Past events
Birch Teachings and Basket Making
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 11 from 12:00 PM - 4:00 PM
Create a birchbark basket with Pat Kruse, a member at Red Cliff Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Indians, and a descendent of the Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe, Onamia, Minnesota. An accomplished and award winning Ojibwe birchbark & quillwork artist & culture teacher, Pat has spent his life maintaining traditional Ojibwe basketry and teaching workshops to all people willing to learn. This workshop will introduce teachings on the birch tree as teachers create their own birch bark basket. Lunch and all supplies will be provided. Mileage reimbursement is available upon request to support workshop participation.
Experiential Rice Camp
Friday, September 26 - Sunday, September 28, 2025
Manoomin is the food that grows on the water. Join us for a family rice camp in northern Minnesota. Come learn about manoomin (wild rice) and how to process manoomin using traditional methods including kettle parching, jigging, and winnowing.
Mille Lacs Museum and Trading Post
Saturday, September 20, 2025
Manoomin is the food that grows on water. Join us at the Minnesota Historical Society’s Mille Lacs Trading Post and Museum in Onamia, Minnesota. Head to the lakeshore to watch museum staff process wild rice using traditional methods including parching, threshing, and winnowing.
Shakopee Wacipi
Friday, August 15 - Saturday, August 16, 2025
Wacipi, or pow wow, is a traditional Native American celebration of life. Hosted by the Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community (SMSC) in Shakopee, MN, the wacipi will include dancers, singers, and vendors. Attendees should expect to sit and stand throughout the day, and learn about pow wow etiquette, different dance styles and regalia, traditional hand games, and other community-centric information.
BioBlitz
Saturday, August 2 from 9:00 AM - 1:00 PM
Hosted by Wakan Tipi Awanyankapi in Saint Paul, MN, this BioBlitz focuses on finding and identifying as many species as possible in a specific area. Attendees should expect to stand and walk throughout the event which incorporates Indigenous world views and ways of knowing.
Funding for this project was provided by the Minnesota Environment and Natural Resources Trust Fund as recommended by the Legislative-Citizen Commission on Minnesota Resources (LCCMR). The Trust Fund is a permanent fund constitutionally established by the citizens of Minnesota to assist in the protection, conservation, preservation, and enhancement of the state’s air, water, land, fish, wildlife, and other natural resources.
This work is supported by a University of Minnesota Institute on the Environment Impact Goal grant, 2023-2026, titled “Delivering Culturally Integrated Sustainability Education Through Supported Teacher Professional Development.,” under Grant No. IG 72.