Program Launches to Teach Minnesota Students About Native American History and Culture

Statewide one-read program kicks off at Minnesota History Center

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ST. PAUL, Minn (October 30, 2023) – A joint program to encourage Minnesota students to learn about Native American history and culture officially kicks off Wednesday, the first day of Native American Heritage Month. The one-read program is a collaborative effort between the  Understand Native Minnesota (UNM) program of the Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community and the Minnesota Historical Society (MNHS) Press.

The program encourages middle and high school teachers to provide a copy of the book Voices from Pejuhutazizi: Dakota Stories and Storytellers in their classrooms. Understand Native Minnesota has purchased 20,000 copies from MNHS Press to donate to K-12 educators for use in their classrooms. The full amount has been requested by schools all over the state, and are beginning to go out in the mail now.

Voices from Pejuhutazizi: Dakota Stories and Storytellers, published by MNHS Press, is written by Teresa Peterson and Walter “Super” LaBatte and tells the stories of five generations of a Dakota family. 

The project launch will be celebrated with a free event on November 1 at the Minnesota History Center. Highlights include:

  • A one-hour program including a presentation and reading by the book’s authors.
  • MNHS Press will sell copies of the book at a discounted price.
  • Authors will be available to sign copies.
  • Attendees can visit the Minnesota History Center’s exhibit Our Home: Native Minnesota and the newest exhibit, Reframing Our Stories.

The event will run from 5 pm–7:30 pm, with the program beginning at 5:30 pm. For more information or to register to attend, click here.

Support for this program has been provided by the Marney and Conley Brooks Fund and the Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community.

About the Minnesota Historical Society

The Minnesota Historical Society is a non-profit educational and cultural institution established in 1849. MNHS collects, preserves and tells the story of Minnesota’s past through museum exhibits, libraries and collections, historic sites, educational programs, and book publishing. Using the power of history to transform lives, MNHS preserves our past, shares our state’s stories, and connects people with history.