For thousands of years in the Great Lakes Region, Native Americans used fire intentionally to manage the ecosystems they lived in. Now, there is a short film Oshkigin Spirit of Fire highlighting this deep, reciprocal relationship with the land and the traditional use of fire in the Ojibwe culture.
The story is told by Vern Northrup, Retired BIA Wildland Firefighter, Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Ojibwe tribal member and elder, Damon Panek, Fond du Lac Wildland Fire Operations Specialist, Ojibwe Culture Specialist, White Earth Band of Ojibwe tribal member, and Lane Johnson, Researcher, Forester, University of Minnesota Cloquet Forestry Research Center located on the Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Ojibwe reservation, located in St. Louis and Carlton County in Minnesota.
The filming took place, with permission, on the reservations of the Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Ojibwe in Minnesota and the Red Cliff Band of Lake Superior Ojibwe in Wisconsin.
Special acknowledgement to contributor Melonee Montano, Fathom Tribal Fire LLC , Red Cliff Band of Lake Superior Ojibwe tribal member.
Filming beautifully done by Old Saw Media, of Duluth, MN and with funding provided by the St. Louis County Firewise Program.
Also see, Understanding Oshkigin Spirit of Fire, A discussion with Vern Northrup and Damon Panek, available at: https://youtu.be/g9UjKDV2eBk
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