Wakan Tipi Awanyankapi

About Us

Waḳaŋ Ṭípi Awaŋyaŋkapi (WTA) is a Native-led cultural and environmental stewardship nonprofit based on the East Side of St. Paul.  We were founded in 1997 by community activists and are centered at Waḳaƞ Ṭípi, a 27-acre cultural landscape in the heart of the city. For generations, Dakota people have nurtured reciprocal relationships with this sacred site and it has been a place of connection, care, and stewardship.  

Our mission is engaging people to honor and care for our natural places and the sacred sites and cultural value within them. We do this important work in three key ways: land stewardship and restoration by removing invasive species, conducting habitat and wildlife surveys, and reintroducing native plant relatives; traditional environmental knowledge by introducing and upholding indigenous land management practices, and cultural connections and healing through events like winter storytelling and “Gifts of the Plant Nation” webinars that feature Indigenous knowledge bearers. Our programs engage over 4,500 community members each year, and we anticipate that number to rise significantly with the opening of the Waḳaƞ Ṭípi Center in 2026.  

Waḳaƞ Ṭípi Awaƞyaƞkapi is working towards a future that recognizes and honors inherent Indigenous sovereignty, and where the community at large honors and respects Dakota worldviews, values, and connection to our sacred lands 

We are first and foremost accountable to the land, and we do this work in partnership and respectful relationship with you – our community. 

Pidamaya – thank you!