Native American culture honored ahead of Indigenous Peoples’ Day

Minnesotans celebrated Native American culture at Midtown Global Market on Sunday afternoon to honor Indigenous Peoples’ Day.

It was first formally recognized last year when President Biden declared it a national holiday.

With every beat of the drum, Native American traditions were front and center celebrating Indigenous Peoples’ Day.

“It’s about visibility. Indigenous folks have always been here. They’re going to be here and they need to be a part of the conversation,” Moses Biberos, Indigenous Food Lab Market manager,” said.

Food is a big part of the conversation.

At the Midtown Global Market, Indigenous Food Lab members gave step by step instructions on how to make sunflower cookies, which is a popular Native American food. “We teach folks about indigenous ingredients and how to convert them. So sunflower cookies is one of the many things that we make in the Indigenous Food Lab,” he said.

The Indigenous Food Lab is a nonprofit training and production facility with a mission to support indigenous food access and education.

In mid-November, the group will open a market space in the midtown global market for indigenous vendors.

“I’m grateful that there’s another space for folks to feature what they’re doing and learn more about what’s happening in the local community and beyond,” Biberos said.

Minneapolis has been home to a large native population since the relocation act in the 1950s and the population is still booming on the south side.

“The fact is that we are here. We are alive. We are present,” Mike Goze, American Indian Community Development Corporation CEO, said. “Anytime we have the opportunity to tell our story, I think it’s a good thing.”