U of M's Council of American Indian Elders open American Indian Month with sunrise ceremony
The University of Minnesota's Council of Elders opened Minnesota's American Indian Month with a sunrise ceremony Thursday, May 1. The ceremony began around 6:30 a.m. on the banks of the Mississippi River.
About 20 people participated in the sunrise ceremony, included traditional American Indian prayers and a tobacco-burning ceremony led by Jim Clairmont, Lakota, Rose Bud. The sunrise ceremony kicked off Minnesota's annual American Indian month, which will include a wide range of events and activities across the state, including Pow Wows, parades, chili feeds, paper lantern making and job fairs.
The Council of American Indian Elders is a group of indigenous elders from five tribes in Minnesota, Nebraska, South Dakota, Wisconsin and Kansas. The group provides cultural, spiritual, and personal counsel to American Indian students attending the university. The Council of Elders helps the university engage with Indian communities, recruit American Indian students, and teach American Indian culture and history. Each of the Elders brings knowledge and experience to the group and is involved in the community both on and off their reservation. |
