Native Lights: Where Indigenous Voices Shine

Today we chat with LeAnn Littlewolf, a Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe citizen and co-Executive Director for the American Indian Community Housing Organization (AICHO) in Duluth. AICHO’s community informed programs aim to create a stronger, healthier, more stable Native community in Duluth. 

As co-Executive Director, LeAnn brings three decades of experience in community leadership and advocacy, culturally informed strategies for community and economic development. She shares about her path to leading at AICHO, how her work and AICHO’s service are built around community needs and engagement and what is next for AICHO.

AICHO’s programs include emergency and transitional housing; health equity and food sovereignty initiatives; and community arts and cultural programming. Learn more about AICHO at: https://www.aicho.org/

Native Lights: Where Indigenous Voices Shine is produced by Minnesota Native News and Ampers, Diverse Radio for Minnesota’s Communities with support from the Minnesota Arts and Cultural Heritage fund. Online at https://minnesotanativenews.org/ 

Native Lights is a weekly, half-hour radio program hosted by Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe members and siblings, Leah Lemm and Cole Premo. Native Lights is a space for people in Native communities around Mni Sota Mkoce -- a.k.a. Minnesota -- to tell their stories about finding their gifts and sharing them with the community. 

Native Lights is a weekly, half-hour radio program hosted by Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe members and siblings, Leah Lemm and Cole Premo. Native Lights is a space for people in Native communities around Mni Sota Mkoce -- a.k.a. Minnesota -- to tell their stories about finding their gifts and sharing them with the community.

 Rebekah Fineday’s Gift for Building Trust in Healthcare Systems & Native Communities
Today, we’re speaking with Rebekah Fineday, a Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe citizen and Air Force veteran who serves as Sanford Health’s Native American community advocate in Bemidji, Minnesota. She is also a Registered Nurse and has worked at Indian Health Service (IHS) in Cass Lake and Red Lake for more than a decade. Through her work, she’s been advocating to improve health care in Native American communities which include community-minded patient relations, building relationships with other tribal health groups, and in-person patient advocacy.

She shares a little about her time in the Air Force, working in Indian Health Services, and the importance of community and culture in the health care system. Miigwech to Rebekah for sharing about what has led her along the path of advocating for Native Americans in Healthcare systems!

Native Lights: Where Indigenous Voices Shine is produced by Minnesota Native News and Ampers, Diverse Radio for Minnesota’s Communities with support from the Minnesota Arts and Cultural Heritage fund. Online at https://minnesotanativenews.org/

Native Lights: Where Indigenous Voices Shine

Native Lights is a weekly, half-hour radio program hosted by Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe members and siblings, Leah Lemm and Cole Premo. Native Lights is a space for people in Native communities around Mni Sota Mkoce -- a.k.a. Minnesota -- to tell their stories about finding their gifts and sharing them with the community.
 
 Levi Brown’s Gift for Building Relationships Across the Table
 
Today we’re speaking with Levi Brown, Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe citizen and Director of Tribal Affairs at the Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDot). Levi talks with Leah and Cole about acknowledgement on a person-to-person level and on an institutional level. In his current position at MnDot, Levi helped facilitate the highway signs marking the 1854 Treaty boundaries in Northern MN, a step toward acknowledgment and a point of education. Levi is also a part of the Tribal State Relationship Training Program that helps develop collaboration and understanding between tribes and Minnesota state departments.
 
 Native Lights: Where Indigenous Voices Shine is produced by Minnesota Native News and Ampers, Diverse Radio for Minnesota’s Communities with support from the Minnesota Arts and Cultural Heritage fund. Online at https://minnesotanativenews.org/

Native Lights is a weekly, half-hour radio program hosted by Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe members and siblings, Leah Lemm and Cole Premo. Native Lights is a space for people in Native communities around Mni Sota Mkoce -- a.k.a. Minnesota -- to tell their stories about finding their gifts and sharing them with the community.

Elaine Fleming: Celebrating and Sharing the Culture of Leech Lake

Today Leah and Cole chat with Elaine Fleming. She teaches and preserves Leech Lake Ojibwe culture, history, and language. Elaine proudly lives in Cass Lake, where she has been an instructor at Leech Lake Tribal College for 29 years. Elaine has immense gratitude and care for Leech Lake’s natural gifts. At the tribal college, she has taught through hands-on experiences rooted in Leech Lake history and tradition, including manoomin harvesting, historical theatre, and knowledge bowl. She teaches several subjects including Leech Lake history, Anishinaabe studies and Indigenous American Women. Elaine shares her journey to working at the tribal college, her experiences teaching the next generation, and how through teaching she is still learning.

Elaine is also an Army veteran; was the mayor of Cass Lake from 2003 to 2006; and is the host of the History of Leech Lake Show on KOJB Radio. Chi miigwech to Elaine for sharing with us!

Find the Leech Lake Tribal College online at: https://www.lltc.edu/

Native Lights: Where Indigenous Voices Shine. Native Lights is produced by Minnesota Native News and Ampers with support from the Minnesota Arts and Cultural Heritage fund. Online at MinnesotaNativeNews.org/NativeLights

Native Lights: Where Indigenous Voices Shine

Native Lights is a weekly, half-hour radio program hosted by Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe members and siblings, Leah Lemm and Cole Premo. Native Lights is a space for people in Native communities around Mni Sota Mkoce -- a.k.a. Minnesota -- to tell their stories about finding their gifts and sharing them with the community.
 
Amber Annis: Nurturing & Protecting Authentic Narratives
 Today Leah and Cole chat with Amber Annis, a Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe citizen who is currently the director of Native American Initiative at the Minnesota Historical Society. Amber has a long history not only as a public historian, but as an educator, tribal nation liaison, community engagement specialist and collaborator.
 
She also talks about her experience teaching “Topics in Contemporary Native North America” at Metro State University; the process behind reframing historical archives of Indigenous people; and how her and the Minnesota Historical Society are helping reframing how K-12 teach the history of Minnesota.
 
Pidamayaye and Miigwech to Amber for sharing with us today! 

Native Lights: Where Indigenous Voices Shine. Native Lights is produced by Minnesota Native News and Ampers with support from the Minnesota Arts and Cultural Heritage fund. Online at MinnesotaNativeNews.org/NativeLights

Native Lights: Where Indigenous Voices Shine

Native Lights is a weekly, half-hour radio program hosted by Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe members and siblings, Leah Lemm and Cole Premo. Native Lights is a space for people in Native communities around Mni Sota Mkoce -- a.k.a. Minnesota -- to tell their stories about finding their gifts and sharing them with the community.
 
Jada Brown: Expression and Affirmation Through Singing
 Today Leah and Cole have a conversation with Jada Brown. Jada is a Minneapolis-based singer, songwriter and spoken word poet who is affiliated with the Turtle Mountain Band of Ojibwe. She just released her debut solo album Admiration this month. Jada is also in the band Willows who are releasing an EP at Icehouse in January. Jada has been singing since her teen years and moved to Minneapolis from St. Michael.

Jada is also studying Global Studies, American Indian Studies and Gender studies at the University of Minnesota. Chi Miigwech to Jada for talking with us today.
 
Native Lights: Where Indigenous Voices Shine is produced by Minnesota Native News and Ampers, Diverse Radio for Minnesota’s Communities with support from the Minnesota Arts and Cultural Heritage fund. Online at https://minnesotanativenews.org/

Native Lights: Where Indigenous Voices Shine – Weekly Radio Show

Native Lights is a weekly, half-hour radio program hosted by Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe members and siblings, Leah Lemm and Cole Premo. Native Lights is a space for people in Native communities around Mni Sota Mkoce -- a.k.a. Minnesota -- to tell their stories about finding their gifts and sharing them with the community.
 
 Karen Jones and Stephanie Longfield: Taking Initiative for Future Generations

Today Leah shares her conversations with Karen Jones and Stephanie Longfield from White Earth Nation’s cohort of Indigenous Parent Leadership Initiative (IPLI). As graduates of the initiative, they’ve begun projects to deepen connections between their communities and culture. Karen’s project, “Traditional Healing Home for Young Adults” plan to create two traditional healing home for young adults that have aged out of foster care or have nowhere else to go. Stephanie’s project “Preparing Our Youth” focuses teaching “life” skills to young adults in the White Earth community, from opening a bank account, to building credit and even maintaining vehicles. 

Chi-Miigwech to Karen and Stephanie for sharing with us today!

The Indigenous Parent Leadership Initiative is a 21-week course for parents that integrates Ojibwe culture, child development and leadership. To find out more about the next cohort at IPLI, visit https://www.indigenousvisioning.com/ or on their Facebook page: https://m.facebook.com/Indigenous-Parent-Leadership-Initiative-104913428664845

 Native Lights: Where Indigenous Voices Shine is produced by Minnesota Native News and Ampers, Diverse Radio for Minnesota’s Communities with support from the Minnesota Arts and Cultural Heritage fund. Online at https://minnesotanativenews.org/

Native Lights: Where Indigenous Voices Shine – Weekly Radio Show

Native Lights is a weekly, half-hour radio program hosted by Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe members and siblings, Leah Lemm and Cole Premo. Native Lights is a space for people in Native communities around Mni Sota Mkoce -- a.k.a. Minnesota -- to tell their stories about finding their gifts and sharing them with the community.

Jessica Glidden: Fostering Native Leadership
 Today Leah and Cole chat with Jessica Glidden (Bois Forte). Jessica is the Program Manager at the Native Governance Center (NGC). She shares her thoughts about Native identity, moving away from colonized ways and the Native Rebuilders cohort. Native Rebuilders is a leadership development program for Indigenous changemakers. The program aims to strengthen Native leaders and changemakers and gives them the tools to better their communities.
 
The Native Governance Center is a native-led nonprofit that aids Native nations in the region, strengthening their own governance systems and capacity to exercise sovereignty. Find NGC online at: https://nativegov.org/

Native Lights: Where Indigenous Voices Shine is produced by Minnesota Native News and Ampers, Diverse Radio for Minnesota’s Communities with support from the Minnesota Arts and Cultural Heritage fund. Online at https://minnesotanativenews.org/

Native Lights: Where Indigenous Voices Shine – Weekly Radio Show

Native Lights is a weekly, half-hour radio program hosted by Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe members and siblings, Leah Lemm and Cole Premo. Native Lights is a space for people in Native communities around Mni Sota Mkoce -- a.k.a. Minnesota -- to tell their stories about finding their gifts and sharing them with the community.
 
Derek Nicholas: Indigenous Fare for Future Generations

Leah and Cole have a conversation with Derek Nicholas (Red Cliff Band of Ojibwe) about food sovereignty and Indigenous cooking. Derek shares his experiences as the Nutrition Program Coordinator at the Division of Indian Work in Minneapolis; his views on culturally, seasonally appropriate foods; and about the growing, multi-faceted Indigenous food community.

Derek authored the book Eating with the Seasons, Anishinaabeg, Great Lakes Region and is planning to start a non-profit cultural camp to gather, grow and cook Indigenous foods and connect future generations to cultural traditions of all types. He’s also the founder of Wiisinig LLC, a platform to showcase his food sovereignty work.

Chi-Miigwech to Derek for sharing with us today!

Find Wiisinig online: https://www.wiisinigllc.com/

Native Lights: Where Indigenous Voices Shine is produced by Minnesota Native News and Ampers, Diverse Radio for Minnesota’s Communities with support from the Minnesota Arts and Cultural Heritage fund. Online at https://minnesotanativenews.org/

Today Leah and Cole chat with Heather Friedli, a contemporary impressionist oil painter. Heather creates vivid landscapes inspired by her family’s Native American and Mexican heritages and her time exploring the natural world. In addition to painting, Heather is also a professional snow sculptor and recently appeared in Disney’s Best In Snow sculpting competition. She shares about her family, painting styles, and her inspiring hike along the whole Appalachian Trail. 

Heather lives and works in St. Paul and operates the Friedli Gallery and Studio. Chi Miigwech to Heather for sharing with us today!

Find Heather online at: http://friedliarts.com/

Native Lights: Where Indigenous Voices Shine is produced by Minnesota Native News and Ampers, Diverse Radio for Minnesota’s Communities with support from the Minnesota Arts and Cultural Heritage fund. 

Online at https://minnesotanativenews.org/