“We all do better when we all do better.” Paul Wellstone
Read MoreHuman Beings Are Hardwired for Connection: What Indigenous Knowledge Teaches Us About Belonging and Community
Ceremonies and Community Well-Being: How Ojibwe Cultural Practices Strengthen Social Health
You are a complete, fully realized human being. You are a soul who has a body. You are the one your ancestors were praying for and waiting for through the generations. You have been given a unique set of gifts, and you yourself are a gift to the world. —Anton Treuer, The Cultural Toolbox: Traditional Ojibwe Living in the Modern World
Read MoreGender Diversity and Indigenous Societies: What History Actually Tells Us →
George Catlin, Dance to the Berdash, 1835-1837
(Smithsonian American Art Museum & Renwick Gallery)
Read MoreOde'imin-giizis: The Strawberry Moon and the Ojibwe Word for June
Photo credit: Jaime Arsenault
Connection and culture live inside of us. Having a rich cultural life is not just about looking out and looking for; it is about looking within. We can do that where ever we live. The awakening is healing and empowering. —Anton Treuer, The Cultural Toolbox: Traditional Ojibwe Living in the Modern World
Read MoreSuccess on Our Own Terms: Rediscovering Indigenous Ways of Living, Leading, and Thriving
You are a complete, fully realized human being. You are a soul who has a body. You are the one your ancestors were praying for and waiting for through the generations. You have been given a unique set of gifts, and you yourself are a gift to the world. —Anton Treuer, The Cultural Toolbox: Traditional Ojibwe Living in the Modern World
Read MoreTraditional Foods, Health, and Survival: What Ojibwe History Can Teach Us Today
Photo credit: Jaime Arsenault
“At the ceremony, before we eat, the successful hunter shares the story of their kill. They transition from passive listeners to tellers of the story—from observers to carriers of tradition.” —Anton Treuer
Read MoreZaagibagaa-giizis: The Ojibwe Word for May and the Budding Moon
Photo credit: Jaime Arsenault
May reflects one of the most important signs of spring in Ojibwe country: the opening buds on trees, bushes, and plants after a long winter. —Anton Treuer
Read More“Water Is Life” in Ojibwe Culture: Meaning, Teachings, and Responsibility
Because water gives life, people also carry responsibilities toward it. —Anton Treuer
Read MoreRespect for Elders in Ojibwe Language and Culture
We don’t have souls. We are souls. We have bodies—for a little while. —Anton Treuer
Read MoreHealth, Healing, and Balance: An Ojibwe Perspective on Well-Being
We become like the people we spend time with. —Anton Treuer
Read MoreMoccasins, Babies, and Blessings in Ojibwe Culture
Photo credit: Jaime Arsenault
We have a saying in Ojibwe: “Apegish ge-bimaadiziyan biinish gashkitoosiwan geyaabi ji-zhaashaagamikawad miskomin.” It means “I hope that you live to be so old that you can’t even crush a raspberry between your gums.” It’s considered a blessing.
Anton Treuer, The Cultural Toolbox: Traditional Ojibwe Living in the Modern World
Read MoreAanikobijigan and Seven Generations Thinking in Ojibwe Culture
“The rule book is simple. Respect all things. Respect all beings.”
Anton Treuer, The Cultural Toolbox: Traditional Ojibwe Living in the Modern World
Read MoreFeeding Ancestors in Ojibwe Culture: Honoring Relatives Who Have Passed On
Photo credit: Jaime Arsenault
You are a complete, fully realized human being. You are a soul who has a body. You are the one your ancestors were praying for and waiting for through the generations. You have been given a unique set of gifts, and you yourself are a gift to the world. —Anton Treuer, The Cultural Toolbox: Traditional Ojibwe Living in the Modern World
Read MoreEagle Feathers in Ojibwe Culture
Photo credit: Jaime Arsenault
We can be exactly who we are—exactly who the creator wanted us to be—and thrive. —Anton Treuer, The Cultural Toolbox: Traditional Ojibwe Living in the Modern World
Read MoreTobacco in Ojibwe Culture: Protocols, Meaning, and Practice
You are a complete, fully realized human being. You are a soul who has a body. You are the one your ancestors were praying for and waiting for through the generations. You have been given a unique set of gifts, and you yourself are a gift to the world. —Anton Treuer, The Cultural Toolbox: Traditional Ojibwe Living in the Modern World
Read MoreOjibwe Water Ceremonies: Tradition, Protection, and Respect for the Water
Connection and culture live inside of us. Having a rich cultural life is not just about looking out and looking for; it is about looking within. We can do that where ever we live. The awakening is healing and empowering. —Anton Treuer, The Cultural Toolbox: Traditional Ojibwe Living in the Modern World
Read MoreOjibwe Tobacco Teachings: Meaning, Language, and Decolonizing Indigenous Practices
Connection and culture live inside of us. Having a rich cultural life is not just about looking out and looking for; it is about looking within. We can do that wherever we live. The awakening is healing and empowering. —Anton Treuer, The Cultural Toolbox: Traditional Ojibwe Living in the Modern World
Read MoreOjibwe Marriage Customs: History, Cultural Change, and Indigenous Perspectives on Family
We don’t live in two worlds. We live in one world. We don’t have to code-switch to make it out there. We don’t have to maintain a dual consciousness. People from other cultures don’t have to sacrifice theirs to enter our world, and natives don’t have to sacrifice their cultures to navigate the modern world. We can be exactly who we are—exactly who the creator wanted us to be—and thrive. —Anton Treuer, The Cultural Toolbox: Traditional Ojibwe Living in the Modern World
Read MoreOjibwe Teachings on Grief and Loss: Indigenous Perspectives on Death, Healing, and Community
In Ojibwe, the word for elder, gichi-aya’aa, literally means “great being.” The word for elder woman, mindimooye, means “one who holds us together” and describes the role of the family matriarch. You don’t have to say things like “Respect your elders” when you’re operating in Ojibwe. Every word used to talk about elders is loaded with respect. —Anton Treuer, The Language Warrior’s Manifesto: How to Keep Our Languages Alive No Matter the Odds
Read MoreIndigenous Ways of Knowing: Ojibwe Knowledge, Science, and the Value of Different Worldviews
Connection and culture live inside of us. Having a rich cultural life is not just about looking out and looking for; it is about looking within. We can do that where ever we live. The awakening is healing and empowering. —Anton Treuer, The Cultural Toolbox: Traditional Ojibwe Living in the Modern World
Read More