Owamniyomni okhodayapi is a dakota-led nonprofit creating a future where dakota culture has a vital presence and dakota values-such as mni wiconi,or water is life-are embedded into our communal existence. We are currently working to transform five acres of land at owamniyomni (st. Anthony falls) into a place of restoration, education, healing and connection.
Project: the owmniyomni project (op) is the first phase of site design completed in 2025. We finalized a plan fulfilling terms set forth in oo's exclusive rights agreement with the city of minneapolis, coordinated our design with adjacent minneapolis park & recreation board land, and partnered with the mississippi watershed management organization to test water quality in the stagnant mill race. Project work is multi-jurisdictional, rooted in regular coordination meetings with the city, mprb, mwmo, the us army corps of engineers, the oo design team and representatives of mnsota's four dakota nations. Additional 2025 activities include surveying, re-platting, hiring a construction manager, and starting the construction bidding process. Programming: oo's lifeways programming elevates dakota values and combats cultural erasure through education and storytelling. Lifeways includes dugout canoe carving (~200 participants), interpretive site tours (~1200 participants), instructional videos with 35,000+ views, dakota cultural celebrations, and recording and installing 9 bilingual dakota-english audio tour signs along the stone arch bridge. Oo advances storytelling work through our newsletter and interactive website; a multi-media kiosk in oo's engagement space; 25 speaking engagements; and oo's presence at 3 public festivals. All programming is governed by awayakapi (all-encompassing care), which ties site maintenance to cultural maintenance.