Native Land Digital Map
Find out whose indigenous lands you’re currently residing on or visiting around the Great Lakes region and beyond. Great Lakes Now is sharing this map provided by Native Land Digital, a nonprofit organization in Canada.
Click on the map to learn more about Indigenous territories, treaties, and languages.Find stories below that have been published on Great Lakes Now and center indigenous voices and issues related to drinking water and the Great Lakes region.
Points North: A New Hope for Anishinaabemowin
When Theresa Eischen heard about the original Star Wars film being translated into Anishinaabemowin, she auditioned for Princess Leia. She had zero voice acting experience, so it was a long shot.
Nibi Chronicles: The Gift of Manoomin
The rice harvest — manoominike — has officially started across Ojibwe country. Columnist Staci Lola Drouillard talks with her cousin about harvesting and processing wild rice, as well as the importance of water quality for growing “the good berry.”
‘These are not your lands to give away’: 6 First Nations take Ontario to court over mining law
Indigenous communities in Ontario are flooded with mining claims that chip away at their territories. It’s a “racist, colonialist” system, the lawyer leading a new court case said.
Nibi Chronicles: A conversation about Ojibwe history in Fur Trade Nation
On Carl Gawboy’s new book Fur Trade Nation: An Ojibwe’s Graphic History and how it’s “a field guide to the Ojibwe.”
Operation Manoomin: Restoring Wild Rice along the Detroit River
To reestablish the Potawatomi’s presence along the Detroit River, the local Indigenous group is interested in partnering on a project to restore wild rice in protected areas in and along the river.
Ojibwemodaa! Let’s speak Ojibwe!
On the complicated history of naming a place and the value of language.
Seneca Nation Sues City for More than 450,000 Gallons of Wastewater Overflow
The Seneca Nation of western New York officially filed a Notice of a Claim against the City of Olean after its city’s wastewater treatment plant overflowed into the Nation’s waterways for the second time this year.
As climate change alters lakes, tribes and conservationists fight for the future of spearfishing
As a result of warming waters, walleye numbers in some lakes are dwindling. Losing the species would mean losing a food source for community members, and a deep connection to tradition and nature.
New Interagency Agreement Supports Water Tribal Water and Sanitation Projects
The Department of the Interior and Indian Health Service are partnering to develop safe drinking water and improve community sanitation across Indian Country, the agencies announced this week.
Indigenous peoples rush to stop ‘false climate solutions’ ahead of next international climate meeting
COP29 could make carbon markets permanent. Indigenous leaders are calling for a moratorium before it’s too late.
Your Foraging Journey: A Framework to Sustainable and Safe Practices
An introduction to “A Year in the Wild Kitchen of the Great Lakes” — a content series in partnership with expert forager Lisa M. Rose with the mission of nurturing a deeper connection with the natural world through the lens of foraging.
Sault tribe challenges Michigan fishing deal, chides ‘preposterous’ rules
With key species like whitefish nearing the brink of collapse, Michigan’s largest Native American tribe wants fewer restrictions on when, how and where its members can fish.
Find video segments below that have aired on Great Lakes Now and center indigenous voices and issues related to drinking water and the Great Lakes region.