Beyond waterfront restoration in Minneapolis, Dakota-led nonprofit fosters new connections by sharing Dakota traditions

After nearly two centuries of industrialization, the Dakota-led nonprofit Owámniyomni Okhódayapi is transforming the land and water at Owámniyomni (St. Anthony Falls) into a place of restoration, education, healing and connection.

Over 200 years ago, before construction of the Stone Arch Bridge or the current lock and dams, the Mississippi River flowed freely and cascaded 50 feet down Owámniyomni, a sacred Dakota site.

Now, after nearly a decade of thoughtful relationship building and community engagement, the restoration of Owámniyomni will begin this year. The recently announced design restores 5.2 acres of land, water and bluff conditions on the Minneapolis central waterfront. It will also connect an additional three acres of Minneapolis parkland, allowing visitors to experience the waterfront seamlessly as a living monument.

“By centering Dakota voices, we’ve developed a design that emphasizes interconnectedness – uplifting the intrinsic relationship between land, water and other relatives – while restoring habitat and creating a welcoming space that will benefit community for generations to come,” said Shelley Buck, president of Owámniyomni Okhódayapi.

The reciprocal relationship with the water will be felt right away through Owámniyomni Okhódayapi’s programming, guided by the Dakota concept of Awaŋyaŋkapi – a wholistic approach to site care that benefits all relatives – the land, water, plants, animals and two-leggeds (people). Programming will return traditional Dakota lifeways to the central Riverfront and invite Native and non-Native people alike to connect with the water and learn about Dakota culture. One example is through the return of handmade dugout canoes.

Long before modern transportation networks, waterways were central to Dakota culture and survival. Canoes served as essential tools to navigate, trade, fish and gather rice. Canwanzi Wata, or Dakota style dugout canoes, are carved from a single log. Owámniyomni Okhódayapi looked to experts from the Lower Sioux Indian Community who have been working to revitalize dugout canoes and others for guidance.

“As we craft the dugout canoe, we are sharing Dakota teachings and honoring traditional methods from start to finish,” said Owámniyomni Okhódayapi Program Director Barry Hand. “Of course, the canoe-building process starts with the tree. We had to be patient and wait for the right tree to present itself.”

Once the tree was selected and felled, it was processed through multiple mills due to its great size. Hand and Kevin Finney of the Great Lakes Lifeways Institute worked on the dugout canoe for 19 days over the course of several weeks, often joined by members of the Prairie Island Indian Community and other Dakota people, passing down the knowledge to future generations.

“The best carvers are often drummers,” said Finney. “Carvers begin their work by digging and hacking down through the wood one stroke at a time. Slowly, their strokes start to align and echo in unison like the steady beat of a drum.”

Once carved, it’s time for the boil, where the canoe is filled with water and 28 hot stones are placed inside in four cycles. As the water starts to boil, the boat begins to vibrate like a beating heart. Dugout canoes are boiled to draw out remaining sap, cure the wood and stretch the boat. The white pine dugout crafted by Owámniyomni Okhódayapi is 3 feet wide and spans 16 feet in length.

“These canoes are built to be used. They are not show pieces,” said Finney.

“To use these canoes will affirm our sovereignty while on the water,” added Hand.