Mentorship is a cornerstone of our Ojibwe way of life. Passing down skills and knowledge from one generation to the next is the foundation of our community. The extended family is the support structure we have relied upon to thrive and provide space for this passing of skills.
These ways of life have been largely disrupted by the genocidal policy of the church and government ran boarding schools. Multiple generations of our families were disrupted by children spending their lives away from the love, mentorship, and support of Home. Arriving back with the scars of abuse the survivors did their best to carry and raise their children. In my family my grandparents and great grandparents were taken to boarding schools at Chilocco, Red Lake, and Odena.
I have been beyond fortunate to have many incredible mentors and teachers who invested in me. My first teacher, my mom, always made space for art. Making, sewing, doing was a fundamental part of our home and our life. She has guided me through my journey as an artist and is endlessly supportive of every wild idea.
When I was in my early twenties I wanted to learn to dance and powwows. My older brother Naawakwe said “well, you better learn to sew and bead then.” And he too taught me. I had no idea at that time the trajectory this would lead me on. He is always there to analyze an idea, share a story, and respond to my endless questions about how to say things in our language.
The late Winnie Laprairie taught me to make baby moccasins, oooh around 2005. I always want to call her name into the space because she talked about Her teachers in the class Ada Yankee. Wendy Savage, an incredible artist in her own right, has always supported and mentored me specifically as an arts entrepreneur. She is the first person to say “AND CHARGE THEM DOUBLE!” And she is right. I have passed her words on to so many aspiring art entrepreneurs. Karen Savage will take time from her life to literally tear apart a pair of moccasins to examine and inspect how we can make them.
Their support and swinging the gate Wide open has changed the lives of so many. With their skills and knowledge passed to me I have been able to teach well over 850 people to make moccasins in the last decade. This means 850 families have a competent, skilled person to provide this way of loving and caring within their home. This is how we heal each other.
The incredible opportunity to work with Louie Gong has completely changed not only my life but the way that companies work with artists. From the first moments of teaching me Adobe Illustrator to the hard pep talks on how to run a business his advice, support, and critical eye are the cornerstones of Heart Berry.
My brother Bidaasige recently took me netting and mentored me into learning how to set my net, how to care for and harvest the fish, and these are the kind of powerful moments we can hand each other. Showing someone how to embrace their cultural inheritance whether through language, moccasin making, or practicing our treaty rights is Transformative work.
The person who rarely gets mentioned and who is quite frankly very uncomfortable being inthe spotlight is my husband Jeff. Nearly Every time I come to him with one of my ideas that I AM doing, not that I am thinking of doing he says “Cool.” And off I go. His steadfast way of moving through the world and supporting me is quiet but his faith in me has bolstered my every move.
When the Arrowhead Arts Award announced they were awarding me the Transformative Art Award I knew that I wanted to honor Those people. We do not do this work alone or in isolation. I consider it the greatest honor of my life to pass down skills, knowledge, and opportunities to our community as a conduit from them. I got to surprise them with a blanketing at the ceremony with blankets from Other artists!
Shout out to all the mentors and teachers out there. You are healing generations.
Miigwech
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