Minooteeni (Village) Park
Wabash Valley Progressives are creating a park at the north end of the Vincennes Riverwalk which will honor the Native Americans that lived in our area before us. We started this project to raise awareness about the indigenous people who lived in and were caretakers of the land before us (including this specific site), to assist indigenous people in their mission to preserve their languages, and to reimagine an underutilized public space into a welcoming, interpretive park. Originally, we considered the word “niihka” which translates into “friend” in the Miami (Myaamia) language. After consulting with the Miami Tribe of Oklahoma and the Peoria Tribe of Indians of Oklahoma, we settled on the name “minooteeni” which means “village” in the Myaamia language. Plans for the park include:
- Interpretive signage about Native Americans who lived in the region
- A nature playground with a water feature
- A sample woodland Native American village
- Native plantings around the site to emulate the vegetation around that time in history
Minooteeni Park Project Background
The Minooteeni Park project started as a discussion by WVP Board Members on how to raise awareness/honor the Native Americans of our area. After some discussion, WVP reached out to several tribal nations representing the people who occupied our area at one time, and then coordinated with them to plan a public space that would be culturally appropriate and help with their goal of preserving indigenous languages. Mader Design graciously offered to draft a design pro bono that the WVP, Knox County CISMA, and the City of Vincennes approved.
Our partners in this project include the City of Vincennes, the Knox County Cooperative Invasive Species Management Area (CISMA), and The Nature Conservancy (TNC).
How You Can Help
By donating to this project, you can support the creation of a new historical park and raise awareness about the indigenous people of our area. Besides donating, you can volunteer your time to help make this park a reality.
Please make donations to the Knox County CISMA (our fiscal agent for the project) at 604 S. Quail Run Rd., Vincennes, IN 47591.
If you have questions or inquiries, please contact us.
