Rare Ojibwe woven mats relocated from Isle Royale to Grand Portage in NE Minnesota

Oct 28, 20200

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Staff from Isle Royale National Park transported five hand-woven mats, called anaakanan in the Ojibwe, or Anishinaabe language, made from cedar and sweetgrass, to Minnesota's Grand Portage National Monument in September. Courtesy of Grand Portage National Monument

DULUTH -- In September, the entire tribal council for the Grand Portage Band of Lake Superior Chippewa gathered on a dock jutting into the lake to welcome a rare, fragile and culturally significant cargo.

Staff from Isle Royale National Park, an island offshore in Lake Superior, transported five hand-woven mats, called anaakanan in the Ojibwe, or Anishinaabe language, made from cedar and sweetgrass.

Their destination was Grand Portage National Monument, located on the Grand Portage reservation in far northeastern Minnesota.

https://www.duluthnewstribune.com/entertainment/art/6733969-Rare-Ojibwe-woven-mats-relocated-from-Isle-Royale-to-Grand-Portage-in-NE-Minnesota