Breathing New Life Into a Rare Exhibit Piece

In July 2024, a partnership between the Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community and the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian resulted in a historic instrument returning to Dakota homelands for the first time in a century. A wooden flute, believed to have been made in the late 1800s, is on display in the Mdewakanton: Dwellers of the Spirit Lake public exhibit.

Before it went on display, however, Hoċokata Ṫi staff had the rare opportunity to interact with the object, working with a Dakota flute player to produce sound from piece for the first time in generations.

Read more about the flute.

Hocokata TI Tipi View

2300 Tiwahe Circle, Shakopee, MN 55372
952.233.9151
Open Wednesday-Saturday from 9am-4:30 pm

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