Haha Wakpadan / Bassett Creek Oral History Project

Dr. Samantha Majhor (Dakota and Assiniboine) grew up in suburbs like Minnetonka and Plymouth. She graduated from Wayzata High School and earned her PhD at the University of Minnesota. Now, Dr. Majhor is an assistant professor of English at Marquette University, where she focuses on Native American literature. In 2022, she was named one of Wisconsin's most influential Native Leaders for her research and community engagement.

In Mni Sóta Makoce (Minnesota), Indigenous people have lived, worked, and played near Ȟaȟa Wakpadaŋ (Bassett Creek) for thousands of years. Through an oral history project, 15 Indigenous people share how they experience the watershed as part of their historic and contemporary cultures. These interviews were conducted by Dr. Kasey Keeler with support from Valley Community Presbyterian Church (VCPC) and partners. To learn more, please contact Hennepin History Museum (https://hennepinhistory.org) or visit VCPC’s land acknowledgment webpage (https://www.valleychurch.net/land-acknowledgement).

Dr. Roxanne Gould (Grand Traverse Band Odawa and Anishinaabe) moved to Golden Valley in 2004. She is a retired associate professor of Indigenous and Environmental Education at the University of Minnesota-Duluth and an original member of the Indigenous Women's Water Sisterhood. She also serves on the governing council of Makoce Ikikcupi, an organization that supports land recovery. Roxanne is a leader in the field of Indigenous Educational Design. She has dedicated much of her life to improving her community in and out of the classroom.

In Mni Sóta Makoce (Minnesota), Indigenous people have lived, worked, and played near Ȟaȟa Wakpadaŋ (Bassett Creek) for thousands of years. Through an oral history project, 15 Indigenous people share how they experience the watershed as part of their historic and contemporary cultures. These interviews were conducted by Dr. Kasey Keeler with support from Valley Community Presbyterian Church (VCPC) and partners. To learn more, please contact Hennepin History Museum (https://hennepinhistory.org) or visit VCPC’s land acknowledgment webpage (https://www.valleychurch.net/land-acknowledgement).

Benjamin Yawakie (Anishinaabe and Zuni) attended Breck School in Golden Valley and served as the first Indigenous member of the Minnesota Environmental Quality Board. He is a policy practitioner and legislative advocate with experience in community engagement and policy development and implementation. He also served as president of the Humphrey Students of Color Association, a research assistant at Public Health Law Center, and as a coordinator with the Compact Implementation Program in Montana.

Diane Wilson is a renowned Dakota writer and educator. She has published four award-winning books, including "Spirit Car: Journey to a Dakota Past." She previously served as Executive Director for Dream of Wild Health, an Indigenous non-profit farm, and at the Native American Food Sovereignty Alliance, a national coalition that's creating sovereign food systems for Native people.

For more information on Diane Wilson and her work, visit https://www.dianewilsonwords.com/about.

In Mni Sóta Makoce (Minnesota), Indigenous people have lived, worked, and played near Ȟaȟa Wakpadaŋ (Bassett Creek) for thousands of years. Through an oral history project, 15 Indigenous people share how they experience the watershed as part of their historic and contemporary cultures. These interviews were conducted by Dr. Kasey Keeler with support from Valley Community Presbyterian Church (VCPC) and partners. To learn more, please contact Hennepin History Museum (https://hennepinhistory.org) or visit VCPC’s land acknowledgment webpage (https://www.valleychurch.net/land-acknowledgement).

Our first episode features Dr. Kasey Keeler, an assistant professor at the University of Wisconsin. Dr. Keeler is interviewed by project co-lead Crystal Boyd about the Ȟaȟa Wakpadaŋ / Bassett Creek Oral History Project. Dr. Keeler teaches both Civil Society & Community Studies at the School of Human Ecology and American Indian & Indigenous Studies. She is the author of American Indians and the American Dream, a book about the intersection of federal Indian policy and federal housing policy.

Funding and other support was provided by the St. Anthony Falls Heritage Board, Hennepin History Museum, Valley Community Presbyterian Church, and the University of Wisconsin. This publication was also made possible in part by the people of Minnesota through a grant funded by an appropriation to the Minnesota Historical Society from the Minnesota Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund.