Native Lights is a weekly, half-hour radio program hosted by Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe members and siblings, Leah Lemm and Cole Premo. Native Lights is a space for people in Native communities around Mni Sota Mkoce — a.k.a. Minnesota — to tell their stories about finding their gifts and sharing them with the community.
On today’s show, we talk with musician Beth Ann Dodds, a first-generation descendant of the White Earth Nation. Beth Ann is the Project Coordinator for the Indigenous Parent Leadership Initiative, a training program from the Native-led organization, Indigenous Visioning. The program guides parents from White Earth Nation and Red Lake Nation to become leading advocates for children using a cultural lens.
We hear how Beth Ann’s own path brought her to her current work. When her music and life partner, Bruce Jackson, received a terminal diagnosis, the couple embraced self-love and reflection throughout his remaining years. After his passing, Beth Ann sought the quiet of the North woods was inspired to learn more about her Ojibwe culture.
Now, through her role with the Indigenous Parent Leadership Initiative, a 21-week course for parents that integrates child development, leadership, democracy skills, and Ojibwe culture, Beth Ann is helping others to find, claim, and powerfully use their voices. Miigwech Beth Ann for your sharing your gifts!
Learn more about the Indigenous Parent Leadership Initiative on Facebook or go online to: https://www.indigenousvisioning.com/
Native Lights: Where Indigenous Voices Shine is produced by Minnesota Native News and Ampers, Diverse Radio for Minnesota’s Communities with support from the Minnesota Arts and Cultural Heritage fund.
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More from Native Lights
- Victoria Marie: Learning to Surrender
Today, we’re excited to present Victoria Marie, an enrolled tribal member of the Sisseton-Wahpeton Oyate. She’s the founder and owner of Indigenous Lotus, a wellness program that combines yoga classes, tribal dance, exercise and meditation with an emphasis on helping people cope with stress and trauma. Those stressors can include PTSD, homelessness, sexual exploitation and poverty. - Cole Redhorse Taylor: Creating Contemporary Work Through Connection to Traditional Art Forms
Today, we’re excited to welcome Cole Redhorse Taylor to the Native Lights podcast. Cole is Mdewakanton Dakota and a member of the Prairie Island Indian Community. He’s an artist, and has worked in many mediums: drawing, painting, beadwork, quill work, hockey helmets. He’s created contemporary and traditional pieces heavily inspired by the artwork of his ancestors. And of course, if you’re a sports fan, you may have seen his collaborations with the Minnesota Timberwolves and the Minnesota Wild. - Carl Gawboy: Remembering the Fur Trade Through Art
Today, we welcome Carl Gawboy to the Native Lights podcast. Carl, born to a Finnish mother and an Ojibwe father, was raised in Ely and is a member of the Bois Forte Band of Ojibwe. Carl is an artist, whose primary medium is watercolors. But he turned to pen and ink for his recent graphic book Fur Trade Nation: An Ojibwe’s Graphic History.
New Initiative Empowers Parent Voices