Indigenous Leadership
Jun 26, 2026

New book highlights Native women leaders who shaped Twin Cities organizations

Co-authored book documents decades of Indigenous women’s leadership in Minneapolis and St. Paul


June 26, 2026

A new book tells the stories of Native American women in the Twin Cities, who for decades helped build organizations, advance the arts, and strengthen education and community programs, according to reporting by MPR News. The book was co-authored by White Earth Nation citizen Audrey Thayer and Colette Hyman. “Weaving Community: Indigenous Women and Leadership in the Twin Cities” chronicles the work of women activists who founded and led about 25 organizations in Minneapolis and St. Paul beginning in the 1950s.

According to Thayer, the nine-year project includes perspectives from more than two dozen Dakota, Ojibwe and Ho-Chunk women, and documents the histories of organizations including the Indigenous Peoples Task Force and MIGIZI Communications. Thayer said the book was inspired by a lack of educational resources focused on Indigenous women’s leadership. Published by Minnesota Historical Society Press, the book also explores the impacts of boarding schools and relocation to Minneapolis and St. Paul for work and education opportunities.

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