Post by webchief on Apr 2, 2008 7:46:41 GMT -5
SYMPOSIUM STATEMENT
Sacred places define and unify us as cultures. They are often the places that mark beginnings, and provide the spiritual energy for cultural renewal. Dakota culture has survived through great adversity. The period marking Minnesota’s history as a state has been one of great tragedy for the Dakota and other Native American cultures. Wakantipi, the Dakota home of the spirits, is now also the site of a great city. This present time presents us with a singular moment in history when reconciliation and rebirth can take place. Architecture has a role to play in honoring sacred places, and in creating sacred space. The highest work of Architecture is to provide a vision of what is possible. This Symposium brings together elders and others who have worked to preserve sacred spaces against great odds, to examine and recount their history and begin to map the way toward reconciliation, restoration, and cultural renewal.
These sessions are being held as part of the SACRED SITES & SACRED SIGHTS symposium being held on April fourth and fifth at:
College of Design
89 Church Street S.E.
University of Minnesota,
Minneapolis 55455
SYMPOSIUM SCHEDULE
FRIDAY April 4, 2008
9:15 a.m. OPENING CEREMONY - Chris Leith
9:20 a.m. DAKOTA DRUMMERS - Virgil Mountain group
10:00 a.m. INTRODUCTIONS – Richard Kroeker, Virajita Singh
10:15 a.m. Arvol Looking Horse – Sacred Lands and cultural continuity
11:15 a.m. Albert Marshall – Mi’kmaq First Nation: Elders councils
12:15 NOON MEAL
2:00 p.m. Richard Kroeker, Virajita Singh - Studio proposals for Oheyawahi
3:00 p.m. Erick Kaardal: The Wolfchild Case and its implications
4:00 p.m. Dakota Elders Circle: The History of Sacred places
5:00 p.m. DRUMMERS: Virgil Mountain Group
Evening Sweat Ceremony: Prairie Island
SATURDAY April 5, 2008
9:15 a.m. OPENING CEREMONY – Chris Leith
9:20 a.m. DRUMMERS - Virgil Mountain
10:00 a.m. Opening remarks: Richard Kroeker
10:15 a.m. Bruce White – The Historic Record
11:15 a.m. Mendota Mayor John Huber: the saving of Oheyawahi
12:15 NOON MEAL
2:00 p.m. Jim Andersen - Mendota Activist: The story of Coldwater Spring
2:30 p.m. Elder’s Circle: Building the Future, Making sacred places
4:00 p.m. Closing remarks – the way forward: all participants
DAKOTA SYMPOSIUM SPEAKERS
Jim Andersen is a member of the Mendota Mdewakanton Dakota Community. In the Late 1990’s his organization and leadership were instrumental in halting the State’s plans to build highway 55 over the site of Coldwater Spring. The Mendota Mdewakanton community, with support from many others, claimed protection of Coldwater Spring and a grove of nearby oak trees as a sacred site, organizing a peaceful occupation. The highway went ahead, but some of the sacred site, including the spring itself, was saved. Jim Andersen continues to be involved in organized efforts to preserve this sacred site and ensure access to the spring.
John Huber was the Mayor of Mendota Heights, Minnesota who helped initiate the preservation of Oheyawahi or Pilot Knob Hill, a significant sacred site in Dakota culture, as an historic site in the face of high land prices and development pressures. In 2004 a private developer had plans to build high-density housing on the historic hill. Following strong objections from Dakota Indian communities, hundreds of area residents joined Native American, religious, and environmental organizations in urging further study of the site and establishment of a public reserve. The partial conservation of Pilot Knob is a continuing process involving collaborative effort by the City, the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, Dakota County, The Trust for Public Land, and the Pilot Knob Preservation Association. John Huber continues as Mayor of Mendota Heights.
Albert Marshall is from the Mi’kmaq First Nation community of Eskasoni in Nova Scotia. Albert and his wife Murdena Marshall have been leaders in the movement to bring elder knowledge to bear on all aspects of contemporary life. They have been instrumental in bringing a “Two eyed seeing” science program to Cape Breton University, where elders help direct the ways in which science is taught and research is conducted. He has traveled to many parts of the world to promote the rights and cultural of indigenous people and their environments.
Erick Kaardal is a lawyer and partner in the law firm Mohrman and Kaardal formed in 2000. Erick G. Kaardal is acting as the attorney representing members of the Minnesota Mdewakanton Dakota Oyate in Wolfchild et al versus the United States, filed in the United States Court of Federal Claims in 2003. The lawsuit claims against the United States for monetary damages for trust mismanagement dating back to the late 1800’s, and seeks an injunction halting further mismanagement. Mr. Kaardal has been recognized by the Institute for Justice for his Outstanding Contribution to the Cause of Liberty. Mr. Kaardal is also founder of and general counsel for neopopulism.org.
Chris Leith is a Dakota medicine bundle keeper and spiritual leader from the Prairie Island Dakota. He has been a Sun Dance chief for more than thirty years. In 2003 he was a source of important information for the successful nomination of Oheyawahi, to the National Register of Historic Places. He was active in the campaign to save the Hill from private development and led the sweat ceremony on the hill in October 2004. Chris Leith has been involved in bringing awareness to other sites sacred to his culture. Chris Leith is a Wisdom Keeper with the World Council of Indigenous Elders. Among other activities, they promote council gathering centers at sacred sites for the purposes of healing, forgiveness and transformation.
Arvol Looking Horse was born on the Cheyenne River Reservation in South Dakota. He was called to be the 19th generation Keeper of the Sacred White Buffalo Calf Pipe of the Lakota, Dakota & Nakota Nations at the age of 12, the youngest in history. He has used that position to raise the awareness of his peoples’ spiritual practices, the environment, and to bring about understanding between people and spiritual traditions throughout the world. He has been honored by the United Nations for his work promoting international understanding. Other awards include the Juliet Hollister award and the Canadian Wolf Award.
Bruce White has a PhD in historical anthropology from the University of Minnesota and an MA in history from McGill University in Montreal. Bruce White’s specialty is the early history of native peoples and white settlement in the Great Lakes region. He has a particular interest in how histories are constructed and recorded. He has published articles in numerous journals, magazines, and books. His recent book, We Are At Home: Pictures of the Ojibwe People, is a finalist for a Minnesota Book Award.
DAKOTA SYMPOSIUM ORGANIZERS:
Richard Kroeker is Professor of Architecture at Dalhousie University in Halifax, Canada and past Cass Gilbert visiting Professor at the University of Minnesota. His teaching and design practice focus on issues of cultural renewal, sustainability and social justice. In collaboration with Virajita Singh, he taught design studios at the University of Minnesota which focused on the restoration of Oheyawahi. They have coauthored a book chapter entitled Material Culture and Design Education in the book: Design Studio Pedagogy: Horizons for the Future, edited by Ashraf Salama and Nicholas Wilkinson.
contact: <richard.kroeker@dal.ca>
Virajita Singh is Senior Research Fellow and Adjunct Assistant Professor at the College of Design, University of Minnesota. Virajita’s recent research and teaching focus on issues of culture, sustainability and the sacred. Virajita has co taught a design studio with Cass Gilbert visiting Professor Richard Kroeker, focusing on sacred Dakota land and recently led University of Minnesota students on study abroad trip to India for a course titled “Sacred India: Architecture, Environment, Spirit”. She is currently co teaching an honors seminar exploring connections of the wisdom traditions to sustainability titled “Wisdom, Sustainability and Change”.
contact: <singh023@umn.edu>
funded by
GRAHAM FOUNDATION FOR ADVANCED STUDIES IN THE FINE ARTS
Sacred places define and unify us as cultures. They are often the places that mark beginnings, and provide the spiritual energy for cultural renewal. Dakota culture has survived through great adversity. The period marking Minnesota’s history as a state has been one of great tragedy for the Dakota and other Native American cultures. Wakantipi, the Dakota home of the spirits, is now also the site of a great city. This present time presents us with a singular moment in history when reconciliation and rebirth can take place. Architecture has a role to play in honoring sacred places, and in creating sacred space. The highest work of Architecture is to provide a vision of what is possible. This Symposium brings together elders and others who have worked to preserve sacred spaces against great odds, to examine and recount their history and begin to map the way toward reconciliation, restoration, and cultural renewal.
These sessions are being held as part of the SACRED SITES & SACRED SIGHTS symposium being held on April fourth and fifth at:
College of Design
89 Church Street S.E.
University of Minnesota,
Minneapolis 55455
SYMPOSIUM SCHEDULE
FRIDAY April 4, 2008
9:15 a.m. OPENING CEREMONY - Chris Leith
9:20 a.m. DAKOTA DRUMMERS - Virgil Mountain group
10:00 a.m. INTRODUCTIONS – Richard Kroeker, Virajita Singh
10:15 a.m. Arvol Looking Horse – Sacred Lands and cultural continuity
11:15 a.m. Albert Marshall – Mi’kmaq First Nation: Elders councils
12:15 NOON MEAL
2:00 p.m. Richard Kroeker, Virajita Singh - Studio proposals for Oheyawahi
3:00 p.m. Erick Kaardal: The Wolfchild Case and its implications
4:00 p.m. Dakota Elders Circle: The History of Sacred places
5:00 p.m. DRUMMERS: Virgil Mountain Group
Evening Sweat Ceremony: Prairie Island
SATURDAY April 5, 2008
9:15 a.m. OPENING CEREMONY – Chris Leith
9:20 a.m. DRUMMERS - Virgil Mountain
10:00 a.m. Opening remarks: Richard Kroeker
10:15 a.m. Bruce White – The Historic Record
11:15 a.m. Mendota Mayor John Huber: the saving of Oheyawahi
12:15 NOON MEAL
2:00 p.m. Jim Andersen - Mendota Activist: The story of Coldwater Spring
2:30 p.m. Elder’s Circle: Building the Future, Making sacred places
4:00 p.m. Closing remarks – the way forward: all participants
DAKOTA SYMPOSIUM SPEAKERS
Jim Andersen is a member of the Mendota Mdewakanton Dakota Community. In the Late 1990’s his organization and leadership were instrumental in halting the State’s plans to build highway 55 over the site of Coldwater Spring. The Mendota Mdewakanton community, with support from many others, claimed protection of Coldwater Spring and a grove of nearby oak trees as a sacred site, organizing a peaceful occupation. The highway went ahead, but some of the sacred site, including the spring itself, was saved. Jim Andersen continues to be involved in organized efforts to preserve this sacred site and ensure access to the spring.
John Huber was the Mayor of Mendota Heights, Minnesota who helped initiate the preservation of Oheyawahi or Pilot Knob Hill, a significant sacred site in Dakota culture, as an historic site in the face of high land prices and development pressures. In 2004 a private developer had plans to build high-density housing on the historic hill. Following strong objections from Dakota Indian communities, hundreds of area residents joined Native American, religious, and environmental organizations in urging further study of the site and establishment of a public reserve. The partial conservation of Pilot Knob is a continuing process involving collaborative effort by the City, the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, Dakota County, The Trust for Public Land, and the Pilot Knob Preservation Association. John Huber continues as Mayor of Mendota Heights.
Albert Marshall is from the Mi’kmaq First Nation community of Eskasoni in Nova Scotia. Albert and his wife Murdena Marshall have been leaders in the movement to bring elder knowledge to bear on all aspects of contemporary life. They have been instrumental in bringing a “Two eyed seeing” science program to Cape Breton University, where elders help direct the ways in which science is taught and research is conducted. He has traveled to many parts of the world to promote the rights and cultural of indigenous people and their environments.
Erick Kaardal is a lawyer and partner in the law firm Mohrman and Kaardal formed in 2000. Erick G. Kaardal is acting as the attorney representing members of the Minnesota Mdewakanton Dakota Oyate in Wolfchild et al versus the United States, filed in the United States Court of Federal Claims in 2003. The lawsuit claims against the United States for monetary damages for trust mismanagement dating back to the late 1800’s, and seeks an injunction halting further mismanagement. Mr. Kaardal has been recognized by the Institute for Justice for his Outstanding Contribution to the Cause of Liberty. Mr. Kaardal is also founder of and general counsel for neopopulism.org.
Chris Leith is a Dakota medicine bundle keeper and spiritual leader from the Prairie Island Dakota. He has been a Sun Dance chief for more than thirty years. In 2003 he was a source of important information for the successful nomination of Oheyawahi, to the National Register of Historic Places. He was active in the campaign to save the Hill from private development and led the sweat ceremony on the hill in October 2004. Chris Leith has been involved in bringing awareness to other sites sacred to his culture. Chris Leith is a Wisdom Keeper with the World Council of Indigenous Elders. Among other activities, they promote council gathering centers at sacred sites for the purposes of healing, forgiveness and transformation.
Arvol Looking Horse was born on the Cheyenne River Reservation in South Dakota. He was called to be the 19th generation Keeper of the Sacred White Buffalo Calf Pipe of the Lakota, Dakota & Nakota Nations at the age of 12, the youngest in history. He has used that position to raise the awareness of his peoples’ spiritual practices, the environment, and to bring about understanding between people and spiritual traditions throughout the world. He has been honored by the United Nations for his work promoting international understanding. Other awards include the Juliet Hollister award and the Canadian Wolf Award.
Bruce White has a PhD in historical anthropology from the University of Minnesota and an MA in history from McGill University in Montreal. Bruce White’s specialty is the early history of native peoples and white settlement in the Great Lakes region. He has a particular interest in how histories are constructed and recorded. He has published articles in numerous journals, magazines, and books. His recent book, We Are At Home: Pictures of the Ojibwe People, is a finalist for a Minnesota Book Award.
DAKOTA SYMPOSIUM ORGANIZERS:
Richard Kroeker is Professor of Architecture at Dalhousie University in Halifax, Canada and past Cass Gilbert visiting Professor at the University of Minnesota. His teaching and design practice focus on issues of cultural renewal, sustainability and social justice. In collaboration with Virajita Singh, he taught design studios at the University of Minnesota which focused on the restoration of Oheyawahi. They have coauthored a book chapter entitled Material Culture and Design Education in the book: Design Studio Pedagogy: Horizons for the Future, edited by Ashraf Salama and Nicholas Wilkinson.
contact: <richard.kroeker@dal.ca>
Virajita Singh is Senior Research Fellow and Adjunct Assistant Professor at the College of Design, University of Minnesota. Virajita’s recent research and teaching focus on issues of culture, sustainability and the sacred. Virajita has co taught a design studio with Cass Gilbert visiting Professor Richard Kroeker, focusing on sacred Dakota land and recently led University of Minnesota students on study abroad trip to India for a course titled “Sacred India: Architecture, Environment, Spirit”. She is currently co teaching an honors seminar exploring connections of the wisdom traditions to sustainability titled “Wisdom, Sustainability and Change”.
contact: <singh023@umn.edu>
funded by
GRAHAM FOUNDATION FOR ADVANCED STUDIES IN THE FINE ARTS