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 Christina Woods (Bois Forte Tribal Nation) who is the first Anishinaabikwe to be the Executive Director of the Duluth Art Institute. Christina is also currently performing in the play The UnPlugging presented by New Native Theatre in Minneapolis.
We caught up with Christina during a break in the rehearsal of the play, which will be performed on the site of the old Migizi building and the Gandhi Mahal restaurant, both of which were destroyed by fire and water in the uprising following the murder of George Floyd.
Christina shares her path as a teacher, media-maker, and diversity/inclusion consultant and explains how visual arts and advocacy all can work together for positive change and learning. Christina’s enthusiasm for all her cools projects is contagious. Christina was awarded an AARP 50 over 50 most influential people in MN award as a bias buster. Enjoy this fun and hilarious conversation!
More information about the Chesley Antoinette exhibition that Christina mentioned is here: https://www.duluthartinstitute.org/Steffl
Check out the play that Christina is in – The UnPlugging, by Yvette Nolan and presented by New Native Theatre at https://newnativetheatre.org/ Outdoor performances run through Sept 19th.
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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band’s existing businesses. He is also an avid runner, basketball player, and Ojibwe language learner.
- Filmmaker Khayman Goodsky’s Gift for Visual Storytelling and CollaborationToday, a lively conversation with Khayman Goodsky (Bois Forte Band of Chippewa) a Duluth filmmaker. Khayman tells about how she first found her path, her love of comic books and cosplay, and how she enjoys the whole collaboration process.
- Great-Grandmother Mary Lyons’ Gift for Sharing Indigenous Traditions & Spiritual GuidanceOn today’s show, we talk with Great-Grandmother Mary Lyons (Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe) a spiritual advisor, storyteller, activist, wisdom keeper, and revered elder. Mary Lyons is the founder of the Minnesota Coalition on Fetal Alcohol Syndrome and serves as a counselor for the women’s sobriety group, which she also co-founded, called Women of Wellbriety International.
- Joe Rainey’s Gift for Pow Wow Singing and Collaborative Music MakingOn today’s show, we talk with Joe Rainey (Red Lake Nation), an Ojibwe Pow Wow singer, music archivist, and collaborative music maker. Joe grew up in south Minneapolis and now lives in Wisconsin with his wife and five children.
- Sequoia Hauck’s Gift for Decolonizing the Process of Art-MakingOn today’s show, we talk with Sequoia Hauck (they/them), a Native (Anishinaabe/Hupa) queer multidisciplinary artist based in the Twin Cities. Sequoia’s art-making includes theater, filmmaking, poetry, and performance art, with all of it centered on a decolonized creative process.
- Joseph Nayquonabe Jr.’s Gift for Strengthening Tribal Economiesband’s existing businesses. He is also an avid runner, basketball player, and Ojibwe language learner.
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