Mní Wičóni

Owámniyomni Okhódayapi is a Dakota-led nonprofit creating a future where Dakota culture has a vital presence and Dakota values – such as mni wičóni, or water is life – are embedded into our communal existence. We are currently working to transform five acres of land at Owámniyomni (St. Anthony Falls) into a place of restoration, education, healing and connection.

The Owámniyomni project is a groundbreaking effort to heal a sacred Dakota site desecrated through colonization and industrialization. It is reconnecting us to the River that has been a source of identity, inspiration and opportunity for Dakota oyate (Dakota people) and others who call this place home.

We are committed to implementing the vision of the four Dakota Nations in Mni Sota – the Shakopee Mdewakanton (Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community), Tinta Wita (Prairie Island Indian Community), Cansa’yapi (Lower Sioux Indian Community), and Pežutazizi Kapi (Upper Sioux Community).

Already, our framework serves as a model for other Native-led initiatives and illustrates the power and possibility of grounding community projects in Native values.