The Minneapolis Park Board is set to vote on proposed closure of the Minnehaha Dog Park over cultural concerns.
The board is set to decide on a resolution that would permanently decommission the park due to Dakota burial sites and artifacts being found there.
Ojibwe tribal member Kirsten Whittmann says she is one of many native community members who have advocated for shared use of the park and increased education rather than closure.
"I think there are other nuances and different ideas that will come out from more people if you open it up tribally," she says. "Having those urban Native Americans who also utilize the dog park, like people who understand the sacredness and have valued it and loved it for all these years."
While local advocates point to St. Paul's Indian Mounds Park as a successful compromise for coexisting spaces, some Dakota tribal members consider off-leash dogs disrespectful to their sacred lands.
The upcoming vote has sparked intense discussion regarding the preservation of Indigenous sacred sites. Wittmann is urging city officials to consider some integrated education instead.
"What a lot of us are requesting is not even necessarily, you know, keeping it open forever," Whittmann adds. "But just giving some more time and understanding to this."
The board's decision will either push forward permanent decommissioning plans or the dog park will remain in place as-is.
