2020-10-6_PR Comm Packet - Laserfiche WebLink

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be very triggering for our Indigenous relatives and we want Roseville to be inclusive and welcoming. As I mentioned in my public comment, the name is harmful in four specific ways. 1.) It contributes to Pan-Indianism which further strips our unique identities and cultural beliefs. Furthermore, it lacks accountability in acknowledging the awful history between America and Turtle Island and it forces the Indigenous community to relive the worst parts of it. 2.) Pocahontas was not her name and does not honor her as much as it does someone else. If we were to continue wanting to honor her, we should use her real Indigenous name, Matoaka. 3.) Pocahontas was not from modern day Minnesota, but from the East Coast. This erases the history of whose land we are on, the Lakota/Dakota, Ojibwe, and Ho Chunk. It'd be a better to honor those Tribes and leaders who truly sacrificed for this land. 4.) Matoaka was the first sister stolen from these lands which sparked centuries of genocide and the modern day Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women's epidemic. We are still losing our relatives to colonization and human trafficking more than any other demographic. While I write as a resident of Roseville, I believe this issue is important to the entire Indigenous community. We often say, "We are still here". It's because people associate us with ancient history and know only of Pocahontas. This can be very harmful when discussing politics - and social functions of government - if Natives are not included in the discussion. This is one way to have a thoughtful land acknowledge with action, and begin to eliminate the effects of centuries of erasure. With this in mind, I encourage the Parks and Recreation Commission to advance this discussion to the City Council and consider new names for the park. I personally support sticking to the theme and honoring the Lakota ancestors who sacrificed everything for this land, Roseville. Chi-Miigwech (Thank you), Dannah Thompson Unless restricted by law, all correspondence to and from Roseville City government offices, including information submitted through electronic forms such as this one, may be public data subject to the Minnesota Data Practices Act and/or may be disclosed to third parties. 30