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On a glorious sunny day with abundant fall colors coaxing visitors down the shore, there were 186 people who attended the day-long festivities in Grand Portage on Saturday, October 9. Of those, 29 brave souls joined in to play Lacrosse.
The Grand Portage community opened its arms to the community and visitors, kicking off the Committee Addressing Racial Equity’s “Opening Doors: A Year of Learning.” Also celebrated was Indigenous People Day.
At 10 a.m. the Grand Portage National Monument opened with the Stone Bridge Singers Drum group. Visitors saw displays from the days of the fur trade to a recent modern tribute to the late George Morrison whose art was recently depicted on U.S. postage stamps.
The Grand Portage Museum and Veterans Memorial was opened to the public for the first time in a long while. Folks visited the historic Stone Bridge that was completed in 1938 and is noted as a Great Meeting Place. Some hiked the trail up the mountain overlooking the stockade and harbor, or part of the Grand Portage Trail (Gichi Onigaming—The Great Carrying Place) and when they were hungry, they went to the Grand Portage Community Center to enjoy fry bread tacos free of charge.
Each attendee received a green bag with a teaching activity along with colors to color with, information about the day, some lessons on Ojibwe language, an Ojibwe word search, colors and a healthy snack.
The event was sponsored by the Grand Portage Band of Lake Superior Chippewa, Grand Portage Monument and Committee Addressing Racial Equity (CARE).
In November and December, there will be a community read: The Cultural Toolbox: Traditional Living in the Modern World by Author Anton Treuer.
On November 17, from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. there will be a Cultural Toolbox Discussion Potluck at Cook County Higher Education and Zoom available for those who can’t attend in person.
On November 19, at 7:30 p.m. Anton Treuer will present Ojibwe Winter Stories and discus tribal oral tradition, the Ojibwe language and lore for the coming season at North House Folk School. More events will follow throughout the year.
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