Ryan Winn

Thorpe’s memory still carries lightning

Published by admin on Tue, 10/11/2022 - 1:22pm

Jim Thorpe’s Sac and Fox name was Wa-tho-Huk. Although the English translations of his tribal name vary, “Path Lit by Lightning” is the most poetic way to describe the moniker given to the child born during a thunderstorm. Nearly 70 years after Thorpe’s death in 1953, his latest biographer David Maraniss employed that poetic translation as the title of his lauded new book on “the greatest athlete who ever lived.”

Making the lessons of the forest teachable

Published by LPulaski on Mon, 09/05/2022 - 8:00am

Thomas R. Kenote Jr. began his remarks at the Indigenous Planning Summer Institute by welcoming “mawaw-new-weyak” — the Menominee word for everybody. The inclusive language captured the spirit of the four-day conference’s intent; it was a gathering where all were welcome to learn from Menominee wisdom.

Woodland Bowl ‘where they habitually dance’

Published by admin on Tue, 08/16/2022 - 1:52pm

‘S kew-nīmihaetuaq directly translates as “where they habitually dance.” The Menominee word for the natural amphitheater in Keshena carries a richer meaning than the English moniker — the Woodland Bowl. Yet, despite one’s preferred name, it’s what habitually happens in that space that resonates through the generations.

M&M produces memorable digital collaborations

Published by admin on Tue, 07/12/2022 - 12:25pm

Madona and Melissa Wilber are metāēqsak owētekāēhkohtowak — which in English means “twin sisters.” Together, the Menominee tribal members created M&M Digital Media Productions, working side-by-side on projects for the communities they serve.

Melissa told me, “We specialize in the production of digital media online distribution and marketing campaigns. We also film weddings and create videos for anyone wanting help with their event or special day.”

Sowing the seeds of sustainable agriculture

Published by admin on Wed, 06/08/2022 - 10:13am

The Menominee word for garden is mōnahekāēhsaeh — which directly translates to “little field or farm.” For Dr. Frank Kutka, the diminutive suffix “saeh” offered him both a lesson and an opportunity to use humor.

“Once I recognized that ‘saeh’ meant ‘little,’ I added it to words and names to tease people,” Kutka said.

He realized early on that Menominee people only tease those whom they value.

‘Feather Chronicles’ continues to soar at CMN

Published by LPulaski on Wed, 05/11/2022 - 3:20pm

“We are what we imagine,” Kiowa author N. Scott Momaday wrote. “Our very existence consists in our imagination of ourselves. Our best destiny is to imagine, at least, completely, who and what, and that we are. The greatest tragedy that can befall us is to go unimagined.”

While Momaday’s message affirms the views of optimists who see life’s proverbial glass half-full, as well as those dreaming lofty dreams for themselves and their loved ones, I’ve found it resonates loudest in the output of artists. The assertion is perhaps most apparent in the works of emerging talent.

Reporters wanted

Published by admin on Wed, 05/04/2022 - 3:59pm
Image Ad

Verses and values echoed in Menominee poetry

Published by admin on Mon, 04/18/2022 - 12:58pm

A nation’s stories convey what it values. April is National Poetry Month in the United States, and for many people, the thought of versed lines evokes images of a raven or roads not taken. Yet, in each of those images the narrator is clearly a singular voice. Edgar Allan Poe’s raven tapping “at my chamber door,” and Robert Frost’s lone traveler conveys that “long I stood” before the fork in the road. America’s stories are often about the individual and not the collective.

CMN breaking bread with distant neighbors

Published by LPulaski on Wed, 03/09/2022 - 2:43pm

Much can be gained from breaking bread with those half a world away. At the College of Menominee Nation’s Sustainable Development Institute, the meal is metaphorical but the knowledge it fosters is what provides sustenance.

Inspired to create sustainable comic book plotlines

Published by LPulaski on Mon, 11/22/2021 - 11:20am

Justin Gauthier offers validation for future artists enamored with pop culture. On Nov. 17, the Menominee tribal member visited the College of Menominee Nation’s Keshena campus to deliver a presentation titled, “Writing Comics: What Happens Between the Panels.” Yet, before he explained the hallmarks of comic book writing, Gauthier led his audience on a journey through the four-decades of media that shaped him as an artist.