| This week, the Mikwendaagoziwag Memorial Ceremony, and a look at Native Nation Dispensaries One Year After Cannabis Legalization |
Photo by Emma Needham
| This week on Minnesota Native News, the celebration of life and remembrance of those lost in the Sandy Lake Tragedy that took place in Northern Minnesota in the 1800s. And, a look at why Native Cannabis dispensaries have been operating while the rest are still waiting to open. Chandra Colvin has more. Chandra Colvin: Mikwendaagoziwag means “They will be remembered” or “We remember them.” Every year on the last Wednesday of July, Anishinaabe people and allies gather at Sandy Lake in Northern Minnesota to remember lives lost during the winter of 1850 at the Mikwendaagoziwag Ceremony. The Sandy Lake Tragedy is a significant event in the history of the Anishinaabe people. Under the order of President Zachary Taylor, it involved the forced removal of the Anishinaabe people from their traditional lands in Minnesota, Michigan, and Wisconsin. They were ordered to move west to Sandy Lake in Minnesota, approximately 10 miles away from what is now known as the city of McGregor. Jennifer Krueger Bear is an Executive Assistant at the Great Lakes Indian Fish and Wildlife Commission. She’s worked there for nearly 30 years and says she did not learn about Sandy Lake until much later in life. Many others still do not know about the event. Jennifer Krueger Bear: All Ojibwe people still here are somehow connected to that tragedy. Colvin: Historical records indicate that the government had promised supplies and help for the journey of those being moved to Sandy Lake. However, the supplies were inadequate, rancid, or never delivered. Many Anishinaabe people endured harsh conditions, contracted diseases, or were sickened by spoiled rations. 400 people, including women and children, from across the Great Lakes Region died due to the government’s negligence. A memorial stone and plaque now stands at the site in honor of the lives lost. David Aubid is a member of the Sandy Lake Community. He says historical events were based on colonial mindsets of eliminating tribal nations. Aubid says the past still influences the future. David “Niib” Aubid: What’s paramount to me would be the thought that your Anishinaabe people all understand, You know, what the historical events that occurred that brought us, you know, through 1850, and even are still part of our historical trajectories today and in the future. Colvin: The Mikwendaagoziwag ceremony began in 2000 and was started by Jason Schlender Sr., from Lac Courte Oreilles in Wisconsin and Neil Kamisek, who is Lakota. They wanted to bring awareness to what happened in 1850. Kruger Bear says despite this great tragedy, the Mikwendaagoziwag Memorial Ceremony celebrates life and the survival of the Anishinaabe people through such a traumatic event. She says it gives Tribal leaders, allies, and community members from the Great Lakes Region the chance to come together to discuss the tragedy’s meaning and impact. Krueger Bear: We can choose to, to live a good life. Colvin: The annual ceremony is now an all-day endeavor, starting with a four-mile paddle across Big Sandy Lake. Once paddlers are on the other side, the ceremonies continue with feasting, a drum circle, and songs. They close with prayers and the passing of a smoke pipe between tribal leaders. This year, the skies were clear. Laughter and joy were heard throughout the day as those in attendance celebrated the survival of the Anishinaabe people. ANNOUNCER: Throughout Minnesota, both the Anishinaabe and Dakota communities led the way in cannabis sales after legalization last year. Here’s Chandra Colvin with the story. Chandra Colvin: In its 2023 session the Minnesota Legislature made recreational marijuana use legal for people twenty-one and over. Once the controversial bill became law on August 1st of 2023, some of the state’s Tribal Nations opened their dispensaries right away. As sovereign governments, they are able to create and oversee their own cannabis, or marijuana operations. But non-tribal cannabis dispensaries can’t open until 2025 as the state works to finalize licensure and regulation enforcement. White Earth’s dispensary opened the same day legalization went into effect. It’s called Waabigwan Mashkiki, meaning “medicine flower.” Zach Wilson is the CEO of Waabigwan Mashkiki. Wilson says the company employs 50 to 55 people, with positions ranging from seed growers to sellers in the retail front end. While the company has brought economic impact and jobs to the community, Wilson says it’s also brought healing. Zach Wilson: It’s medicine, right, if we look at it first and foremost, medicine before it’s anything else. Colvin: Red Lake’s dispensary, Native Care, also opened on August first, 2023. Sweetest Grass on the Leech Lake Nation and Prezi Island in the Prairie Island community made their debut in the summer of 2024. For Minnesota Native News, I’m Chandra Colvin. |
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