The relocated Amos Owen Garden of American Indian Horticulture will be dedicated on Friday, Sept. 19.
The ceremony, free and open to students, faculty, staff and the public, will be at 4 p.m. at the new garden’s site (east of Ostrander Student Bell Tower). Free parking will be available in Lot 5 (north of Taylor Center) and Lot 19 (east of the Alumni Foundation Center).
The Amos Owen Garden, first conceived in 1976 to illustrate the contributions of Native Americans to agriculture, was displaced two years ago to make way for the new Ford Hall addition to Trafton Science Center. The garden is named after Amos Owen, a highly respected Dakota spiritual and community leader and Prairie Island Mdewakanton elder who died in 1990.
Maintained over the years by Anthropology faculty members, the garden replicates the domesticated native plants and gardening practices used more than 1,000 years ago to sustain Native Americans.
The new garden will include additional native plants grown from heirloom seeds. Ron Schirmer, Anthropology Department faculty member, led the planning effort for the new site.
A history of the Amos Owen Garden can be found at http://www.mnsu.edu/emuseum/offices/scullin/Amos_Owen_Pages/Amos_Owen_Garden.html. Those who want more information about the garden may contact Schirmer at (507) 389-6612 or ronald.schirmer@mnsu.edu.
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