Native American Community Development Institute

HELPING NATIVE PEOPLE CREATE THE FUTURE THEY ENVISION.

NACDI'S FOUR SISTERS FOOD SOVEREIGNTY PROGRAMS ARE CONNECTING NEIGHBORHOOD RESIDENTS BY REBUILDING OUR RELATIONSHIP WITH THE LIVING WORLD. OUR WORK IS GUIDED BY THE COMMUNITY AND THE ENGAGEMENT IN THE PRACTICES THAT SUSTAIN US PHYSICALLY AND CULTURALLY. WE BREAK THE CYCLES OF TRAUMA AND SOCIAL ISOLATION SET INTO MOTION BY THE DISRUPTION OF OUR TRADITIONAL WAYS BY REBUILDING INDIGENOUS FOOD KNOWLEDGE AND PURSUING EQUITABLE FOOD SYSTEMS. OUR GOAL WITH FOUR SISTERS IS TO RESTORE HEALTH AND WELL-BEING IN THE URBAN INDIAN AND PHILLIPS COMMUNITIES BY RECOVERING KNOWLEDGE AND ACCESS TO INDIGENOUS FOOD, MEDICINE, AND TRADITIONS. THE FOUR SISTERS PROGRAMS ARE CREATING A MORE INCLUSIVE, WELCOMING, AND ACCESSIBLE ECOSYSTEM IN THIS RACIALLY AND CULTURALLY DIVERSE NEIGHBORHOOD. THIS PROJECT WILL GREATLY BENEFIT THE SURROUNDING NEIGHBORHOOD BY BRINGING TOGETHER COMMUNITY MEMBERS, IMPROVING HEALTHY FOOD ACCESS, AND CELEBRATING INDIGENOUS HERITAGE AND CULTURE. FOUR SISTERS URBAN FARM, THROUGH SKILLS TRAINING AND COMMUNITY GATHERINGS, WILL SEED OPPORTUNITIES TO GROW FRESH AND HEALTHY FOOD AND HEAL LAND, BODIES, AND SPIRITS.

ALL MY RELATIONS ARTS (AMRA) CONTINUES TO BRING THE HIGHEST QUALITY OF CONTEMPORARY NATIVE ARTISTS WORKING TODAY TO OUR GALLERY. EXPLORING TOPICS OF SOVEREIGNTY, FAMILY SYSTEMS, AND THE LIVING WORLD, AMRA ARTISTS CHALLENGE THE NOTION OF WHAT IT MEANS TO BE INDIGENOUS IN THE MODERN WORLD. AMRA BEGAN ITS SECOND COHORT OF THE NATIVE AUTHORS PROGRAM, A PROGRAM DESIGNED TO EXPAND THE CAREERS AND REPRESENTATION OF NATIVE WRITERS WHILE SUPPORTING THEIR GROWTH IN PRACTICE. UNDER THE PROGRAM FACILITATOR AND MENTORSHIP OF ART COULSON (CHEROKEE), AUTHORS WILL ENGAGE IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF THEIR CRAFT. WE ALSO BEGAN THE SECOND COHORT OF WE ARE STILL HERE, A MULTIYEAR COLLABORATIVE PARTNERSHIP BETWEEN NACDI AND HENNEPIN THEATRE TRUST, WHICH BRINGS LARGE-SCALE, HIGH-PROFILE PUBLIC ARTWORKS TO THE HENNEPIN THEATRE DISTRICT AND THE AMERICAN INDIAN CULTURE CORRIDOR. PAIRED WITH MURAL ARTIST, MENTOR THOMASINA TOPBEAR, THIS COHORT IS LEARNING THE TECHNIQUES OF MURAL CREATION TO EXPAND THEIR MEDIUMS TO A HIGHLY VISIBLE PUBLIC ART ENVIRONMENT.

MAKE VOTING A TRADITION (MVAT) IS A CULTURALLY SPECIFIC, YEAR-ROUND, MULTI-GENERATIONAL APPROACH TO INCREASE VOTER TURNOUT AND CIVIC ENGAGEMENT NOW IN ITS EIGHTH YEAR OF OPERATION. THE FUNDAMENTAL PRINCIPLE OF MVAT IS THAT NATIVE AMERICANS ARE MORE LIKELY TO BECOME MORE POLITICALLY ACTIVE WHEN ENGAGED BY PEERS. BY UTILIZING MVAT'S STATEWIDE AND NATIONAL PROFILE, THE PROJECT CONTINUES TO ESTABLISH AND NURTURE RELATIONSHIPS THAT WILL STRENGTHEN THE VOICES OF INDIVIDUALS TO CREATE ACCESS AND INFLUENCE IN ELECTIONS. NOW, IN PARTNERSHIP WITH MINNESOTA VOICE, MVAT IS SPEARHEADING A FIRST OF ITS KIND STATEWIDE NATIVE TABLE FOCUSING ON CIVIC ENGAGEMENT AND VOTER MOBILIZATION.THE GOAL OF THE NATIVE TABLE IS TO CREATE A NETWORK OF INDIGENOUS PEOPLE AND ORGANIZATIONS THROUGHOUT THE STATE INCLUDING RURAL AND TRIBAL NATIONS TO BUILD COLLECTIVE CIVIC ENGAGEMENT POWER FOR NATIVE PEOPLE OF MINNESOTA.