The third annual homecoming celebration to welcome the Otoe-Missouria back to their ancestral homelands will take place Sept. 20-22 in Lincoln and the surrounding area. This event is part of our Walking in the Footsteps of our Ancestors project, funded by the Mellon Foundation.
Christina Goodson speaks during the first Otoe-Missouria Day in 2022
OM Day sponsors and partners:
- The Mellon Foundation
- The College of Arts & Sciences, UNL
- Otoe-Missouria Tribal Elders
- Otoe-Missouria Tribal Council
- LPS Trauma Warriors
- UNITE
- Spring Creek Prairie Audubon Center
- Gage County Historical Society
- Lincoln Indian Center, Inc.
- Homestead National Historical Park
- Intertribal Medicine Collective
- UNL Outdoor Adventures
- The Unitarian Church of Lincoln
- Wachiska Audubon Society
Friday, Sept. 20: Lincoln Indian Center & Memorial Stadium
- 4-6 p.m.: Tailgate at Lincoln Indian Center to welcome Otoe-Missouria guests
- 7 p.m.: Football game (stay tuned during the game for a special video presentation on Otoe-Missouria Day!). RSVP required for Otoe-Missouria guests.
Saturday, Sept. 21: Spring Creek Prairie Audubon Center (11700 SW 100th St. Denton, Neb.)
- 10:30 a.m.-noon: Harvest medicine with Intertribal Medicine Collective for Otoe-Missouria Guests
- Noon-1 p.m.: Lunch
Public events open to all:
- 2-3 p.m.: Hand game - A traditional guessing contest played with beaded sticks and two teams while singers provide music.
- 3-5 p.m.: Elder’s Talking Circle - Otoe-Missouria elders will be leading a talking circle for young people to ask questions and learn in a safe environment.
- 5-6 p.m.: Dinner
- 6-8 p.m.: Dances, drum groups, talks, proclamation reading
Saturday optional activities:
- 9-10:30 a.m.: Visit the new Lincoln park at 27th & Arbor Rd.
- 10 a.m.-5 p.m.: View the Contemporary Indigeneity exhibition and Tammy Faw Faw’s coats at the Great Plains Art Museum (open to all)
- 1-3 p.m.: Meet and greet with artist Tammy Faw Faw at the Great Plains Art Museum
- Any time: Walk on the Standing Bear Trail (open to all)
- Morning: Bike or walk the Standing Bear Trail with UNL Outdoor Adventures (for Otoe-Missouria guests, lunch is provided, RSVP required)
- All day: Paddle the Big Blue River with UNL Outdoor Adventures (for Otoe-Missouria guests, lunch is provided, RSVP required)
Sunday, Sept. 22 optional activities:
- Visit Homestead National Historic Park, Beatrice
- Visit boarding school site, Barneston
- 9-11 a.m.: Visit the Big Blue Reservation exhibition at Gage County Museum
Contact Alison Cloet with questions at acloet3@unl.edu or 402-472-3964.