Tribal traditions in Minnessota

Tribal traditions in Minnessota

In northern Minnesota, the Ojibwe—a Native American tribe—believe the community is more important than the individual. On the Fond du Lac reservation 20 miles west of Duluth, tribal elder Jim Northrup lives the philosophy by sharing age-old native ways with others.

In spring, Northrup taps maple trees, collecting sap for syrup; in the fall he gathers wild rice from local lakes and marshes—sharing his bounty and his wisdom to keep alive the Ojibwe cultural traditions.

Northrup’s voyage for his native ways extends far beyond the reservation. As a talented storyteller, poet, and author of two books about reservation life, he travels the world teaching others about the Ojibwe. His birchbark baskets are in the Smithsonian Institution’s collection in Washington, D.C.

“I started making baskets in 1976,” says Northrup, who lives in Sawyer, one of several small communities on the reservation. “My grandfather was ill and had stopped making them. It seemed natural for me to pick up where he left off to keep that legacy alive. Traditions give my people a sense of identity.”

One of these is the Ojibwe language, which Northrup relearned as an adult. “It is a way to bring peace to my soul. And of all the old ways, Ojibwe is the most important; language shapes your way of thinking,” he says, adding: “Besides, our stories teach that the world will end when the last Ojibwe speaker dies.”

Dan Jones, Ojibwe language teacher at Fond du Lac Tribal College, calls Northrup, 56, one of the language program’s biggest advocates. “Since the beginning, he’s always encouraged people to come. He’s very supportive.”

“Jim spoke Ojibwe before attending class, but he attributes everything he knows to that class,” Jones adds. “He helps other students, and people turn to him for advice. He’s frequently called upon to perform opening ceremonies, when a prayer is offered to begin an event.”

A Vietnam War veteran, Northrup left the reservation in 1966 but returned a decade later to start a family. “Children are a gift from the Creator,” he says, looking at his grandson, Aaron. The teenager lived with Northrup for 10 years, learning the Ojibwe language and crafts. The forest where they gathered birchbark together is steps from Northrup’s back door.

Today, with a newborn grandson, Joseph, to learn the traditions, Northrup is looking to the future. He wants to help the tribe realize its potential and meet upcoming challenges by bringing digital technology and fiber-optic cable to the reservation, providing it with access to the Internet and the world.

“Knowledge is not racially based,” he says. Sharing knowledge breaks down barriers between Native Americans and the rest of the world.”

Just as he spreads Ojibwe knowledge to the four winds, Northrup also gathers information from other countries and cultures to help his community.

With his talents as a speaker and writer, Northrup could be successful anywhere in the world. Yet he feels most at home in the place where he was born and raised.

“The dust of my ancestors is here,” he says, waving his hand past a stand of basswood outside his home. “I grew up a few houses away. I dragged my diaper in the sand out front. I’m related to half the people here, and the other half I call brother. They’re my family.”

Laine Cunningham is a freelance writer in Sebeka, Minn.

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