Organizers of this summer's "Hdihunipi: The Great Dakota Gathering and Homecoming" hope to transfer this summer's energy into even greater accomplishments.
The event June 26-27 united local citizens and Dakota Indians, the inhabitants of the sandy river island until European settlers and the U.S. military forced them out and named it Winona.
Hdihunipi's success connected exiled Indians and local leaders, said Lyle Rustad of the Diversity Foundation Inc. of Maple Grove, Minn.
"It's very optimistic, and I think the feedback from most of the Dakota was very positive, as well as from the Winona people," he said.
The Diversity Foundation is working on a documentary series and educational compact discs profiling the Dakota.
The project is moving slowly because of sluggish funding, Rustad said.
Work on the film set the stage for this summer's event, he said.
"Most of the research has been completed," he said. "It will be a series of stories that not only pays tribute to Wapasha but also pays tribute to many of the Dakota chiefs."
The foundation interviewed hereditary Chief Ernie Wapasha, who named his granddaughter Winona and who took a leading role in Winona's homecoming. It also interviewed Dakota elders who have since died.
"That's the urgency," Rustad said. "Not just for the documentary, but for the archives and the history
for some of these Dakota reservations. The Winona homecoming was a major step in that direction."
The foundation and Winona's Dakota homecoming committee are working on exchange programs with local colleges, the city and reservations. Scholarships and medical assistance might develop, Rustad said.
Edward Lohnes, Chief Executive Officer of the foundation, said educational connections are perhaps most promising with Winona State University, Saint Mary's University and Minnesota State College-Southeast Technical in Winona.
"We hope to set up a scholarship program probably for at least one or two stateside (Dakota people) and one or two Canadian (Dakota) people," Lohnes said.
Carol Davitt of St. Charles, who helped plan this summer's event, said committee members have already begun planning next year's event.
"I think there is more of an awareness in the community, if nothing else, it heightened awareness," she said.
Eric Sorensen, Winona city manager, said "it was a scramble" to get this year's homecoming organized. Follow-up meetings have helped detect shortfalls, he said.
"The consensus seemed to be: 'now that we have time, let's sit down and do it right,'" Sorensen said.
One plan is to create a standing committee for the annual event and secure non-profit status for fundraising. That would make it more of a "community effort and not a city, per se, effort," Sorensen said.
"I think people are volunteering and coming on board with their particular interest," he said. "We felt like, for year one, it couldn't have gone a whole lot better."
Local organizers want to rename a circular section of Lake Park near the hospital "Unity Park," to commemorate and welcome back Dakota people. Like many low-lying areas in Winona, it flooded in late June, so the city hopes to fill and elevate it, Sorensen said.
Lohnes said Winonans carried the workload this summer and created a strong base for future events.
"I can't find the words to express the gratitude to the Winona people and the community and the leadership," he said.
