It's a tribute to the local Indian tribes
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Tribal Tribute
Lofty both in design and significance, a tribute to Minnesota’s Native communities—plans for which were unveiled at the Board of Regents meeting in September—will grace the main entrance to TCF Bank Stadium. The tribute plaza is in recognition of a $12.5 million gift to the University last fall from the Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community (SMSC): $10 million for the new stadium and $2.5 million in matching funds for a $5 million endowment that will be used for scholarships, with a preference given to American Indian students. The tribute will be named the Minnesota Tribal Nations Plaza.
The plaza will consist of 11 18-foot-tall “sky markers,” each of which will incorporate information about one of Minnesota’s tribal nations. Tribal flags, images, and facts about each nation will be displayed on the soaring glass structures. The design was created by Kansas City–based HOK Sport, the same firm responsible for the design of TCF Bank Stadium. HOK is working closely with the tribes in designing the plaza.
HOK Sport planner Kobi Bradley says the design of the plaza is intended to convey multiple meanings and images of Native American culture. “The entirety of the plaza is an abstraction of the landscape biomes in the state of Minnesota, from the southern prairie grasslands to the unifying deciduous forests to the northern coniferous forests. The most significant elements are the 11 sky markers representing each Minnesota tribe. The form of the sky marker is a modern interpretation of the Indian tipi.”
Minnesota’s 11 tribes comprise seven Anishinaabe (Chippewa or Ojibwe) reservations and four Dakota (Sioux) communities. The Anishinaabe reservations—Grand Portage, Bois Forte, Red Lake, White Earth, Leech Lake, Fond du Lac, and Mille Lacs—are located in central and northern Minnesota. The four Dakota communities—Prairie Island, Lower Sioux, Upper Sioux, and the Mdewakanton— inhabit the southern portions of the state.
SMSC Chairman Stanley R. Crooks says the plaza will convey to those who pass through it that the University sits on historic Dakota territory. “Our true story hasn’t always been taught in schools so we acknowledge the University for their willingness to do so,” Crooks adds. “It is important to put accurate information out in the world so that others might better appreciate the historic and ongoing contributions made to the state of Minnesota by the sovereign Tribal Nations who have called Minnesota home since time immemorial.”
Since making its initial $12.5 million gift, SMSC has added $2 million for the plaza, making its total contribution $14.5 million. “We’re grateful to the Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community for their support, and for their commitment to recognizing all 11 of Minnesota’s American Indian communities in this stunning plaza,” says Gopher Athletics Director Joel Maturi. “This will be one of the most vibrant and visible parts of the TCF Bank Stadium and serve as a lasting tribute to the importance of Minnesota’s American Indian people.”
Final commissioning of TCF Bank Stadium will occur in summer 2009, and the first game versus the United States Air Force Academy will be held on September 12. Next year also marks the 40th anniversary of the Department of American Indian Studies at the University, the oldest such program with departmental status in the country.
