GICHIMANIDOO-GIIZIS (Great Spirit Moon) | |
TRIBAL GOVERNMENT NEWS & RESOURCES | |
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Free Ojibwe Storytelling Series Continues January 23
Our Very Own Tinker Schuman Featured Speaker
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The Ojibwe Storytellers continues next week as part of a free, virtual online series produced by the Wisconsin Historical Society.
The January 23 featured Ojibwe storyteller is Tinker Schuman, who is a published poet, storyteller, pipe carrier, artist, tribal elder, and spiritual helper. She is called Migizikwe, Eagle Woman.
Tinker is the author of Baa Bii Dwe We Win: Sounds of Living, Reborn in the Sun and co-author of The Healing Blanket. Tinker attended the Institute of American Indian Arts in Santa Fe and has a Bachelor of Arts degree in Education. She has been a member of Ancestral Women, a performance group, and is featured in "Women and Water: Woven Portraits from Around the World," a fiber arts exhibit by Mary Burns. Tinker is an enrolled member of the Lac du Flambeau Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Indians and has two children, seven grandchildren, and four great-grandchildren.
To hear all the 2024 Ojibwe Storytellers, please click on this link.
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Tribal Members May Harvest Deer Until January 31 | |
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January Is Stalking Awareness Month
Contact LDF Domestic Abuse Program For Help
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Learn To Identify & Prevent Human Trafficking
Contact LDF Domestic Abuse Program For Help
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Register For A Health Screening Throughout January | |
Constitution Committee Meeting Schedule | |
Tribe Issues Two Requests For Proposals | |
To view the full requirements for both requests for proposals listed below, please click on this link to learn more: https://ldftribe.com/rfps/ | |
Ernie St. Germaine To Be Inducted Into Hall of Fame | |
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The North American Indigenous Athletics Hall of Fame announced its third class of inductees this month. Lac du Flambeau's Ernie St. Germaine is one of 77 individuals who will be inducted into the hall of fame in March during a ceremony held in Green Bay.
"I am very honored to be recognized for my athletic accomplishments but also for my work with youth," Ernie says. "I have always promoted fitness and encouraged our youth to live healthy, positive and balanced lives. It is the teaching of minobiimaadiziiwin."
"I also tell our youth that they need to think about what kind of hero they will be for their children, nieces, nephews and young people following their footsteps," Ernie adds. "That is what being a traditional uncle and auntie, dad, mom, grandpa and grandma really means."
"I am very humbled to be recognized alongside other amazing athletes and sports leaders in North America," he says.
Ernie has been an athlete most of his life. Born in 1948 to Frank and Saxon
(Benjamin) St. Germaine. He lettered in three sports in high school and went on to play college baseball at UW Eau Claire. He continued playing baseball for teams including the Eau Claire Merchants, Exeland Braves and Dillworth
A’s. He coached high school baseball and summer leagues and high school golf.
Ernie organized and led youth organizations and summer camps including Great Lakes Anishinaabe Youth Leadership Institute and Great Lakes Running Strong for American Indian Youth supported by Billy Mills and Christian Relief Service. He also led the Summer Survival Camp for high school youth with UW-La Crosse for nearly 10 years.
Ernie has organized and run several Run Series including the 2023 Bimibaatoo Ziigwan (Spring Run) Series at Lac Courte Oreilles together with the American Birkebeiner Foundation. The six week event averaged over 75 participants with over 400 total participants.
Ernie considers his most notable accomplishment as being the last surviving Founder of the American Birkebeiner Ski Race that takes place in February each year. The American Birkebeiner (Birkie) is a race founded by Tony Wise of Hayward in 1973. The event is a 55 Kilometer (over 34 miles) marathon Nordic Ski Race. Ernie started and finished that first race though never having been on Nordic skis before that day.
And though he swore never ever to do anything so foolish again, he was there at the start line in the second year, the third, fourth…in fact, he has skied every American Birkebeiner since that first race and will ski his 50th race in February 2024 never having missed one. The event was canceled in 2000 and 2017 due to lack of snow. Of the original 11 Founders who skied each of the first 10 events, Ernie is the last surviving Founder. He continues to train daily on his bike and trail hiking in warm months and skiing during the winter ski season.
Founded in 2022 by Dan Ninham, Oneida, and his wife Susan, Red Lake Ojibwe, the North American Indigenous Athletics Hall of Fame (NAIAHF) honors and recognizes the indigenous sport cultures of 27 countries of North America by recognizing outstanding leadership and achievement in individual and team athletics. By honoring and celebrating the empowered journey of the annually inducted individuals and teams, the hope is their stories may inspire future generations to follow their dreams in athletics and life.
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Voigt Task Force Honors President Johnson & Grandsons | |
The Voigt Intertribal Task Force recognized Lac du Flambeau President John Johnson and his grandsons, Elliot (14) and Ganebik (13) at Bad River Reservation last week. For much of the Covid-19 pandemic, the Johnson boys stepped up to ensure that every VITF meeting—whether in-person or virtual—began and finished with drum songs. President Johnson departs the VITF chairman seat to concentrate on issues affecting his homelands at Lac du Flambeau. Miigwech! (J. Van Sickle, GLIFWC photo) | |
LDF Hosts Great Lakes Intertribal Council Annual Meeting | |
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This month the Great Lake Intertribal Council held its annual meeting in Lac du Flambeau. The gathering of the federally recognized tribes, residing within what’s now known as Wisconsin and one in Michigan, discussed a wide variety of topics related to the health and well-being of the tribes and their members.
Tribal leaders shared updates with the group on the latest developments within their individual tribes with additional insights and discussions surrounding the University of Wisconsin tribal relations, Wisconsin Historical Society tribal relations, Native American travel and tourism, Medical College of Wisconsin programming, as well as a variety of other discussions among state-tribal governments.
Tribal leaders and their staff members met with state representatives from Wisconsin to determine ongoing ways to collaborate and work efficiently together to solve challenges.
GLITC staff members offered highlights of their work including: Aging and Disability Services, Economic Development, Education, Health and Research, Elders Services, Epidemiology, Family Health, Planning and Development, and Vocational Rehabilitation. GLITC CEO Bryan Bainbridge offered an update on the permitting process for the Adolescent Recovery and Wellness Center proposed for construction on 300 acres of land purchased by the GLITC tribes in the Town of Cassian outside of Tomahawk.
Part of the state-tribal discussion centered on the increase in child mental and behavioral health cases, why there has been an increase in these cases, the need for earlier intervention, more care, and more funding for additional staff, as well as how to improve outcomes.
“We had a productive conversation with the state and among tribal leaders,” Tribal President John D. Johnson Sr. says. “That needs to continue so we can work together to address the challenges, strategies, and culturally-sensitive responses to our tribal concerns.”
Participating in the discussion with tribal leaders on children's mental health and well-being were staff from Wisconsin’s Office of Children’s Mental Health, Department of Health Services, Department of Children and Families, and the Bemidji Area Indian Health Services.
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AG Kaul Announces New Partnership Between The Wisconsin Anti-Human Trafficking and Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Relatives Task Forces | |
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During National Human Trafficking Prevention Month, Attorney General Josh Kaul announces the formal partnership between the Wisconsin Anti-Human Trafficking Task Force (WAHTTF) and the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Relatives (MMIWR) Task Force. The goal of the partnership is to bring awareness to and address the prevalence of human trafficking in Wisconsin’s Indigenous communities, identify victims of both sex and labor exploitation, successfully investigate and prosecute offenders, and increase collaboration between law enforcement, tribal leadership, victim advocates, and other disciplines.
“Wisconsin DOJ works to hold traffickers accountable for their crimes and to support trafficking victims,” said Attorney General Kaul. “The new partnership between the Anti-Human Trafficking and Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Relatives task forces will help make both more comprehensive and effective.”
WAHTTF is a statewide multidisciplinary task force led by the Wisconsin Department of Justice (DOJ) Division of Criminal Investigation (DCI) and Project Respect. WAHTTF upholds the intent of the Trafficking Victims Protection Act by ensuring that all trafficking victims are identified and receive access to a comprehensive array of support services, and that crimes of human trafficking are successfully investigated and prosecuted at the local, state, tribal, and federal levels.
The MMIWR Task Force goal is to help fight the abduction, homicide, violence and trafficking of Indigenous women and relatives in Wisconsin. In partnership with the Wisconsin DOJ and the Indigenous communities, the task force is examining the factors that contribute to missing and murdered Indigenous women and relatives, focusing on understanding the roles federal, state and tribal jurisdictions play, and how to improve and implement robust data collection and reporting methods.
Task force leadership plan to engage membership in regular collaboration, providing shared input on data collection protocols and recommendations for best practices throughout the state. The WAHTTF, the MMIWR Task Force, American Indians Against Abuse (AIAA), and Wisconsin DOJ’s Office of Crime Victim Services plan to collaborate on a statewide survey distributed to non-Native victim service providers, Tribal victim service programs and Native-led nonprofit agencies, and District Attorney Office-based Victim/Witness Coordinators in an attempt to understand the scope of human trafficking in Native communities and learn about barriers to accessing services. AIAA is the statewide coalition of tribal victim service providers, providing training and technical assistance to Wisconsin’s 11 federally recognized tribes.
Wisconsin DOJ acknowledges the intersection of human trafficking and MMIWR in our state and is committed to following the lead of survivors, their families, and the communities most impacted by these crimes.
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FEATURED EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY OF THE WEEK | |
Many job opportunities are listed at the end of this E-newsletter weekly. To improve awareness about the wide variety of jobs available, a featured employment opening will appear here every week. For all job openings, click this link to visit the Tribal Employment website page. | |
Next Sewing Circle Coming January 22 | |
Register By January 22 For Next Maternal Support Group | |
Family Resources' Grief Support Groups Held Mondays | |
Snowmobile & ATV Safety Courses Start February 9 | |
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A three-day combined Snowmobile/ ATV safety course runs Friday, February 9 from 4:00pm-7:00pm, Saturday February 10 from 10:00am-1:00pm, and Sunday February 11 from 12:00pm-3:00pm at the LDF Youth Center.
Students must be present all three days. Students must register for both classes (snowmobile & ATV) separately on their WI DNR GoWild account. If a student only wants to certify in one of the classes, they should only register for that respective class. If they want to take both classes, they must register for both ATV and snowmobile classes separately (they must go through the below registration process twice, once for ATV and again for Snowmobile).
Here is what students need to do to take the class:
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Students must log into their WI DNR Go Wild account (if they do not have an account, they must create one): https://gowild.wi.gov/
- Once logged in students will click on the “manage safety education” tab then click the “search for class” tab.
- For the “course type” drop box, click “snowmobile” or “ATV”. (if taking both courses, students must register for both courses separately)
- For the “county” drop box, click “Vilas” then hit “search”. The class should now be displayed.
- Students should click the “enroll tab”. They should see a message at the top of the screen saying “Success! you have successfully enrolled in the class”. They are now enrolled for the respective class they chose. (They must do this process for both ATV and snowmobile safety if wanting to certify in both classes otherwise they will only be registered for one)
- Each course the student is certifying in costs $10.00. So, if students are certifying in both Snowmobile and ATV safety, the total for the student would be $20.00. This should be brought to class either the first or second day.
Students should be 12 years old or very close to the age of 12 when taking the class. Seating is limited to 15 students.
If anyone is having trouble or has questions, they can get a hold of me. Please distribute this around the community.
Riley Brooks
Conservation Warden
Great Lakes Indian Fish and Wildlife Commission
715-562-0300
rbrooks@glifwc.org
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LDF YMCA Family Fun Day Coming February 10 | |
Learn Our Language, Every Tuesday | |
Women's Support Group Every Wednesday | |
Men's Violence Intervention Program Every Thursday | |
Ikwe Circle Every Friday 3pm to 8pm | |
Foundation Kids Church Provides Fun Experience | |
Learn About LDF Children's Trust | |
To learn more about LDF Children's Trust, please review the flyer below, scan the QR code with the camera on your mobile phone, or click this video link. | |
Lac du Flambeau Tribal Employment Opportunities | |
LDF Business Development Corporation Opportunities | |
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Full descriptions of the LDF Business Development Corporation employment openings can be found on the LDF Business Development Corporation website. Current Openings Follow:
BDC:
Trades Instructor
HR Generalist
LDF Holdings:
Portfolio Support Agent
Ojibwe Market:
Lead Cashier
Cashier
Deli Clerk
Utility Clerk
Woodland Cannabis:
Dispensary Retail Manager (Click this link to apply)
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Find Employment Opportunities Using These Links | |
More Employment Opportunities | | | | |
