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Minnesota Native News continues its reporting on legislative , tribal and agency efforts to help women victimized by the sex trade.
Every week in the summer groups of people gather at the Native American Medicine Garden the University of Minnesota in the Twin Cities. They come to talk about indigenous knowledge of plants and the ecosystem here. Reporter Melissa Townsend recently got her own lesson from the garden’s caretaker, Francis Bettelyoun.
Every week in the summer groups of people gather at the Native American Medicine Garden the University of Minnesota in the Twin Cities.
They come to talk about indigenous knowledge of plants and the ecosystem here. Reporter Melissa Townsend recently got her own lesson from the garden’s caretaker, Francis Bettelyoun.
It’s been a wet and windy day in St Paul. Dark clouds are traveling across the sky.
MELISSA: Well, why we’ve got it dry for a minute, do you want to walk me around a little bit?
FRANCIS: Sure. I’ll introduce you to the garden… (:20)
The Native American medicine garden is a plot of land in the middle of many plots of land that are all part of the University fo Minnesota campus in St Paul. Each plot is a research experience conducted by researchers a the University.
FRANCIS: When people come out to this garden, I make sure this is the first thing we talk about - is the land we’re on. So this is Dakota Treaty land. It is still their land- the sacred land of the Dakota. So that’s how I approach it. (:26)
His approach has made this garden very different from the other plots of land here. The plot next door is covered with rows and rows of soybeans planted in flat brown dirt. In the corner of the plot there’s a green garden hose for watering.
[ambi]
The medicine garden is lush and crowded with a wide variety of tall plants - most of them tower over my head - and there are a few juvenile trees. Sage, sweet grass, milkweed, sunflowers, and a number of other species native and non-native are working together here.
FRANCIS: Anywhere between 75 and 100 different perennial species in the garden right now along with corn, squash, green beans, tomatoes, peppers, all those common annual vegetable plants. (:15)
Francis is Oglala Lakota and he says he approaches the garden in a traditional way.
FRANCIS: So when I first came here in 2005, the first thing I did and through my culture I learned this - especially through my Great Grandmother - is that you look and listen, mainly listen. And I’m a landscape designer by schooling so my first thoughts are sometimes - this is how it’s going to be, this is the design. (:24)
He says it can be hard to stop himself from planning and remember to listen.
FRANCIS: But also recognizing that I can still be part of that design. (:05)
When Francis first started working in the garden, he knew he needed to change the soil back to what he says it was before western agricultural practices stripped layers of top soil and minerals away. He tilled the soil and then added a layer of compost 3-4 feet thick and then he mixed in rock dust to add minerals. Francis says because of all that work, he hasn’t watered out here in over 7 years.
FRANCIS: The reason is because the soil is healthy now and she continues to get healthier and stronger each day. (:09)
He has a plan to propagate even more Native species here.
FRANCIS: My vision was to bring back the indigenous perennials that we ate because our food source right now, we are dependent upon others to feed us and it’s unhealthy food, most of it. (:14)
As much as he wants to grow food to feed people, he says he won’t sew those seeds until he knows that the garden is definitely staying put.
FRANCIS: If this area was taken away from us, I didn't want to introduce those relatives and have them killed. (:08)
The Native American Medicine Garden at the U is part of the University’s College of Food, Agriculture and Natural Resource Sciences or CFANS. Indication is that they support the work Francis and others are doing here. But Francis says currently there are no guarantees that that will continue.
I reached out to a Dean at CFANS, Craig Cuomo and he wrote in an email - land on campus is at a premium. He says, “Faculty don’t have a promise to have the same site or the same amount of land from year to year.” He says, “…To date, we have mostly been able to manage and make things fit. But they have no promise moving forward.”
For now Francis Beltyoun says he’ll continue to take care of these plants and engage the community here in understanding traditional Lakota ways of growing food - which is the first medicine.
For Minnesota Native News, I’m Melissa Townsend.
This week, we listen in on a Twin Cities musician who just completed an impressive kickstarter push for her new E.P.
[Song Intro]
That’s the song, “Not Even A Little Bit”, from musician Laura Hugo.
[More song]
Her story is complex and dynamic, much like her music.
I sat down with Laura at one of the places she, and many other musicians, including myself, frequent. Moto-i in Uptown.
Hugo is from a small town, called Teec Nos Pos, Arizona, which is a part of the Navajo Nation. Growing up was a struggle for her on the reservation, to say the least.
HUGO:“The reservation unfortunately does fall into some of those stereotypical categories of poverty and alcoholism and dysfunction. So there, my life has definitely been really chaotic. Not stable.”
Her father wasn’t around a whole lot growing up, and she and her mother moved frequently. Plus, since she’s of mixed ancestry, it was hard fitting in.
HUGO: “People would call me like a dog or a mud. Um, and so I didn't look Navajo like everybody else.”
Despite hardships, her family remained strong and even inspired her to begin creating music. Her grandmother was in a gospel group and her grandpa, well..
HUGO: “My grandpa John is like the Navajo Elvis, like he’s got the good hair, but his voice is just like chillingly beautiful.”
Tough times, however, continued and In 2009, Laura dropped out of high school at the age of 18 -- struggling with mental health issues and a tough home life. It was at that low point in her life when her father’s sister came to visit…
HUGO: I didn't really want to be around anymore and I think she could sense that and she was like, so why don't I fly you up for the summer? And I've been here for eight years. (Laughs)
Now, Laura is an up-and-coming artist in the Twin Cities music scene. And while she’s proud of her Arizona roots, she loves it here. And it’s help launch her music into the world.
HUGO: “It's been probably one of the most beautiful experiences that I've ever had.”
Her songs bridge worlds of country, folk and indie pop.
HUGO: “It's just kind of all over the place.”
She recently recorded a single, “Not Even A Little Bit.”
Here’s a bit of that and her inspiration behind writing it.
That song will be part of her debut EP.
Laura had always planned to record the EP as soon as she could, but a tragedy struck and gave her even more drive to complete it.
Her father, who she had reestablished a relationship with and became very close to, passed away in February after battling pneumonia.
HUGO: “After he passed away, I kind of had this like, oh my God, like people just go, they just disappear and I want to make sure that before I'm done here that I've done something that I can be proud of.
So, she started a Kickstarter campaign as a way to not only fund her EP, but to get the community involved in her music.
Making the goal of $7,000 dollars wasn’t easy, though. And during the ending stretch, she didn’t think she’d raise enough. If she didn’t make the goal, the money is refunded and she would have to try again.
HUGO: “Four days left, I was at 50 percent and I was like ‘I'm not, I'm not going to make it.’”
But at the last minute, a very generous friend of hers offered to match contributions until the goal was met. And it was indeed. She surpassed the goal by over $1,000.
HUGO: “It still doesn't feel real. It's very cool. I did cry and I had to like take a walk just to be like, to just kind of take it in a little bit.”
She plans on recording the 6-song EP in the next few months. You can find her on Bandcamp and Facebook. Just search “Laura Hugo.”
[SONG OUTRO]
In other news, it’s official for Bde Maka Ska, the lake formerly known as Lake Calhoun in south Minneapolis.
In other news, it’s official for Bde Maka Ska, the lake formerly known as Lake Calhoun in south Minneapolis.
In July, the federal government officially approved the name change of the lake.
BEANE: “The name Bde Maka Ska, means “White Earth Lake.”
Kate Beane, a member of a South Dakota sioux tribe who holds a PHD in American Studies, is one of the main organizers responsible for the name change.
BEANE: “This whole area is sacred to us.“
The lake was previously named after John Calhoun, a former vice president who was a slavery supporter.
Beane says the name change is ultimately about turning the conversation.
BEANE: “Not only acknowledging the Lakota people but including that in processes and making sure that we have a voice at the table.”
Signs around the lake have already been changed.
This week on Minnesota Native News, we hear about the official renaming of a popular Minneapolis lake and listen in on a Twin Cities musician who just completed an impressive kickstarter push for her new E.P. Here’s Cole Premo.
Minn. Native News: Popular Mpls. Lake Renaming & Laura Hugo Feature
MARIE: This week on Minnesota Native News, we hear about the official renaming of a popular Minneapolis lake and listen in on a Twin Cities musician who just completed an impressive kickstarter push for her new E.P. Here’s Cole Premo.
LAURA HUGO FEATURE
[Song Intro]
That’s the song, “Not Even A Little Bit”, from musician Laura Hugo.
[More song]
Her story is complex and dynamic, much like her music.
I sat down with Laura at one of the places she, and many other musicians, including myself, frequent. Moto-i in Uptown.
Hugo is from a small town, called Teec Nos Pos, Arizona, which is a part of the Navajo Nation. Growing up was a struggle for her on the reservation, to say the least.
HUGO:“The reservation unfortunately does fall into some of those stereotypical categories of poverty and alcoholism and dysfunction. So there, my life has definitely been really chaotic. Not stable.”
Her father wasn’t around a whole lot growing up, and she and her mother moved frequently. Plus, since she’s of mixed ancestry, it was hard fitting in.
HUGO: “People would call me like a dog or a mud. Um, and so I didn't look Navajo like everybody else.”
Despite hardships, her family remained strong and even inspired her to begin creating music. Her grandmother was in a gospel group and her grandpa, well..
HUGO: “My grandpa John is like the Navajo Elvis, like he’s got the good hair, but his voice is just like chillingly beautiful.”
Tough times, however, continued and In 2009, Laura dropped out of high school at the age of 18 -- struggling with mental health issues and a tough home life. It was at that low point in her life when her father’s sister came to visit…
HUGO: I didn't really want to be around anymore and I think she could sense that and she was like, so why don't I fly you up for the summer? And I've been here for eight years. (Laughs)
Now, Laura is an up-and-coming artist in the Twin Cities music scene. And while she’s proud of her Arizona roots, she loves it here. And it’s help launch her music into the world.
HUGO: “It's been probably one of the most beautiful experiences that I've ever had.”
Her songs bridge worlds of country, folk and indie pop.
HUGO: “It's just kind of all over the place.”
She recently recorded a single, “Not Even A Little Bit.”
Here’s a bit of that and her inspiration behind writing it.
That song will be part of her debut EP.
Laura had always planned to record the EP as soon as she could, but a tragedy struck and gave her even more drive to complete it.
Her father, who she had reestablished a relationship with and became very close to, passed away in February after battling pneumonia.
HUGO: “After he passed away, I kind of had this like, oh my God, like people just go, they just disappear and I want to make sure that before I'm done here that I've done something that I can be proud of.
So, she started a Kickstarter campaign as a way to not only fund her EP, but to get the community involved in her music.
Making the goal of $7,000 dollars wasn’t easy, though. And during the ending stretch, she didn’t think she’d raise enough. If she didn’t make the goal, the money is refunded and she would have to try again.
HUGO: “Four days left, I was at 50 percent and I was like ‘I'm not, I'm not going to make it.’”
But at the last minute, a very generous friend of hers offered to match contributions until the goal was met. And it was indeed. She surpassed the goal by over $1,000.
HUGO: “It still doesn't feel real. It's very cool. I did cry and I had to like take a walk just to be like, to just kind of take it in a little bit.”
She plans on recording the 6-song EP in the next few months. You can find her on Bandcamp and Facebook. Just search “Laura Hugo.”
[SONG OUTRO]
BDE MAKA SKA
In other news, it’s official for Bde Maka Ska, the lake formerly known as Lake Calhoun in south Minneapolis.
In July, the federal government officially approved the name change of the lake.
BEANE: “The name Bde Maka Ska, means “White Earth Lake.”
Kate Beane, a member of a South Dakota sioux tribe who holds a PHD in American Studies, is one of the main organizers responsible for the name change.
BEANE: “This whole area is sacred to us.“
The lake was previously named after John Calhoun, a former vice president who was a slavery supporter.
Beane says the name change is ultimately about turning the conversation.
BEANE: “Not only acknowledging the Lakota people but including that in processes and making sure that we have a voice at the table.”
Signs around the lake have already been changed. I’m Cole Premo.
OUTRO
The Duluth Art Institute hosts the work of three widely known artists in its current exhibit.
REPORTER: Next, The Duluth Art Institute, in collaboration with the St. Louis County Historical Society, and the Historic Union Depot Corporation, is showing over fifty pieces from three prolific Anishinaabe artists.
Christina Woods, the Executive Director of the Duluth Art Institute, walked me through the exhibit.
WOODS: So here we are in Niiyo-wiij-anishinaabeg. We’re featuring Carl Gawboy, Joe Geshick, and George Morrison, these three men had a friendship for a long time…
REPORTER: Carl Gawboy, Joe Geshick, and George Morrison’s friendship was inspiration for Niiyo-wiij-anishinaabeg, or FOUR FRIENDS, exhibit.
WOODS: These three are from either Boise Fort or the Grand Portage nation and I'm bringing them together in this exhibition because of their direct history together in northern Minnesota and how they branched out in their lives, explored all these artistic endeavors and then came back here to create their art.
The reason this is called FOUR FRIENDS or Niiyo-wiij-anishinaabeg is because the fourth friend is you or me.
REPORTER: I walked around the gallery, circling around the several structures that held the artwork, noting the wide variety of vivid and detailed pieces. Paintings on canvas, ink and watercolor on paper, and a few wood sculptures filled the Depot’s Great Hall.
WOODS: As you move through, you find yourself in very intimate spaces one on one with very powerful pieces of visual art. And in that way I'm hearing that's where people really find themselves becoming part of the relationship of all these artists.
REPORTER: A closing reception will take place Tuesday, July 24th at the Depot in Duluth.
For Minnesota Native News…. I’m Leah Lemm.
Theater company, Turtle Theater Collective, produces a rendition of Our Town, an American Classic
REPORTER: I recently had the opportunity to sit in on a rehearsal with Turtle Theater Collective as they went over their lines for the play, Our Town, by Thornton Wilder.
I spoke with Katherine Pardue, who is directing the play.
Pardue: I founded Turtle Theater company with Marissa Carr and Ernest Briggs about a year ago now.
Now we're doing OUR TOWN, which is an American, right, like white American classic, but refocused and re-centered with Native actors and with Native members of the creative team… in a Native community space.
REPORTER: OUR TOWN takes place in Grovers Corners, a fictional town, and is narrated by the stage manager, a character in the play, who addresses the audience. Themes include the passage of time and human connection.
The telling of this particular performance is framed with Native voices and takes place in the Native community.
PARDUE: We're performing it site-specific in the Dakota Lodge at the Division of Indian work. So site specific for theater means you're not altering the space. We're not building a stage or anything. We're performing it in that space and having the audience in that space, so using the existing structure of it to support our design choices and instead of having a set and all of that.
REPORTER: OUR TOWN became the play of choice due to the collective wanting to reframe a classic, plus the play asks the universal question - What is the meaning of life? AND reaches its own answer.
PARDUE: We've been discovering all the ways that it intersects with all of our lives and our lived experiences that it's a play about living and dying and getting married and what it is to lose a child or a parent, what it is to fall in love for the first time.
REPORTER: Adrienne January plays Mrs. Webb, a complex mother character. Adrienne remarked on her ability to find a universal connection to Mrs. Webb.
JANUARY: So my character, I tie into who I am now, plus who my mother was and who my grandmothers were, who my great grandmother was. I tie into to those, the maternal… making sure your children are fed and taken care of and they're getting an education.
REPORTER: Adrienne acts, but it’s been a while. OUR TOWN with Turtle Theater Collective was a compelling re-entry into acting.
JANUARY: I haven't been acting, so this was my… ‘Okay, I'm getting back into this,’ because I really liked this and Turtle Theater Collective with this particular production has just encompassed this whole feeling of what a diverse community, especially Minneapolis, what we're really about.
REPORTER: Performances of OUR TOWN will be held July 19th through July 29th at the Dakota Lodge, at the Division of Indian Work, in Minneapolis.
Theater company, Turtle Theater Collective, produces a rendition of ‘Our Town,’ an American Classic. And the Duluth Art Institute hosts the work of three widely known artists in its current exhibit.
HOST: This is Minnesota Native News, I’m Marie Rock.
Headlines: Coming up…: Theater company, Turtle Theater Collective, produces a rendition of Our Town, an American Classic…
And… the Duluth Art Institute hosts the work of three widely known artists in its current exhibit…
Here is reporter Leah Lemm with these stories…
STORY #1 - Turtle Theater Collective produces Our Town
REPORTER: I recently had the opportunity to sit in on a rehearsal with Turtle Theater Collective as they went over their lines for the play, Our Town, by Thornton Wilder. I spoke with Katherine Pardue, who is directing the play.
Pardue: I founded Turtle Theater company with Marissa Carr and Ernest Briggs about a year ago now.
Now we're doing OUR TOWN, which is an American, right, like white American classic, but refocused and re-centered with Native actors and with Native members of the creative team… in a Native community space.
REPORTER: OUR TOWN takes place in Grovers Corners, a fictional town, and is narrated by the stage manager, a character in the play, who addresses the audience. Themes include the passage of time and human connection.
The telling of this particular performance is framed with Native voices and takes place in the Native community.
PARDUE: We're performing it site-specific in the Dakota Lodge at the Division of Indian work. So site specific for theater means you're not altering the space, so using the existing structure of it to support our design choices and instead of having a set and all of that.
REPORTER: OUR TOWN became the play of choice due to the collective wanting to reframe a classic, plus the play asks the universal question - What is the meaning of life? AND reaches its own answer.
PARDUE: We've been discovering all the ways that it intersects with all of our lives and our lived experiences that it's a play about living and dying and getting married and what it is to lose a child or a parent, what it is to fall in love for the first time.
REPORTER: Adrienne January plays Mrs. Webb, a complex mother character. Adrienne remarked on her ability to find a universal connection to Mrs. Webb.
JANUARY: So my character, I tie into who I am now, plus who my mother was and who my grandmothers were, who my great grandmother was. I tie into to those, the maternal… making sure your children are fed and taken care of and they're getting an education.
REPORTER: Adrienne acts, but it’s been a while. OUR TOWN with Turtle Theater Collective was a compelling re-entry into acting.
JANUARY: I haven't been acting, so this was my… ‘Okay, I'm getting back into this,’ because I really liked this and Turtle Theater Collective with this particular production has just encompassed this whole feeling of what a diverse community, especially Minneapolis, what we're really about.
REPORTER: Performances of OUR TOWN will be held July 19th through July 29th at the Dakota Lodge, at the Division of Indian Work, in Minneapolis.
STORY #2 - Duluth Art Institute hosts work of three prolific artists
REPORTER: Next, The Duluth Art Institute, in collaboration with the St. Louis County Historical Society, and the Historic Union Depot Corporation, is showing over fifty pieces from three prolific Anishinaabe artists.
Christina Woods, the Executive Director of the Duluth Art Institute, walked me through the exhibit.
WOODS: So here we are in Niiyo-wiij-anishinaabeg. We’re featuring Carl Gawboy, Joe Geshick, and George Morrison, these three men had a friendship for a long time…
REPORTER: Carl Gawboy, Joe Geshick, and George Morrison’s friendship was inspiration for Niiyo-wiij-anishinaabeg, or FOUR FRIENDS, exhibit.
WOODS: These three are from either Boise Fort or the Grand Portage nation and I'm bringing them together in this exhibition because of their direct history together in northern Minnesota and how they branched out in their lives, explored all these artistic endeavors and then came back here to create their art.
The reason this is called FOUR FRIENDS or Niiyo-wiij-anishinaabeg is because the fourth friend is you or me.
REPORTER: I walked around the gallery, circling around the several structures that held the artwork, noting the wide variety of vivid and detailed pieces. Paintings on canvas, ink and watercolor on paper, and a few wood sculptures filled the Depot’s Great Hall.
WOODS: As you move through, you find yourself in very intimate spaces one on one with very powerful pieces of visual art. And in that way I'm hearing that's where people really find themselves becoming part of the relationship of all these artists.
REPORTER: A closing reception will take place Tuesday, July 24th at the Depot in Duluth.
For Minnesota Native News…. I’m Leah Lemm.
Minneapolis Police Try New Strategy to Connect with Urban Native Community
The Minneapolis Police Department is trying a new way to build trust with the urban American Indian community. Again, here’s reporter Melissa Townsend.
The Minneapolis police department has created a new community navigator position. Art Knight is Deputy Chief of Staff for the Minneapolis Police Department. He explains that this person is not a new patrol officer, but is part of the new Procedural Justice Division.
KNIGHT: Police response to a call is from a law enforcement standpoint. We are arresting people to deal with mental health issues. And we have to be looking at how we can solve that problem. And it shouldn’t be law enforcement doing it, because law enforcement is not equipped to do that. (:16)
The best case scenario is that Native residents of Minneapolis would trust the community navigator and use that person to connect with services when needs arise. That would be a pretty big change here.
LILLEGREN: The relationship between the community and the police department has been strained historically. (:06)
Robert Lillegren is CEO if the Native American Community Development Institute - or NACDI - in Minneapolis. He says he has been in consultation with police about this new community navigator position. He’s hopeful this person can be part of a larger strategy to build trust between urban Natives and the Minneapolis police.
LILLEGREN: To the extent that the liaison can really help the police department build authentic relationships in the community so that officers know and better understand who they are interacting with and who they are policing, that I think could change people’s behaviors. (:20)
The American Indian community navigator is one of 4 navigators being hired to serve specific ethnic communities in Minneapolis. The others will focus on the immigrant Latino community, the Somali and East African Community and the African American community.
For Minnesota Native News, I’m Melissa Townsend
Native Farm Bill Coalition Makes Headway in DC
A coalition of tribes and their allies are in Washington DC talking about food and agriculture.They want to help draft a federal farm bill that better serves tribal communities. Reporter Melissa Townsend tells us more.
It’s been since the 1970’s that tribal governments have been able to open and run their own medical clinics. That’s because they negotiated directly with the US government to receive federal funds to serve their citizens in a way they think is best.
Now - a coalition of tribes lead by Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community - are working to establish the same kind of self determination over food and agriculture programs. Colby Duren is part of the coalition.
He is Policy Director at the Indigenous Food and Agriculture initiative at the University of Arkansas School of Law. He says the coalition wants the U-S Department of Agriculture to allow tribal governments to run their own programs.
DUREN: There is a lot of ability for USDA to defer to states and so we want to make sure that in all those different places that it defers to states, it also defers to tribes as well.
And this goes way beyond food and agriculture. The USDA can lend money to state and local governments for rural development —so they can build anything from a community center to a housing complex to a broadband network. Colby Duren says the Native Farm Bill Coalition wants tribes to be able to access that money.
DUREN: That would really help tribal governments build out rural communities.
He says members of congress have been very receptive to these policy proposals. In fact, because of the work of the Native Coalition, Minnesota’s U.S. Senator Tina Smith proposed a bill that gives tribes authority to run their own SNAP programs — that’s the supplemental nutrition assistance program also known as food stamps.
DUREN: It’s really represents a very big step forward and an incredible recognition of tribal sovereignty. (:05)
The US House and Senate are expected to negotiate the final farm bill throughout the month of July.
For Minnesota Native News, I’m Melissa Townsend.
