Sense of Self
Spoken / Written Introduction.
I am raised in Nayaano-nibiimaang Gichigamiin {Five Freshwater Seas} [Great Lakes region]; lands stewarded by Anishinaabe and Dakota / Lakota / Nakota / Sioux Nations: 1855 Treaty of Washington.
Raised by my mother (she/her) and my mother’s mother, who are German / Scottish / English settlers along Bemidjigamaag lake and Misi-ziibi {Great River}[Mississippi] headwaters.
I am raised with Anishinaabe blood relatives, and remain in strong bonds with these relatives into adulthood. At age 8, I am introduced to Ziibaaska’iganagooday {Jingle Dress} dance and Ojibwe language by my first-grade teacher, a member of Miskwaagamiiwi-zaaga’igan {Red Lake} Nation. In third grade, I am introduced to beading and more Ojibwe language. I continue learning Ojibwe throughout my young adult years and to this day.
Throughout my life, it is my fortune to continue to co-create meaningful exchange with Anishinaabe people. I am proud to be called family, and continually reminded of the sense of the kinship created over my lifetime with these Dear Ones.
Chi-Miigwech.
I continue to pursue the threads of my patrilineal bloodlines and heritages.
My father was raised in another part of Nayaano-nibiimaang Gichigamiin; lands stewarded by Anishinaabe, Odawa, and Potawatomi Nations: 1833 Treaty of Gaa-zhigaagwanzhikaag [Chicago]. I believe both of my fathers parents were born and raised in {Water-Land Geography unknown}; {Land Stewards unknown}: {Treaty Territory unknown} what settlers call the state of Louisiana.
I am also a direct descendant of those Dear One’s who survived / experienced plantation human trafficking.
My step-patrilineal parent (he/him) was raised in lands stewarded by many, including Kansa, Osage, Otos, Missouri, Kickapoo, and Potawatomi Nations: 1825 Treaty with Kansa Nation. My step-parent is a direct descendant of those Dear One’s who survived / experienced plantation human trafficking, and shares oral history about his mother picking cotton on a plantation at a young age.
These bloodlines and heritages are the ones who shaped my life thus far. I look forward to learning more about myself and my relatives in a good way.