‘A place for my voice:’ Indigenous, Oromo and Ecuadorian art across the Twin Cities this weekend

In St. Paul, local authors and young musicians are gathering at Indigenous Roots for two days of cultural storytelling, while a night market fills the St. Paul Farmers’ Market with local food trucks and live music. 

In Minneapolis, you can catch a pollinator festival along the Midtown Greenway, explore 40 years of Oromo history at Soomal House, or celebrate Ecuador’s Independence Day in Northeast. 

Music and storytelling at Indigenous Roots

If you visit St. Paul’s Indigenous Roots this weekend, you’ll find a two-day celebration of Indigenous creativity. On Friday, youth musicians will debut songs for “Rock the Rez.” On Saturday, writers and publishers will fill the space for “The Story Lodge: An Indigenous Literary & Book Fair.” 

Friday’s concert caps a summer music camp led by Rock the Rez, which serves Indigenous girls, Two Spirit, LGBTQ+ and gender-diverse youth. Campers spend five days learning an instrument, writing an original song and preparing for their first public performance.

“I think when we start, it’s hard to conceptualize that they’re learning a new instrument and writing their own song in one week,” said April Matson, executive director of the camp. “One of our camp values is ‘don’t yuck someone’s yum,’ and that creates a safe space for everybody to share ideas without fear.” 

The organization was founded in 2016 to serve youth at the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota and has since expanded to Bemidji and the Twin Cities. 

Four newly formed bands will perform Friday evening before heading to Flower Studios in Minneapolis the following day to professionally record their songs. 

On Saturday, Mashkiki Studios hosts “The Story Lodge,” featuring more than 10 authors and publishers bringing zines, fiction, nonfiction and poetry. 

“The Twin Cities is such an important urban Native hub with many people from different nations,” said Marique Moss, Afro-Indigenous author and founder of Mashkiki Studios. “But so often, Indigenous books and stories are really only highlighted in November. We don’t stop writing when Native American Heritage Month ends. We are constantly writing, creating and telling stories throughout the year.”

In addition to book shopping, visitors can swap plant seeds, braid sweetgrass, make cedar-and-sage bundles and stamp bookmarks with local artist Courtney Cochran. 

Panel discussions run from noon to 5 p.m., featuring playwright Blossom Johnson, Marlena Myles of the Dakota publishing company Wíyouŋkihipi Productions, and a 3 p.m. discussion between chef Sean Sherman and journalist Kate Nelson, who co-authored “Turtle Island: Foods and Traditions of the Indigenous Peoples of North America.”

“For Native community members, I hope The Story Lodge feels like home,” Moss said. “I hope people see themselves reflected in the books, the art, the language and the conversations. I especially hope young Native writers, artists and storytellers leave thinking, ‘There’s a place for my voice here, too.’”

Twin Cities artists perform at night market

Before the Fairgrounds open in Falcon Heights in late August, Black Market Events is bringing a community-centered festival to the downtown St. Paul Farmers Market. 

On Friday, head to The Great Twin Cities Get Together for a marketplace of local artists and community organizations, plus more than 15 food trucks serving Chilean, Mexican, Asian and soul food. 

The evening will also feature performances from emerging Twin Cities artists Nakara Forje, BloodSmokeBody and Dem Atlas, closing with a late-night DJ set from Aurum Oro. 

Minneapolis’ own ‘Palooza’

While crowds from across the country head to Chicago for Lollapalooza this weekend, Minneapolis has its own “Palooza” underway: Greenway PollaPalooza. 

The pollinator festival celebrates monarch butterflies and more than 500 species of native bees that sustain our wildflowers, community gardens and urban greenery. 

On Saturday, head to Parque Monarca on the Midtown Greenway to check out 15 newly planted pollinator gardens, listen to DJ sets from KRSM Radio, join a Pollinator Pathway Garden Bike Tour at 2:30 p.m. (sign up here), make monarch butterfly prints, and watch a 4 p.m. Pollinator Parade featuring alebrijes (Mexican folk art) and stilters. 

Food trucks, a bounce house and pollinator workshops will also be on-site. 

Oromo stories at Soomal House

Three Minnesota-based artists will showcase Oromo life across the diaspora in “Mara: 40 Years of Oromo Knowledge Making” at Soomal House of Art. 

The exhibit marks the 40th anniversary of the Oromo Studies Association, which has advanced Oromo scholarship and preserved knowledge of Gadaa, the Indigenous Oromo system of governance. 

The exhibit features Agartuu Inor’s Barakah Library, an installation incorporating books, textiles and beadwork; Murata Wolldeyohannes’ photographs documenting Oromo life; and Lokho Kotile’s watercolor paintings paired with poetry. 

Ecuadorian fest

Ecuadorian bands, folk dance ensembles and food trucks will head to the Northeast Minneapolis Arts District for the second annual Ecuafiesta on Sunday. 

The festival marks Ecuador’s Independence Day — officially observed on Aug. 10 — and features an Ecuavóley tournament. The Ecuadorian sport is a three-on-three variation of volleyball played with a higher net and a heavy soccer ball.