Spotlight: Ojibwe Artists

Wisconsin Water Library > Articles by: Maya Reinfeldt

Spotlight: Ojibwe Artists

by Maya Reinfeldt, Community Engaged Intern

Spotlight series: The lands of the Ojibwe people span across southern Canada, the Northern Midwest and the Northern Plains of the United States. In working towards the Wisconsin Water Library’s goal of promoting Great Lakes Literacy, specifically, principle 6 (The Great Lakes and humans in their watersheds are inextricably interconnected), the recognition of Ojibwe cultural contributions is crucial. Only through respectfully and ethically preserving, valuing, and promoting Ojibwe artwork, stories, Traditional Ecological Knowledge and language can we fully begin to grasp the interconnectedness of the Great Lakes with the people who lived here long before European settlers colonized the land. 

Below, you will find links to the pages of some exceptional Ojibwe artists who use social media to showcase their work! Their skills range from beadwork to painting to digital illustration. Many incorporate contemporary designs or elements into their work, while others focus on preserving more traditional forms of their art. All of the artists below are equally talented, and we at the WWL hope you find browsing their work as exciting as we did!

Iah Quincy, @iah.q on Instagram: beadwork artist who makes extraordinary use of pastel shades and natural imagery on intricate designs

 

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Lisa Passinault, @nenookaasikwe_ on Instagram: beadwork artist who creates beautiful woodland floral and berry designs on moccasins, dresses, and more

 

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Anna Heffernan, @miskwaadesigns on Instagram: beadwork artist, jewelry maker, and digital artist who seamlessly combines traditional stylistic elements and pop-culture

 

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Adam Avery, @naawikwegiizhig on Instagram: beadwork artist who creates detailed floral and animal woodland designs, also a basket weaver and a creator of birchbark canoes, or wiigwas jiiman

 

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Mangeshig Pawis-Steckley, @mangeshig on Instagram: artist and illustrator who focuses on dynamic, colorful animal art; also, the illustrator of “Mii maanda ezhi-gkendmaanh – This is how I know” by Brittany Luby and other children’s books

 

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Duncan Pheasant, @Duncanpheasant on Twitter: an artist whose bold and bright work makes exquisite use of texture, patterns and shadows

 

Spotlight: Ojibwe People in STEM

by Maya Reinfeldt, Community Engaged Intern

Spotlight series: The lands of the Ojibwe people span across southern Canada, the Northern Midwest and the Northern Plains of the United States. In working towards the Wisconsin Water Library’s goal of promoting Great Lakes Literacy, specifically, principle 6 (The Great Lakes and humans in their watersheds are inextricably interconnected), the recognition of Ojibwe cultural contributions is crucial. Only through respectfully and ethically preserving, valuing, and promoting Ojibwe artwork, stories, Traditional Ecological Knowledge and language can we fully begin to grasp the interconnectedness of the Great Lakes with the people who lived here long before European settlers colonized the land.

The following two creators are a part of an illustrious community of Ojibwe scholars and scientists. On their Twitter accounts, they speak to their experiences being Indigenous in their fields of study and work, promote and share opportunities for other Indigenous people, and provide invaluable representation of Indigenous people in their respective fields. Their accounts are motivating and inspiring, and their work is absolutely fascinating!

Who are we missing? Let us know! askwater@aqua.wisc.edu

Danielle Boyer, or @danielleboyerr on Twitter: Danielle, as her Twitter bio states, is an educator, a robot inventor, and the founder of The Steam Connection. She has been deeply influential in bridging disparities of access and representation in STEM, especially among youth. Her Twitter, filled with bright and colorful snippets of her work and life, chronicles her many truly inspiring achievements!

Ray L. Allen, PhD, or @Ray_L_Allen on Twitter: Niigaanigaabaw, or Dr. Allen, is a postdoctoral researcher at UW-Madison’s Center for Limnology – Trout Lake Station. Dr. Allen’s personal website states, “My current research focuses on how a changing climate impacts the phenology of freshwater fishes in what is currently called Wisconsin.” Dr. Allen’s informative Twitter account provides a glimpse into what it’s like to be Indigenous in high-level academia. He is also a talented beadwork artist!

Spotlight: Ojibwe Readers

by Maya Reinfeldt, Community Engaged Intern

Spotlight series: The lands of the Ojibwe people span across southern Canada, the Northern Midwest and the Northern Plains of the United States. In working towards the Wisconsin Water Library’s goal of promoting Great Lakes Literacy, specifically, principle 6 (The Great Lakes and humans in their watersheds are inextricably interconnected), the recognition of Ojibwe cultural contributions is crucial. Only through respectfully and ethically preserving, valuing, and promoting Ojibwe artwork, stories, Traditional Ecological Knowledge and language can we fully begin to grasp the interconnectedness of the Great Lakes with the people who lived here long before European settlers colonized the land.

The following two creators are members of popular online communities known as BookTok and Bookstagram – essentially, they read, review, and recommend books and discuss relevant topics, issues and trends pertaining to literature today! As a library, of course, one of our main focuses is on books and literature, which makes us enthusiastic to spotlight these two invaluable voices of the online literature community.

Sasha, @anishinaabekwereads on Instagram: Sasha provides detailed, insightful reviews of contemporary books, with an intentional focus on Indigenous literature

Melissa Blair, @melissas.bookshelf on TikTok: Melissa reviews and recommends books, shares engaging thoughts on popular literary tropes and trends and is the author of A Broken Blade

@melissas.bookshelf Follow for more Indigenous recs 😉 #books #bookrec #booktok #diversebooks #bipocbooks #indigenous ♬ original sound – Melissa Blair

Spotlight: Ojibwemowin (Ojibwe Language) Resources

by Maya Reinfeldt, Community Engaged Intern

Spotlight series: The lands of the Ojibwe people span across southern Canada, the Northern Midwest and the Northern Plains of the United States. In working towards the Wisconsin Water Library’s goal of promoting Great Lakes Literacy, specifically, principle 6 (The Great Lakes and humans in their watersheds are inextricably interconnected), the recognition of Ojibwe cultural contributions is crucial. Only through respectfully and ethically preserving, valuing, and promoting Ojibwe artwork, stories, Traditional Ecological Knowledge and language can we fully begin to grasp the interconnectedness of the Great Lakes with the people who lived here long before European settlers colonized the land. 

Ojibwemowin, or Anishinaabemowin (please read more about the nuances of the two terms here) is the language spoken by the Ojibwe people. It is a language characterized by “life, process and action” and distinct variety across linguistic regions. The home page of the Ojibwe People’s Dictionary states that “speakers of Ojibwe consider their language to be precise, descriptive, and visual, and feel that it is among the greatest treasures of their cultural heritage.” After colonization, the language was violently and forcibly repressed, and became an endangered language. Today, avid language revitalization efforts are underway for Ojibwemowin.

“Ojibwe people understand that fluent speakers of the language have a wisdom that represents an accumulated knowledge of many generations. The Ojibwe language can explain why we must respect the earth and take responsibility for caring for the land, water, and its resources. It is the antidote to global climate change, environmental destruction, and unhealthy lifestyles. The Ojibwe language is where we turn for philosophy, history, science, medicines, stories, and spirituality. It is our university and the key to our cultural survival.” – The Ojibwe People’s Dictionary

The links below will point you to a variety of Ojibwemowin-learning resources, from “word of the day” posts to formal lesson-style videos to instructional craft videos. Each resource provides a unique perspective on the language and helps to make language-learning fun and engaging.

James Vukelich, or @jamesvukelich on TikTok: a well-known Ojibwe creator who has created a long, quality series of “word of the day” posts which are often filmed against a beautiful nature backdrop. More information can be found on his website.

@jamesvukelich How to say ‘the library’ in Ojibwe! #ojibwewordoftheday #ojibwe #nativeamerican #americanindian #nativelanguage #ojibwe #nativetiktok #anishinaabemowin #indigenous #indigenoustiktok ♬ original sound – jamesvukelich

Crystal Harrison Collin, or @crystalharrisoncollin on TikTok: Crystal has created an extended, cheerful series of “how to say” posts with her granddaughter! She also shares other culture-related posts about cooking, regalia, humor, etc.

@crystalharrisoncollin #anishinaabemowin #indigenoustiktok #nativetiktok #heartberry ♬ original sound – Crystal Harrison Collin

Westin Sutherland, or @westinnorth_ojibwe on TikTok: a video and audio editor who posts popular cartoons such as Sailor Moon dubbed into Anishinaabemowin! Westin also comically explores the challenges of learning a language.

@westinnorth_ojibwe #sailormoon #ojibwe #anishinaabemowin #indigenous #native #anime #ojibwecartoons ♬ original sound – Westin-North_Ojibwe

Anton Treuer on YouTube: Dr. Treuer, a Professor of Ojibwe at Bemidji State University and an author, has a playlist of 50 invaluable Ojibwemowin-learning videos. He also posts videos on his other areas of expertise such as history, racial equity and Ojibwe culture.

Wii Chiiwaakanak on YouTube: this channel from the University of Winnipeg has not only Ojibwemowin video lessons with conversational language, but also tutorials on making traditional Ojibwe clothes with the audio in Ojibwemowin.

Pimachiowin Aki on YouTube: the channel of Pimachiowin Aki, a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Canada, has an Anishinaabemowin playlist with content on nature, family, seasons and more.

Wes Jourdain on YouTube: this creator has over 80 detailed Ojibwe Language Table videos.

Pamela Morrison on YouTube: an Ojibwemowin teacher who posts educational vocabulary videos in various Anishinaabemowin dialects from Canadian regions.

Ojibwe.net: an invaluable collection of lessons, books, songs, stories, videos and more for Anishinaabemowin learners. The homepage of the website states: “This site represents many things, most of all, it is evidence that Anishinaabemowin is alive and well.”

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