Rita Walaszek Arndt – Indigenous History of Minnesota as it relates to Dakota and Anishinaabe

Rita Walaszek Arndt is a citizen of the White Earth Band of Ojibwe and of Polish descent. Rita began working for MNHS as a cataloger in the collections department and soon supported the NAAIR program. Rita moved to the Native American Initiatives Department in 2020 where she continued to support NAAIR and other programming and outreach efforts.

Through her work, Rita is focused on Indigenous representation in the historical society and encourages people to think differently about the land now known as Minnesota. She tells about the challenges of cataloging MNHS’s Indigenous object archive, examining the history of this land beyond statehood, and how Indigenous art is inseparable from culture and Indigenous ways of living.

Join Rita Walaszek Arndt for an introductory overview of the Indigenous peoples of the place we now call Minnesota, the Dakota, and Ojibwe. Learn about their origins, values, and the resiliency of Dakota and Ojibwe over time and gain an understanding of the 11 sovereign nations in Minnesota today.

All presentations are family-friendly and free to the public.
Donations are always appreciated. Take your time driving up the Gunflint Trail National Scenic Byway!