Tribal leaders bless stadium plaza

Tribal plaza at TCF Bank Stadium honors American Indian heritage

By Shawn HogendorfAs football fans flock to the new stadium this fall to watch Big 10 football outdoors, the first things they will notice are native prairie landscaping, a dynamic water feature, a veterans’ memorial and 11 soaring glass sky markers that stand 18 feet high and 6 feet wide, incorporating information and images about the 11 tribal nations located in Minnesota.

On Monday, dignitaries from the University of Minnesota and the tribe dedicated and formally blessed the plaza--with traditional American Indian blessings and songs by the Mazukute drum group of Nebraska and the Red Lake Singers of Minneapolis--in front of a crowd of about 100 people.Comment:  For more on the subject, see Minnesota Tribal Nations Plaza.