Free 3 sisters & Sage

coloring Pages

Coloring sheets by Marlena Myles (Spirit Lake Dakota)

Here is a set of Dakota/Ojibwe coloring pages featuring the three sisters (Squash, Corn, Beans) and sage that were created for Indigenous Peoples Day celebration 2019 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. They are free to download and print.

This project was made possible by the Friends of Hennepin County Library through a grant by the Institute of Museum and Library Services.

Free DIY Seed Packets

Here is a set of seed packets that you can print out fully colored or color them yourself! The large packets are 4″x3″ and the small packets are 2″x”3. 

These print-at-home seed packets were part of the 12th Annual Mde Maka Ska Canoe Nations Gathering brought to you by Dream of Wild Health and Hennepin County Library.

Instructions: Print at “Fit to Page.” Cut packets out and fold along dotted lines. Glue the bottom and side flaps under the back flap and allow to dry. Label and fill with seeds.

This project was made possible by the Friends of Hennepin County Library through a grant by the Institute of Museum and Library Services.

Free Download of Tufawon Lyrics coloring page Poster

Coloring sheet by Marlena Myles (Spirit Lake Dakota)

This poster I created to celebrate Native American Month in Minnesota. I teamed up with Tufawon (lyrics from his song Sagepatch Kid) and Hennepin County Library to create a poster that captures the rebirth of Spring through Dakota florals (Tufawon and I are both Spirit Lake Dakota).

 Tufawon’s music is available on MNSpin, a project that connects MN musicians and listeners for free through the library. This project was made possible by the Friends of Hennepin County Library through a grant by the Institute of Museum and Library Services.

Who was Henry David Thoreau?

Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862) is known for his masterpiece Walden (1854), a philosophical novel of living a life close to nature, based off the two years he spent in a small cabin at Walden Pond (Massachusetts) as an “experiment in simplicity”. Over the years, Walden has inspired and informed the work of naturalists, environmentalists and writers; some even call him the “father of environmentalism”.

By immersing himself in Nature, Thoreau hoped to gain a more objective understanding of society through personal introspection. He was strongly against slavery, working in the underground railroad to help slaves escape to Canada. One of his most well-known essays “Civil Disobedience” argues that it is sometimes necessary to disobey the law in order to protest unjust government actions; it has inspired later civil rights movements led by Martin Luther King Jr. and Mahatma Gandhi.

You can read further details about his journey to Minnesota here as provided by the Minnesota Historical Society. 

Free coloring book of Dakhóta plants

Yuȟáȟa Wakšúpi:

Design your own Dakota Florals

Template sheet by Marlena Myles (Spirit Lake Dakota)

I created a quick video that demonstrates how to use the template after you print it out. Supplies will be paper for tracing and your choice of art materials and supplies. You’ll move your blank paper around on the template to build your custom design. I’ll include historical Dakota pieces in museums for inspiration but feel free to disregard all of that and create however you desire.

Share your finished creations on Instagram and tag me @MylesDesigns and I’ll share your work with my followers. Pidamaya.

The Sisseton Wahpeton College has created a flyer that teaches different meanings of the symbols and colors.

This rare cape exemplifies the skillfully executed floral designs characteristic of Dakota beadwork. Using the smallest of glass beads, artists create symmetrical, balanced motifs inspired by the plants they see around them. Note the intricately worked stars sprinkled across the cape and the delicate tendrils along the clasp opening.

I focused on engaging the community in telling a variety of stories about Red Wing’s powerful and iconic natural landmark: Ȟemníčhaŋ (He Mni Can) / Barn Bluff. To the Dakota people, the bluff is one of the most sacred places in the world. For recent western culture, it holds decades of newer memories and is key to the identity of Red Wing.

I used to be one of those people who hated seeing the American flag at powwows on reservations.

Then I read a scholarly report about the American flag imagery throughout Native art and cultures for the Plains tribes. It helped me understand the meaning from Native peoples perspective throughout history.

The first encounters, tribes saw it as having a mysterious power to it (Wakan), which they associated with many of the new things Europeans brought with them as gifts to tribes.  Later, as battles for land began to happen, Native people would adorn their clothing as a sign they didn’t want trouble with Americans. They also would sell tourist items for additional income and the American flag image would help sell the items. And to mask the traditional celebrations, Plains tribes would have their ceremonies and pretend they were 4th of July parties during the early-reservation era (Native religions were outlaws until 1978).

US Flags in Plains Beadwork, Google Arts & Culture

During the early reservation period virtually all traditional cultural practices were discouraged or banned outright. However, during the increasingly popular 4th of July celebrations, these rules were relaxed and Native Americans were allowed to once again practice some of their traditional dances, feasts, giveaways, battle recreations, etc.