Restoring our connections to each other and the natural world
By Ricky Defoe and Janet Keough As the year gets ready to renew itself, we have a chance to heal ourselves, our human communities, and the larger community of all beings in the natural world. We have a chance to restore our relationships to the environment and to each other. We can rid ourselves of […]
Duluth renames city park in Ojibwe language
By Dan Kraker/MPR News It’s official. After unanimous approval from the Duluth City Council last December, a downtown park has now been renamed in the Ojibwe language. What was previously Lake Place Park is now Gichi-Ode’ Akiing, which means “a grand heart place.” The park sits atop a tunnel that carries Interstate 35 on the […]
Red Lake language camp rebuilds Ojibwe traditions
By John Enger/MPR News All Photos by Monika Lawrence/MPR News The Red Lake Band of Chippewa held its sixth annual Ojibwe Language camp in late July. Kids from all across the reservation gathered in the remote backwoods of Ponemah to learn about plant medicines, and language and traditional native lacrosse. Or at least, to try […]
Brenda Child’s “Bowwow Powwow” is a sheer delight
Review by Deborah Locke Bowwow Powwow By Brenda J. Child Illustrated by Jonathan Thunder Ojibwe translation by Gordon Jourdain Minnesota Historical Society Press May 1, 2018 Hardcover: 32 pages Ages: 3 – 7 years Windy Girl knows this for sure, and many of you know it’s true, too. She knows the best days of summer […]
Pow Wow Grounds serves wild rice and history along with coffee
BY LEE EGERSTROM Thirsty coffee drinkers stopping by the Pow Wow Grounds in South Minneapolis know there is much more available there than a cup of the hot stuff, especially if they have a hunger for wild rice foods or could use a friendly fist bump. “I’ve been ricing for 43 years,” said Robert (Bob) Rice, […]
New radio station KRSM takes to the air in south Minneapolis
By Lee Egerstrom A low-powered FM radio station seven years in the making has taken to the air in south Minneapolis. While small in size compared with clear channel radio, it is bringing Native Americans and other ethnic group news, information and cultural entertainment to a potential market of 300,000 listeners. The station, KRSM (98.9 […]
“A Bag Worth A Pony” is a well-illustrated study of bandolier bags
By Deborah Locke For students of American Indian history in general – and of niche Ojibwe history in particular – “A Bag Worth a Pony” is for you. Or if you’re a fabric and textile wonk or College of Design instructor or student at the University of Minnesota, “A Bag Worth a Pony” is for you. […]
White Earth tribe holds high hopes for hemp
By Dan Gunderson/Mrp News There’s a lot of expectation invested in a few acres of hemp growing on a hill overlooking the small town of Callaway on the edge of the White Earth Reservation. “I’m kinda nervous,” says tribal secretary-treasurer Tara Mason. “I don’t think I’ve been this concerned about how a crop is doing on […]
Courts, Pipelines and Liabilities: Minnesota may want to take note
By Winona LaDuke “We applaud the courts for protecting our laws and regulations from undue political influence, and will ask the Court to shut down pipeline operations immediately.” – Standing Rock Sioux Chairman Dave Archambault II For the past two weeks, Minnesotans and tribal members have packed Department of Commerce meetings on the Draft Environmental […]
Red Lake housing project in Mpls to house elders, wellness center
By LEE EGERSTROM The city of Minneapolis has approved more than $2.7 million from its Affordable Housing Trust Fund to assist the Red Lake Band of Ojibwe in launching its Mino-bimaadiziwin housing project on the edge of the American Indian Cultural Corridor in South Minneapolis. The Red Lake Band announced in July last year it had purchased […]
WHAT’S NEW IN THE COMMUNITY (June 2017)
Grand Opening Held for New Redby Community Center (By Michael Meuers) – The new Redby Community on the Red Lake Indian Reservation held a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the new Community Center on May 23. Even though the center is officially open, there is still more work to be done, including adding artwork to the exterior, […]
NATIONAL BRIEFS: April 2017
TRUMP TO MAKE MAJOR CUTS TO INDIAN COUNTRY WASHINGTON, DC – In his very first budget blueprint, Trump seeks a 12 percent cut at the Department of the Interior and a 17.9 percent cut at the Department of Health and Human Services. While the 62-page document is just a proposal – it’s up to Congress […]