Indigenous Voices of the Great Lakes

Great Lakes Now's coverage of Indigenous communities, resources and more

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.

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.

Nibi Chronicles: Protecting the protectors

Learn about Ojibwe culture’s deep connection to the bizhiw, or lynx, an important animal relative in the clan system, while exploring efforts by wildlife biologists to monitor and protect these animals.

Life on the frontlines of Ontario’s critical mineral boom
- by The Narwhal

The Doug Ford government is pushing for a prospecting rush across northern Ontario, leaving a blanket of mineral claims on land where First Nations are still fighting for title.

I Speak for the Fish: How Native Americans are saving lake sturgeon
- by Kathy Johnson, Great Lakes Now

Tribal communities have played a critical role in lake sturgeon restoration efforts in the Great Lakes, yet their efforts are often overlooked and undervalued.

National Park Service Issues Landmark Order for Tribal Consultations
- by Native News Online

The new order codifies existing policies while expanding the National Park Service’s Tribal engagement.

Nibi Chronicles: Manoomin as medicine

The biochemical benefits of manoomin, or wild rice, according to collaborative research being done at the University of Minnesota.

The lonely Lake Superior caribou and a lesson in limits
- by The Narwhal

Ontario’s southernmost herd illustrates how hard it is to bring a species back from the brink — and why we need to recognize tipping points before we reach them.

Points North: A New Hope for Anishinaabemowin
- by Interlochen Public Radio

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
- by The Narwhal

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
- by John Hartig, Great Lakes Now

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.

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.

Indigenous Voices on Great Lakes Now

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