History of Survivance: Upper Midwest 19th-Century Native American Narratives

Pow Wows

Indian War Dance at White Earth, Minn. June 14 '10

Reproduce only with permission of Northwest Minnesota Historical Center.

Indian War Dance Celebration at White Earth on June 14, 1910. White Earth is located within the White Earth Indian Reservation (Gaa-waabaabiganikaag) and is home to the White Earth Nation, also known as the Anishinaabe.

Northwest Minnesota Historical Center, 1104 7th Avenue South, Moorhead, MN 56563; http://www.mnstate.edu/archives/NorthwestMN/Home.htm

http://reflections.mndigital.org/cdm/ref/collection/mhd/id/148

http://54.245.164.12:3000/mdl/items/mhd4852-624.jpg

<p>The current thriving state of culture in Native Minnesota owes a tremendous amount to the dedication of the Native ancestors and elders who struggled to keep it alive during the 19th century. The 20th century saw further challenges to Native lifeways, yet Indian people have always managed to make the best of a bad situation. The role of pow wows in this cannot be underestimated – its insistence on a flamboyantly manifest Native presence has resulted in the arts as a principal bearer of indigenous survivance.  Projects of reclamation of indigenous languages like the <a title="Ojibwe People's Dictionary" href="http://ojibwe.lib.umn.edu" target="_blank">Ojibwe People’s Dictionary</a>, the fight for recognition of Native sacred sites like the one at Coldwater Spring, and the agitation for basic human rights for Native Americans continues.</p>

Survivance

Ancient Legacies

Colonization

Colonial Narratives

Conflict

Reservation Era

http://54.245.164.12:3000/mdl/items/538_E163_A-B.tif

http://collections.mnhs.org/cms/display.php?irn=10249421

Ojibwa black velvet loincloths elaborately decorated with glass seed beadwork arranged in floral patterns. The cloths are trimmed with red velvet.

Minnesota Historical Society

Minnesota Digital Library

<p>This Minnesota Ojibwe man’s dance apron was created in 1893 for the World’s Columbian Exhibition in Chicago. The highly ornate and bilaterally symmetrical beaded florals on a dark background are classic Anishinaabe style. Ojibwe beadwork frequently includes a combination of both identifiable and fantasy plants. Contemporary Ojibwe beadworkers are challenged to find their own definitive style while working within the tradition.</p>

History of Survivance: Upper Midwest 19th-Century Native American Narratives

Ojibwe Beadwork

Ojibwe Beadwork