Minnesota’s first Indigenous-owned lab opens for business

“What you see is not just a laboratory — it is a declaration,” Aya Corporation’s interim CEO Michael Roberts told a crowd of approximately 50 people during the lab’s grand opening in Oakdale, a suburb of St. Paul. “It is the Sisseton Wahpeton Oyate saying — out loud, with physical evidence — that we are builders. We are owners. And, we are back, Minnesota.”

Aya Labs is a 5,800 square foot laboratory staffed by nine scientists and accredited by the International Organization for Standardization. It’s owned by the Aya Corporation, a Section 17 federally chartered economic development corporation of the Sisseton Wahpeton Oyate. A tribally owned business is different from a business owned by a member of a tribe, and Congress created the tribal business structure when it passed the Indian Reorganization Act of 1934. A Section 17 corporation is wholly owned by a tribe but separate and distinct from the tribal government. Section 17 corporations are not required to pay federal income taxes, even if they are operated off reservation.

“The profits we earn out here in the stream of commerce from this laboratory do not leave Indian Country,” said Roberts, who is also a tribal citizen. “They return to our nation to fund programs, create jobs, develop infrastructure and build a future that belongs to our people.”

The Sisseton Wahpeton Oyate is a federally recognized tribe in northeastern South Dakota and southeastern North Dakota with historical lands in the Minneapolis-St. Paul metropolitan area. The tribe was exiled from Minnesota following the U.S.-Dakota War of 1862, which led to the Dakota Expulsion Act of 1863, forcing more than 1,600 Dakota people from Minnesota to reservations in Dakota Territory. Before they were exiled, they were imprisoned at Fort Snelling in St. Paul — a site now operated by the Minnesota Historical Society. The legislation that exiled them from Minnesota has still not been fully repealed.

“To come home today and unveil a new economic development venture on behalf of our Oyate — I can’t tell you how proud I feel to be able to do that,” said Sisseton Wahpeton Oyate Tribal Chairman J. Garret Renville during Thursday’s grand opening reception. “There's always been talk about diversification, building new businesses, and for a lot of years, unfortunately, we've stood by and watched others around us become successful.”

He continued, “Aya is a Dakota word and means ‘to evolve’ or ‘to grow into something new.’ I think that’s what this represents: a new future, diversification of businesses for the future.”

Aya Labs began preparing for business six months ago and is one of few Indigenous owned laboratories in the country. The Sisseton Wahpeton Oyate currently owns and operates three Indian casinos, and tribal leaders say that its population is growing and that its economy should meet the needs of its people. Aya Corporation became federally chartered in June 2024, after the tribal council passed a resolution, a requirement for a federal charter, and petitioned the U.S. Secretary of Interior.

“We need more economic development for our tribe,” said Sisseton Wahpeton Oyate Councilwoman Wanda Varns. “We’re getting more people and need for more programs, and this opportunity for us is going to be a great asset for our tribe.”

Before Aya Labs opened, there were only three testing facilities licensed by the state's Office of Cannabis Management. Licensed facilities ensure that all cannabis and hemp products meet the state’s safety standards. All licensed cannabis businesses must test their products in accordance with the state’s adult-use recreational law and by a testing facility located in the state of Minnesota.

“Your leadership, your commitment to economic justice, your advocacy for Native and BIPOC led enterprises continue to make a profound difference,” Metropolitan Economic Development Association President and CEO Dorothy Bridges told tribal leaders at the grand opening. “Not only to MEDA, but to South Dakota, Minnesota and beyond. Today is a proud day for the Native community.”

The evening included comments from tribal leaders and business leaders, catering by Owamni — the Minneapolis-based award-winning Indigenous-foods restaurant — and a drum service by singers from the tribe.

One of Aya Labs’ first clients is Ashley Bolden, the owner of Lynnmonade, a Black-owned beverage brand that produces herbal teas and homemade lemonade in the Minneapolis area.