Rootedness & Futurity: Integrating Arts + Philosophies of Minnesota Native Americans in Curriculum Development

Iyekiyapiwiƞ Darlene St. Clair, Mdewakaƞtuƞwaƞ Dakota and a citizen of the Lower Sioux Indian Community, speaks to the gathered educators

August 15, 2024

The Professional Development and Resource Programs (PDR) group at Perpich Center for Arts Education brought together 130 arts educators from across Minnesota in a full-day conference, Rootedness & Futurity: Integrating Arts + Philosophies of Minnesota Native Americans in Curriculum Development, on August 13th with several purposes:

• Gain a better understanding of the journey to include the arts and culture of Minnesota tribes and communities in K-12 teaching and learning
• Recognize multiple, valuable ways to think about art and what artists do
• Recognize “we are living in draft” – it is possible to move forward in our work now and make a commitment to continue to learn, grow, and change
• Share examples, and to develop new ideas, for lessons in our own arts classes.

Jamie Edwards, Special Advisor in Government Affairs for the Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe, opened the day by talking about the history, importance, and purpose of the original legislation to include contributions of Minnesota American Indian tribes and communities in Minnesota K-12 Academic Standards.

Iyekiyapiwiƞ Darlene St. Clair, Mdewakaƞtuƞwaƞ Dakota and a citizen of the Lower Sioux Indian Community, was invaluable as both a partner in planning for the day and the keynote speaker. The themes of her plenary sessions focused on guiding values for the inclusion of native arts, dimensions of Native identity, and theorizing Kapemni: exposing rootedness and futurity in Native expression.

Educators peruse titles by Native American authors in the Perpich Library. Librarian Anne Dennison has added several new Native American picture book titles to the collection.

Presenters for arts-specific break-out sessions included Adam Blumberg, Lori Constable, Kevin Huseth, Heather Mastel, Michael Mello, Ben Paro (Grand Portage Anishinaabe direct descendant), and Sara Pillatzki-Warzaha (enrolled Sisseton-Wahpeton Oyate). Special guests in break-out sessions were nationally renowned artist Jonathan Thunder (Red Lake Band of Ojibwe) and acclaimed author Diane Wilson (Mdewakanton descendent, enrolled on the Rosebud Reservation).

Arts educators left the conference with a deeper understanding of Minnesota Native American history and culture, new resources, more lesson ideas, and a better understanding of how to bring Native arts to their students in a meaningful way. They also planned next steps to move forward in their work.

Wendy Barden, Director of Professional Development and Resource Programs reflected on the experience. “We are all on a learning journey, and it felt like everyone involved in the day moved a few steps further along their individual path,” said Barden. “We all left with many ideas to think about. I am confident that students of conference participants will have new opportunities this year to connect and respond to arts of Minnesota Dakota and Ojibwe peoples.”