On Monday October 14, please join us in honoring Ȟaȟá Wakpádaŋ (Bassett Creek). Dakota author Diane Wilson will extend a special welcome to participants. A water blessing will be offered by Tanaǧidaŋ To Wiŋ / Blue Hummingbird Woman (Tara Perron), who is a Dakota and Ojibwe mother, writer, and entrepreneur.

We’ll also celebrate Indigenous Peoples Day through song, land acknowledgment, and updates about the Ȟaȟá Wakpádaŋ / Bassett Creek Oral History Project. Indigenous participants will share ways to care for the lands and waters of Mni Sóta Makoce (Minnesota).

Using Dakota place names helps to honor the people who have lived here for thousands of years. Ȟaȟá Wakpádaŋ is the Dakota name for Bassett Creek.

10:00 – Meet at Bassett Creek Park (5609 32nd Avenue North, Crystal, MN 55422). Rain or shine. Free and family friendly.

Registration is optional.

Thank you to the funders including the St. Anthony Falls Heritage Board, City of Golden Valley Environmental Commission, Golden Valley Community Foundation, and Valley Community Presbyterian Church.

Thank you also to community partners including the Bassett Creek Watershed Management Commission, City of Golden Valley DEI Commission, The Loppet Foundation, the Mississippi Watershed Management Organization, and the Plymouth History Center.

Whóphida thaŋka (thank you!) to cultural advisors Bradley Blackhawk (Ho-Chunk), Darlene St. Clair (Dakota), Jim Rock (Dakota), and Roxanne Gould (Anishinaabe).

Photo by Sean Gosiewski