IN THE PAST YEAR, my desire to learn more about Native American culture has heightened. My new interest followed a talk in September 2022 by then Rice County Historical Society Director Susan Garwood about “The Indigenous history of the land that is now Rice County, Minnesota.” This county, this community, in which I live was home first to Indigenous peoples, long before the first settlers, the fur traders, the Easterners who moved west.
I knew that, of course. But what I didn’t know was that the Wahpekute, one of the seven “Council Fires” of the Dakota Nation, used the current-day Wapacuta Park just up the hill from my house for honoring their dead.
This Faribault city park, where my kids once zipped down a towering slide, clamored onto a massive boulder, slid on plastics sleds, was where the Wahpekute many years ago placed their dead upon scaffolding prior to burial. That ground now seems sacred to me.
That it took 40 years of living here to learn this information suggests to me that either I wasn’t paying attention to local history or that my community has not done enough to honor the First Peoples of this land.
Whatever the reason, I have, on my own, decided to become more informed about Indigenous peoples. And for me, that starts with reading. I recently headed to the children’s section of my local library and checked out the book, The Forever Sky, written by Thomas Peacock (a member of the Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Anishinaabe Ojibwe) and illustrated by Annette S. Lee (mixed-race Lakota-Sioux of the Ojibwe and Lakota-Sioux communities).
These two Minnesotans, in their collaborative children’s picture book, reveal that “the sky and stars all have stories.” Oh, how I value stories. And the stories shared in this book, these sky stories, are of spirits and animals and the Path of Souls, aka The Milky Way, and…
I especially appreciate the book’s focus on the northern lights, explained as “the spirits of all of our relatives who have passed on.” The descriptive words and vivid images make me view the northern lights, which I have yet to see in my life-time, through the eyes of Indigenous peoples. The changing blues and greens are their loved ones dancing in the night sky. Dancing, dancing, dancing. How lovely that imagery in replacing loss with hope and happiness.
The Forever Sky has created an awareness of Native culture previously unknown to me. Just like that talk a year ago by a local historian aiming to educate. I have much to learn. And I am learning via books found not only in the adult section of the library, but also among the children’s picture books. That writers and illustrators are covering topics of cultural importance in kids’ books gives me hope for the future. My grandchildren, even though they will never see the vast, dark, star-filled sky I saw nightly as a child of the prairie, are growing up much more informed. They will understand cultures well beyond their own heritage. And that encourages me.
© Copyright 2023 Audrey Kletscher Helbling
Minnesota Prairie Roots 
Great article- How was it that we never knew the history of this place we call home and its connection to the indigenous people who’ve lived here for more than 10,000 years? Simple answer is that history is written by the victors and that our Euro American ancestors committed genocide and ethnic cleansing in an attempt to erase entire First Nations. Like you, I’ve been on a journey of learning, reading and now working with indigenous people.
I agree that the history we learned was written from a one-sided perspective. This was a topic of discussion at our Thanksgiving table. What was the first Thanksgiving REALLY like? Is any of what we learned actually true? Thank you for all you are doing to become informed and to help enlighten.
I love that you’re taking the initiative and time to learn about the history of the original people who lived in your area. you are right, this learning and sharing can be a much-delayed legacy and gift to our generations who come after us.
I’m trying. There’s much to learn and we all have to strive to continue learning.
You may enjoy reading (U.S. poet laureate, 2019) Joy Harjo’s life’s work.
Thanks for the tip. I just visited Joy’s website and ordered her book, “Remember,” from my library.
Yes, I spent the summer reading every book that I could find in my library’s on-line catalog. She is such an inspiration!
I look forward to reading her writing and finding the same inspiration you’ve discovered in her work. Thank you again for referring me to Joy.
Hello Audrey by Wapacuta Park downhill from Garfield Elementary School when we attended in the 1950’s. Tom Weaver here, born by the Straight (Owatonna Wakpa) River in 1947. Delighted to have read your current post on Minnesota Prairie Roots the blog looks like you started in 2009. We have a few posts regarding the Dakhota, Lakhota and Anisinabeg on our own 2009 started blog –https://prairielakesjourneystwospirit.blogspot.com/
Happy you mentioned Sue Garwood, whom we knew at Rice County History Society and at Carleton College. And that you got the part about the Seven Fires Očhéthi Šakówiŋ of the D/L/Nakota Peoples – Would enjoy a connection and have recently played disc golf at Wapacuta and revisited the sliding stone you mentioned and we slid down in the 1950’s. My friend Jeff Jarvis, historian and artist’s, wife Dot DeJong and we took a free online Dakhota Language Class,
Tom, thank you for sharing about your connection to Wapacuta Park and your efforts to learn more about Indigenous peoples. Please feel free to pop in and say hi whenever you’re at Wapacuta Park (green house on corner of Willow and Tower). I attended the recent Irish concert also.
How interesting that you took a free online Dakhota Language Class. I appreciate Jeff’s efforts as an artist and historian. And I know Dorothy from her days at the library, when my kids were growing up.
I’ll check out your post shortly. Thanks for the reference.
(Just a note that I’m not publishing your first comment since it includes your email, etc. Good to hear from you. Keep writing and learning.)
It’s great you are learning more about the Indigenous people, and thank you for passing on some of what you are learning to us through your blog. I did order this children’s book from our library. I love the sky, and would love to learn how the Indigenous people interpret it.
I’ll be curious to hear what you think of the book. I’m always happy to pass along book recommendations.