My Grandma was not one of those fun grandmas. At her house we did not make messes or have sleepovers. She was a boarding school survivor, strict catholic, and quite frankly as a kid she scared me. As my grandma grew into her last years though I was a budding geneologist, cultural artist, and loved photos. I loved to ask her about her life, about pictures, and about our shared childhood home on Reservation road. She was not a maker. I never saw her create art of any kind. So why name the moccasin book Nookomis Obagijigan? Kadina was sent to Red Lake Boarding School in 1923. She grew up the child of the nuns who beat her. I don't know...
At Nokomis Obagijigan we are working to build makers. Many of us did not grow up with a grandma sewing in her kitchen. Life is complex and we are always on the road to recovering who we are as Anishinaabeg. Many of us spend our lifetimes searching for our grandmother's gifts. We at Nokomis Obagijigan are not experts but we work tirelessly to share the little we know with our communities. Available on YouTube, these videos are meant to compliment your learning from teachers, mentors, the existing Ojibwe Pucker Toe moccasin making videos,and our forthcoming pattern book. Please share and use widely. Part 1 Making the bottom of the Moccasin Part 2 Making the top of the Moccasin Miigwech the...
Cultural Art belongs to us all. It is our inheritance. And we are all just the conduits. For those of us on the end of teaching and sharing about our cultural arts, we can often empty out our rivers. Lately I've been feeling that I'd given away all I had. When we feel the river running dry it is time to find the sources that fill us up. I know what I need is some time with people on the step above me. I need some time with our elder artists, historians, and mentors. They carry stories, information, laughter, and are so full of the wisdom of experience. This weekend I spent time with one of my mentors Wendy Savage, expert moccasin...
Strange thing about being an Indigenous person in this middle part of life, we are now (rightfully so) expected to carry forward the gifts we are given. The work of our generation is largely one of revitalization, recovery, and carrying on. Today I held tiny hands and danced. We shared dance stories, styles, songs, and our laughter with 150 headstart students today. Its hard at this age to know what they hold onto. What always stays though is the way the heart feels. Not everyone is a dancer but we all have things that need to be shaken off. This is the gift of our way of life. We have the surface and we have all that lays beneath. And...
Nookomis Obagijigan met with one of our mentors and teachers, expert Wendy Savage for food and conversation yesterday. Wendy is a self taught moccasin, beadwork, and sewing expert. Wendy belongs to a family of extraordinary, award winning artists and educators. When asked who taught her Wendy says "We taught ourselves! We went to museums. We went to the library. We spent time with those old ladies. We didn't have the internet." For Agaton Howes, Wendy is instrumental in her understanding of Ojibwe art "Wendy is who taught me about the meaning behind our floral designs. She taught me about valuing myself as an artist. She is always there willing to share everything she knows. I try to emulate her in...
