Katelyn and I were at the Lac Courte Oreilles Ojibwa Community College Library with Caryl as our site supervisor. To learn more about our first week, read Katelyn’s blog post.
As our main project for our practicum at LCO, it felt great to return to the library for week two to put on the summer reading program. The theme “Dig Into Reading” led us to plan around dirt, burrowing animals, and bugs. It was such a fun week for everyone! Each day, we introduced ourselves to each other, listened to a story, did an activity and a craft, and had a snack. With an average of about 12 kids, we signed families up for new library cards, recommended books, and (we think) created a fun, positive image of the library. After the hour and half program ended on Wednesday, one boy and girl exclaimed “Wow, it’s over already? That went by fast!”. You can check out some of our activities by reading our planning document.
So how was this summer reading program, located on tribal land, different from other summer reading programs? We tried to bring in some Ojibwe language to the week, even though neither of us are Ojibwe speakers. Caryl has mentioned that it’s one of her priorities, so we tried our best to honor that. It started with our name tags, that said “Boozhoo! ______ nindizhinikaaz” at the top, which means “Hello, my name is ______” in Ojibwe. And we began each day introducing ourselves to each other in a circle, following a practice we learned in our TLAM class. On Tuesday, Sue from the LCO Extension Community Farm spoke about harvesting and planting traditional food. And on Wednesday, the scavenger hunt was made using Ojibwe (with a big help from The Ojibwe People’s Dictionary!). On Thursday, we practiced greeting each other and saying our names in Ojibwe. And our end of the week awards featured the colors of the four directions.
It was great to work with Katelyn, who has a lot of experience with younger kids and has many ideas creating engaging, hands-on activities. We also had help from Teri, a student at LCO, and Megan, who works in the Hayward School District. Caryl and Cynthia were there to answer parent questions, take pictures, and help serve the snacks. The success of the program was definitely a team effort.
This week, we also enjoyed another guest appearance on WOJB! I never thought I would be on the radio, and I definitely thought I wouldn’t be on twice in one week. On Wednesday, Katelyn and I dropped off a Penokee: Explore the Iron Hills flyer (which we made!) and asked if there was a recording of our Saturday interview. Since Sid didn’t have one, she said “Well, I guess you have to go on the radio again!” So she scheduled us for the next day with Karl. Although I didn’t feel as articulate as our first appearance, it’s really awesome to have a recording to keep. Take a listen!:
Our last night on Thursday was an appropriate finish. With Caryl, we attended a Traditional Ojibwe Foods information meeting and meal. With a small group of eight, the Great Lakes Indian Fish & Wildlife Commission taught about the health benefits of eating traditional food. Sharing a meal together, after work, reminded me of Culture Keepers.
For me, it felt bittersweet that the week ended. I’m a creature of habit, so I was looking forward to returning to my own apartment. But I also felt like I was just getting to know some of the community, how to help in the library, and what it meant to be a part of Caryl and Cynthia’s team.
I appreciate how this experience has given me context past our Convening Culture Keepers gatherings on the day-to-day lives and environments of our attendees (and friends). Being an intern at the LCO Library has provided me a richer understanding of who Caryl is, her job duties (and what she ultimately ends up doing in addition) and what it means to work in a tribal cultural institution. As my understanding deepens, my respect and admiration for our Culture Keepers grow, as well as my desire to continue to learn, and join them.
Miigwech (thank you) for a great experience, Caryl, Michele, and Omar!