Native Lights: Where Indigenous Voices Shine – Weekly Radio ShowNative 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.
Native Lights – Cece Benimon’s Gift for Connecting Kids with Culture & Conservation
On today’s show, we talk with Cece Benimon (Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa) who is the family liaison for Anishinaabe Academy, a Minneapolis school with a Native-centered curriculum. Cece shares some of the different ways the school is revitalizing and Indigenizing curriculum. We learn how Cece’s business background helped her develop relationships with students, families, and community members; inspiring deeper connections with each other and the land too.
Cece tells us about the exciting new long-term partnership between Anishinaabe Academy and the Belwin Conservancy in Afton, called “Restoring Land, Reviving Heritage: Conservation Through Indigenous Culture.” The reciprocal project dedicates 17 acres to the Anishinaabe Academy, providing a space for Native elders to lead students from the urban school in hands-on learning about conservation, restoration, and gardening. The Belwin Conservancy also gains from the Indigenous stewardship of some of its St. Croix Valley land.
Miigwech Cece for your enthusiastic work connecting kids and community with culture and land conservation!
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
- Dani Pieratos’ Journey to Reclaiming Food Sovereignty.
Her passion for reclaiming Native food sovereignty leads her work and is driven by a care for community health and undoing the effects of historical trauma and colonization. - Corey Medina: Connecting With Community Through Music
Today we chat with Corey Medina, a blues-rock artist from Shiprock, NM, and member of the Áshįįhí clan of the Diné Nation. His band, Corey Medina & Brothers, has a reputation as an on-stage powerhouse, bringing its blues-tinged rock and roll to stages across Minnesota. - Native Representation at the Great Minnesota Get-Together
In this week’s show Leah and Cole are live from the Minnesota State Fair with two great guests. We discuss Native representation at the fair and beyond. Our first guest today is Andy Vig! Andy is an enrolled member of the Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community, who is the director of SMSC’s community center, called Hoċokata Ti, which opened in 2019. We also catch up with Lt. Governor Peggy Flanagan (White Earth Band of Ojibwe), who appeared on our first State Fair show back in 2019. - Jamie Becker-Finn’s Path to Bringing Community Together
Today we’ll chat with State Representative and Entrepreneur Jamie Becker-Finn (Leech Lake). Recently she celebrated the opening of her coffee shop – Makwa Coffee. We talk with Jamie about the first few weeks of Makwa Coffee, how she got the idea amidst the pandemic and how the community has supported Makwa so far. - Marisa Miakonda Cummings’ Gift for Leadership and Empowering Native Women
On today’s show, Leah and Cole chat with Marisa Miakonda Cummings (Umonhon). She’s the President/CEO of the Minnesota Indian Women’s Resource Center. The MIWRC empowers Native women and families to exercise their cultural values and integrity, and to achieve sustainable lifeways, while advocating for justice and equity.
A Protest and a Play