Throughout my life I have hiked and skied the banks, and swam and canoed the waters of our Great River, the Mississippi. I have painted imagery of the river and its surroundings many times. This great conduit has provided sustenance and livelihoods to humankind for millenia, and its value to us, and the plants and animals that depend upon its waters, cannot be underestimated. I am very grateful that the descendants of the European settlers, my forefathers, who founded our Twin Cities are beginning to give greater acknowledgement and awareness to the First People of our area, the Dakota Tribes.