In the new book Sugar Bush Babies: Stories of My Ojibwe Grandmother, author Janis Fairbanks reflects on childhood memories involving one of her most impactful family members. "She was a force in my life," says Fairbanks of her grandmother. "Whether we were close to each other or far apart, she was a real big believer in family."
Fairbanks looks back to recount various tales of spending summer days with her grandmother in rural northern Minnesota. The small shack far from town was a world unto itself with lots to explore, and frequently a lesson from grandma, whether vocalized or simply by setting an example. "I would just watch what she did, and I would learn from that," says Fairbanks. "She was quite the woman."
A grandmother herself, Fairbanks is finding that she is now the one setting the tone and teaching lessons. At recent powwows, little girls have started filing in behind Fairbanks to replicate her footwork. "It brought back memories of when my grandma took me out in the dance circle, and I was always watching her feet."
Sugar Bush Babies can be found online through the University of Minnesota Press as well as locally at many locations including Zenith Bookstore, Fond du Lac Tribal and Community College, and Drury Lane Books in Grand Marais.
Minnesota Reads is produced at The North 103.3 with funding provided in part by the Minnesota Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund.
