A new tapestry representing the bridge between the Prairie Island Indian Community and Red Wing is on display in Red Wing City Hall.
The artwork, called “In the Beginning: He Mni Can” by Prairie Island artist Cole Redhorse Taylor, was unveiled Nov. 12 during the Red Wing City Council meeting. It will hang in the council chambers on long-term loan to the city. The artwork was commissioned by Downtown Main Street as part of its initiative, “Lessons from Our Inclusive Economic Stories.”
Its location in the city council’s chambers represents the growth and relationship that’s happening between the two communities, Redhorse Taylor told the council.
He said he was thankful for the opportunity and “for the acknowledgement of the real history of this town of Red Wing, acknowledging where this town gets its name from, from our ancestor Chief Red Wing.”
Redhorse Taylor works with textiles, and both Dakota and non-Dakota people have a tradition of quilts and blankets. Receiving a blanket in Dakota culture is a sign of good will and respect toward the person receiving it, he said.
The tapestry symbolizes the “good faith” and “healing” people need in both communities, he said. In the tapestry, he wanted to represent the good intentions and the reckoning that’s occurring between Prairie Island and Red Wing.
“It’s hard. It’s painful, but it’s how we grow,” he said.
It’s not about feeling guilt, but rather being in a place of understanding, he said.
The title of the artwork harkens to the beginning of the area.
“It’s important to know about those beginnings because that’s how we know where we’re going,” he said.
He Mni Can, the Mississippi River and Chief Red Wing carrying a peace pipe are part of the imagery. He Mni Can is sacred to the Dakota because they would go to the top to talk to the stars above them, he said.
“That’s how we sought guidance from the divine, from the cosmos. That’s how we brought ourselves forward in times of hardship,” he said.