The Four Winds: A Seasonal Celebration of Dakóta culture, history, and art

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Before it was a park, the Dakóta land at Battle Creek Regional Park in Maplewood was a place where women collected plant medicine, foraged for food, and connected with the Earth and her sacred teachings.

As Dakóta women, deeply rooted in the homeland of Mnisota Makóce, artists Marlena Myles and Tanáğidaŋ Tó Wíŋ were inspired by the stories of indigenous women of this land. They were selected as Minnesota Parks artists in residency, in partnership with Forecast Public Art and Ramsey County Parks and Recreation, to share the beauty of Dakóta culture, history, and art. The goal is to inspire neighbors to reconnect with Grandmother Earth and change our relationships with the park systems.

Saint Paul oil painter Heather Friedli is a descendant of the Little Traverse Bay Band of Odawa Indians. Together, the three women helped create the Waziya Winter-Wind Celebration festival in January.

Guided by the Four Winds, the seasonal events at Battle Creek will honor the teachings of ancestors. The opening winter event included Myles’ illustrations of Dakota winter plant coloring pages, and as well as her augmented reality of Waziya.

Award-winning snow sculptor Friedli created “Heart of Battle Creek” in snow. The sculpture depicted Tanáğidaŋ Tó Wíŋ foraging for sacred plant medicine, with a traditional woven ash basket on her back. Her ribbon skirt swirls around as snowflakes fall into the scene. Long hair flows like the Mississippi River grounding her to the Earth. She pulls up nettles for food and medicinal purposes, getting ready to place them in her basket, which contains sacred sage, prairie coneflower, and a fish. The fish was created by a child at the festival who was inspired while watching the sculpting.

Diane Wilson set the tone for the winter event with an opening essay, followed by teachings on nettle cordage from Fern Renville and traditional snowshoe demonstrations by Dawi Westerman. Guests enjoyed wild tea blends crafted by Flores De Miel Native Tea Company and browsed handmade creations from 20 Native businesses at the craft market.

Future seasonal celebrations at Battle Creek will honor Spring, Summer, and Fall.