A crowd of approximately 300 gathered Friday morning in the Lower Mall of the Capitol grounds to honor what is said to be a historic moment in Minnesota. Flags of the 11 federally recognized tribes in the state were raised for the first time at the Capitol grounds and will fly permanently at the new Tribal Flag Plaza.
State leaders such as Gov. Tim Walz and Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan spoke alongside tribal leaders at the opening ceremony. Prayers from both Dakota and Ojibwe nations opened the gathering, followed by drums and singing as tribal representatives raised the flags.
Construction on the Tribal Flag Plaza began earlier this year as a part of the Capitol Area Architectural and Planning Board’s first phase of the Capitol Mall Design Framework.
“This new plaza is more than a physical space. It's a place of recognition, respect and partnership,” said Erik Cedarleaf Dahl, the executive secretary of the Capitol Area Architectural and Planning Board.
The framework aims to develop the mall into a welcoming space for more Minnesotans and to represent the state’s diversity better. According to the Capitol Area Architectural and Planning Board, chaired by Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan, a request for the plaza was initially raised during the Governor’s Tribal Leaders Summit four years ago.
The request came after Montana unveiled its own Tribal Flag Plaza in 2020, the first in the country to showcase flags of tribal nations on Capitol grounds. Minnesota is said to be the second state to honor tribal nations by flying flags on Capitol grounds.
“The Capitol should tell the full story of the history of Minnesota, one that honors all 11 federally recognized tribal nations, acknowledges complex histories and builds a future rooted in inclusion, beauty and truth,” Flanagan said.
For tribal nation leaders, the inclusion of the Tribal Flag Plaza means having recognition as sovereign nations within the state.
Bruce Savage is the chairman of the Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa. He says the plaza serves as a reminder to future governing bodies that tribes have been here long before the state was established.
“The Capitol Mall area gets visited by people from all around the world, and it's a good way to remind them of the land they're standing on and the people who have been here for a thousand years,” Savage said.
Kevin Jensvold, chairman of the Upper Sioux Community, shared he had mixed feelings regarding the plaza.
“In order for these flags to fly today — with the exception of four of them, even those ones over there and those ones on that building — in this sacred place of my mother's people, something had to be given up. Sacrifices had to be made. Things had to be lost,” Jensvold said as he pointed out other flags already flying on Capitol grounds, such as the Minnesota state flag and the United States flag.
Other tribal leaders said the plaza also serves as a reminder to future generations of Native and non-Native Minnesotans that Native nations are still thriving. The overall reaction from tribal nation leaders, such as Robert Larsen, former president of the Lower Sioux Indian Community, carried feelings of hope and resilience.
“I know a lot of people don't know that Dakota people have a different history with the state of Minnesota. Legally, we're not even supposed to be here right now, but that's changing,” Larsen said.
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Both state and tribal leaders say there is still work that needs to be done in meeting tribal nations’ needs, particularly in areas such as education and healthcare. State Rep. Liish Kozlowski, DFL-Duluth, member of the Grand Portage Band of Lake Superior Chippewa, says Native leadership in government has helped to strengthen tribal-state relations in a time where the federal government has pulled back funding.
“Here at the state legislature, that we're going to do everything we can to make sure that we continue to move forward as a state and that we make progress,” Kozlowski said.
The State Capitol will not be the only state entity flying tribal nation’s flags. Ain Dah Yung Center will host a tribal flag installation ceremony at the Landmark Center in St. Paul at the end of September. The flags will then be installed in the central lobby of the Ramsey County Juvenile and Family Justice Center.
Chandra Colvin covers Native American communities in Minnesota for MPR News via Report for America, a national service program that places journalists into local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues and communities.
