MNopedia and MinnPost, an online news organization, are working together to share content and make Minnesota history more accessible. MNopedia is the first digital encyclopedia about Minnesota. All MNopedia articles are prepared by historians, consulting experts, professional writers, and others vetted by the Minnesota Historical Society. Once a week, MinnPost will publish a MNopedia article on its website. In addition, twice a month for the next ten months, MinnPost will create and publish news articles that relate to historical events in Minnesota.
The Why Treaties Matter exhibit made possible by previous Legacy funding explores the relationships between Minnesota's Dakota and Ojibwe tribes and the United States Government. The Minnesota Indian Affairs Council and the Humanities Center will take the work and impact of the exhibit deeper by creating a curriculum to complement the exhibit.
This project encompasses phase two of the Alexander Ramsey House Revitalization project and expands the scope of work to other historic sites in need of redevelopment.
In particular, focused planning for the future of programs at Historic Fort Snelling will get underway and the Ramsey planning process will be shared with other historic sites in Minnesota.
In FYs 14 and 15, MNHS staff reviewed thousands of Native American items and records resulting in the identification of nearly 500 objects as culturally sensitive. This material will require a higher standard of research, care and preservation. In addition, MNHS staff visited elders and professional staff at two tribal communities in the state explicitly to discuss culturally sensitive material. In FY 15, MNHS received a formal Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act claim to repatriate approximately 36 items.
Six Kandiyohi County Township records were microfilmed and a copy was given to each township and one put into the research library at the Kandiyohi County Historical Society for easier access to the public. The master copy is being stored at Southwest Minnesota State University History Center. KCHS had microfilmed 42 rolls of film. During this project, KCHS assisted Colfax Township in finding their lost records and recovering them from inadequate conditions.
The most enduring value of this project is the preservation of the townships public records.
-Strengthen community capacity to revitalization Dakota language in MN
-Nurture language skills of 15 Dakota language leaders
-Create safe and secure Dakota-speaking community-based working environment that actively engages 10 beginning to fluent speakers
-Grow speaking and teaching skills for 8 intermediate Dakota language learners
The objective of the grant is to develop a strategy and responsive plan for wide-spread public engagement with the Ojibwe People’s Dictionary during the first year it will be available on-line. Speakers of the Ojibwe language, beyond the group of Ojibwe elders in Minnesota with whom the University now collaborates with, may be encouraged to contact the University once the dictionary is online and wish to participate in the next stage of the dictionary’s development.
The Minnesota Historical Society continued to work on revitalizing some of the state's most important and prominent historic sites. Program planners developed new programs at Historic Fort Snelling, Mille Lacs Indian Museum and Trading Post and the Charles A. Lindbergh Historic Site. Evaluation results showed that 81% of program guests surveyed felt that these programs increased their knowledge of Minnesota history, places and culture. 71% of guests responded that these programs increased their personal connection to history.
Minnesota’s 12 regional public library systems, which encompass 350 public libraries in all areas of the state, benefit from a portion of the Legacy Amendment’s Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund. Through State Library Services, a division of the Minnesota Department of Education, each regional public library system receives a formula-driven allocation from the annual $3 million Minnesota Regional Library Legacy Grant.
