ARTS & CULTURE SCANDINAVIAN CULTURE HJEMKOMST CENTER With the largest number of Scandinavian Americans of any state, Minnesota’s Scandinavian culture runs deep. In the city of Moorhead, the Hjemkomst Center honors seafaring heritage with the Hjemkomst Viking Ship , a life-size replica of a 9th-century Norwegian burial ship. The ship, whose name means “homecoming” in Norwegian, actually sailed from New York to Norway in 1982. When you stand under the impressive wooden hull, you can appreciate the adventurous spirit of those who sailed the icy seas centuries ago. Among other treasures, the Hjemkomst Center also features a replica of a medieval Norwegian wood stave church. EAST ASIAN CULTURE HMONG CULTURAL CENTER For a deep-dive into Hmong culture, head to the Hmong Cultural Center in St. Paul’s Frogtown neighborhood, which houses a museum and Hmong Resource Center Library. The museum has everything you need to know about Hmong history, culture and the Hmong American experience over the decades. Traditional instruments and artifacts can be viewed through the museum’s exhibits and interactive displays, and visitors can learn about everything from Hmong art forms to the role of the Hmong in the CIA’s secret war. Also in St. Paul, the Hmongtown Marketplace is brimming with incredible food and shops – it’s a cultural experience in its own right. Experience a Pow Wow Pow Wows, or Wacipi, are a traditional way of celebrating— whether as a simple social gathering; for a successful hunt or forage; or for different ceremonies such as naming or healing. Today’s Pow Wow traditions are often a multi-Tribal social event open to the public. Arts and crafts, wares, and food are often available for purchase. Summer is peak season. JUNE Bois Forte Band of Chippewa Lake Vermillion Traditional Pow Wow (1610 Farm Pt. Road, Tower) Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe Grand Celebration Pow Wow (Hinckley, Minnesota) JULY Fond du Lac Reservation Veterans Pow Wow (Mash Ka Wisen Powwow Grounds, Sawyer) Prairie Island Wacipi (Prairie Island Indian Reservation, Welch) Hjemkomst Viking Ship Credit: Davin Wait, Courtesy of HCSCC AUGUST Pezhutazizi Oyate Traditional Wacipi (Upper Sioux Community, Granite Falls) Grand Portage Rendezvous and Powwow (Grand Portage National Monument, Grand Portage) Mille Lacs Band’s Annual Powwow (Shaw Bosh Kung Pt. north of Onamia) Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community Wacipi (3212 Dakotah Pkwy., Shakopee) Labor Day Traditional Pow Wow (Veterans Memorial Pow Wow Grounds, Cass Lake) SEPTEMBER Mahkato Wacipi (Land of Memories Park (Dakota Wokisuye Makoce), Mankato) #ONLYIN MN | 43
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