Native American Commission - November 2, 2023 Minutes
The Regular Meeting of the Board of Native American Commissioners of the City of Fargo, North Dakota, was held in the Commission Chambers at City Hall at 12:00 p.m., Thursday, November 2, 2023.
**No Quorum in order to have official meeting – meeting commenced with informal presentations and discussion.
The Native American Commissioners present or absent were as follows:
Present: Whitney Johnson, Ashley Littlewolf, Suzanne Senske
Absent: Emily Sargent, Dale Sayers, Amanda Strauss
Item 1. Welcome and Introductions
Chair Johnson welcomed Members to the meeting and introductions were made.
Item 2. Approve Order of Agenda & Minutes
Due to lack of quorum, no action was taken.
Item 3: Public Comment
No public comment was provided.
Item 4: 2024 Meeting Schedule
Chair Johnson presented the 2024 Meeting Schedule, noting meetings will be held bimonthly and there will be a Board retreat in July if possible.
Item 5. Indigenous Association Report
Chair Johnson gave a brief update for the Indigenous Association. She stated the events for Indigenous Peoples’ day went well. Ms. Johnson also shared that a screening for a film Ruth Buffalo is in was held and the film is available through Prairie Public.
Assistant Planner Catlyn Christie shared that Brandon Baity was presented with the Glady’s Ray Award.
Item 6. Subcommittee Reports
Chair Johnson gave an update on the Health and Wellness subcommittee stating that she and Member Sargent held a training on generational trauma at the Hjemkomst Center on Indigenous Peoples’ Day.
Member Senske shared there were about 40 kids in attendance for the Back to School Night hosted by the Indian Education subcommittee and the Indian Education Board. She also noted that they are looking forward to partnering with the Indian Education Board to help provide additional school supplies, classroom supplies, and athletic equipment.
Item 7. Staff Reports
Planning Coordinator Kim Citrowske introduced herself and invited the Board to participate in the survey for the Fargo Growth Plan and encouraged them to share the survey with others. She stated the survey can be found at fargogrowthplan.org.
Item 8. Announcements
Board Members announced that there are many community events coming up in November for Native American Heritage Month.
- Author Talk with author Marcie Rendon, November 8 at MSUM (Minnesota State University Moorhead)
- Presentation of Anishinaabe Star Knowledge, November 18 at 11:00 a.m. and November 19 at 3:00 p.m. at MSUM (Minnesota State University Moorhead)
- Talk by Dr. Denise Lajimodiere, on her book, Stringing Rosaries, November 14 at 6:00 p.m. at the Hjemkomst Center
o This Event will be followed by the opening of the exhibit Away from Home: American Indian Boarding School Stories.
- PANGEA: Cultivate Our Cultures event, November 18, 10 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
- NDSU (North Dakota State University) events can be found on their website or Facebook.
- Oscar Howe Exhibit, November 2, 6:00 to 9:00 p.m., at the Plains Art Museum
Chair Johnson reminded everyone that December 21 is Homeless Memorial Day and there will events announced at a later time.
9. Adjourn
The time of adjournment was 12:22 p.m.