Grand Opening of Minnesota Treaties Exhibit

WHAT: Press Preview for “Why Treaties Matter: Self-Government in the Dakota and Ojibwe Nations,” a traveling exhibition that explores the Native nations in Minnesota and their history of treaty making with the United States. In August 2010, a resolution creating a unique partnership of the Minnesota Indian Affairs Council, the Minnesota Humanities Center, and the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian in Washington, D.C., was approved unanimously by the tribes residing in Minnesota and made it possible for the exhibition to be developed as an educational tool for Minnesota audiences. The exhibition will include 20 free standing banners with evocative text, historical and contemporary photographs and maps, and a 10-minute video titled, “A Day in the Life of the Minnesota Tribal Nations.”

WHERE: American Indian Resource Center, On Campus at Bemidji State University

WHEN: Monday November 7, 2011 7-9 PM, Program at 7:30 PM. Refreshments will be served.

WHO: Emcee Joe Day, the former Executive Director of the Minnesota Indian Affairs Council (MIAC) will introduce a number of guest speakers including Jim Jones on behalf of MIAC, State Rep John Persell, State Senator John Carlson. Other guests will be on hand to give remarks and answer questions about the exhibit.

WHY: To provide an opportunity for journalists to preview the exhibit.

FOR MORE INFORMATION: Paul Swenson, Treaty Committee Chair, PH (218) 766-9475, pswenson@paulbunyan.net

Don Day, Executive Director AIRC, (218) 755-2032, DDay@bemidjistate.edu

Michael Meuers, Treaty Committee Public Relations, (218) 766-6588, riverlot@paulbunyan.net

“Why Treaties Matter: Self-Government in the Dakota and Ojibwe Nations” is a collaboration of the Minnesota Indian Affairs Council, the Minnesota Humanities Center, and the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of the American Indian. The project is funded in part with money from the Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund that was created with a vote of the people of Minnesota on November 4, 2008, and The Patrick and Aimee Butler Family Foundation.

About the Minnesota Humanities Center

Founded in 1971, the Minnesota Humanities Center is a nonprofit organization. The Humanities Center is a resource of the state of Minnesota and affiliated with the National Endowment for the Humanities. The Minnesota Humanities Center works to build a thoughtful, literate, and engaged society through education, partnership, and public programs.

About the Minnesota Indian Affairs Council

The Minnesota Indian Affairs Council was established in 1963 MN Statutes Chapter 888, Sec. 2 (3:922) . The Council is a liaison between the State of Minnesota and the 11 tribal governments in the state. The Council provides a forum for and advises state government on issues of concern to urban Indian communities. The Council administers three programs designed to enhance economic opportunities and protect cultural resources for the state's American Indian constituencies.

About the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian

Established in 1989, through an Act of Congress, the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian is an institution of living cultures dedicated to advancing knowledge and understanding of the life, languages, literature, history and arts of the Native peoples of the Western Hemisphere. The museum includes the National Museum of the American Indian on the National Mall; the George Gustav Heye Center, a permanent museum in lower Manhattan; and the Cultural Resources Center, a research and collections facility in Suitland, Md.