The University of Minnesota Crookston held a flag raising ceremony event September 22, 2022 in the Sargeant Student Center with White Earth Nation and Leech Lake Nation to commemorate partnerships with the tribal nations. During the ceremony, the Maanomin Singers drummed and performed a variety of songs, and remarks were shared from White Earth Tribal Council members and UMN Crookston Chancellor Mary Holz-Clause.
Tribal nation guests at the event included:
- White Earth Tribal Council Members Henry Fox and Eugene Sommers, who touched on the history and importance of their nation during their remarks
- UMN Crookston American Indian Advisory Council member Brent Gish, who read the University of Minnesota’s Land Acknowledgement Statement during the ceremony. Gish currently serves as executive director of the National Indian Impacted Schools Association and spent his career in public education serving students and families of White Earth Ojibwe and Red Lake Ojibwe Nations in northern Minnesota.
- Maanomin Singers Lew Murray, Lucas Hisgun, Marcus Deegan, and Opwaganse Goodwin
- Leech Lake Honor Guard Members Theodora Redwing, Louann Frazer, and Mike Jones, who presented their flag
- White Earth Honor Guard Members Robert Durant, Dean Johnson, Lorelei Morales, and Rebecca McCradie, who presented their flag
The University of Minnesota Crookston’s American Indian Advisory Council (AIAC) was established to work towards a mutually beneficial relationship among Native nations and UMN Crookston. The AIAC serves as a liaison between the American Indian communities and UMN Crookston, plus consults with the chancellor on matters related to campus programs and services on behalf of American Indian students, interests and concerns of the immediate American Indian community, and more. Find more information about the AIAC at https://crk.umn.edu/committees-organizations/american-indian-advisory-council
