The Minnesota Department of Transportation has been searching for a Dakota nation to accept ownership of the Wall of Forgotten Natives. But with no definitive taker so far, the department plans to expand outreach efforts this spring. The Wall of Forgotten Natives is a strip of vacant land beside Hwy. 55 in Minneapolis. Slightly larger than an acre, it is separated from a residential neighborhood by a sound wall. The property has been the site of homeless encampments since 2018, when an upside-down American flag was flown there for months, signaling distress in the community. The Minnesota Department of Transportation has considered finding another owner for the wall since 2019. At that time, its staff began to explore the process of having it deemed a “surplus” property — no longer needed for highway purposes — and legally eligible for transfer to another political subdivision like a city or county, state agency or tribal government. “The potential transfer of public land to a Dakot...