Every summer, the Bad River Band of Lake Superior Chippewa in Odanah, Wisconsin, celebrate the coming harvest of Manoomin, or wild rice. They share that their ancestors “migrated to where the food grows on the water, which is wild rice on Lake Superior.” The Bad River Powwow took place Aug. 23-25, and attendees from La Crosse included Sister Georgia Christensen, Sister Catherine Kaiser, Sister Meg Earsley and partner in mission Jane Comeau. Sister Roselyn Heil, who works as a pastoral associate at St. Mary’s Church in Odanah, hosted the group.
Immediately upon arriving at the powwow grounds, we witnessed the significant importance of elders in attendance. Signage is clear that parking and seating is designed to meet the needs of these valued mentors and teachers. Throughout the weekend, the powwow emcee references the ongoing importance of the teachings of the “grandmas” and “aunties.”
Celebrating pride and culture, the powwow grand entry included a flag presentation, pictured below (right), and flag song and continued with dancing. Several special dance categories were featured, including Men’s Woodland and Women’s Woodland Scrub. When the emcee announced Intertribal Dance, all dancers, including visitors, were invited into the circle to dance. Sister Roselyn joined many, pictured below (left), and Sister Georgia joined the special Intertribal Dance honoring cancer survivors.
During the Snake Dance video featured below you’ll hear emcee share that “a lot of the songs and dances we inherited from our aunties, our uncles, our grandparents, have been handed down generation to generation.” The emcee continuously referenced the children dancing in the circle as “our most precious treasures and future leaders.”
Around the powwow arena, food, merchandise, and educational vendors were ready to serve attendees! We enjoyed frybread tacos, hamburgers and hot dogs (Sister Georgia is pictured below with her frybread hamburger). As told by Wisconsin Life, “Frybread appears to have originated in the 1800s when the U.S. government forced many American Indians to move onto reservations. Having taken their hunting and harvest lands the government promised to provide food. They were given commodities like flour, lard and sugar to survive.” An education booth offered yard signs that read “Sko Vote Den!” on one side and “Vote For Our 7th Generation” on the other side. Sko Vote Den translates to “Go Vote, then” and is part of a campaign to encourage Native Americans to turn up at the polls this fall.
Accompanied by Bad River Tribal Elder Carole Kraft, a good friend to Sister Catherine Kaiser, we visited the reservation’s administration buildings and saw the new Health and Wellness Center. We took the photo pictured at top of page of Sisters Roselyn, Georgia and Catherine with Carole Kraft near the land that is being explored to potentially house the youth center that received support from an FSPA Seeding a Legacy of Healing grant. Fundraising for that effort continues. According to Beth Gehred, the Bad River planning department and grant writer, “we have applied through Tammy Baldwin’s office for up to $4 million in congressionally directed spending for a new Boys & Girls Club (youth department). We have been approved through the first round, but it is a long process. In the meantime, we are working hard on determining the best place to build the building; we want it near the new clinic and in the heart of the community, but out of the lowlands. We are working on permits and designs. We are grateful and appreciative of FSPA’s support.”
Our group celebrated Mass at St. Mary’s and said our goodbyes. We left touched by the hospitality we experienced, the inclusiveness and unity of the powwow, the conversations, and the joy shared.
Powwow Invitation
by Sister Meg Earsley
Bell Dresses jingling,
Tassels flowing,
Shawls billowing.
The colors blurred in movement
As peoples from different places
Joined in the dance.
The styles differed,
Some simple one-two, one-two.
Others became elaborate,
Mimicking a bird’s dance,
Or a warrior’s hunt.
All beautiful.
As I watched,
I felt somewhat lifeless,
Sitting still and unmoving,
Watching the life in front of me,
Like a television show.
A spectator – a specter.
Well, I wonder to myself.
Who told you to stay here,
In this place. Sedentary.
Surrounded by color,
And movement,
And life.
Next time, I think.
Next time I will stand up,
I will move,
I will bring my dance,
And join the others.
Next time, I think.
Why not today?
The FSPA Truth and Healing Team names relationships as a focus area and is committed to having a meaningful presence at events that center and share native stories and voices.
Additional Photography
Sam’s Photography served as the official event photographer. To view this collection, visit Sam’s Photography LLC’s Facebook page (note the posts tagged “at Bad River Indian Reservation.”)