Recognizing Native American Heritage Month

We acknowledge that our three store locations in Imni Ża Ska in Mni Sota Makoce (now known as Saint Paul, Minnesota) are on the traditional territory of the Dakota people, who have been deeply connected to the land within and beyond the boundaries of our state for centuries.

The Dakota language is found throughout the Twin Cities and surrounding suburbs, from Mendota to Anoka. In fact, “Minnesota” is derived from the Dakota phrase “Land Where the Waters Reflect the Clouds,” while Imni Ża Ska refers to the white bluffs along the Mississippi River. According to the Bdote Memory Map website:

This is a place where Dakota people started. We were here to greet the explorers and traders who arrived in the 1500s. We were here to greet the soldiers who arrived in the 1800s.

We were here to greet the pioneers who arrived when our land was taken in a series of treaties with the United States. In the 1860s, we survived imprisonment in concentration camps and forced removal, and continue to know this place as our own. Today, we share our home with people from throughout the world.

As stated in Honor Native Land: A Guide and Call to Acknowledgement, “Acknowledgment is a simple, powerful way of showing respect and a step toward correcting the stories and practices that erase Indigenous people’s history and culture and toward inviting and honoring the truth.”

Native American Heritage Month in November and Indigenous People’s Day in October aim to celebrate the contributions and culture of Indigenous people; recognize the deep traumas faced by their community; reshape the narrative surrounding Columbus’ “discovery” of the Americas; begin to repair relationships with Native communities and with the land, and serve as a reminder that colonization is an ongoing process, with Native lands still occupied due to deceptive and broken treaties.

Here at the co-op, you can celebrate the importance of this month by shopping/voting with your food dollars and choosing to partake in Indigenous-inspired recipes, such as those found in Dream of Wild Health’s Youth Leader Cookbook.

Mississippi Market is proud to carry products from Red Lake Nation Foods and Red Lake Nation Fishery.

Red Lake Nation Foods provides us with local, hand-harvested wild rice, and Red Lake Nation Fishery offers Red Lake Walleye, bringing traditional flavors and quality to our shelves.

By purchasing these items, you directly support independent, Indigenous, community-led food systems.

This month, we invite you to join us in supporting two important initiatives:

American Indian Family and Children’s Services (AIFACS): This November, round up and donate your bag credits to help create Positive Change with AIFACS. AIFACS develops and supports foster homes providing compassionate, culturally competent care for American Indian children and youth, aiming to preserve their heritage and community connection. Funds raised will support AIFACS cultural programs such as ribbon skirt making, drum making, and storytelling workshops—essential opportunities for Indigenous youth to connect with their identity and community.
North American Traditional Indigenous Food Systems (NĀTIFS): From October 30 through December 3, for every Field Day product you purchase at the co-op, $0.05 will be donated to NĀTIFS, a nonprofit revitalizing Indigenous food systems and promoting cultural preservation. Founded by Lakota Chef Sean Sherman, NĀTIFS empowers Indigenous communities through initiatives like the Indigenous Food Lab, which offers educational workshops, entrepreneurial support, and access to Indigenous foodways. To learn more, visit natifs.org, follow NĀTIFS on social media, or make your own donation.
Educational Event with Wakan Tipi Awanyankapi: Join us for a hands-on class led by Jenna Grey Eagle (Oglala Lakota Sioux) and Gabby Menomin (Potawatomi), who will share knowledge on acorns (úta in Dakota). Learn about the medicinal uses and environmental benefits of acorns and take part in a cooking demonstration featuring gluten-free Acorn Pancakes. This event offers an opportunity to engage with Indigenous perspectives on environmental stewardship and foodways.

This fall, we invite you to honor Indigenous food and culture in your celebrations. For many Native American communities, fall is a ceremonial season marked by communal harvest feasts, celebrating the abundance of local foods like squash, corn, beans, root vegetables, wild rice, berries, wild game, and smoked fish. Among the Dakota and Ojibwe, these feasts highlight the flavors and traditions of the land, while other tribes celebrate with foods grown and foraged close to home.

As you gather with loved ones, take a moment to express gratitude for the food on your table, the hands that prepared it, and the land that provided it. Reflect on the resources, time, and care that brought each ingredient to life, honoring the role of plants, animals, and Mother Earth in nourishing us. In doing so, we pay tribute to the power of food to connect us all.