Native Americans | Page 24

Ona Kingbird with a baby

Ojibwe elder and Heart of the Earth Survival School teacher Ona Kingbird with a baby, ca. 1980s. Used with the permission of Jon Lurie.

Anishinaabe or Dakota dance blanket (detail)

Detail view of an Anishinaabe or Dakota dance blanket, 1840s-1850s. Robert J. Ulrich Works of Art Purchase Fund, Mia accession number 2007.1. Public domain.

Christopher Columbus Memorial, St. Paul

Italian Americans erected a Christopher Columbus memorial on the grounds of the Minnesota State Capitol in 1931 to mark Columbus as the first white man to set foot in the Americas. Though they intended to celebrate the achievement of a fellow Italian during a time of anti-Italian bigotry, the memorial they installed promoted white supremacist myths of discovery and erased Native Americans from history. It made no comment on the atrocities committed by Columbus against Native people. Native Americans and their allies protested the memorial’s existence for decades, and in 2020, a group that included self-identified members of the American Indian Movement (AIM) tore it down.

Toppled Christopher Columbus statue on a truck

The Christopher Columbus statue outside the Minnesota State Capitol sits on a flatbed truck after a group including self-identified members of the American Indian Movement (AIM) tore it down on June 10, 2020. Photograph by Tony Webster; CC BY-SA 2.0.

Christopher Columbus statue torn down

A statue of Christopher Columbus—part of a memorial on the grounds of the Minnesota State Capitol—lies on the ground after a group including self-identified members of the American Indian Movement (AIM) tore it down on June 10, 2020. Photograph by Tony Webster; CC BY 2.0.

Columbus Memorial

The Christopher Columbus Memorial in St. Paul, on the grounds of the State Capitol. Photograph by Peter DeCarlo, 2019. On June 10, 2020, a group of protesters tore down the statue; its plinth remained intact.

Exhibit at International Wolf Center

Exhibit at the International Wolf Center that shows the importance of wolves in Native American cultures, 2019.

Kegg, Maude (1904–1996)

In 1904, along Portage Lake, in a birch-bark-and-cattail wigwam, a baby named Naawakamigookwe (Middle of the Earth Woman, also called Maude) was born to Agwadaashiins (Nancy Pine) and Gwayoonh (Charles Mitchell). She took her first breath in the traditional Ojibwe home of her family. It was the beginning of a life guided by cultural traditions, continuous adaptation to a fast-changing world, and an inherent skill for interpreting her people’s culture and history.

Maude Kegg and four generations of her descendants

Maude Kegg (seated at center) holding her great-great-granddaughter Desiree, ca. 1988. Also pictured are Kegg’s daughter Betty Kegg (above right); her granddaughter Victoria Verkennes (above center); and her great-granddaughter Kristine Verkennes, above left).

Necklace made by Maude Kegg

Medallion necklace with loom-beaded strap and circular pendant featuring a beaded rose design and leather backing. Made by Maude Kegg (Mille Lacs Ojibwe), ca. 1970.

Gale Family Library