Inspired by the vast biodiversity found in her Lac Courte Oreilles homelands, Ojibwe artist Jessica Leigh Gokey created a three-tier portraiture of the Northwoods featuring sky, land, and water she calls “Affinity of Nature’s Harmony.” A sub-panel of Gokey’s sweeping landscape explores the subsurface space found naawij—out in the lake—and is GLIFWC’s 2023 Annual Poster. The full color drawing is entitled mino-wiiji’idiwin, a term that translates into English as being together, or coexisting, peacefully.
Covered in lakes great and small, the Ojibwe Ceded Territory supports a rich collection of aquatic life. Gokey’s snapshot of a water column features creatures both mysterious and familiar. Members of the abundant panfish family are represented—collectively bluegill and sunfish are both known as agwadaashi in the Ojibwe language. Other finned swimmers include ogaa (walleye) and asaawe (yellow perch). Animals like the industrious wazhashk (muskrat) and diving mangwag (loons) make their living right alongside aquatic plants and bimiskodisiig (snails). They all rely on each other—and clean water to live in—to maintain a healthy community and a successful food web. What other living beings can you find?
