Winter is cold around the 49th Parallel. And in the past, numerous individuals and cultures have figured out ways to navigate the cold. Today those practices continue. In the Baltic Sea region of northern Europe, it is called “sauna”, the most recognizable Finnish word in the English language. On the northern plains, it has been called “inipi”, a purification heat ceremony and lodge. This panel discussion brings together cultural knowledge keepers of those traditions for an open discussion.

Panelists:

Eero Kilpi — Eero holds citizenship in Finland and the United States of America. Not long after arriving to the United States over 20 years ago, he helped co-found the North American Sauna Society.

Alisha Deegan — Alisha is a Tribal Citizen of the Mandan, Hidatsa, and Arikara Nation, and she is the National Park Service Superintendent of Knife River Indian Village National Historic Site just north of Stanton, in Mercer County, North Dakota.

Leander “Russ” McDonald — Russ is a Tribal Citizen of the Spirit Lake Nation, and he is President of United Tribes Technical College in Bismarck, North Dakota.

Aaron Barth — Aaron is the executive director of the Northern Plains National Heritage Area and the Missouri Valley Heritage Alliance-Fort Abraham Lincoln Foundation.

Small bites and libations will be provided by Huckleberry House.

Registration required

Fee: $45

Hosted by: Northern Plains Heritage Foundation