In Ojibwe culture, winter is storytelling season.
That’s why the Wisconsin Historical Society is hosting a four-part virtual series, featuring elders and storytellers from local Ojibwe communities.
“It’s a cold night across Wisconsin, so it’s a perfect night for storytelling.”
Janet Seymour, Outreach Director at the Wisconsin Historical Society, set the tone of our virtual storytelling session from her box in the upper corner of the zoom screen.
Staff introduced the speaker of the night- Tina Van Zile, an enrolled member of the Sokaogon, Mole Lake Band of the Lake Superior Chippewa Indians and a descendant of the Forest County Potawatomi.
“I don’t really consider myself a storyteller, but I have a lot of history in me, with my job and being raised here, Sokaogon,” she started.
Van Zile is the Environmental Director for the Sokaogon and President of the Wisconsin Tribal Conservation Advisory Council.
In her session, Van Zile described early memories of ricing with her family and broke down the process step by step.
There’s a difference between dancing on rice and stepping on it- a difference that her father made sure she was aware of.
“My dad was really particular. If you dared step on the tarp with your feet that were muddy or dirty, you’d get scolded. That’s all about teaching you to respect that and value that because Manoomin is a sacred food for us,” she said.
She shared how she had been raised to harvest medicines around her.
“She’d say, ‘baby, you have to gather what you can gather,’ and I would say, ‘what do you mean by that, mom?’ She says, 'because if you don’t go and gather things,' she said, 'the Creator is going to think that you don’t need them anymore.' She said, 'maybe you can’t go all the time, but,' she says, 'make time to, even if you can go one day', she goes, 'you go gather,'” said Van Zile.
Van Zile explained how the memory of the Battle of Mole Lake, an 1806 battle between Ojibwe and Sioux people over the wild rice beds, fuels her environmental work today.
“I would go to the marker and I would read what was there and I would just remember that, Tina, your ancestors fought for this and many of them died for it, so no matter what challenge you have, you can do it,” said Van Zile.
Van Zile shared family photographs and answered questions from her virtual audience, which ranged from local people from Mole Lake to Madison to even folks from Ojibwe tribes in Ontario.
The Wisconsin Historical Society is hosting another storytelling session tonight at 7pm with Tinker Schuman, an enrolled member of the Lac du Flambeau Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Indians.
To register for the free event, check out https://wisconsinhistory.org/Records/Article/CS16727
