This week on Minnesota Native News: The artwork of Julie Buffalohead is on display at the Bockley Gallery, three Native women are being honored for their work in the community, and the newly proposed wild rice water rule amendments fall short.
Transcript
Headlines (Marie):
Coming up, we’ll look at the Bockley Gallery, now hosting the artwork of Julie Buffalohead,
three Native women are being honored for their work in the community, and how newly proposed wild rice water rule amendments fall short.
Reporter Leah Lemm has these stories and more.
STORY #1 - JULIE BUFFALOHEAD EXHIBIT AT THE BOCKLEY GALLERY
Reporter (Leah): The Bockley Gallery is an intimate art gallery in the Minneapolis Kenwood neighborhood.
It’s now hosting the Julie Buffalohead exhibit, which consists of new mixed-media drawings.
BUFFALOHEAD: What I draw from, my inspiration, is my Native American heritage and these narratives and stories that I grew up with. A lot of times I take characters out of the stories, like animal characters, and then weave my own stories into it. (:13)
Reporter: The exhibit explores the relationship and intersection of Native American and mainstream culture.
BUFFALOHEAD: This year I have included some things that are more political, things that are current goings on in the state and in Indian communities. It still includes these animals, but it’s more of a commentary on these issues. (:17)
Reporter: The exhibit runs through December 23rd.
More information about the Bockley Gallery and Julie Buffalohead can be found on Facebook or at B-O-C-K-L-E-Y gallery dot com.
STORY #2 - HONORING AMERICAN INDIAN WOMEN RECEPTION
Leah: In other news….
The American Indian Student Cultural Center at the University of Minnesota Twin Cities hosts the annual “Honoring American Indian Women Reception” on December 7th.
Each year community members nominate women for the honor. This year’s honorees are Linda Eagle Speaker, Kelly Drummer, and Tami Walker.
Here’s Jonelle Walker, the Media Director for the American Indian Student Cultural Center.
WALKER: The event is all about honoring American Indian women who are really great resources for the community. (:06)
Reporter: Walker explains the importance of recognizing women in the Native community.
WALKER: Traditionally, especially with Dakota, Ojibwe, Lakota women, women have really important roles in the community. Part of it is honoring that and honoring the traditional importance of women. And another thing is honoring how much they’ve done despite colonization, despite sexism. (:20)
Reporter: There are no specific requirements necessary to gain a nomination or to be chosen for the honor, but Walker notes that it’s about the transformative nature of the nominees work with themselves and their surroundings that sets them apart.
The “Honoring American Indian Women Reception” takes places on December 7th at 5PM at the Coffman Memorial Union on the University of Minnesota Twin Cities campus.
The event is open to the public.
More information about the event and the American Indian Student Cultural Center can be found on Facebook.
STORY #3 - COMMENTS ON NEWLY PROPOSED WILD RICE AMENDMENTS
Leah: And a story about wild rice water quality standards. The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency or M-P-C-A has proposed new rule amendments.
Research shows that high levels of sulfides in wild rice water sediment reduces wild rice growth.
Sulfates are found in discharges from facilities such as mining operations. They convert to sulfides when they come into contact with bacteria in sediment.
The MPCA claims these changes will improve wild rice protection.
But environmental experts within the tribes, disagree. And they say their input has largely been disregarded.
Tribal experts note that the significance of wild rice to Native people in Minnesota goes far beyond subsistence, as it is also a sacred gift.
One of the Tribal recommendations was to re-classify wild rice waters to Minnesota’s Class 2, or aquatic life use.
Instead, the MPCA kept wild rice in the Class 4 waters category, which are those used for agriculture and wildlife.
Nancy Schudlt is the Water Project Coordinator at the Fond du Lac Environmental Program.
SCHULDT: Keeping it in Class 4 signals that its only value is that of a food source for humans and waterfowl or wildlife. Instead of for its own inherent values and ecological significance that moving it into Class 2 would have conveyed. They decided they weren’t going to do that. And even more disturbing is that never even said why. (:32)
Reporter: Although the MPCA has ignored tribes on this and several other issues pertaining to wild rice water quality standards, ultimately the new rules need to be reviewed and and accepted by the Environmental Protection Agency.
Schuldt reports the EPA has committed to consultation from tribes for any new rules.
For Minnesota Native News, I’m Leah Lemm.