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

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

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

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

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

Reforming broken systems of oppression will not work. We have to build new systems of liberation. —Anton Treuer, The Language Warrior’s Manifesto: How to Keep Our Languages Alive No Matter the Odds

“The Bureau of Indian Affairs is the first instance of organized crime on the reservation.” —Roger Jourdain in Warrior Nation: A History of the Red Lake Ojibwe

“Even when I am dead, I will haunt the shores of these waters. My spirit will never be at rest until all of the lake is back in the hands of my people.” —Peter Graves in Warrior Nation: A History of the Red Lake Ojibwe

Though it may cost me my liberty, it is my duty, and I will continue to speak and act also, till the wrongs of my people shall be righted. —Hole in the Day in The Assassination of Hole in the Day

I was subversive, contrarian, driven, and ready to do something big and bold. I wanted to turn the whole educational system of tor­ture on its head. I just needed to find the way. —Anton Treuer, The Language Warrior’s Manifesto: How to Keep Our Languages Alive No Matter the Odds