The Bush Foundation Funds Ojibwe Language Preservation, and the Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community Invests in Grand Victoria Development

Transcript

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Marie Rock: This is Minnesota Native News. I'm Marie Rock. This week, a grant is helping revitalize the Ojibwe language, and the Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux community is part of a new development in St. Paul.

First, reporter Travis Zimmerman sits down with Leech Lake band member Mattie Harper DeCarlo, Grant Making Officer for the Bush Foundation.

Travis Zimmerman: The Bush Foundation, a private philanthropic organization that invests in communities across the Midwest, recently granted the Fond du Lac Tribal Community College $9.2 million to help revitalize the Ojibwe language. DiCarlo explains how this grant hopes to make an impact over the next eight years.

Mattie Harper DeCarlo: This Fond du Lac Tribal Community College grant is really innovative because of its focus on supporting adult learners. You know, at this time we recognize that there's really an urgency to teaching adults as second language learners because the population of fluent first speakers is alarmingly small. And the movement right now needs new adult speakers who can design, teach, and support language learning programs. But there are a lot of Ojibwe communities today who want more schools, want more immersion spaces, but there's just not enough adults to teach in those spaces.

Travis Zimmerman: The grant will help the college take a three-tiered approach to support the effort to create fluent speakers.

Mattie Harper DeCarlo: The college does, you know, already they offer Ojibwe language classes. They're going to develop a bachelor's degree program. There's going to be elders involved with the creation of this BA program. These elders and first site to really build up that pool of proficient speakers and also speakers who have the credentials for teaching. Another piece of this work that they're going to do is expand access to immersion learning. And then third of all, they're going to establish a new center for language revitalization that will include an Ojibwe language archive.

Travis Zimmerman: Although this grant focuses on the Ojibwe language, the hope is that it will be a model for preserving and revitalizing other native languages.

Mattie Harper DeCarlo: Specifically, we have a long-term commitment to native nations and communities. And so, you know, within that commitment, we recognize that language revitalization is really key. key to benefiting the health of Native communities. I really considered this grant to the Fond du Lac Tribal and Community College something that really strengthened the broader wide field of not just Ojibwe language revitalization, but Indigenous language revitalization.

Travis Zimmerman: For Minnesota Native News, I'm Travis Zimmerman.

Marie Rock: Next, reporter Lori Stern attended the groundbreaking event for the Grand Victoria Development Project that is made possible by an investment from a Minnesota-Dakota tribe.

Laurie Stern: It looked like any other groundbreaking, officials in hard hats and shovels. It sounded like other groundbreakings too.

Kaohly Her: This work has been really about all of us, all of the investors, all of the neighbors, and all of the people.

Laurie Stern: St. Paul Mayor Kaohly Her spoke, and so did Council President Rebecca Noecker.

Rebecca Noecker: As the mayor said, this is wonderful. This is the kind of development that we need.

Laurie Stern: Everyone was there to celebrate what will be called the Grand Victoria, a six-story boutique apartment building that will cost $45 million to build and, yes, sit at the corner of Grand Avenue and Victoria Street. And it wouldn't have been possible without the investment from the Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community.

Cole Miller: My name is Cole Miller and I serve as the Chairman of the Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community. And I just wanted to thank everybody for having us out today. As Dakota people, these are all traditional Dakota homelands, and we've been the original caretakers of this land for thousands of years. And for us to be playing a part in the revitalization of this iconic Grand Avenue area in St. Paul really does feel good as well.

Laurie Stern: The tribe expects to get a return on its investment that will benefit members for generations to come. Developers say the project will restore a little glory to St. Paul too. This is the tribe's economic development administrator, Thad Hellman.

Thad Hellman: It's a key signal to anybody who's looking to invest in a neighborhood like this to say, oh, there are folks who believe in this area, understand the economic opportunities that are here.

Laurie Stern: Developers say all the apartments will be market rate and the Jude hair salon which used to be here, will come back to occupy part of the first floor. They're looking for other retail and restaurant partners too. Grand Victoria should be open for business early in 2028.

For Minnesota Native News, I'm Laurie Stern.

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Marie Rock: Minnesota Native News is produced by AMPERS, Minnesota's Community Radio Stations, made possible by funding from the Minnesota Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund and the citizens of Minnesota.