By Shelley Buck, Native News Online
“For generations, our Dakota ancestors traveled to Owámniyomni, a sacred place where the raging waters of Ȟaȟa Wakpá (the Mississippi River) cascaded over a 50-foot limestone drop in what is now the heart of downtown Minneapolis, Minnesota. They came to this site where the physical and spiritual worlds blend for ceremony and to connect with our creator and natural relatives. Dakota women also journeyed to nearby Wíta Wanáǧi (Spirit Island), an island in the mist kicked up from the falling water, to give birth.
Over the course of more than 200 years, colonization and industrialization sought to destroy the Dakota peoples’ connection at Owámniyomni. Industrialists saw the river as a resource to be extracted. Our Native history and voices were rendered invisible. And the millions of people who visit this area each year have no awareness of its sacred history.”
Read the full story at nativenewsonline.net
