Land & Water Acknowledgement Mural

Meet Minneapolis proudly presents our Land and Water Acknowledgement Mural by Autumn Cavender, a Dakota artist from the Upper Sioux Reservation.

The mural honors the Dakhóta Oyáte (Dakota People), the original stewards of the land, lakes, and Haha Wakpa (Mississippi River), and recognizes the enduring spiritual and cultural significance these places hold for Indigenous communities today.

It reflects the resilience and ongoing presence of Indigenous peoples in Minneapolis and Minnesota while representing Meet Minneapolis’ commitment to honoring and sharing the rich, diverse stories of this land.

5 Symbolic Art Components

Autumn Cavender incorporated symbolic artistic elements into the mural to represent significant aspects of Dakota culture. Below are five key components she included, each with a brief description:

Bison Tracks

Bison People

The Dakota people identify first and foremost as buffalo people, drawing their physical sustenance, social and ceremonial structures, and interpersonal rules from the bison. Autumn noted it was essential to include them in the artwork through the representation of bison tracks.

Unpainted Stars

Star Knowledge and the Unification of Heaven and Earth

A key element was honoring star knowledge. It's idea that each sacred site along the Minnesota and Mississippi Rivers corresponds to a star, reflecting the connection between heaven and earth as it relates specifically to these bodies of water. The unpainted, missing stars represent the sacred sites that have been lost.

Meadowlark

Dakota Language

A significant element is the Meadowlark, which is the bird that gifted the Dakota people with their language. Though it's now rarely seen, its inclusion in the designs serves as a quiet prayer for its return and a recognition of its vital place in local ecology.

Music and Singing Styles

Wolves and Wolf Medicines

Another important element is the wolf, from whom the Dakota were gifted music and singing styles. While predatory animals like wolves are rarely depicted directly in Dakota imagery, their presence is symbolized through flowers representing wolf and war medicines drawn from their spirit.

Corn

Preservation of Life and Culture

The corn at the top of the floral design holds deep personal meaning for our artist. It also serves as a powerful symbol of place and history, particularly tied to the trauma of Fort Snelling, where Dakota women, children, and elders were imprisoned after the War of 1862. Despite extreme suffering, starvation, and the destruction of ceremonial items, women hid seeds in the ribbon linings of their skirts. This act of profound resilience and hope preserved life for future generations even in the face of devastation.

A Living Document

Autumn Cavender: “I wanted to figure out, ‘How do we make a piece of art that is actually living — that serves a function beyond simply decorative — and still manages to tell a story?' It also serves as a constant reminder for the organization of its commitments.”

This blackboard background gives staff and visitors a way to interact with the mural, adding their own notes and reflections. In this way, the artwork becomes both a visual story and an ongoing reminder of cultural presence and echoing the purpose of our Land and Water Acknowledgement.