Ojibwe Homeland video transcript

Back to Our Home exhibit

Rick J. Smith: Anishinaabe is who we are as a people, the name given to us by the Creator. 

Kathryn “Jody” Beaulieu: And that means "first people" in our own language. 

Carrie Day Aspinwall: We are the people that have come across the big waters. 

Rick J. Smith: And it was through our prophesies that brought us to this point.  We have a megis shell, a spirit that appeared out of the water and told us to go west until we found food growing out of the water.  And that food is manoomin, wild rice. 

Carrie Day Aspinwall: Without our rice we're nothing. Our language, our culture, our religion was under attack for so many years, and it feels really good right now to be able to freely practice our ceremonies, share our culture. I think our circle is coming full around. Anishinaabe people are resilient. We're loving. We're caring. Sure we live in different places, but we are all one people.