See Okciyapi, Minneapolis Sculpture Garden, Minneapolis, Minnesota

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This sculpture is in the Minneapolis Sculpture Garden and was created byTwin Cities-based artist Angela Two Stars, It is titled Okciyapi (Help Each Other). This sculpture was created in response to an earlier sculpture, Gallows, that was intended to call attention to several public hangings in the United States including 38 Dakota men in Mankato, Minnesota in 1862. The latter became the source of the controversy with many residents finding it a cause of anguish. The original art was dismantled and ceremoniously buried with full cooperation of the artist. Okciyapi (Help Each Other) is simultaneously a sculptural form, a gathering space, and a participatory work that provides a site for visitors to engage with Dakota language. The sculpture’s ringed configuration of seating elements made from custom-cast concrete makes reference to a rippling drop of water. Inspired by the legacy of her grandfather, Orsen Bernard, and all those working in Dakota language revitalization, the ripple effect represents Dakota language knowledge spreading across generations of speakers. The water vessel in the center serves as a reminder that the name Minnesota is derived from the Dakota phrase; Mni Sota Makoce, the land where the water reflects the clouds. The work incorporates audio, text, and medicinal plants native to the state, which represent a healing reconnection with Dakota language and culture. Navigation of the space represents the artist’s language journey and offers an invitation for the audience to join. Two Stars has conceived of the work in seven sections, representing the Oceti Sakowin, meaning People of Seven Council Fires, known also as the Great Sioux Nation. This group, which includes speakers of the Dakota, Nakota, and Lakota dialects, is made up of the Wahpekute, Wahpetunwan, Sisistunwan, Bdwakantunwan, Ihanktunwan, Ihanktunwanna, and Titunwan. Members of the Oceti Sakowin nations live primarily in areas now known as Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, North and South Dakota, as well as in Saskatchewan and Manitoba in Canada.

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