The Ways
The Ways is a collection of language and culture stories from Native communities around the central Great Lakes that explores traditional ways and those of today. The series supports educators in meeting the requirements of Wisconsin Act 31.
Learning Goals
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Discover
Expand knowledge and understanding of contemporary Wisconsin’s First Nations cultures and languages in the Great Lakes region.
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Identify & apply
Describe the role of language, tradition and culture in Wisconsin First Nations identities and communities.
Stories
Clan
Mother
Healing the Community
Molly Miller, a Stockbridge-Munsee Community elder reflects on healing from trauma and caring for her community.
Hunting
Deer
Sharing the Harvest
Greg “Biskakone” Johnson, a member of the Lac du Flambeau Band of Lake Superior Chippewa hunts honoring traditional ways.
Lady
Thunderhawks
Leading the Way
Jessica House of the Oneida Nation infuses the values of her culture into her role leading her school’s basketball team.
Lake Superior
Whitefish
Carrying on a Family Tradition
The Petersons, members of the Red Cliff Band of Lake Superior Chippewa share their experiences with treaty fishing.
Language
Apprentice
Bringing Back the Ho-Chunk Language
Arlene Thunder Blackdeer learns and teaches the Ho-Chunk language to connect and strengthen the community.
Living
Language
Menominee Language Revitalization
Ron Corn Jr. teaches his youngest daughter the Menominee language to ensure it lives on in the next generation.
Manoomin
Food that Grows on the Water
Fred Ackley Jr. of the Sokaogon Chippewa Community of Mole Lake harvests wild rice.
Powwow
Trail
Keeping the Beat
Dylan Jennings, a member of the Bad River Band of Lake Superior Chippewa provides insight into contemporary powwows.
Prayers in
a Song
Learning Language Through Hip-Hop
Tall Paul (Paul Wenell Jr.) of the Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe raps about language learning and his Native identity.
Spearfishing
A Living History
Jason Bisonette of the Lac Courte Oreilles Band of Lake Superior Ojibwe practices spearfishing as part of his culture.
Waadookodaading
Ojibwe Language Immersion School
Waadookodaading educators integrate the tradition of sugaring into the curriculum to support Ojibwe language learning.
Warriors
Boxing
Fighting for Our People
Mark Antonio Daniels Jr., a member of the Forest County Potawatomi continues a longstanding boxing tradition.
Partners
Quotation
The Ways has been an invaluable resource as we continue to share culturally accurate, relevant, and contemporary information about Native people with non-Natives in and out of classrooms.