Anishinabe Influences

From the widely covered Longest Walk for Diabetes, headed by Dennis Banks, to a recruitment effort to draft Winona LaDuke for President--Anishinabe people are blazing trails in high profile ways.

 Banks is the leading advocate in Indian country on the effort to raise awareness of the effects of diabetes.  His walk has been a multi-year effort to bring the disease to the forefront of awareness, and to engage native and all citizens on all factors that have contributed to a major disease afflicting Indian country.   Banks was in instrumental and influential leader in the rise of modern Native American activism through his role in the American Indian movement.

LaDuke was a candidate for Vice President (Green Party) in 2000.  Her work in the political realm elevated the stature of Native American people in every state, who have begun to wield the franchise of their vote in very pivotal elections.  Notably, in 2006, Native American voters in Montana helped swing the balance of the United States Senate in the Democratic column with the election of Sen. Jon Tester.  Tester's win, along with Jim Webb of Virginia, turned the U.S. Senate that year.  Tester won in Montana on a razor thin margin of less than 3,000 votes.

In the realm of entertainment, the most notable Native American actor is Adam Beach, an Anishinabe (Saulteaux) who originates from the Dog Creek First Nation, Manitoba, Canada.  A hard working actor, he has appeared in over 60 titles.  His career reflects the visual revolution that has occurred in how mainstream society views native people.  His work as a young actor include Smoke Signals, and Dance Me Outside, that were low-budget, low visibility productions that appeared one dimensional to the more complex, and poignant portrayal of Ira Hayes, in 2006 Flags of Our Fathers, and the most contemporary portrayals as casino manager Tommy Flute in Big Love (HBO).  His work has done more to elevate the range, and depth of native people in film, thereby dispelling stereotypes.  In addition, his work has forced Hollywood and the broader film industry to depict native people in a truthful light, rather than perpetuate stereotypes.

Anishinabe cultural influences include the jingle dress dance, recounted with various oral legends of an Anishinabe woman's vision; the dance likely originates with the Ringing Lodge ceremony of the Anishinabe people.  The specific knowledge of this ceremony was last practiced by the Anishinabe of Hill 57; and it is believed to not be widely practiced.  The jingle dresses reflect the spiritual beliefs of the pre-Christianity Anishinabe traditional beliefs.  The dresses and style of dance originate with the tribe, and no doubt the ceremonial lodge knowledge has played a role in how the dance has now evolved to encompass all tribes for its beauty, grace and brilliance.

Up Next:  The Future

Ryan McMahon, et. al.

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