Owámniyomni Okhódayapi

Loved celebrating the progress of Owámniyomni Okhódayapi during the Wild Rice Storing Moon season with Shelley Buck (Pte Wicota), Rebecca Crooks-Stratton, Chad Poitra and so many other inspiring Native leaders on this journey to transform five acres of land at St. Anthony Falls in Minneapolis into a place of restoration, education, healing and connection. Visit owamniyomni.org to learn more. (Photos courtesy of talented Goff Public alum Tim Hunt.)

Owámniyomni Okhódayapi reached a major milestone when it signed a 25-year lease with the Army Corps of Engineers to host cultural programs at the Falls and continue its design and engineering work at the site. President Shelley Buck (Pte Wicota) writes in Native News Online: "We're showing what's feasible when you lift up Native leaders and honor the wisdom and history carried by our knowledge keepers."

GGN is honored to have been selected to continue the important work of designing a five-acre property at Owámniyomni (St. Anthony Falls) adjacent to the Upper Lock on the Mississippi riverfront in Minneapolis. The project is under the guidance of Owámniyomni Okhódayapi and the Dakota Knowledge Keepers and in partnership with the other experts and consultants involved. Full Circle Indigenous Planning + Design will provide project strategy and Tribal engagement. The Dakota Knowledge Keepers include Glenn Wasicuna, Gwen Westerman, Mona Smith, Jewell Arcoren, Ramona Kitto Stately, Travis Bush, Vanessa Goodthunder, Erin Griffin, Samantha Odegard, and Cole Redhorse Taylor. Additional firms and consultants offering design and technical support fo the project include HDR, EOR, John Koepke with Urban Ecosystems, TLAL-LI Collaborative, Loeffler, ETM and Schuler Shook. “The structure of this design team emphasizes that while transforming the physical land at Owámniyomni will be important, restoring relationships to the land, Dakota culture, and language are at the heart of this work,” said Barry Hand, Owámniyomni Okhódayapi program director. “This project is rooted in the idea that what is most important about Owámniyomni is already here. Now is the time for the cultural and environmental restoration that have always been one and the same for the Dakota who know this place best,” said David Malda, Design Principal, GGN. Susan Du reports on the project in the Star Tribune: https://lnkd.in/gFa2Sujc

Owámniyomni Okhódayapi President Shelley Buck (Pte Wicota) spoke at the closing session of this week's Sustainable Agriculture & Food Systems Funders (SAFSF) convening in Minneapolis. Shelley highlighted the importance of engaging directly with Tribal Nations on community projects within Tribal homelands, transitioning non-profits to Native leadership and honoring the wisdom of traditional Knowledge Keepers. Furthermore, Shelley joined representatives of Regenerative Agriculture Alliance and Minnesota Farmers Market Association to consider how climate funders and agriculture funders can align their giving to support community-driven work. #mnisotamakoce #owámniyomni #TheFallsMpls #NativeFoodways #IndigenousHealth #FoodSovereignty #RegenerativeAgriculture #FoodFunders #AgFunders #ClimateFunders #RuralDevelopment Convening hosted by SAFSF, Climate and Energy Funders Group (Biodiversity Funders Group), Funders for Regenerative Agriculture, and Health and Environmental Funders Network (HEFN) and supported by Regenerative Agriculture Foundation and McKnight Foundation.

We're still hiring! Applications for the Vice President of Advancement (VPA) position will be accepted through the end of January. The VPA will ensure that the organization has the financial resources necessary to realize its vision to transform Owámniyomni and change the narrative about Dakota life at the Falls. Learn more: https://lnkd.in/gSMEW9B4

Big multidisciplinary RFPs aren’t traditionally a place where individuals feel they have a shot to compete. But this is not your typical RFP. Owámniyomni Okhódayapi is prioritizing cultural competency on every team, and this may be best embodied in an individual or small organization. We invite knowledge keepers, creators, and those with deep understanding of Dakota lands to add your name to the Teaming Directory NOW and attend the pre-proposal conference on February 15th. You are at the heart of the work to come! Learn more: https://lnkd.in/gaJiGRjz #narrativechange #knowledgekeepers

Owámniyomni Okhódayapi is requesting proposals for a Design & Engineering Services Consultant Team to work on the cultural and environmental restoration of 5.2 acres of riverfront land at Owámniyomni (St. Anthony Falls) on the Mississippi Riverfront in downtown Minneapolis. We seek a skilled multidisciplinary Consultant Team committed to changing the narrative of colonization through transformative design, and caring for land and water in keeping with the principles that we are all relatives and water is life. Proposals are due by March 22, 2024 at 4:30pm Minneapolis time. The Request for Proposals (RFP) is available at https://lnkd.in/gaJiGRjz Join us as we Indigenize the River.

Owámniyomni Okhódayapi , formally Friends of the Falls, is growing! The Vice President of Advancement & Program Director are critical members of the leadership team. They are responsible for building sustainable programs, partnerships, and funding streams that will enable us to transform Owámniyomni and change the narrative about Dakota life at the Falls. Vice President of Advancement & Program Director Job Descriptions here: https://lnkd.in/gW8mgudU Apply today by sending a resume and cover letter to info@owamniyomni.org #owamniyomni #thefallsmpls #hiring

We're #hiring! Owámniyomni Okhódayapi , formally Friends of the Falls, is working to transform vacant, largely inaccessible land around Minneapolis’s Upper Lock into a place of healing, restoration, education, and connection. The Vice President of Advancement is responsible for securing the financial resources necessary to transform Owámniyomni and change the narrative about Dakota life at the Falls. This work is expected to include the planning, launch, and execution of a significant capital campaign, as well as establishment of a development department that can support on-going fundraising as the organization transitions from a capital to an operating phase. View the job description here: https://lnkd.in/gvrAP33F Apply today. Applications accepted through Jan 31, 2023.

We're #hiring! Owámniyomni Okhódayapi , formally Friends of the Falls, is working to transform vacant, largely inaccessible land around Minneapolis’s Upper Lock into a place of healing, restoration, education, and connection. The Program Director is responsible for shaping and managing programs and partnerships that celebrate Dakota history and other Indigenous perspectives of Owámniyomni (St. Anthony Falls). View the job description here: https://lnkd.in/gvrAP33F Apply today. Applications accepted through Dec 31, 2023.