The Mississippi River in what is now the Twin Cities of Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minnesota, has been home to people for millennia. Many Dakota people, who live here and are also located across the Northern Plains, consider this part of the Mississippi, more specifically where the Mississippi and Minnesota rivers meet, to be Bdote, the center of their universe. As the contributors to the Bdote Memory Map explain, “bdote,” is a Dakota word for a place where two bodies of water come together; this particular juncture, though, is more important than the others. These speakers, then, give us windows into understanding the Mississippi in ways that cannot be gained elsewhere.
The Bdote Memory Map is a collaboration between Dakota transmedia artist Mona Smith and the Minnesota Humanities Center. Smith’s work is integral to a recent installation at Bde Maka Ska in Minneapolis, as well as many other exhibitions and public/media art projects. Working together and through their own distinct initiatives, Smith and the Humanities Center have been central players in efforts to ensure that Dakota voices and perspectives are more prominently included in regional conversation, planning, and programming around place, water, and the Mississippi River.
The Bdote Memory Map’s homepage features a large circle, and users are encouraged to explore the site in a traditional way, beginning in the east, then moving through the south, the west, before arriving at the north. Clicking on the north portal allows learners to access the Memory Map itself, which highlights seven particular sites along the Mississippi River in the Twin Cities. Each of these particular locations, in turn, features audio, video, still images, and other media that explore Dakota relations to place that are embodied in that particular location.
The site asks users to listen with their heart, not just their head. Those who can will come away with a much broader perspective than understanding the river as a resource, or a corridor, or a site for future work. The river is home.
Screenshot of the Bdote Memory Map web site.
Screenshot of the Bdote Memory Map web site.
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