- Details
- By Darren Thompson
Evanston, Illinois—This morning at sunrise, a birchbark canoe was launched on the shores of Lake Michigan at Northwestern University—a first in hundreds of years. The canoe was built by Wayne Valliere, a member of the Lac du Flambeau Band of Lake Superior Chippewa.
“The launching of this canoe is like coming home today,” said Wayne Valliere during the ceremony. “The spirits that live in this place never forgot the Anishinaabeg; they never forgot who we are and they are happy today.”
Want more Native News? Get the free daily newsletter today.
Valliere is one of the few remaining traditional birchbark canoe makers among the Anishinabe people, commonly known as the Three Fires Confederacy of the Ojibwe, Potawatomi and the Odawa people. Valliere is a 2020 National Endowment for the Arts Heritage Fellow and also practices other traditions such as beading, quillwork and drum making.
The lessons he shares are not just about canoes, but our place in the world.
“Our Grandmother—the Earth—isn’t doing too well. The water throughout this country is contaminated and without clean water we have no life,” said Valliere.
Valliere recollects the history of the Anishinabeg people, and shared with the nearly 100 people attending the launching that it has been nearly 400 years since a canoe has been launched on the southern shores of Lake Michigan. “It’s been put in other places, north of here, but not in this place,” said Valliere.
The Center for Native American and Indigenous Research (CNAIR) at Northwestern University hosted Wayne Valliere as an artist-in-residence, where he taught students and others the craft and traditions of canoe making over the last three weeks. CNAIR is Northwestern’s primary institutional space dedicated to advancing scholarship, teaching, learning and artistic or cultural practices related to Native American and Indigenous communities, priorities, histories and lifeways.
“Our local Indigenous community, the town of Evanston, students at Northwestern University all came to participate in the building of this canoe,” said Northwestern University Outreach and Engagement Associate Director Pamala Silas to Native News Online.
The canoe will be housed somewhere on campus, said Silas. “It is our hope that this canoe is more than just an object to the community and it inspires teaching and learning from an Indigenous perspective,” she said.
Earlier this summer, a group of Northwestern faculty and students traveled to the Lac du Flambeau Reservation in northern Wisconsin to help gather materials used to create the canoe: cedar for the ribs, spruce roots for the stitching, pine pitch to seal the seams and birchbark. The Anishinaabeg used birchbark to build homes, cradles, caskets and much more.
“After 500 years of attempting to assimilate the Anishinabe people, it still hasn’t happened yet,” said Valliere.
More Stories Like This
50 Years of Self-Determination: How a Landmark Act Empowered Tribal Sovereignty and Transformed Federal-Tribal RelationsMuscogee Nation Marks Fifth Anniversary of McGirt Ruling with Sovereignty Day Celebration
Navajo Nation Appoints Associate Justice Eleanor Shirley as Interim Chief Justice
Suquamish Tribe Remains a Major Economic Driver in Kitsap County and Beyond, New Study Finds
Oklahoma Supreme Court Rules Muscogee Citizen Must Pay State Income Taxes Despite Living on Reservation
Help us tell the stories that could save Native languages and food traditions
At a critical moment for Indian Country, Native News Online is embarking on our most ambitious reporting project yet: "Cultivating Culture," a three-year investigation into two forces shaping Native community survival—food sovereignty and language revitalization.
The devastating impact of COVID-19 accelerated the loss of Native elders and with them, irreplaceable cultural knowledge. Yet across tribal communities, innovative leaders are fighting back, reclaiming traditional food systems and breathing new life into Native languages. These aren't just cultural preservation efforts—they're powerful pathways to community health, healing, and resilience.
Our dedicated reporting team will spend three years documenting these stories through on-the-ground reporting in 18 tribal communities, producing over 200 in-depth stories, 18 podcast episodes, and multimedia content that amplifies Indigenous voices. We'll show policymakers, funders, and allies how cultural restoration directly impacts physical and mental wellness while celebrating successful models of sovereignty and self-determination.
This isn't corporate media parachuting into Indian Country for a quick story. This is sustained, relationship-based journalism by Native reporters who understand these communities. It's "Warrior Journalism"—fearless reporting that serves the 5.5 million readers who depend on us for news that mainstream media often ignores.
We need your help right now. While we've secured partial funding, we're still $450,000 short of our three-year budget. Our immediate goal is $25,000 this month to keep this critical work moving forward—funding reporter salaries, travel to remote communities, photography, and the deep reporting these stories deserve.
Every dollar directly supports Indigenous journalists telling Indigenous stories. Whether it's $5 or $50, your contribution ensures these vital narratives of resilience, innovation, and hope don't disappear into silence.
The stakes couldn't be higher. Native languages are being lost at an alarming rate. Food insecurity plagues many tribal communities. But solutions are emerging, and these stories need to be told.
Support independent Native journalism. Fund the stories that matter.
Levi Rickert (Potawatomi), Editor & Publisher