tribal nations map
Source: Finn Ryan, Alex Kendrick, Bobby Marshment-Howell, Bobbie Malone. Map | The Ways. Wisconsin Educational Communications Board.

Present-day Minnesota is home to two bands of Indigenous peoples: the Dakhóta (English: Dakota), who historically reside in what is now the southern part of the state, and the Anishinaabe (English: Ojibwa), who historically reside in what is now the northern part of the state.

Below you will find links to pages where we keep a running list of resources for Carleton community members who are interested in learning Dakota and/or Ojibwe. To learn more about Indigenous initiatives at Carleton College, please visit the Indigenous Engagement in Place website.

Interested in learning another Indigenous language? The Language Center offers all Carleton faculty, staff, and students free subscriptions to Mango Languages. Mango currently has courses for Tsalagi Gawonihisdi (English: Cherokee), ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi (English: Hawaiian), and Bodwéwadmimwen (English: Potawatomi).

Did you know?

Did you know the word Minnesota itself comes from one of two Dakota words: mní sóta meaning “clear blue water” or Mníssota meaning “cloudy water.” Many places in the state have Dakota or Ojibwe names including Shakopee (from the Dakota word Shák’pi meaning “six”), Bemidji (from the Ojibwe word Bemijigamaag meaning “traversing lake”), and even the Mississippi River (mispronunciation of the Ojibwe name Misiziibi meaning “Great River”).