Stay in the Loop

On Wednesday, April 22, beginning at 12:30pm at the Bassett Creek Outlet in James Rice Park, come welcome the arrival of walkers who began the morning 13 miles away at the Medicine Lake origin of Ȟaȟá Wakpádaŋ (Bassett Creek). Called a “Nibi Walk,” the trek honors the existence and importance of a stream or river.

Everyone is invited to witness the final steps of their walk as a ceremonial pail of water from the lake is offered to the outlet’s confluence of Ȟaȟá Wakpádaŋ (Bassett Creek) and Ȟaȟá Wakpá, (the Mississippi River) pictured above.  There will be snacks, resource tables, and a special program of speakers and artists celebrating the communities that intersect around Ȟaȟá Wakpádaŋ:

Given the sacred nature of a Nibi Walk, walkers are required to attend an orientation.  I was honored to attend, not least so I could meet Sharon Day, Executive Director of the organization coordinating the Walk: the Indigenous Peoples Task Force.

Indigenous People’s Task Force Executive Director Sharon Day and Multidisciplinary Artist Seitu Jones will speak at Wednesday’s ceremony. (Photo credits: Minnesota Native News and Mr. Jones’s website.)

It was there where I learned the meaning of a common Dakota phrase spoken to greet both people and nature.  Please allow me to explain:

You probably offer casual greetings all day long such as “Hi there,” “How’s It going?,” or even “Do you believe this weather?”

A casual Dakota opener—Haƞ mitakuyepi (if you are female) or Hau mitakuyepi (if you are male)—means “Hello, my relatives,” where “relatives” means, well, everything and everybody, not just a blood relation let alone the person you’re addressing: Plants, people, animals, ground, water, sky, sun, moon, and stars.  It’s like saying, “Hello, world!  Thank you, world!” as you affirm your community with the creatures, entities, energies, and life-giving partners all around you.

So of course, Executive Director Day greeted us with “Haƞ mitakuyepi.”  She challenged us to consider what it would look like if we went about our lives using this greeting.  How might it affect our senses of ourselves and the choices we make in connection to the world?

Immensely—and for the good, I thought.  I left the orientation envisioning the possibilities.

At Wednesday’s ceremony, Dakota members will be present to share the Dakota history of the creek. The Ikidowin Youth Theater Ensemble will present poetry and songs.

Artist and community advocate Seitu Ken Jones will talk about his childhood growing up by the Creek as well as his artwork marking the path of the underground tunnel that channels Ȟaȟá Wakpádaŋ through the North Loop.

In addition, water stewards from the Mississippi Watershed Management Organization will provide materials and guidance on making seed bombs, which are mixtures of clay, compost, and seeds used for “guerrilla gardening” to restore vegetation in neglected areas.

Staff from both the Bassett Creek Watershed District and Resilient Cities and Communities will be on-hand with resources.

The celebration will be on the lawn between the Outlet and the Plymouth Ave. N. parking lot.