Location: Dakota County, Minnesota

Client: Dakota County

Status: Completed in 2023

Area: 12 miles

Team: TEN x TEN

Slideshow Photos: Bria Fast Photography

Along the Minnesota and Mississippi River Greenway trails visitors will encounter ten ‘Ded Dakota Makoce: This is Dakota land’ messaging features that provide insight into how Dakota people interact with this environment, its plants, birds, and animals. Since ancient times, the Dakota Nation occupied the state of Minnesota. The United States government removed Dakota people to make way for the newly arrived Euro-American settlers. While some brave Dakota have returned to their homelands, many Dakota people still live in exile as a direct result of Minnesota state and U.S. federal policies and actions.

In the past, the Dakota people had no medical facilities or universities. Yet they survived and contributed to the world’s advancement through their own resources and systems of laws, customs, educational systems, and storytelling. The messaging features share Oceti Šakowiŋ (Seven Council Fires) stories, creation stories common to all Dakota people, and Hituŋkakaŋ Stories, traditional teaching stories that are specific to this landscape, so visitors may learn about Dakota world views and experience a gift of cultural knowledge. This project engaged Dakota elders, who are known first language Dakota speakers, and Dakota community members. Stories and lessons were selected with the intention to be appropriate for sharing with a larger audience. However, Dakota people have many versions of these stories, and they are all correct. Hecetu: this is so.