This episode of Ojibwe Stories: Gaganoonididaa features a talk on spiritual growth given by Obizaan [Lee Staples] of the Mille Lacs band last fall at the 2013 Minnesota Indigenous Languages Symposium. Speaking in Ojibwe (with English translations by Chato Gonzalez), Obizaan discusses the importance of embracing the Manidoog in daily life.
4/21 Ojibwe Stories - Gaganoonididaa: Spiritual Growth
Obizaan (Lee Staples) is one of the spiritual advisors for the Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe. He is a first language speaker raised in Aazhomog where only Ojibwemowin was spoken. The family in which he was raised was totally immersed in a traditional way of life. As a result, Obizaan has the ability to do most of the ceremonies given to and practiced by the Ojibwe people. He is drum keeper in Aazhomog and runs a Mide Lodge in Mille Lacs.
Ojibwe Stories: Gaganoonididaa is produced by KUMD and the Department of American Indian Studies at UMD, with funding provided in part by the Minnesota Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund.