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.
Today we talk about different ways Indigenous People’s Day is being recognized and celebrated throughout Mni Sota Mkoce.
Leah catches up with the festivities in Grand Rapids hosted by Anishinaabe Gikinoo’ amaadiwin (aka Indian Education) along with the City of Grand Rapids Human Rights Commission. Cole checks out the music, food, artwork, and fun happening at the Owamni Falling Water Festival in Minneapolis near the stone arch bridge.
Both Leah and Cole share how they were moved and excited to attend a publication party for the Aanjibimaadizing Project, an amazing language and culture preservation initiative, collecting stories from elders and first language speakers, and then sharing them through beautifully illustrated publications. The book release party was held at the Mille Lacs Indian Museum & Trading Post with many friends, relatives, and community members in attendance.
Plus, as a special treat, we hear audio from William Premo Jr, telling a fun story from one of Aanjibimaadizing Project books, which he shares in Ojibwemowin and in English.
Chi Miigwech Papi Premo!
Would you or someone you know be a great guest on Native Lights? Drop us line at: nativelights@ampers.org.
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.
Owamni Falling Water Festival and Indigenous People’s Day