The new restaurant expected to establish a beacon in the vibrant Minneapolis Indigenous food sovereignty scene now has a name.
Indígena by Owamni is the latest restaurant concept engineered by Chef Sean Sherman (Oglala Lakota Sioux). It is an expansion of Sherman’s first Indigenous fine dining experience that is set to open with a bigger menu of Native American foods, and more tables for patrons to sit next to the Mississippi River at the historic Guthrie Theater later in the spring.
“Indígena is derived from the Spanish word for Indigenous, sharing the Latin root Indigenae, meaning ‘born of the land,’” Sherman said. “While English and Spanish are colonial languages, they are also bridge languages that allow Indigenous communities across Turtle Island to connect, exchange knowledge and share culinary traditions.”
To cement this concept, Indígena is properly pronounced with Spanish enunciation, In-DEE-Hay-Na.
The restaurant will continue to operate under the North American Traditional Indigenous Food Systems (NATIFS), a non-profit organization founded by Sherman designed to re-establish Native foodways to improve the economic and health crises affecting Native communities.
Both Owamni and NATIFS were foundational to mutual-aid support in the Twin Cities that was called for in response to violence caused by federal immigration enforcement operations.
Sherman elevated the significance of the role that Indigenous food systems took in that community response. For instance, Pow Wow Grounds Coffee, located just a mile away from the NATIFS headquarters, became a hub for Natives in the Twin Cities for information and aid during the ICE operations.
On Substack, Sherman outlined the history of federal genocidal policies that detained and starved Dakota people at Fort Snelling in 1862.
That site is now home to the Whipple Building, the headquarters for ICE operations in Minneapolis. Sherman wrote that restaurants saw fewer customers due to safety concerns from ICE operations.
“Restaurants are quieter than usual, but we are communicating and learning from each other. Parents are afraid to take their kids to school because they don’t want to be killed by their own government, yet people are organizing to act as human shields to protect our youth and teachers,” he wrote on January 13.
As ICE retreated outside the Twin Cities and dwindled operations, local communities began recovery. Spring projects like Indígena by Owamni can become bright spots after such a dark winter.
The new menu will offer steaks and expand the size of game cuts offered such as bison, elk and venison. A new chef’s table that can seat between 12-16 guests will offer curated tasting menus and guest chef residencies.
Acclaimed Chef Joseph Shawana (Odawa) will join as Chef in Residence for the first three months. The restaurant expects to hire an additional 50 people to join the current staff of 100.
