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Recognizing the second Monday in October as Indigenous Peoples Day in the City of Saint Paul
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WHEREAS, recognizing that Saint Paul, and as it is known in the Dakota language Imnižaska, is Dakota land, we acknowledge the importance of the history of the Dakota people, their sacred places that exist here, and the history and contributions of all Indigenous people in Minnesota; and
WHEREAS, Indigenous Peoples Day was first proposed in 1977 by a delegation of Native nations to the United Nations-sponsored International Conference on Discrimination Against Indigenous Populations in the Americas; and
WHEREAS, to reveal a more accurate historical record of the “discovery” of the United States of America, representatives from 120 Indigenous nations at the First Continental Conference on 500 years of Indian Resistance, unanimously passed a resolution in 1977 to transform Columbus Day into an occasion to recognize the contributions of Indigenous people; and
WHEREAS, the City of Saint Paul has recognized Indigenous Peoples Day since 2015; and
WHEREAS, a highlight of this year’s Indigenous People’s Day activities was the launch of the Wakan Tipi Center, a Dakota-led project in the heart of Dakota homelands, that, in a partnership between the Lower Phalen Creek Project and the City of Saint Paul Parks & Recreation Department, is creating a new interpretive center at this sacred site within the Bruce Vento Nature Sanctuary; and
WHEREAS, in consultation with the Tribal Historic Preservation Officers (THPO) from the Upper Sioux Community, Lower Sioux Community, Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux and Prairie Island Indian Community, Minnesota Indian Affairs Council (MIAC), the Office of the State Archaeologist (OSA) and the local community, the City of Saint Paul Parks released “Indian Mounds: A Sacred Place of Burial, Cultural Landscape Study and Messaging Plan,” in September; and
WHEREAS, this groundbreaking study provides a vision for the future of this park guided by Mitakuye Owasin, reflecting the inter-connectedness of people, land, water, sky, plants and animals, to provide a place for reverence, remembrance, and healing in a way that protects, honors, and recognizes the sacredness of this location; and
WHEREAS, with gratitude for the leadership of local Dakota and Indigenous leaders, the City of Saint Paul and Ramsey County engaged in a process to replace the murals in the city council and county board chamber at the Ramsey County Courthouse/Saint Paul City Hall, to better represent the history and contributions of diverse multicultural communities in our city, and
WHEREAS, in continued recognition that the Dakota people were exiled from the land that became Saint Paul and Ramsey County, and that 19th century laws passed to prohibit their return to Saint Paul and Ramsey County remain in effect, therefore be it
RESOLVED, that the City of Saint Paul does recognize October 12, 2020 as Indigenous Peoples Day; and be it further
RESOLVED that the Saint Paul City Council commits to researching the immoral laws prohibiting the return of the Dakota people to this area and working toward their repeal, and be it further
RESOLVED the Saint Paul City Council commits to working with the Ramsey County Board of Commissioners in conjunction with the chamber mural project to commission artwork acknowledging the Dakota people’s original and unceded claim to the land upon which Saint Paul and Ramsey County have been established.