Babaamaajimowinan (Telling of news in different places)
Babaamaajimowinan (Telling of news in different places)
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BEMIDJI, Minn. - Way up in northwestern Minnesota, progress is being made within the Ojibwe tribes. "It's been a long process," said Trisha Hansen, Bemidji District supervisor for the Minnesota Department of Corrections. "... It was a tough two years, let me tell you. Probation and social services have really worked together in the last two years." Since September, the traditional divisions between the systems of juvenile justice and child welfare have begun to be erased. With a tribal nation...
BEMIDJI -- Expectant mothers look forward to baby's arrival with excitement and hope for a beautiful beginning of a life. And although complications may ensue that require emergency medical intervention, such as a caesarian section, members of Mewinzha Ondaadiziike Wiigaming (Long ago women birth in lodge, home or building) believe that the more natural the birth, the better for everyone. The nonprofit Mewinzha Ondaadiziike Wiigaming is a group of area nurses, midwives and doulas who seek to...
RED LAKE -- Although Donald "Dudie" May died March 8 in an apparent shooting at a rural Red Lake residence, Friday's funeral emphasized not that tragedy, but the deceased man's character and service to the Red Lake Nation. The funeral for May, 58, at the Red Lake Humanities Center was officiated by the Rev. Jerry Rogers of St. Mary's Mission in Red Lake. May's casket was flanked by flags of the United States, Minnesota and the Red Lake Nation, as well as an eagle staff and scores of floral tribu...
RED LAKE — Young Red Lake members practiced their three-pointers Saturday morning in the Red Lake High School gym as they awaited the arrival of Shoni and Jude Schimmel and their parents. The Schimmel sisters are known throughout Indian Country and beyond as basketball stars who helped the University of Louisville Lady Cardinals score the 82-81 upset victory over the Baylor Lady Bears last March in the Division I NCAA Final Four before losing to UConn in the finals. Shoni, 21, and a senior at Lo...
Pictures from the Powwow in Ponemah on Sunday....
WALKER — The Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe operated at $3.6 million under budget this year. But those savings in no way interfered with infrastructure improvements and program enhancements, said Leech Lake Chairwoman Carri Jones in her 2013 State of the Band address Thursday morning at the Northern Lights Event Center in Walker. Her presentation was the first Leech Lake State of the Band report in five years. "It's a pleasure to work with each of you," Jones said in her introduction to the list o...
BEMIDJI — Decades of collaborative research will give descendants of Chief Ogimaabinenz and Chief Goodezhiin of Ponemah a chance to celebrate their connections through the fourth-eighth generations. They will gather at 1 p.m. on Saturday at the Seven Clans Casino, Hotel and Event Center in Red Lake to share information about the extended family. They also are inviting others outside the family to join them for lunch and a social. Descendants are encouraged to bring pictures and fill in forms w...
RED LAKE — For the finale of the eighth annual Red Lake Nation Youth Conference on Thursday, Chaske Spenser urged teens to honor their personal potential and work for their dreams. "Nobody else can stop you," he said. "There’s potential inside you that nobody can put out except you." Spenser, a 38-year-old Lakota who grew up on reservations, was keynote speaker for the youth conference banquet Thursday evening. But during the afternoon program, he spoke to the 336 participants in a more inf...
RED LAKE – The Third Annual Elders Gathering at the Red Lake Nation Seven Clans Casino Monday mixed frivolity with tradition and honors with fun. On the serious side, Spiritual Leader Eugene Stillday thanked the spirits of the four directions and Mother Earth for sustaining his people. On the wacky side, Shapey/Shaky Legs contestants danced and gyrated barelegged with the upper halves of their bodies hidden by a curtain. Audience members by their cheers indicated the winning pairs of legs. Monday morning’s guest speaker was Red Lake Tribal Att...
RED LAKE – Red Lake Band of Chippewa Chairman Floyd Jourdain Jr. sees hopeful signs for the coming year, but lists challenges as well. “I’m proud to report the state of our nation is good,” Jourdain said in introducing his annual State of the Band address Friday to a full audience at the Seven Clans Casino Event Center. However, he said unemployment, historical injustices and the federal sequester that would cut funding to tribes are among difficulties that continue the Red Lake Band’s...
RED LAKE – By the fall of 2014, the Red Lake Nation will revolve around a new hub. The Red Lake Nation College and Red Lake Government Center will occupy buildings north of the powwow grounds on the bluff above Red Lake itself. The front elevation of the matching buildings will bear the silhouettes of wing-spread eagles. The $21.4 million USDA Rural Development loans were approved this month – more than $11.3 million for the 42,000-square-foot tribal college and $10.1 million for the 27,400-square-foot government center. The tribal college is n...
RED LAKE – In the mid-1970s, the Red Lake Band of Chippewa built the Humanities Center, including in it what is now a college-regulation-size basketball court. “The floor is 30 years old and never had any maintenance at all,” said Ron Lussier, tribal activities director. Now, with funding from tribal coffers and a grant from the Shakopee Mdewakanton Youth Initiative, the recreation center of the Humanities Building boasts a $30,000 sanding, varnishing, striping, lettering and decorating job....
RED LAKE – Red Lake Nation College President Dan King didn’t grow up on the reservation. Nor did he experience any affluence in his early years. Born in St. Paul, King lived with his mother and siblings in inner city public housing, Dunedin Terrace. “Everybody called it the Proj,” he said with a smile. “It kind of makes you humble. It was a multicultural community – Native Americans, blacks, whites, Mexicans, Hmong.” His parents split when he was young. For most of her working years his mot...
BEMIDJI – In the fall of 1979, a young Bemidji State University graduate began her career with the Red Lake School District. “I started as a music teacher for kindergarten through sixth grade,” said Jean Whitefeather. “One day a week, I went to Ponemah.” The Ponemah connection proved not only satisfactory professionally, but a personal gift as well. She and Vernon Whitefeather, a teacher of Ojibwe and American Indian history, met there. They married in 1981 and have a grown son, Kyle, a daughte...
BEMIDJI – In October 1850, the United States government failed to supply promised provisions to the Ojibwe Anishinaabe settled on Madeline Island in Wisconsin’s Apostle Islands. U.S. government officials told the approximately 3,000 band members that they had to trek to Sandy Lake, Minn., to receive their allotments. But on arrival, they again found few supplies to sustain them. During the long walk, according to Wisconsin history.com, an estimated 400 Ojibwe died of malnutrition and exp...
RED LAKE - “Keep all the memories, but don’t mourn,” Henry Skywater told participants starting out on the last segment of their 250-mile journey from Spirit Lake, N.D., to Red Lake. Skywater, a Dakota from the Birdtail Reserve in Manitoba, is leader of the Tatanka Chante And Those Loved Ones Who Left Us Memorial Unity Ride. He said Unity Rides open to all nations have been held since 1993. But this year, the ride and run honors those who suffer the aftermath of the 2005 Red Lake High School shoo...
RED LAKE – As 7 p.m. approaches, 2012 Independence Day Powwow announcer Lawrence Baker urges the hundreds of dancers preparing for Friday night’s Grand Entry to be punctual. “We’re going to start on time,” he says over the loudspeaker. “Those of you out there braiding your hair, braid faster.” The Red Lake Nation Independence Day Powwow celebrates a significant historic event. On July 6, 1889, the Red Lake Nation chiefs signed a treaty with a representative of the United States government. T...
RED LAKE — An honor guard of veterans accompanied by the Eyabay Drum Group led the 73 graduates of the Red Lake New Beginnings General Education Development (GED), Adult Basic Education and Youth Build programs to their commencement ceremony Thursday evening. The graduates, gathered with friends and family at the Seven Clans Event Center, had dropped out of school for a variety of reasons, but they reported common goals in passing the GED test. For some, earning their degree required f...
“Last year they (LifeFlight) flew him out 14 times” to a Fargo, N.D., intensive care unit, said Adelma Oakgrove, Frank’s grandmother. But now, Frank, 7; his parents, Nicole and Donald Brun; sister, Melissa, 11; grandmother Adelma and cousin Kyleisha Garrigan, also 7, will take off for Orlando, Fla., courtesy of the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Minnesota. There, the family will pick up the rental car Make-A-Wish reserved for them, tour Walt Disney World and play at the beach. During their vacat...
After a contentious summer, the Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe voted in a special election Tuesday, Sept. 27, 1,421 to 1,364 in favor of Donald “Mick” Finn as the new secretary/treasurer over his opponent, Donald “Donnie” Headbird. The unofficial percentage is 51 percent for Finn and 49 percent for Headbird. If the results stand, Finn will replace former Secretary/Treasurer Michael Bongo, who was voted out of office Feb. 8. Finn won the first special election June 28 by six votes over Headbird: 1,104 or 50.14 percent for Finn and 1,098 or 49.86 f...
A panel of judges Aug. 4 upheld a judge’s decision that the June 28 Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe secretary/treasurer election was invalid. A special election today will decide between Donald “Mick” Finn and Donald “Donnie” Headbird for the position vacated Feb. 8 when former Secretary/Treasurer Michael Bongo was voted out of office. Finn won the June 28 election by six votes over Headbird, who contested the results, citing irregularities. The panel of judges for the appeal of the July 15 decision ruled that Finn had engaged in electioneering in vi...
For many years, John Eggers, educator and public speaker, has contributed a weekly column to the Pioneer. Now, Eggers has published a book of excerpts and selected essays from his material titled “More Than Just Words.” “I went through all of my writings for the last 20 years, and I picked what I thought people would enjoy reading,” Eggers said. “There are 105 topics.” The books cost $10 and are available at Kat’s Book Nook, Cabin Coffeehouse and Café and Grandma’s attic and at johnrogereggers.c...
“Awesiinyensag Dibaajimowinan Ji-Gikinoo’amaageng,” a monolingual Ojibwe book for young readers, was chosen by the Center for the Book in the Library of Congress to represent Minnesota this year in the National Book Festival. “Awesiinyensag Dibaajimowinan” or “Animal Stories,” named Minnesota’s Best Read, is a set of stories originated by Ojibwe first speakers to entertain children, teach them the language and culture with modern, fun, humorous stories. The book is illustrated by watercolor p...
Margaret Jo Hirt, 51, owner and salesperson for Dewey Furniture in downtown Bemidji, pleaded innocent Monday, Sept. 12, to three counts of felony transaction card fraud and three counts of theft by swindle. Her next appearance in Beltrami County District Court is scheduled for Dec. 13. She entered her plea before Judge Sheri Schluchter. According to the criminal complaint: In 2009 and 2010, three furniture manufacturers, Ashley Furniture, Inc., Furniture Traditions, Inc. and Best Craft Furniture, notified Hirt they would no longer accept...
The Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe had the opportunity Wednesday to buy back a traditional section of the tribal homeland and rid the tribe of a potentially bad debt Wednesday. However, many band members protested that the Tribal Council was rushing into a deal without giving them sufficient notice. After several hours of testimony during a public meeting at the Palace Casino Bingo Hall, the Tribal Council voted 2-1 to table the issue. Steve White, District 2 representative, made the motion and...
