Ojibwe Culture

Carmen Gopher, a second generation Loud Thunder singer.

Ojibwe Culture

Glen Eagleman Jr. sings with Loud Thunder singers Glenn Gopher, and Blair Gopher. The music of the Loud Thunder Singers is rare; one will have to experience their music live. The group does not do CDs.

Ojibwe Singers in Action

The lead singer of the Loud Thunder Singers for over 35 years, Glenn Gopher, (blue shirt, white cap)-resides in Great Falls. He is a lynchpin for the survival of Ojibwe cultural traditions. The art of ceremonial singing is all encompassing; he has spent his lifetime on his craft. His is a central role in the Ojibwe round dance culture. His work started as a powwow singer as a youth in his late teens. He sings occasionally in the sun dance lodges in north central Montana.

The sun dance songs of the Ojibwe led to the cultural survival of area tribes--these songs carry the contemporary sun dance tradition in Montana. Though few tribes ackowledge the contributions of the Ojibwe, who are landless people--it is through their sacrifice to hold on to cultural knowledge at all costs--that enable the sun dance culture in Montana today. This is an unbroken chain of traditional knowledge; the Ojibwe fought off efforts to eradicate their culture. They were forced to forego the security of land/reservation and the benefits of recognition to keep their cultural knowledge safe from extermination.

(Pictured: Frank "Frank P.L." Hess (Cree), Kyle Spearson (Ojibwe), Glenn Eagleman Jr. (Oji-Cree), Glenn Gopher(Ojibwe))

Ojibwe Culture

Ojibwe Round Dance: A Resurrected Culture

The Great Falls Ojibwe round dances originated from those that left the Great Lakes region post 1864; and likely was brought over by the lineal descendants of the Rocky Boy Band of Chippewa and the descendants of the Businause Dodaim; subclan Migisew (Bald Eagle clan) Ojibwe.

The Hill 57 round dances were held in the area during the years of the Great Depression in tipis and houses on "the Hill" outside of Great Falls. Ojibwe leader Robert Gopher stated the families there would hold the round dances; the mature men of the tribe would sing the round dance songs; they would serve baloney sandwiches--all they had to feast on during the difficult years of the Great Depression.

During the 1950s to the early 1980s--the Round Dance was not actively practiced. Robert Gopher and his family restored the cultural tradition in 1983 and have sponsored these ceremonies since that time; on at least an annual basis. The Gopher family round dances have become a community fixture in Great Falls. They are always held during the first weekend of October. These annual events are held at the Family Living Building, Montana ExpoPark--the county fairgrounds just down the road from historic Hill 57.

2nd Annual Ojibwe Unity Walk Scheduled May 29, 2010

SCHEDULE OF EVENTS

2nd Annual Chippewa Unity Walk & Round Dance

May 29th, 2010

Family Living Building, Montana Expo Park, Great Falls, Montana.
Federal Recognition for Montana’s Chippewa Nations

9am

Unity Walk to Hill 57

12noon

Memorial Feast for Tony Deserley and Manius Daniels

5:00pm.

Round Dance

6:00pm.

Honor Dance and recognition for the newly elected Little Shell Tribal Council.
Give-away for Richard Parenteau, Retirement, 21 years of service U.S. Army

7:30pm.

Memorial Give-away for Tony Deserley and Manius Daniels, Sponsored by The Daniels Family of Great Falls.

9:00pm.

Campaign Rally for Melinda Gopher, Ojibwe, Congressional Candidate for US House of Representatives

11:00pm. Round Dance Commences.

Event is free & open to the public, for more information please call: 231-7577 or 761-4871 or 403-5212. Sponsored by the local Native American Community.

2009 1st Annual Ojibwe Unity Walk

This sign was carried by Ojibwe protesters in 2009 to historic Hill 57, to speak for the 225 bands that are due recognition.

2009 1st Annual Ojibwe Unity Walk

This sign protests the Office of Federal Recognition, federal recognition process. The OFA has denied the Little Shell band petition for recognition. The process subjects the 225 or so bands to a never-ending bureaucratic nightmare; often denying the tribe's existence as a sovereign body. These 225 bands exist across 47 states.

2009 1st Annual Ojibwe Unity Walk

This sign protests the lack of stimulus being directed at Rocky Boy's original people, the Ojibwes who called Hill 57, Great Falls, Montana home for over a century. The band, because of the denial of its sovereign authority; receives no federal funding--even though a treaty obligation exists to the Ojibwe people.

2009 1st Annual Ojibwe Unity Walk

Most Ojibwe people have long understood the Chippewa Cree tribal roll must be reformed. This sign makes the plea to reform the tribal roll. Only when the roll is reformed can there be meaningful restoration of Ojibwe sovereignty that was last secured by Ojibwe Chief Asiniweyin, or Rocky Boy.

2009 1st Annual Ojibwe Unity Walk

Honor Ojibwe Treaty Rights....

The Ojibwe, or "Chippewa" are one of America's enduring tribal allies, yet, the federal government has denied these bands recognition, and/or have mismanaged recognition and denied these bands their sovereign right to self govern.

This sign was used in the 2009 Ojibwe Unity Walk.

PROJECT LINEUP OF MAEDC

The number one priority of the MAEDC is the establishment of a multi-use cultural wellness and recovery center in Great Falls. This is part of a broader package being proposed on a Montana statewide level. The proposed center is needed to house cultural programming, and serve as the economic hub of the Migisew - Asiniweyin bands. The full proposal will be available by Thursday; you can request a copy via e-mail by contacting chippewarecovery@gmail.com.

JOIN THE ANISHINABE ROCKY BOY IDENTITY RECOVERY PROJECT

The Rocky Boy Anishinabe Identity Recovery Project is working to restore the tribal identity of the Rocky Boy's Band of Chippewa Indians first recognized in 1904 with a Senate Bill introduced by Great Falls Founder and Senator, Paris Gibson. In 1908 Congress passed its first aid bill of $30,000 to secure "land, water, and water rights, for Rocky Boy's Band of Chippewa Indians."

There is no mention of "Chippewa Cree" in this legislation. In 1916, the Congress established the Rocky Boy Indian Reservation for "the Rocky Boy Band of Chippewa Indians and other such homeless Indians as the Secretary may deem fit to locate thereon." This language was done at Chief Rocky Boy's request to ensure his brother, Big Rock and his small band would be included, as they were away on a hunt during the 1908 census.

The Chippewa, or Anishinabe have maintained community, a sense of identity, a culture and language--it was this band's silent resistance against enforced government/church cultural and religious assimilation--that enabled the cultural re-emergence that exists today in Montana. The sun dance "thirst lodges" are reverberate with the sacred songs of this small band of Ojibwe, and their descendants--to persist in cultural survival. Unfortunately, most Montana tribes fail to acknowledge this, and instead have engaged in cultural theft while participating in the de-legitimization of these very people.

Identity recovery has resulted as necesary due to the gross mismanagment of the Rocky Boy roll from 1912 to the present. The Chippewa Cree tribal constitution, which was certified by Interior in 1934, has enabled the erasure of Chippewa lineage--that stands in stark contrast to International law, and the U.S.'s own codes against genocide. There are no provisions for Chippewa blood quantum in the Chippewa Cree constitution. Any Indian from any tribe can gain enrollment, and until 2006; there had been a provision that purged a person from the roll after a 10 year absense.

The dire implications of Cree mismanagement in Rocky Boy means, only Cree autonomy is respected, in spite of the absence of treaty rights. The Cree and Metis tribal rights arise under the tribal constitutional preamble, where these people assert adoptee status in the Chippewa tribe. This was a status never voted on or approved by the Anishinabe people. It was merely an act of aggression, a tribal "hostile takeover." Despite this failure to observe long held federal doctrine on tribal sovereignty; this situation has become entrenched. One of the main reasons is Montana politicians perceived self interest in gaining votes to maintain Cree and Metis on Chippewa land. The federal government has resisted repeated efforts of the Chippewa to correct this situation. The latest U.S. Court of Claims kicks Chippewa sovereignty back to the U.S. Congress and the Executive Branch--Interior Department.

The Creation of the Migisew - Asiniweyin Economic Development Corporation

The MAEDC has been long proposed and launching to address economic distress in Great Falls, Montana. The MAEDC is owned and operated by the Migisew and original Rocky Boy Bands of Chippewa. The MAEDC addresses legacy issues of historic poverty of the Hill 57 history, and the abandonment of the Anishinabe people by the federal government.

The MAEDC is launching its initiatives from this site: and will keep the community apprised of ways to stay involved through here. Listening Thunder Technology is in the process of finalizing draft organizational documents, with a 100% volunteer effort of a paralegal to incorporate the entity. The MAEDC is part of a larger effort of the Chippewa band, and under the direction of the band council.

LTT is working in an entirely volunteer capacity to draft band documents, creating this band's historic constitution and working with the tribe to submit its first petition for restoration of federal recognition, proposed companion legislation, and its economic policy.

ABOUT MAEDC:

The MAEDC is an intended to be an autonomous corporation of the Migisew and Asiniweyin Band goverment. It is being chartered to provide economic programs for the bands to thrive and prosper. The MAEDC will have its own governing board. Should you be interested in serving you must be a lineal descendant of the band/or bands, have an interest in economic development, and be willing to provide leadership at all levels to advance the economic program of the Migisew and Asiniweyin Bands.