Aaniin (Hello)!

My name is Peggy Flanagan. I’m the Lt. Governor of Minnesota, and a proud member of the White Earth Nation — the largest tribe in Minnesota. Our state shares its geography with 11 Tribal Nations, four Ojibwe reservations and four Dakota communities.

While Native women have been leaders since time immemorial, the rest of our state and country are just catching up. As Native women, our role and responsibility is to ensure our children have what they need to thrive, that our elders are cared for and that we invest in our seven generations into the future.

No matter where you live, I encourage you to take a few minutes this Indigenous Peoples’ Day to learn about the people on whose land you live. Listen to our stories, seek to learn about our contributions to your state and community, and remember we are contemporary people who have a unique governmental status in this country — we are inherently sovereign.

This Indigenous Peoples’ Day is particularly moving for me because it is just the second year we’re celebrating it as an official state holiday in Minnesota! Working with our partners in the legislature, led by the Native American Caucus, we signed Indigenous Peoples’ Day into law this last biennium. Because Indigenous people are not just a part of the history of this country — we are the present and future of America. Happy Indigenous Peoples’ Day!

Miigwech (Thank you),

Peggy Flanagan
Lt. Governor of Minnesota