‘Environment’ Archives
Construction has Started to Restore Land, Water and Bluff Near Owámniyomni (St. Anthony Falls) in Minneapolis
Project supported by new $4.7 million grant By OWÁMNIYOMNI OKHÓDAYAPI To mark the beginning of the project, a private ground blessing ceremony to honor the land was held with project supporters and Tribal leaders on April 27. After 10 years of community-led discussions, Tribal engagement, fundraising and project design, the Dakota-led nonprofit Owámniyomni Okhódayapi has started construction on the restoration of a five-acre site at Owámniyomni (St. Anthony Falls), adjacent to the Upper Lock on Ȟaȟa Wakpá (Mississippi River) in Minneapolis. Once complete, the restoration will create both a wildlife habitat and human experience at one of Minnesota’s most popular and iconic outdoor spaces that reflects the significance of the sacred Dakota site before colonization. Owámniyomni Okhódayapi recently received a $4.7 million grant from Mellon Foundation, directly supporting the immediate land transformation work. “This moment marks more than the start of [...]
Design Plans for Owámniyomni Restoration Unveiled
By OWÁMNIYOMNI OKHÓDAYAPI The Owámniyomni Project, View of the Mill Race. Rendering: GGN After nearly a decade of relationship building, community conversations, and reimagining what the riverfront could be, Dakota-led nonprofit Owámniyomni Okhódayapi has unveiled its design for restoring the land and water at Owámniyomni, just north of the Phillips neighborhood. The project area includes a five-acre site adjacent to the Upper Lock on the Mississippi Riverfront, along with three additional acres managed by the Minneapolis Park & Recreation Board. Owámniyomni, known to many as St. Anthony Falls, has been a sacred place for Dakota and other Indigenous peoples since long before Minneapolis existed. The land holds significant spiritual power for the community as a space where families have gathered to pray, hold ceremonies, and welcome new life into the world. Settler industrialization of the Mississippi River reshaped the land for milling, power, and other industries [...]
