Native Americans | Page 23

A student and teacher at the Heart of the Earth Survival School

A student and teacher at the Heart of the Earth Survival School in Minneapolis. From the 1982–1983 edition of Chimigezi Winage (the school's yearbook), page 25.

Students with their teacher at the Heart of the Earth Survival School

Second- and third-grade students with their teacher at the Heart of the Earth Survival School. From the 1982–1983 edition of Chimigezi Winage (the school's yearbook), page 25.

Students at the Heart of the Earth Survival School

Students at the Heart of the Earth Survival School in Minneapolis, 1983. From the 1982–1983 edition of Chimigezi Winage (the school's yearbook), page 24.

Fifth-grade students at the Heart of the Earth Survival School

Fifth-grade students at the Heart of the Earth Survival School in Minneapolis. From the 1982–1983 edition of Chimigezi Winage (the school's yearbook), page 22.

Heart of the Earth Survival School

In 1970, the American Indian Movement (AIM) declared its intention to open a school for Native youth living in Minneapolis. AIM had identified the urgent need for Indigenous children to be educated within their own communities. Two years later, Heart of the Earth Survival School opened its doors, providing hope to Native families whose children had endured the racial abuse prevalent in the Minneapolis public schools.

Ona Kingbird with a baby

Ojibwe elder and Heart of the Earth Survival School teacher Ona Kingbird with a baby, ca. 1980s. Used with the permission of Jon Lurie.

Anishinaabe or Dakota dance blanket (detail)

Detail view of an Anishinaabe or Dakota dance blanket, 1840s-1850s. Robert J. Ulrich Works of Art Purchase Fund, Mia accession number 2007.1. Public domain.

Christopher Columbus Memorial, St. Paul

Italian Americans erected a Christopher Columbus memorial on the grounds of the Minnesota State Capitol in 1931 to mark Columbus as the first white man to set foot in the Americas. Though they intended to celebrate the achievement of a fellow Italian during a time of anti-Italian bigotry, the memorial they installed promoted white supremacist myths of discovery and erased Native Americans from history. It made no comment on the atrocities committed by Columbus against Native people. Native Americans and their allies protested the memorial’s existence for decades, and in 2020, a group that included self-identified members of the American Indian Movement (AIM) tore it down.

Toppled Christopher Columbus statue on a truck

The Christopher Columbus statue outside the Minnesota State Capitol sits on a flatbed truck after a group including self-identified members of the American Indian Movement (AIM) tore it down on June 10, 2020. Photograph by Tony Webster; CC BY-SA 2.0.

Christopher Columbus statue torn down

A statue of Christopher Columbus—part of a memorial on the grounds of the Minnesota State Capitol—lies on the ground after a group including self-identified members of the American Indian Movement (AIM) tore it down on June 10, 2020. Photograph by Tony Webster; CC BY 2.0.

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