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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
City of Duluth Communications Office
Mayor Roger J. Reinert
411 West First Street • Duluth, Minnesota 55802 • www.duluthmn.gov
411 West First Street • Duluth, Minnesota 55802 • www.duluthmn.gov
For more information, please call 218-730-5309
DATE: 6/25/2015
SUBJECT: Report to Highlight Duluth's Indigenous History at June 27 Community Meeting
BY: Pakou Ly, Public Information Coordinator
SUBJECT: Report to Highlight Duluth's Indigenous History at June 27 Community Meeting
BY: Pakou Ly, Public Information Coordinator
Report to Highlight Duluth's Indigenous History at June 27 Community Meeting
[Duluth, MN] - For three years, the Duluth Indigenous Commission (formerly the Duluth American Indian Commission) has been sponsoring a study of the contributions of Indigenous people to the city of Duluth. On Saturday, June 27, 2015, at 1:00 p.m., the Duluth Indigenous Commission is sponsoring a meeting of members of the community to hear about the study of Indigenous history and culture. The meeting will be held at Trepanier Hall, 212 W Second St., next door to the Gimaaji-Mino-Bimaadizimin building in downtown Duluth. The meeting will include speakers, food, and the opportunity for Duluth's Indigenous community to hear what has been gathered about the Indigenous heritage of the city and to add their comments to the study.
In September 2012, the Indigenous Commission, under the auspices of the City of Duluth, received a planning grant from the Minnesota Historical Society, through the Legacy Amendment Historical and Cultural Heritage Grants program, to plan an ethnographic study of the contributions of Native Americans to the history and culture of Duluth. After the planning process was completed in 2013, the Minnesota Historical Society awarded a grant to the City of Duluth to do the study. As a result of a competitive process Bruce White of Turnstone Historical Research and the firm of Two Pines Resource Group were hired in 2014 to carry out the study.
The goal of grant was to study the Indigenous heritage of Duluth, and to suggest opportunities for educating citizens of Duluth and visitors about this heritage. The study involved historical archival research, oral history, and an archaeological survey. What places in Duluth are important to Indigenous heritage? What are the important themes in that heritage and how can they be used to inform and educate? These are just a few of the findings from the study that will be discussed at the community meeting on June 27.
Among the speakers at the meeting will be Bruce White, a St. Paul historian who led the study, the archaeologists from Two Pines Resource group who undertook the archaeological history study, and members of the Indigenous Commission who oversaw the study. For more information, contact Bruce White at white067@umn.edu or 651-278-1651 or Michael Palermo, Planner, City of Duluth Community Development Division, at MPalermo@Duluthmn.gov or 218-730-5305.
The Duluth Indigenous Commission is committed to building alliances with governmental, Tribal, and community partners that will support the restoration of Indigenous cultural values and principles, thereby creating collaborative relationships between Indigenous and non-Indigenous citizens.
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