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Nestled inside a modern building in the Mill District of Minneapolis, Minnesota, overlooking the Mississippi River and the Upper St. Anthony Falls Lock and Dams, sits a bustling restaurant with a competitive reservation list. As the host brings diners through the front doors of the restaurant, songs by Indigenous musicians play over the speakers and a sign to the right of the door with red neon letters reads, “You are on Native land.” To the left of the door is a ledge with a hand drum with the words, “Land Back,” written in red on it. The drum sits atop a folded wool blanket next to a bundle of sage and dried camas, with a dreamcatcher hanging up above.
Welcome to Owamni, home to modern Indigenous cuisine.
The name Owamni comes from the Dakta word “Owámniyomni,” a name for St. Anthony Falls that means turbulent water, whirlpool or eddy, according to the Owamni website. The St. Anthony Falls are important to Dakota people, which is shown in one of the Dakota names for the Mississippi River, “ȟaȟáwakpá,” which means the river of the falls. St. Anthony Falls is also the only natural major waterfall on the Mississippi River and Owamni overlooks it.
Once seated at Owamni, ideally with a view looking out the window at the Mississippi river and the Upper St. Anthony Falls Lock and Dams, diners are given a menu showcasing the seasonal dishes of Indigenous foods from across what colonial powers consider the United States. At each seat is a letter from Sean Sherman, also known as “The Sioux Chef,” and founder of Owamni, describing the philosophy of the restaurant.
“At Owamni, we look at the world through a decolonized lens — which to us, is simple,” the letter reads. “The Indigenous perspective on the history of America is to acknowledge the centuries of intense violence, dislocation, forced assimilation, segregation and cultural erasure that has happened to our cultures and communities.” READ MORE— Nika Bartoo-Smith, Underscore News + ICT
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Osage singer/songwriter Marx Cassity released their new album 2Sacred on November 5 as a response to a 2020 statistic showing that 33 percent of Native queer youth attempt suicide.
Cassity goes by the name Marca as a therapist specializing in trauma, but added the letter “x” in their stage name Marx to represent the gender diversity of their own Two-Spirit identity.
Cassity received the NDN Collective Radical Imagination Grant and support from the Osage Nation Foundation to produce their fourth album that contains 10 songs.
In 2021, Cassity read statistics that showed Native queer youth have the highest risk for suicide.
“I have lived experience as a Two-Spirit youth in the 80s who was also suicidal and self-destructive. I was told that I was an abomination because of the colonization I was surrounded by, and I was ostracized from my community, so I was flirting with whether or not I wanted to be alive or not at the age of 19,” they said. READ MORE — Felix Clary, ICT and Tulsa World
The Board of Education for Albuquerque Public Schools has a Native American member for the first time since its founding.
Ronalda Tome-Warito, Diné, was elected to represent the board’s District 2 seat in November 2023. She officially took office on Jan. 3 and was internally elected as the board’s vice president.
APS is the largest of New Mexico’s school districts, serving around a fourth of the state’s public school students. According to APS data, American Indian and Alaska Native students make up 5.4 percent of total students across all schools in the district. Part of the board’s duties are to approve the district’s budget, set policy items and employ the superintendent.
Tome-Warito, who is an educational consultant, sat down with ICT Newscast Anchor Aliyah Chavez for an interview to discuss the campaign trail, her advocacy for special education and her family’s own history with education. READ MORE — Aliyah Chavez, ICT
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In the first-ever Indian Nations & Tribes State of the State Address, Gov. Katie Hobbs outlined her commitments to Arizona’s 22 tribal nations and her affirmation of an open-door policy within her administration for tribes.
“You have my word: For as long as I am governor, you will always be welcome on the 9th Floor,” Hobbs said. “While my door is certainly always open, I know how important it is to meet each of you in your communities.”
Hobbs emphasized that she has traveled to various tribal nations throughout the state to address issues that directly impact those communities.
For example, she spoke about border security on the Tohono O’odham Nation in southern Arizona, celebrated the Navajo Nation Council’s 100 years of governance and learned about the history and traditions of the Hopi Tribe.
“To those I have not yet visited, I am eager to, and you can trust that I will continue to prioritize these trips as we work together on our shared priorities,” she said. READ MORE — AZ Mirror
- Cherokee, Muscogee leaders reject governor’s task force: They say the task force, which Gov. Kevin Stitt created following a December jail fracas, will erode public safety
- ‘The gift of song’: Knowledge keeper Jerry Morgan comes full circle by sharing drum, dance, songs and stickball with local communities
- Wounded Knee descendants decide not to burn artifacts: Two tribes called on the group of descendants of Wounded Knee Massacre survivors to not burn repatriated artifacts as planned on the massacre’s 133rd anniversary
- ‘Exploding Native Inevitable’ exhibition features 15 Native artists: Contemporary show emulates Andy Warhol’s 1960s happenings *Updated
- Marvel star calls out ‘insane’ racist criticism of Indigenous heroes
- Advocates work to get Native American voters registered in the key state of Arizona
- University to offer travel funding for Tribes to boost repatriation efforts
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