by Lizzy Baus
Quick Summary
In late October, Minitex DIME unit employees Jolie Graybill and Lizzy Baus traveled to the geographic center of the mitten of Michigan to attend and present at Convening Great Lakes Culture Keepers, a multi-day institute for tribal librarians, archivists, and museum curators from Wisconsin, Minnesota, and Michigan.
In late October, Minitex DIME unit employees Jolie Graybill and Lizzy Baus traveled to the geographic center of the mitten of Michigan to attend and present at Convening Great Lakes Culture Keepers, a multi-day institute for tribal librarians, archivists, and museum curators from Wisconsin, Minnesota, and Michigan. Sponsored by the University of Wisconsin-Madison and held in the Ziibiwing Center of Anishinabe Culture and Lifeways, this conference brings together professional and non-professional members and/or supporters of tribal libraries, archives, and museums (TLAM) from institutions throughout the Great Lakes. Through an IMLS grant, the group will be putting together a traveling exhibition over the next three years. This gathering’s theme was “The Strength in our Stories.”
We began the week with a keynote address from Miranda Belarde-Lewis, an accomplished advocate and teacher of Native art and intellectual property. She spoke of the reasons for Native populations to tell their stories, summarizing them in four categories: in Protest, to Protect, to bring Humanity to our people, and last but far from least: “Because, Love.” This phrase became a recurring theme throughout the week as we moved through other classes and topics.
Over the three days of workshops and classes, many topics were covered, including: Project management, Best practices of cultural organization marketing, Fundraising and budgeting basics, Bringing community voices into exhibitions, and Intellectual property and the native cultural center. Lizzy and Jolie facilitated a day-long class on Describing your resources: Reasons and tools. We talked about why and how to describe (catalog) a thing, be it a book or a chair, and discussed several free or low-cost tools available for use.
Though the days were busy with classes, the evenings were packed with feasts and activities. We went on a tour of the recently-acquired campus of the former Mt. Pleasant Indian Industrial Boarding School, heard stories from well-known Cherokee storyteller Gayle Ross, shared gifts from our communities, participated in a social dance, and learned how to make quillwork bracelets and pendants.
All in all, the Convening Great Lakes Culture Keepers Institute was an eye-opening and thoroughly enjoyable experience. I look forward to watching the progress of the traveling exhibition and attending future gatherings!
