Title
Recognizing the second Monday in October as Indigenous Peoples Day.
Body
Whereas, we recognize that the City of Saint Paul is on Dakota land and is known to Dakota people by the name Imnížaska, which means White Bluffs; and
Whereas, we acknowledge and honor the significant Dakota sites in Saint Paul, including the sacred burial mounds at Indian Mounds Regional Park, Wakaŋ Tipi cave at Bruce Vento Nature Sanctuary and historic Kap’osia village, which was in and around Pig’s Eye Regional Park; and
Whereas, the recognition of 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 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 Peoples; and
Whereas, the City of Saint Paul supports the American Indian community, honors its culture and traditions and its many contributions, and has recognized Indigenous Peoples Day since 2015; and
Whereas, this year’s Indigenous Peoples Day activities in Saint Paul include a parade from Margaret Park to Indian Mounds Regional Park and a celebration to follow the parade there; and
Whereas, a groundbreaking ceremony was held on August 29, 2022, which brings us a step closer to the highly anticipated opening of the Wakaŋ Tipi Center, a Dakota-led project in the heart of Dakota homelands, that, in partnership with the City of Saint Paul Parks and Recreation Department, is creating a cultural center at the Bruce Vento Nature Sanctuary to help interpret this sacred site; and
Whereas, Lower Phalen Creek Project is collaborating with the City of Saint Paul on the planning, design and construction of the Wakan Tipi Center, which will honor the significance of the Wakan Tipi Cave as a Dakota sacred site, provide authentic Dakota interpretation of the culture and history of Dakota people in Saint Paul, offer an Indigenous environmental education on the site’s unique geology, urban ecology, restoration, and migration routes within and around the area, create space for cultural connections and healing through the arts and nature, and serve as a bold leader in Indigenous, place-based environmental and cultural work in urban settings; and
Whereas, this project aspires to provide a place for reverence, remembrance, and healing in a way that protects, honors, and recognizes the sacredness of the location; and therefore be it
Resolved, in recognition that Saint Paul is on Dakota land and acknowledging the importance of the Dakota sacred places that exist in current city parks, Saint Paul is committed to working with tribal partners to develop and implement appropriate cultural resource management plans for these sites that honor and defend the sacred and address tribal access for Indigenous ceremonies or events held on city parkland; and be it further
Resolved, that the City of Saint Paul recognizes October 10, 2022 as Indigenous Peoples Day.