This mural is a gift from the Red Wing community to its Dakota relatives. The mural celebrates and honors Dakota culture and is located next to sacred He Mni Can-Barn Bluff.

Red Wing sits on the traditional homeland of the Dakhóta Oyáte (Dakota People), and our city’s namesake is Chief Red Wing, known to his Dakota community as Tatanka Mani (Walking Buffalo). The mural invites all of us to embrace a fundamental Dakota understanding: Mitakuye Owasin - We are all related, encompassing all plants and beings.

Each section of the mural depicts local relatives in their natural environments. The sections are separated by a sweetgrass braid and a red willow twist, intertwined with local wildflowers and medicines. These plants, which grow in Red Wing and on He Mni Can-Barn Bluff, are still used today as traditional medicines. The floras depicted are wild roses and rose hips, red columbine, wild bergamot, bloodroot, and wild rice. Each element is slightly abstract and evokes the beadwork and quillwork techniques traditional to Dakota art.

This mural is a symbol of unity and recognition of the Dakota People's history and contributions to the community. The mural is also a call to action for all of us to learn more about the true history of this land and to honor the Dakota People's legacy and ongoing influence.

So come take a moment to rest and reflect on the message this mural conveys: “Mitakuye Owasin” - We are all related.

About the Prairie Island Indian Community

We are the Bdewakantunwan – those who were born of the waters. We are one with the land. The waters, the bluffs, the prairies, and the buffalo all shape and define who we are as Dakota people.

Our members descend from the Bdewakantunwan (Mdewakanton) Band of Eastern Dakota. We are the Dakota Oyate (people), also commonly referred to as the Minnesota Sioux.

This is our homeland; our relatives lived on these lands that are now called Minnesota for countless generations. Dakota people from throughout the region gathered in this area to live, hunt, worship, and raise their families. It is a special place, a spiritual place, and the final resting spot for many of our ancestors.

Despite past efforts to eliminate the Dakota Oyate from Minnesota, and the ongoing hazards we face, we are a resilient people. Prairie Island will always be our home.

Mural Artists

Collins Provost-Fields Cheyenne River Lakhota Tribe - Mnicoujou / Oohenumpa

Jeremy Fields Crow Tribe of Montana - Ties the Bundle Clan / Pawnee Tribe of Oklahoma - Kitkehaki Band

Cole Redhorse Taylor Mdewakanton Dakota

Through the Honoring Dakota Project and the creation of the mural, the Red Wing community has created a space for celebrating and preserving Dakota culture and history. The project has offered a platform for healing and reconciliation, both for members of the Dakota community and for non-Indigenous community members seeking to learn more about the shared history of the land. The process has asked people to consider their relationship to themselves, their community, and their environment through building community and collective solidarity.

We thank our community, partners, funders and volunteers who made this project and mural possible through their support.

Project Partners:

Prairie Island Indian Community, Prairie Island Family Services, Goodhue County Health and Human Services, Goodhue County Child & Family Collaborative, Red Wing Arts, City of Red Wing, and Thrive Unltd.

Project and Mural Funders:

American Association of University Women Red Wing Branch, Bauer Design Build, Blandin Foundation, City of Red Wing, City of Red Arts & Culture Commission, “Community Mike” Murphy, Downtown Main Street Red Wing, Emily & Gabby Foos, Gemini Signs, Goodhue County Health & Human Services, Kim & Tom Lampe, Mayo Clinic Health Services-Red Wing, Mental and Chemical Health Coalition of Goodhue County, Minnesota Dept of Health, Minnesota Humanities Center, Minnesota State Arts Board, Philip S. Duff Jr. Endowment Fund, Prairie Island Indian Community, Prestige Drywall, Red Wing Area Fund, Red Wing Shoe Company, Red Wing Shoe Foundation, RiseUp Red Wing, S.B. Foot Tanning Company, Sievers Creative, Southeastern Minnesota Arts Council, T-Mobile, Linda Thielbar & Kent Speight, Treasure Island Resort & Casino, Wings Foundation, Xcel Energy.