Wisconsin Life

gentle music

geese honking

fire crackling

Out in the woods and into nature, Dylan Jennings finds life and energy.

thud

It's a very powerful place. It's this sense of place that has grounded Dylan. This time of the year we're finishing up Sugarbush, our Iskigamizigewin. The maple syrup season marks the arrival of spring in Ashland County for the Bad River Band of Lake Superior Anishinaabe. It's a very humbling thing to think about when you realize that everything you need to survive and to live healthy and to live a really good life is right in their own backyard. As a twenty-something, Dylan is very aware of where his people have been. It's the lessons of the past that carry him forward. Our reservation was established in the Treaty of 1854. The majority of our reservation is on the south shore of Gichigami or Lake Superior but we're predominantly located in wetlands all over the place. My spirit itself gravitated towards this place because of the spiritual power that these homelands have for us as Anishinaabeg. My name is Dylan Jennings or Bizhikiins is the name that was given to me. Preserving and protecting the indigenous language is also important to his way of life. Aaniin nindinawemaaganidog, (Hello all of my relatives niijii gakina. and friends) Niin sa bizhikiins indizhinikaaz. (I am known as Bizhikiins.) Waabizheshi nindoodem. (I am of the marten clan.) Mashkiiziibi nindoonjibaa. (I am from mashkiiziibi.) Good evening everybody in our beautiful and descriptive Ojibwe language. It's a language the tribe is trying to resurrect. We try very hard to speak to my first-born daughter as much Ojibwe as we possibly can so that she grows up understanding and comprehending our language. Passed down through the generations, language, culture and ancient traditions go hand in hand. I've been making drums or trying to make drums since I was a little kid. Every hide is different too. This one is elk hide. You don't want to pull 'em too tight. And you don't want to make 'em too loose either. The drum has taken me all over the world traveling and that's one of our teachings. You take care of the drum, the drum will take care of you. That's a very real and true statement. The drum then dries, kind of molds to that frame. Taking care of the drum is both sacred and ceremonial.

Boom, boom, boom, boom

chanting with drum beats

People recognize the drum as being our heartbeat of Mother Earth and the power that it brings to our circles and our ceremonies and our communities. I was very fortunate to be exposed to some of our ceremonies and some of our language at a young age. And I'm also very inquisitive about those things. You know my grandmother was a really big advocate for our way of life.

chanting with drum beats

Cultural revitalization is a huge component of all the work that we do nowadays as tribal communities. It's almost as if we are picking up the pieces of what's left. Caledula is a powerful skin healer. Picking up the pieces and forging ahead also meant a foray into politics. I had a lot of our community members approach and ask me if I would consider it. I think I was one of the youngest individuals to be elected into this capacity in our community. In addition to being a young tribal leader, Dylan also works for the Great Lakes Indian Fish and Wildlife Commission educating young and old alike.

chattering

I knew at a young age that teaching in some capacity was going to be a part of my life. And outreach specifically and educating people on our way of life. That's what I do for a living. That's the portal or that's the gateway or nexus to eliminating stereotypes, to eliminating misconceptions about indigenous people and to help us all to move forward in a better, more productive society. This drum here was created and there was a lot of good blessings put into it when it was created. Moving forward with lessons from the past, Dylan is a role model for the next generation.

chanting with drum beats

I stayed drug and alcohol free. Stay close to our ceremonies, try to learn our language and try to be a good example for our young people.

boom, boom, boom, boom, boom

If you're still waking up every day, you're healthy, you have relatives that care about you and you feel good about yourself and who you are. I think that's what success is for Anishinaabe.