota) writes in Native News Online: "We're showing what's feasible when you lift up Native leaders and honor the wisdom and history carried by our knowledge keepers."

GGN is honored to have been selected to continue the important work of designing a five-acre property at Owámniyomni (St. Anthony Falls) adjacent to the Upper Lock on the Mississippi riverfront in Minneapolis. The project is under the guidance of Owámniyomni Okhódayapi and the Dakota Knowledge Keepers and in partnership with the other experts and consultants involved. Full Circle Indigenous Planning + Design will provide project strategy and Tribal engagement. The Dakota Knowledge Keepers include Glenn Wasicuna, Gwen Westerman, Mona Smith, Jewell Arcoren, Ramona Kitto Stately, Travis Bush, Vanessa Goodthunder, Erin Griffin, Samantha Odegard, and Cole Redhorse Taylor. Additional firms and consultants offering design and technical support fo the project include HDR, EOR, John Koepke with Urban Ecosystems, TLAL-LI Collaborative, Loeffler, ETM and Schuler Shook. “The structure of this design team emphasizes that while transforming the physical land at Owámniyomni will be important, restoring relationships to the land, Dakota culture, and language are at the heart of this work,” said Barry Hand, Owámniyomni Okhódayapi program director. “This project is rooted in the idea that what is most important about Owámniyomni is already here. Now is the time for the cultural and environmental restoration that have always been one and the same for the Dakota who know this place best,” said David Malda, Design Principal, GGN. Susan Du reports on the project in the Star Tribune:?https://lnkd.in/gFa2Sujc

Owámniyomni Okhódayapi President Shelley Buck (Pte Wicota) spoke at the closing session of this week's Sustainable Agriculture & Food Systems Funders (SAFSF) convening in Minneapolis. Shelley highlighted the importance of engaging directly with Tribal Nations on community projects within Tribal homelands, transitioning non-profits to Native leadership and honoring the wisdom of traditional Knowledge Keepers. Furthermore, Shelley joined representatives of Regenerative Agriculture Alliance and Minnesota Farmers Market Association to consider how climate funders and agriculture funders can align their giving to support community-driven work. #mnisotamakoce #owámniyomni #TheFallsMpls #NativeFoodways #IndigenousHealth #FoodSovereignty #RegenerativeAgriculture #FoodFunders #AgFunders #ClimateFunders #RuralDevelopment Convening hosted by SAFSF, Climate and Energy Funders Group (Biodiversity Funders Group), Funders for Regenerative Agriculture, and Health and Environmental Funders Network (HEFN) and supported by Regenerative Agriculture Foundation and McKnight Foundation.