Exploring Indigenous Culture in Minneapolis
Learn about Minneapolis Native American culture through the historic Franklin neighborhood, Native-owned businesses, artists and indigenous food.
Welcome to Bde Óta Oṭuƞwe, the City of Many Lakes, the ancient and contemporary home of the Dakota nation! Also known as Gakaabikang, place of the waterfall, in Ojibwe. You might be more familiar with the name Minneapolis — its name also derived from the Dakota word "mni" meaning water, and "polis," the ancient Greek word for city. Spend a couple days in this city and you'll discover it has a thriving Native American community who organize and create some of the best food, entertainment and art in the Midwest.
Franklin Avenue is deeply significant to Native people in Minnesota. It is a place where the community has fought for sovereignty, preserved traditions, and built a thriving network of organizations that empower Native voices. The avenue stands as a testament to resilience, showcasing the enduring strength of Native identity and advocacy.
During the 1950s, the federal government enacted a policy for Native tribes known as removal. This program promised Native families stable jobs and housing if they relocated from reservations to large cities. However, the government's true motive was to assimilate Native people into white society and ultimately dissolve reservations. More often than not, the program failed to deliver on its promises. Families frequently arrived in unfamiliar cities only to face poor housing options and a lack of the promised employment opportunities.
Despite these challenges, Native people demonstrated remarkable resilience. Franklin Avenue became a hub for many of the families who were relocated. During this time, several bars serving primarily Native patrons gained popularity along Franklin Avenue. Unfortunately, these establishments were often targeted by law enforcement, with police indiscriminately raiding them and arresting Native patrons, many of whom had done nothing wrong. In response, the American Indian Movement (AIM) was founded in the late 1960s to combat these racist practices and advocate for the rights of Native people—not just in Minnesota but across the country.
Through efforts like these, Native people resisted assimilation into the dominant society. Community leaders and families came together to create cultural centers, social services, and businesses. These determined leaders worked to educate their children and organized to push back against oppressive, racist policies. Today, Franklin Avenue stands as a proud testament to this legacy. Many of the organizations founded decades ago, including the American Indian Movement, continue to thrive and grow, preserving the spirit of resilience and advocacy that defines the community.
To start exploring Franklin Ave. head to Pow Wow Grounds, a Native-owned coffee shop with a fantastic tongue-in-cheek name. The menu changes somewhat based on traditional foods that are available during different times of the year, so make sure to visit during multiple seasons to see what delicious treats they are offering. Try a wild rice breakfast burrito or an Indian Taco on Thursdays and Fridays (you'll love these for the warm piece of fry bread).
Connected to Pow Wow Grounds you will find the All My Relations Art Gallery. This gallery frequently hosts new art and exhibitions created by local Indigenous artists. All My Relations Art has established itself as a place to grow local Native artistic talent through many different programs. For example, their Native Authors Program gives opportunities for early career writers to learn from established professionals. Before visiting the gallery, be sure to check their social media and website before a visit — they often host events such as author talks or new art shows.
Just up the road from Pow Wow Grounds is the Minneapolis American Indian Center (MAIC). Founded in 1975 as a place for forcibly displaced Native people to gather, the MAIC is a long-standing urban center of Native culture, services and activism. Recently, the building was renovated and the space frequently hosts different events that are open to anyone and often free. A popular weekly event is Drum and Dance Night, which gives the public an opportunity to sing, dance, and drum with the community.
A trip to the American Indian Center also offers a chance to enjoy delicious Native recipes, see the latest in local Native art and shop from Native artists. Within the MAIC, you’ll find Gatherings Café, the perfect spot to grab lunch with options for accessible, healthy, Indigenous food. Afterwards, shop a unique selection of handmade gifts created by local artists at Woodland Indian Craft Shop and enter the Two Rivers Gallery to view the work of emerging local artists.
Open from June 6 through October 31 is the Four Sisters Farmers Market. Four Sisters hosts an excellent variety of locally sourced produce. Find them every Thursday in the parking lot of 1414 E. Franklin Avenue. In addition to being a great place to stock up on your fruits and veggies, the market often hosts other events, like concerts, crafting and presentations of all kinds. As with other places, be sure to check their social media to see what is happening before you arrive!
Minneapolis is a theater town. Within this thriving theater community is the New Native Theater. Producing several shows a year, New Native Theater features the best in local Native acting talent, with shows that are both poignant and often very funny! New Native theater produces original works only available locally. The troupe preforms these one-of-a-kind shows all over the Twin Cities metro area, from the Minneapolis American Indian Center, to Bedlam Theater in St Paul to Stages in Hopkins.
For our second day let’s explore more of the city! We'll begin the day with one of the best lunch spots in Minneapolis is the Indigenous Food Lab, a project of Native American Traditional Indigenous Food Systems (NĀTIFS). Located in the bustling Midtown Global Market, the Food Lab is a professional Indigenous kitchen and training center working to reintegrate Native foods and Indigenous-focused education into tribal communities across North America. Check out their grab-and-go and made-to-order Indigenous food menu, including some of the best tacos and grain bowls this side of Misi-ziibii all made from top tier Indigenous ingredients, like wild rice, wozapi, bison and lake trout. You can also do a little shopping in the retail space for high-quality Indigenous foods and products. Dark chocolate cricket clusters, buffalo jerky and wild rice pancake mix are some unique items available.
One of the most scenic lakes in the City of Many Lakes is Bde Maka Ska. The lake was named Lake Calhoun, after John Calhoun, for many years, but many locals questioned the ethics of naming a lake after a defender of slavery and someone who had a large role in the forcible removal of Native Americans from their land. After a long campaign to recognize the original Dakota name of the lake, Bde Maka Ska (translating to "White Earth Lake" in English), it was finally changed by the City of Minneapolis in 2017. All around the lake you will find nods to Native culture. There are pavement stamps along lake's sidewalk that depict images of animals and plants along with their Dakota word. The lake's beautiful pavilion features a mural created by the We Are Still Here cohort. The artwork depicts Native people cycling, running and canoeing across Bde Maka Ska.
After a scenic stroll, visit Minneapolis' only Native-owned bookshop. Founded by Pulitzer prize winning author and Turtle Mountain Ojibwe tribal member Louis Erdrich, Birchbark Books & Native Arts carries an incredible selection of works by Indigenous authors. Find everything from picture books to bestselling fiction to books on culture and ceremony. They also sell a carefully curated selection of jewelry, beadwork, art prints and more, all made by Indigenous makers.
Feeling like getting some new body art? Iktomi Tattoo has got you covered. This new tattoo shop in South Minneapolis is Native owned and features some of the best tattoo talent in the Twin Cities. Ikotomi caters to all styles of tattoo and their artists will work with you to create your perfect design.
An alternative option to get you feeling creatively inspired is to visit the recently opened George Morrison Center for Indigenous Arts at the University of Minnesota. Named for the late George Morrison, a major figure in Minnesota art and Grand Portage Ojibwe member (one of his murals hangs outside the Minneapolis American Indian Center), the center features the latest in Native Arts from across Minnesota and the country. The goal of the center (which is located on the land of the Dakhóta Oyáte people) is to educate visitors on topics affecting Native peoples, including climate change, the preservation of wild rice, the resurgence of buffalo, language revitalization and more. Visit their website to see what current and future programs and exhibits are being held.
Minneapolis is part of Dakota homelands. This history is full of many challenging and heart breaking chapters but it is also one of resilience and growth. There is much work to be done to correct historic injustices but one step towards reclaiming Dakota culture and history has recently been taken by the Dakota led non-profit Owámniyomni Okhódayapi (pronounced: Oh-WAH-mini-yo-mini Oh-KOH-dah-yah-pee). Using QR codes and strategically placed signs at St. Anthony Falls, Owámniyomni Okhódayapi has created a self guided walking tour along the Mississippi. Following this tour, participants learn about Owamni, a culturally significant area of the Mississippi. Much of the tour is explained in Dakota as well, giving participants a small glimpse into the language of the area. There are hopes to expand this tour, so be sure to stop back in the future.
To learn more about Native history, The Minnesota History Center has dedicated multiple exhibits on Native culture and history and is a fantastic introduction to Ojibwe and Dakota history and contemporary life. Currently on display is Our Home: Native Minnesota. The center continues to work with Native people and Minnesota tribes to educate the community.
Finally, end your trip with a special dinner. Overlooking Owamni is the restaurant of the same name whose prestige and reach has extended far beyond Minnesota. Owamni is the creation of Sean Sherman, a Dakota chef known by most as the Sioux Chef. Winning multiple awards and continually gaining more accolades, Owamni serves the true flavors of North America in a high-class restaurant setting. The menu is comprised of decolonized ingredients (you won't find colonial ingredients such as wheat flour, cane sugar and dairy here) and changes seasonally. Stop by at different times of the year to see what the culinary geniuses in Owamni’s kitchen have come up with.

About the Author
Nicholas DeShaw is a Bois Forte Ojibwe author from Minnesota. He has written for a number of publications including A Tribe Called Geek to Lacrosse All Stars and was a recipient of the All My Relations writers cohort along with a dozen other Native writers. DeShaw recently published the children’s picture book Loaf the Cat Goes to the Powwow and he hopes that his stories will bring more visibility to Native peoples.