'You Represent Your People'

ST. PAUL, Minn. - When the Minnesota Wild celebrated Native American Heritage Day on Nov. 25 against the Toronto Maple Leafs, the decorated heritage day was honored throughout the concourse and on the ice.
But the day, which extends and honors Native Americans across the nation, meant more than just a humble stick tap. It was about honoring the impression Native Americans left across the State of Hockey and their culture's fingerprints in the game of hockey itself.

It was about celebrating the culture of a vibrant community, so eager to share and showcase its traditions and so proud to represent the Native American community.
"The education and understanding of who we are and where we come from, that still kind of lacks," said Prairie Island Indian Community Tribal Council member Cody Whitebear. "A lot of people don't even understand that there's 11 tribal nations in Minnesota. So being able to share who we are as a community, and tell our story, is really special.
In addition to events and activities educating and raising awareness for tribal communities, the Wild honored its partnership with the Prairie Island Indian Community for the second consecutive year by donning custom Native American Heritage hockey jerseys during pregame warm-ups.
Beyond the beautiful aesthetics of the jersey, which were created by the Prairie Island Indian Community, each design element tells a story of the Dakota Oyate, or Dakota People.
"The pine trees were redesigned to include four tipis to represent the Dakota homesteads that once lined the Mississippi River, where we inhabited and used for water and transit and all of these things," described Whitebear. "The name of the state that we live in, Minnesota, actually derives from the Dakota name for the region, Mni Sota Makoce, which means 'the land where the waters reflect the skies.' We're so happy and proud to share that.
"The Eagles, there's one on each side of the logo. Eagles are extremely important to Native communities. They're tasked with carrying our messages and our prayers and dreams above. And star quilts around the outside of the logo represents the resilience of our people following the depletion of the buffalo. Traditionally, buffalo hides were used to acknowledge people of honor or importance. So, for example, when warriors returned from successful hunts or from battle, oftentimes they were honored with a buffalo hide as a gift of generosity, caring and compassion. Today, star quilts are used as a gift of respect or honor as well. A lot of times in our community, our children graduate high school or college, and they are honored in that same way.
"And the last piece is the colors: red, black, yellow and white being the main. These four colors represent the four directions, the four seasons, the four stages of life for different people on planet Earth and much more. So, as you can see, it tells a story."
The custom jerseys will be up for bid November 25 - December 5 on the
Minnesota Wild Foundation Handbid Auction platform
. Proceeds generated from the auction will support the
Minnesota Wild Foundation
and the youth programming of
Dream of Wild Health
. The Wild organization launched the Minnesota Wild Foundation in 2009 in order to dedicate its unique resources to support the game of hockey and improve the lives of families in the State of Hockey. Dream of Wild Health (DWH) is an intertribal, independent 501(c)3 nonprofit that serves the Minneapolis-Saint Paul Native American community by recovering knowledge of and access to healthy Indigenous foods, medicines and lifeways.

In 2021, the Prairie Island Indian Community and Treasure Island Resort & Casino launched
The Big Assist Program
. For every assist made by Wild players during regular season games, Treasure Island Resort & Casino will donate $200 to the Minnesota Wild Foundation to support diversity in hockey programming. The program supports removing any barriers associated with playing hockey by providing scholarships, equipment and access to opportunities to play to youth from diverse backgrounds and fund opportunities for youth hockey associations to apply for resources to support diversity, equity and inclusion in their community programs. During the program's first season in 2021-22, the team tallied 537 assists, translating into a donation of $109,900 to the Minnesota Wild Foundation. As of November 21, Minnesota has registered 80 assists in 18 games this season, raising $16,200 for the Minnesota Wild Foundation.

Treasure Island Resort & Casino and the Prairie Island Indian Community have supported the Minnesota Wild Foundation through community giving since its inception in 2009. Through initiatives like The Big Assist Program, the Prairie Island Indian Community has donated over $1.1 million to the Minnesota Wild Foundation.
"This is Dakota land that we live on," said Rachel Schuldt, executive director of the Minnesota Wild Foundation. "So the fact that we hope to use some of these funds to really have more indigenous kids introduced to the game and with Native American enrichment programs to get some of those kids onto the ice and just be a part of the great community of indigenous kids."
Whitebear has been able to watch his own 10-year-old son, Cayden, enjoy the sport of hockey, but he reminds him that he's playing the sport not just for himself, but for his people.
"Now having a son who plays hockey, it's great to incorporate, 'who are you?'" Whitebear explained. "I always tell my son, 'remember who you are and who you play for and what that means; it's a big deal. You represent your people. And that's just really great."
Connor Dewar discusses the importance of his Native American heritage in his Becoming Wild](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UlC9hTreQ_c)