Micronesian Outrigger Sailing in Mni Sota Makoce

The University of Minnesota presents its native canoe program with Vince Diaz and Dan Keefe.

This multimedia presentation will introduce The Native Canoe Program at the Department of American Indian Studies at the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities and its effort to research, teach, and serve the community through the revitalization of Indigenous watercraft from the Pacific and from Dakota and Ojibwe culture and history.

Home based on the East Bank of the Mississippi River on the UMN-TC campus, the program features hands-on classes and outings on Minnesota’s rivers and lakes to collaborate with Dakota and Ojibwe communities. Activities include paddling, sailing, art making, and assisting in Native canoe culture revitalization projects around the state. An exciting and innovative dimension of this collaborative work between students, researchers, and community cultural practitioners involves collaborating with colleagues in computer science and engineering to develop virtual, augmented, and mixed reality technology and platforms for teaching and using indigenous maritime technology and knowledge systems about water and to attract Indigenous students to science and engineering.