GLIFWC is here with the tools you need for students of all ages or training refreshers with colleagues, to build understanding of what GLIFWC does and why.
Strengthen your classrooms with affordable and accessible books, posters, videos, and activities to learn more about treaties and build educator confidence to teach the sometimes tough concepts of treaty rights, Great Lakes/Inland harvest, science, and traditional ecological knowledge.
You can order our items in bulk or stop by our office to pick up what you need. Just let us know how we can assist!
GLIFWC's annual posters feature original and culturally relevant artwork by indigenous artists from around the region. Published each year at the end of summer, they are one of the most requested classroom resources from GLIFWC's Public Information Office. Each poster comes with an informational sell sheet providing an in-depth explanation of elements and themes found inside the artwork.
2024 Annual Poster: "Ikwewag Oganawendaanaawaa Manoomin"
Anishinaabe women are the original caretakers of manoomin (wild rice). For GLIFWC’s 2024 poster, Ojibwe artist Amber Waboose, member of the Batchewana First Nation in Ontario, depicts this way of life with Anishinaabekweg (women) observing, learning, and teaching about manoomin growing in the river. The title, Ikwewag Oganawendaanaawaa Manoomin, means “the women take care of the rice,” in Ojibwemowin.
In Ojibwe teachings, Anishinaabekweg are depicted without facial features, as are many Ojibwe artworks and dolls. This teaches humility and that all people are equal regardless of their facial features.
The four rays from the sun represent the importance of the number four, which is central to many aspects of life, including the four seasons, four directions, four life stages, the four orders of creation, and the four feast foods, of which manoomin is one. The Anishinaabe creation story features the four orders of creation and are all present in the artwork. The time for harvesting manoomin is a happy and festive occasion. People sing and tell stories while they gather, parch, and husk the rice. The process is labor-intensive but filled with love and care.
The oboodashkwaanishiinh (dragonfly) symbolizes renewal. These little creatures are always found flitting around the water, representing the grandmother manidoog (spirits) who watch over her. Amik (beaver) creates balance as he builds his dams and lodges, and he changes the flow of the river. Sometimes his lodge slows a stream to create the perfect place for a healthy rice bed, and sometimes it makes the water too deep or warm, and the manoomin rests.
Wazhashk (muskrat) is a reminder that the most vulnerable of creatures became the quiet sacrificing hero, giving his own life so that all of creation would have a place to call home. In the Ojibwe Re-creation story, when deep floodwater covered the earth, it was wazhashk who successfully dove to the bottom and returned with a pawful of soil. That small piece of earth he held when he resurfaced was placed on the back of mikinaak (turtle), restoring Turtle Island. He made it possible for the Anishinaabe to continue their way of life.
Finally, the manoomin growth cycle appears in the foreground, mirroring the life cycle of the Anishinaabe. From seed to sprout to the delicate floating leaf and all the way until a mature plant stands proudly above the water and provides seeds for the sustenance of people and creatures and for the next generation of rice. So too do the Anishinaabe stand proudly, knowing the care they give to the manoomin will allow it to keep teaching the people and providing for their way of life for many generations.
GLIFWC's Public Information Office and Planning and Development Division offers a variety of tools for interactive education for teachers, parents, and caregivers.
The Ogichidaa Storytellers Series and Workbook adds enduring understandings and essential questions to frame learning and activities to connect the past to the present and the future, a glossary of key vocabulary words, and lesson ideas for our Ogichidaa Storytellers series on YouTube. This content is generally for middle and high school students.
The Nenda-gikendamang ningo-biboonagak (We seek to learn throughout the year) language resource website offers a variety of interactive games, lessons, and stories for the young and the young at heart. This website (inwe.com) and its language resources are intended as tools for Anishinaabemowin accessibility, and by no means are a replacement for our speakers and elders.
In Growing Up Ojibwe: The Game, players take the role of Tommy or Annie Sky, an Ojibwe youth, sent on a mission by their grandmother to learn important knowledge that has been forgotten by many.
"We Seek to Learn Throughout the Year"
Read the Mille Lacs Band's guide to Pow Wows
An online book club for librarians, parents, educators, and anyone that loves to read to children. Join us during spring and fall to explore Anishinaabe culture and the Great Lakes!
From the Wisconsin Sea Grant; Listen to Episode 10: Fire, Blueberries & Treaty Rights. The story starts at the opening ceremony of a Wisconsin Sea Grant-funded project called Nimaawanji’idimin giiwitaashkodeng: We are all gathering around the fire.
GLIFWC's Public Information Office provides onsite educational presentations about Ojibwe treaty rights, natural resource stewardship and insights into our work with fish and wildlife across the Ceded Territory. For Wisconsin educators we can help support your school's Act 31 goals.
Presentation library coming soon.
The states of Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Michigan have guides and standards for indigenous education in the classroom. GLIFWC's Public Information Office can help support your school's indigenous education goals. To schedule a visit to your classroom or campus please contact Jenny Van Sickle, PIO Outreach Specialist.
MN Indigenous Education for All: "Indigenous Education For All (IEFA) integrates Anishinaabe and Dakota cultural, historical, and contemporary contributions into Minnesota’s K-12 curriculum. This initiative ensures students and educators learn about local Indigenous communities, meeting academic standards and addressing educational gaps. IEFA aims to reclaim Indigenous narratives, covering Tribal histories, languages, sovereignty, cultures, treaty rights, governance, socioeconomic experiences, and contemporary experiences of Tribal Nations within Minnesota." -MN Dept. of Education
Wisconsin Act 31: In 1989, efforts from both state and tribal leaders led to legislation requiring instruction in the history, culture, and tribal sovereignty of the eleven federally-recognized American Indian nations and tribal communities in Wisconsin public school districts. The intent is to provide Wisconsin’s students with accurate, academically-appropriate information that can serve as a positive force to combat misunderstanding and social unrest. Wisconsin Act 31
Confederation of Michigan Tribal Education Departments: "The Confederation of Michigan Tribal Education Departments is committed to developing educated, confident, competitive, proficient tribal citizens who excel in any venture they pursue while maintaining their rich Anishinabe culture and language.It is critical that we raise our voices and participate at all levels of decision-making, discourse, and policymaking." -CMTED.org
Looking for posters, crafts, workbooks, GLIFWC publications, or more? Browse the online store to find accessible and affordable resources for your classroom, office, or home. Many are available for free direct download.
One craft loved by elementary school children is decorating a bandolier bag, available in the store.
"Bandolier bags, or gashkibidaaganag—the large, heavily beaded shoulder bags made and worn by several North American Indian tribes around the Great Lakes—are prized cultural icons here and around the world. From the 1870s to the present day, Ojibwe bead artists of Minnesota have been especially well known for their lively, creative designs. Neighboring Dakota people would trade a pony for a beautiful beaded bag." –from "A Bag Worth a Pony The Art of the Ojibwe Bandolier Bag," MG Anderson.
Photo: A fun activity to learn more about Ojibwe woodland florals. Thank you to Bryant Elementary in Superior, Wisconsin for sharing! A fun activity for all ages to color or bead.
