News from the Mashkiiziibii Community

Bad River Band of Lake Superior Chippewa

Mashkiiziibii News

September 26, 2018

Dagwaagin, also known as Fall, officially arrived on September 22nd, and the full Waatebagaa Giizis - Leaves Changing Color Moon - signifying the changing seasons was a beautiful sight to see if you were able to catch it.

Don't forget there is an early dismissal today for ALL students!

Tribal Offices will be CLOSED on Friday, September 28th in observance of Treaty Day.

View the School District of Ashland 2018-19 Calendar

Please scroll down for more news and upcoming events in Mashkiiziibii.

Tribe Receives Grant from Department of Justice

Bad River was recently awarded funding by the U.S. Department of Justice's Coordinated Tribal Assistance Solicitation (CTAS) for $710,000.00 to develop the eight-bedroom Nye House as a place of treatment and transition for our people battling drug addiction.

Laura Moore with Bad River Alcohol and Other Drug Abuse (AODA) Prevention Program and one of the grant writers, shares information below about what the money will be used for.

Project Abstract #3

The goal of the grant is "to develop, implement and enhance substance abuse prevention and treatment programs, including those that prevent and address the needs of drug-endangered children." In order to reach this goal, the Bad River Tribe has decided that an existing, Tribally-owned, eight bedroom home will be used as a halfway house with substance abuse treatment services through the Bad River Health and Wellness Center.

This halfway house services are targeted for individuals who are seeking primary treatment for substance use disorders, individuals returning from residential treatment centers who qualify for step-down care, and individuals who are returning to the community from jail or prison and are assessed as needing relapse prevention education.

Currently the Bad River AODA program offers both outpatient and day treatment services. Funding from this purpose area will enhance education and training of treatment providers as well as fund development of an intensive outpatient program to offer a full range of AODA services that residents of the halfway house may use. The Bad River Health and Wellness Center's mental health professionals will provide services as well as a RN case manager, who will manage medication for halfway house residents.

Twenty-four hour supervision is necessary for the halfway house to be successful. This grant will provide the necessary funding for a House Manager and Peer Recovery Specialists. Peer Recovery Specialists will ensure drug-free premises, enforce rules, and report violations to the House Manager. The House Manager will maintain case notes, lead social support meetings and culturally appropriate talking circles, and make recommendations for discharge and incentives.

Peer support activities will also be funded through this grant to increase participation in recovery and adjustment activities, such as job search, job coaching, transportation, and other activities.

Research indicates that individuals who extend their recovery through a sober living or halfway house, experience longer periods of sobriety and increased success in lifetime sobriety. Due to the highly apparent drug problems within the Bad River Tribe, which prompted a Tribal declaration of a State of Emergency in November of 2017, halfway house services are an imperative component to the success of individuals engaged in AODA and Behavioral Health services.

For more information or questions, please contact Laura Moore at 715-292-8493.

Youth Take Wild Rice Harvesting Trip

Bad River youth harvested wild rice at Pacwawong Lake near Seeley on September 18th. Water safety was reviewed and the youth were shown different ways to get through and knock the rice. The youth were able to harvest about 65 pounds in just a few hours. The rice will be donated to Tribal programs, and to the school district lunch program where the students will be able to have dishes cooked and served for them during the school year. These students will also help to process the wild rice using traditional methods during the Fall Fest held at Ashland High School on Thursday, September 27th.

Thank you to Jim Stone, a Warden at the Great Lakes Indian Fish and Wildlife Commission (GLIFWC) Warden, Fred Pero, Bad River Healthy Lifestyles Staff, Wendy Crobine, Bad River Youth Outdoors Staff, and Joy Shelble, UW Extension/Bad River Food Sovereignty and Certified Life Guard.

Birch Hill Community House News

Boozhoo! It's Lisa up at the Birch Hill Community House (BHCH). My first two weeks up here have been great - a lot is going on and our numbers have tripled.

BHCH youth will be playing lacrosse over on Madeline Island for Treaty Day on September 30th, from 11:00 am until 1:00 pm. Come support these beautiful children who respect the game. All youth are welcome to join us!

Zach and Kiara recently took Bad River Royalty and BHCH youth to the Mankato Powwow in Minnesota.

We also do a lot of cooking and it feels like a safe place to call home from 4:00 to 7:00 pm. Hope to see you there!

Contact Lisa at 715-292-1321 with any questions on upcoming events.

Healthy Lifestyles Program Looks Forward to Updates

A newly updated workout facility and training courses for our youth will be coming soon to the Healthy Lifestyles Program.

Fred Pero and Nate Ante ask that you stop in to sign up for upcoming activities they are planning.

If you have questions or need more information, please contact Fred at 715-292-3544 or Nate at 715-292-9952.

Learning the Healing Benefits of Plant Medicines

The Food Sovereignty crew, Loretta Livingston and Joy Schleble, recently held another "Dine and Learn" event for the community. This one shared the knowledge of plant medicines such as calendula and lavender, and how to make tea, ointment and powder. The class also took a tour of the gardens behind the building where and Loretta and Joy showed participants what calendula looks like as it is growing.

Back inside, the class learned about the healing benefits of calendula and how to use it to treat ailments such as eczema, conjunctivitis, gastritis and minor burns, including sunburns. If calendula is ingested as a tea, it can help soothe sore throats and fight a yeast imbalance known as Candida, which can trigger symptoms of anxiety, fatigue, and irritability.

To make an ointment, the calendula petals needed to be picked off the dried flower-heads before being added to sunflower oil and sealed in a canning jar. The class also added lavender to their oil if they wanted to. Joy explained that it takes about two weeks for the oil to settle and become ready for use.

During the class, Daryl Burns of Bad River, Neeji Singer and Nodin Kewakundo of Lac du Flambeau, were in the kitchen making pizzas with Joy's homemade dough and vegetables harvested from the food sovereignty gardens. Carrot cupcakes with cream cheese frosting were served up for a delicious dessert.

There are a lot of heirloom Italian Roma tomatoes that need to be harvested soon, and everyone is welcome to come help out a bit in the garden so you can take some home with you. The tomatoes are great for salsa, sauce or for canning. There are also teas that need to be picked as well.

Please contact Loretta at 715-695-7840 extension 1611, or Joy at 715-681-0573 for more information.

Information Needed About American Can Land Parcels

The Bad River Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Tribe is currently in the process of evaluating 110 parcels of land within the boundaries of the reservation that were formerly owned by the American Can Company, as shown on this map. These parcels are currently part of our Tribal land (as Tribal fee lands), and the goal is to put these parcels into trust status.

As part of the process, we are required to review the historical use of the parcels to determine if there are any potential environmental problems that were caused by the historical use of the properties.

This process will also identify suspect parcels that require a more thorough investigation and determine appropriate steps to address any potential concerns.

The Natural Resource Department requests that anyone with knowledge of the past historical use of these parcels please contact Naomi Tillison at 715-685-7840, extension 1561, or email Naomi to help with the property evaluations. Miigwech!

Bad River Veterans Memorial Fundraiser

There has been an effort under way to develop a Bad River Veterans Memorial at the cemetery near the Veterans Pavilion.

Community members can help fund this effort by buying a brick to be included in the paving of the memorial.

The idea for this for fundraiser began when the Repatriation Committee was on the grounds one day and thought something was lacking. They discussed doing something that would make it look better for the Veterans and the community, and eventually came up with the idea of installing black granite slabs to add each of the wars or conflicts Tribal Members have been involved in as way to honor them.

"One day I just Googled fundraising and the Buy-a-Brick campaign popped up," Edith Leoso said. "We had to go through a whole slew of things to determine what kind of bricks we wanted. Essentially, we are trying to raise money through the sale of these bricks and the buyer has the opportunity to put what they want on their brick, such as the name a family member who served or whatever the purchaser would like that is allowable according the text limits."

The goal is to raise enough money through this campaign to follow through with the developments to enhance the Veterans Pavilion area. Click here to learn more.

"It becomes a community effort to make this happen," Edith shared. "It will become aesthetically pleasing for our Veterans and community members to come enjoy and reflect and will also be handicap accessible."

Initially they had an end date set for September 1st; however, Edith explained that they are leaving the end date open, so they can get more people involved in the fundraising effort. Click here to buy a brick.

Honoring Our Elders DVD Available

Two copies of "Honoring Our Elders," a DVD featuring interviews with beloved elders from Bad River, are available at the Bad River Tribal Historic Preservation Office.

Interviews include Viola Neveaum, Mildred "Beanie" Lemieux and Flavia Neveaux, and were recorded in 2006.

Any interested family and friends who would like to view the DVD can visit the Tribal Historic Preservation Office.

COMMUNITY INFORMATION

Tribal Council Meetings

All Regular Tribal Council Meetings are held at

the Bad River Convention Center at 4:30 pm.

October 3, 2018

November 7, 2018

December 5, 2018

All Special Tribal Council Meetings are held at

the Bad River Convention Center at 4:30 pm.

October 16, 2018

November 20, 2018

December 18, 2018

Mens Tune Up Ends Today

Donations Accepted Until October 20th

Tribal Enterprise Workshop - Begins October 22nd

Ferrellgas Propane Offer

Bad River Family Foundations Program

Vehicle Registration and Titling at Chief Blackbird Center

Refer a Friend Internet Promotion

ELDER MENU

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ELDER CALENDAR

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COMMUNITY EVENTS

Practice Your Ojibwemowin - Today!

Boozhoo Niijii!

Are you interested in practicing your Ojibwemowin?

Come join us for a variety of language learning opportunities at the Language Tables at Head Start, tonight, from 6:00 to 8:00 pm.

Please bring a dish to share.