Dakota Isanti: Reclaiming Identity

The word "Isanti" in Dakota means "people who dwell with the knife, people who dwell by the knife in the lake and the first friendly people". Mni Sota Makoce are the Dakota Isanti Native homelands and include Bdote, the confluence of the Minnesota and Mississippi rivers and the areas surrounding this confluence, hence, what is now considered the greater Twin Cities Metropolitan Area.  

Despite facing Manifest Destiny, conquest, and exile from Mni Sota Makoce, the Dakota Isanti maintain ties to this place as home. This exhibit celebrates reclaiming Dakota Isanti identity in what is considered for Dakota people to be a place of genesis--and a place of genocide.

Whether through painting, photography, poetry, or other media, each of the featured artists makes bold statements about Dakota/Lakota identity incorporating traditional values and ways in their art-making and lives.