Land near Minneapolis lock and dam being transferred back to Dakota stewardship
A sacred site in the heart of Minneapolis is being returned to Dakota stewardship.
Federal land near the Upper St. Anthony Falls Lock and Dam is set to be transferred to
Owámniyomni Okhódayapi
, a Dakota-led organization, by the end of 2026.
The announcement was made by Mayor Jacob Frey and community leaders on Monday.
According to a release from Frey's office, the organization, in conjunction with the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board (MPRB), are planning to transform the site into a community space featuring indigenous vegetation, restored water flow and a renewed connection to the river.
"It's a sacred place of the Dakota people," said Shelley Buck, an enrolled member of the Prairie Island Indian Community and president of Owámniyomni Okhódayapi. "It was a place where our people would come and give offerings, have ceremony. It was a peaceful place for people to come and do trade. Just down from here, it was an island called Spirit Island. It's a safe island where some of our Dakota women would come and give birth."
The transformation is backed by a federal land transfer that leaders say is rare.
"The upcoming land transfer of this five-acre site to a Dakota-led organization is a way for our city to lead in the process of truth and reconciliation with indigenous people," said Council Member Michael Rainville.
Efforts to transfer management of the site began in 2015.
In 2020, Congress passed legislation ordering the transfer of the site from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to the City of Minneapolis or its designee. The city chose Friends of the Falls, now Owámniyomni Okhódayapi.
"Owámniyomni is not only a place sacred to the Dakota, it is a place of shared importance to all who call this land home," said Buck. "Our vision for the land at Owámniyomni is to create a place of healing, beauty and belonging that is open to everyone — while reclaiming Dakota stewardship of this land, restoring native plantings and uplifting traditional practices in caring for our natural relatives."
The project is expected to be completed by 2028.
"In five to 10 years, we hope this place is going to be totally transformed," said Buck. "We're hoping to have more green space, more traditional plants like oak savannah, some traditional medicines around here. We hope to even be able to bring a little bit of flowing water back to areas where it once flowed."
Planning is already underway, with a design and engineering team in place.
"We have hired a design and engineering team," said Buck. "Then we will be bidding that out for construction."
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