The Honoring Dakota Mural

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.  The Honoring Dakota Project launched in October of 2022. It launched a process of community conversations and events that provided education to discover shared stories, bridge the communities, and create a space for healing, which was the basis of the community-informed creation of the mural.

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.

 
 

red wing sits on the traditional homeland of the Dakhóta Oyáte (Dakota People)

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.

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

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.

The Mural is located at 321 Potter Street.