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!
Robots inspire me to keep creating, learning, and teaching. They’ve taught me the best lessons and push me to do my best pic.twitter.com/Z6KhZo57jB
— Danielle Boyer🤖 (she/her) (@danielleboyerr) July 22, 2022
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!
A beaded #ArcticChar for @rosieluain! This is based on a very dark color-morph of the species! It was fun to experiment with the colors and cuts of beads to capture an ounce of the complexity and beauty these fish have pic.twitter.com/tz885QKRzm
— Ray L. Allen, PhD (@Ray_L_Allen) March 19, 2022