Celebrate indigenous peoples during National American Indian Heritage Month

On August 3, 1990, President George H.W. Bush declared November National American Indian Heritage Month. The declaration invited all U.S. organizations and residents to observe and celebrate Native American lives and ensure their rich histories and contributions thrive.

A brief history

In Minnesota, the original people were the Anishinaabe (Ojibwe) and the Dakota (Sioux). Bloomington sits on Mni Sota Makoce, the ancestral lands of the Dakota people.

According to the Bloomington Historical Society, Native Americans traveled, settled and traded along the Minnesota River for centuries. Dakota Chief Penasha led a village of about 1,900 Dakota people in Bloomington in 1780. By the 1820s, Fort Snelling became the first European settlement. Many early settlers were missionaries who came to convert the resident Native Americans.

In the 1850s, more European settlers arrived and tensions over land increased. This led to the U.S.-Dakota War of 1862 which forced many Dakota people to be relocated to reservations outside of Minnesota.

Learn more by visiting minneapolis.org/calendar/holidays/native-american-heritage-month and indigenous-roots.org.