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Minnesota Native News is a weekly radio segment covering ideas and events relevant to Minnesota’s Native American communities. Made possible by the Minnesota Art's and Cultural Heritage fund
[sound element: Minnesota Native News intro theme music]
I'm Marie Rock. This week on Minnesota Native News, updates on a project supported by Understand Native Minnesota aimed at changing what people know about Indigenous Minnesotans. Producer Laurie Stern covered the launch of the campaign. Now she reports on its accomplishments.
Iyekiyapiwiƞ, DARLENE ST. CLAIR: I have a sixth grade curriculum for social studies in collaboration with Dakota Wicoha, which is a native non-profit in Morton, Minnesota.
STERN: That’s Iyekiyapiwiƞ, Darlene St. Clair, Indigenous Research Professor in the College of Education and Human Development at the University of Minnesota. She helped write a ten-lesson course that examines Mni Sota Makoce as a Dakota place.
Iyekiyapiwiƞ: Why sixth grade? It is because we’re… this is when you learn about state history… But I often in my trainings, I pretty much always say this because I love saying it: I’m like, “I love you, 40-year-olds, you’re great. But I’m investing in sixth graders.”
STERN:She refined and distributed the curriculum thanks to a grant from Understand Native Minnesota, funded by the Shakopee Mdewankonton Sioux Community.
Iyekiyapiwiƞ: Sixth graders to start thinking about a way that they have a connection to this land and their part of the story of Minnesota, they’re part of the way Mni Sota Makoce becomes Minnesota, but that Mni Sota Makoce is still here and is still part of our experience.
STERN:: She’s also leading a second grant to expand The Native Studies Summer Workshop for Educators, or (NSSWE) (niss-weh), a weeklong immersion for teachers, hosted by a tribal community. The grant expands the conference to offer two sessions, in two host communities, per summer.
Iyekiyapiwiƞ: So the community that hosts us, I work with collaboratively during the year. And I asked questions like, “What is the story of your community that you want educators to know?” And they helped me direct their own story. And most of our presenters at the workshop are people from the community. It’s a rare opportunity, I think, for most Minnesotans to learn about Native people in the Native community.
Stern: Nagaajiwanaang, also called the Fond Du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa, is hosting the second round of the Native Studies Summer Workshop for Educators this summer at the Black Bear Casino Resort from July 21st through 25th. Interested attendees can still sign up online on the University of Minnesota Twin Cities website. For Minnesota Native News, I'm Laurie Stern.
MARIE ROCK: Up next, the importance of invasive species prevention in Minnesota’s Tribal Nations.
ROCK: At Leech Lake and Mille Lacs, invasive species like starry stonewort and zebra mussels are spreading. In Lake Superior, sea lampreys and ruffe outcompete native fish. For Red Lake Nation, the stakes are especially high.
PAT BROWN: My name is Pat Brown and I am the Fisheries Director for the Red Lake Band and I've been up here for about 28 years. We know what works now.We know what works now… The only thing that can screw that up on us… would be invasive species. We monitor for those, but we’re going to continue to try to protect this lake and keep it healthy.
ROCK: Red Lake’s walleye population collapsed in the 1990s. But through cooperation, stocking, and enforcement, the Band brought it back.
BROWN: We started fishing again in 2006… We’ve been able to harvest almost 20 million pounds of walleye out of this lake.
ROCK: That recovery could be undone if invasive species take hold. That’s why prevention is critical. Minnesota DNR urges all boaters and anglers to follow four steps:
1.Clean aquatic plants and animals from boats and trailers.
2. Drain all water from live wells, bilges, and motors at the landing.
3. Dispose of unwanted bait in the trash—not in the water and;
4. Dry boats and equipment for five days before entering a new water body.
ROCK: Prevention is also about passing on stories and stewardship.
BROWN: We still tell the story… because a lot of these kids weren’t around when the walleye collapsed… We need to protect this so that our next seven generations have the walleye.
ROCK: To learn more about stopping aquatic invasive species, visit DNR dot STATE dot MN dot US slash INVASIVES. For Minnesota Native News, I’m Marie Rock.
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Anchor Marie Rock: Minnesota Native News is produced by AMPERS, diverse radio for Minnesota's communities, made possible by funding from the Minnesota Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund and the citizens of Minnesota.