- [Rita] On this edition of Native Report, we meet an Ojibwe artist carrying on the craft of traditional applique.

- Seeing their elation on their face when they're actually taking that garment out of the box and looking at it, and, it's actually broughten tears to people's eyes.

- [Ernie] And we hear from a Montana tribal politician as well as a lobbyist, who are passionate about protecting bison, an animal traditionally valued by their ancestors.

- [Rita] Plus, we pay respects to our Native veterans who have been, and still are, pivotal in protecting our nation.

- We also learn what we can do to lead healthier lives and hear from our elders.

(bright flute music) - [Announcer] Production for Native Report is made possible by grants from the Blandin Foundation, Anishinabe Fund, and Alexandra Smith Fund in Support of Native American Treaty Rights, administered through the Duluth Superior Area Community Foundation.

(uplifting music) - Welcome to Native Report, and thanks for tuning in.

I'm Rita Karppinen.

- Thanks, Rita.

I'm Ernie Stevens.

In this episode, we're exploring the protections of Native traditions and honoring our protectors.

We hear from those carrying out traditions and who feel they're protecting what was traditionally important to their ancestors.

And we take time to honor our Native veterans.

- We start with a story about applique roots in the Ojibwe culture.

Are you familiar with applique?

It's the craft of fabric patterns being sewn onto a larger piece to form a design.

Here's an artist whose style is of bright colors and Ojibwe floral designs.

(gentle guitar music) (upbeat music) - [Herb] Every morning I come out here, I always start my day with (speaks Ojibwe) I always offer my tobacco.

But I also smudge every day.

I smudge my projects, I smudge my machines, myself before I start, just to have those good vibes.

Because I know that my feelings, they go into my work.

So if you're having those, those bad feelings, those feelings are going into what you're making, and I don't want to pass those on to other people.

If I'm having a bad day, or if I'm not feeling 100%, I'm not working today.

(speaks Ojibwe) I said that my name is (speaks Ojibwe), which is Big Wolf in Ojibwe.

In English, my name is Herb Fineday.

We are in my studio, which is Round Lake Traditions, on my property.

For a lot of Ojibwe art, right now, my bread and butter, what I specialize in, is my applique designs.

I do a lot of vests, velvet vests, like the one I'm wearing right now.

And I also do a lot of powwow dance regalia.

When I say powwow dance regalia, you can run the gamut on every kind of dance category there is that I specialize in.

(drum beating) I have customers in Canada, I have customers all over the US.

You know, I've sent stuff to Washington, Maine, Florida, Kansas, Missouri, Oklahoma.

And I enjoy seeing that.

And actually, I went to a few powwows this summer.

And when I was dancing at these powwows and watching people dance and looking at some of the garments that they were wearing, I'm thinking, "There's a lot of my work out here."

Seeing that is fulfilling, especially knowing that, you know, I made a...

I had a little piece of them getting back out into that dance arena, or dancing again.

And that's a huge reason why I do this.

(drum beating and man vocalizing) In the powwow world, sometimes we weren't able to purchase an actual embroidery machine.

So we taught ourselves how to use these regular home-based sewing machines on the zigzag stitch of how to make these intricate patterns.

So applique is a type of, we'll say, mixed-media art that is put on the clothing.

And, through that process, we're just layering pieces of color on top of color.

And we're making those fine lines with that zigzag applique process.

(upbeat music) I guess, if we go back and think about being Ojibwe and Anishinabe, you know, we always made do with what we had.

When I'm sketching out, I'll actually draw it on what is called HeatnBond.

And I'll put it on that HeatnBond paper.

And then I cut that HeatnBond out and I iron that onto fabric.

And then I'll cut those designs out by hand.

I have templates or stuff to cut out my vest.

So I'll cut out the vest and I'll HeatnBond everything onto that vest, and then I hand sew it after that.

(machine whirs) (gentle piano music) When I was growing up, working with my grandmother, my grandmother was a... She was a first-language speaker.

And so was my grandfather.

So in their household, daily, all you heard was Ojibwe.

And what was important to them is passing on the knowledge that they carried on to their young ones.

And what they would say is that, "Hey, this knowledge that I hold, it's not mine.

So it's the same with you.

When you learn how to do something, it's not yours.

So make sure that you pass it on so that it lives on."

(gentle piano music continues) Throughout those times, you know, it's something that's...

I don't wanna say it was all self-taught, but I learned a lot from my teachers, who were my mother, father, and my grandparents.

And getting to that point now to where I pass a lot of that knowledge on.

So I enjoy doing it here at Round Lake Traditions.

I don't pin nothing down, and I don't use no HeatnBond or spray or nothing, so we just hold it by hand.

(machine whirring) (gentle piano music continues) Growing up with my mother, she did a lot of sewing and she sewed for our family out of necessity.

You know, she helped make a lot of our clothing, helped make even our backpacks for going to school when I was growing up.

We didn't come from a lot of money, but we made do with what we had.

Ready?

There was always a sewing machine around.

I was one of those people who, I could pick up what you're doing by just watching you.

You know, same with watching my grandparents with their beadwork and their leatherwork.

(gentle piano music continues) I was a law-enforcement officer.

I was actually the Chief of Police for the Fond du Lac Reservation.

Before I started Round Lake Traditions, I had a certain mindset all the time while I was wearing that uniform, or while I was in my law-enforcement mode.

And I would come home and I actually needed, you know, probably 20 to 30 minutes to just decompress and get back to my role as an Anishinabe male, or a father figure.

(upbeat music) Once I made that transition, then I was able to relax and then my creative stuff would start flowing again.

Kind of going back and forth, and talking with my wife of what I wanted to do with my work as an artist, I would hesitate and I wouldn't do it.

You know, and I would just wait and I would put it off.

And then, finally, one morning I woke up and I just said, you know, "I'm gonna do this 100% full-time."

And this was in May of 2019, I made that decision.

I retired in July of 2019, and I haven't looked back since that day.

Almost 100% of the people that come to me want this legacy piece that they've been looking for for a long time.

And they approach me with that, and I finally make something for them.

And I've had people come into my studio and I've showed it to them, or they... Once I mail it to them, I say, "Hey, can you take a video and send it?

Send me that video."

(upbeat music continues) Seeing their elation on their face when they're actually taking that garment out of the box and looking at it, it's actually broughten tears to people's eyes when they get that piece.

That's why I do what I do.

That's the easiest part.

That's what brings me joy of doing this.

(upbeat music fades out) - Herb tells people his creations are not his, but are the Creator's.

He won't work on a piece if he's in a negative headspace because he feels what's put into it lives in it.

(pensive flute music) - I'm Bunny Jaakola.

My real name is Julia.

There's no connection to the name Bunny, but it's something I've had since I was born.

I've lived on this land for my whole life, actually.

- Do you have any advice for the youth today?

- For the youth?

You know, that was my favorite population, as I was in the working world.

And I always said, "Give me a good juvenile delinquent anytime."

(wistful piano music) The advice that I would give the kids today would be, learn as much as you can about yourself, your family, where you came from.

Learn your tribal customs.

And I know that a lot of the kids are on that path, and it makes me feel good that that's the way they're going.

(wistful piano music continues) And I believe, to keep them on that positive path, I think that our tribal government and the adults in the community have to really feel like they have a part in raising these kids.

So it's not just the parents, but there's a community philosophy, I'll say.

Before you can really understand another cultural group, you really should be sure of what yours is.

My husband is all Finnish, but he lived on a farm a few miles from here.

So we both had the same upbringing.

And even though he's not Ojibwe, he has the philosophies and the thinking of the Ojibwe.

(pensive flute music) - Bison are historically and presently culturally significant to many of those within Montana tribal nations.

And in Montana's 2021 legislative session, a political campaign was victorious in limiting free-roaming bison.

The Blackfeet Nation, alongside other Montana tribal leaders, headed resistance efforts to the campaign.

(gentle guitar music) - [Shane] Bison are part of my identity as a Salish and Kootenai Indian.

You know, without them, we wouldn't be here.

And so there's, like, this cultural imperative for me and the people where I come from to protect them.

It's like if you attack my sibling or something.

You know, I feel like I have to step up and stand up for that person and do something.

And I feel like that's how it is with bison in Montana now.

(intense music) - [Daniel] Montana's tribal people have been at the forefront of returning bison to Montana lands, along with small ranchers, conservation and wildlife groups, and government fish and wildlife workers.

All of Montana's seven reservations have bison herds, and this diverse coalition's collective work over the past decade was leading towards wild-bison reintroduction on non-tribal lands in this state.

But that all changed in the 2021 Montana legislative session.

(intense music ends) (melancholy music) - [Shane] I would say the session was really...

When it comes to bison in Montana, I think tragedy is probably the first word that I think of.

- This past legislative session, just, you know, being on the ground and hearing from senior legislators that, you know, this was one of the worst sessions that they've ever witnessed.

- [Daniel] There were three actions taken addressing bison.

First, House Bill 302 gave power to county commissioners to approve or deny any bison transfer to their county.

- They gave counties the key to deny or allow bison coming into a county, which, you know, going into rural areas in the state, that'll be very difficult now to translocate bison and build healthy bison populations in new places.

- [Daniel] Second, House Bill 318 redefined wild bison to an animal that had never been reduced to captivity or was owned by a person.

This redefinition would severely reduce which bison could be treated as wildlife.

- [Shane] They tried to structure the legislation to really have this long-term impact on preventing bison from being called wild at any point.

And so that really infringes on our ability to have genetic diversity within these bison populations for healthy, diverse bison long-term.

- [Daniel] And finally, Governor Greg Gianforte terminated a Montana Fish, Wildlife, and Parks bison-management plan, one that was eight years in the making, that would allow more free-roaming bison to be restored to the state.

The governor didn't respond to our requests for comment, but he previously stated, "In its effort to spread bison across parts of Montana, Fish, Wildlife, and Parks didn't do enough to account for the impacts to local communities."

- [Shane] When I think of what this legislature was, it felt like everything was just railroaded through.

- There's an effort by the cattle industry that they don't want to see major parcels of land being dedicated to conservation efforts, and restoration of bison is part of those conservation efforts.

What they would like to see is that those conservation lands are, you know, gobbled up by their livestock industry and used, you know, used for the continuation of cattle.

- [Shane] What it really boils down to, in my opinion, is protecting blades of grass, you know.

And I think, instead of finding ways to work together like we have in the past to kind of strike this balance with bison and agriculture and livestock with ranchers, now we've said, you know, ranchers are more important than our wildlife in Montana.

And, although I do believe our ranching and livestock industry is important, I think our bison are equally as important.

And our wildlife is equally important, if not more important.

Part of that legislative effort, they tried to say, "Well, tribes, you don't have to worry about this because you're really exempt under the legislation that we pass.

Tribes can accept these bison still."

And the problem is, is that a lot of the folks we work with and a lot of the organizations that we're partners with, who've really helped us in building healthy, sustainable bison populations of wild bison, our partners and the people that work with us have now become... Their hands have become tied, really.

And it really is a ripple effect.

It undermines all of the work that we've done.

It undermines the work that we can do in the future.

- The language I use, you know, that this is another attempt to assimilate the Indian by taking away a bison's natural right to exist as, you know, a wild being.

- [Shane] In my mind, the best opportunity we have there is working with livestock owners and ranchers and farmers to find ways where we can expand habitat in places that make sense for everybody.

And then the other option at this point, I think, is we have to start looking and collaborating together to look at, you know, federal legislation to see if there's opportunities there in protecting wild bison.

(dramatic music) - [Patrick] It takes a lot of advocacy and a lot of, you know, being proactive.

And I think, I think tribal communities, we adapt well and we're very innovative.

Holding feet to the fire isn't anything new to us.

- It's frustrating.

We get beat down.

We're exhausted, oftentimes, 'cause we play defense on so many of these terrible bills that undermine, you know, bison and our existence.

And it's just one of those things where, we're no strangers to this sort of thing.

We're resilient and it's something that we always get back up and fight for.

So I'd expect that from Native people in Montana, and, of course, our partners and stakeholders who've been there in stride.

As long as bison are here, we're gonna be here to protect them and fight for them.

(dramatic music) - We just heard from a Montana tribal politician, as well as a lobbyist, who shared their experiences and perspectives with us.

(lively flute music) - Seborrheic dermatitis is a scaly rash that appears where there are a lot of oil-producing glands.

It's considered a chronic form of eczema.

In babies, it's called cradle cap, and that usually goes away.

In adults, it can be persistent, with flares, and can last for years.

No one knows the cause for certain, but it may be a yeast rash or an irregular response of the immune system.

It affects adults between the ages of 30 to 60, most commonly, and it's more common among males.

It presents as redness, swelling, and greasy scaling, mostly in the scalp.

Dandruff is a mild form of seborrheic dermatitis.

It can also affect the skin alongside the nose, in and around the eyebrows, mid chest, upper back, armpits, and groin.

It is not an allergy and it is not contagious.

Over-the-counter treatments are the best starting point.

Washing affected areas daily with a zinc-containing cleanser and using a moisturizer afterward is all that is needed for some.

Stronger treatments are aimed at removing scales, calming the inflammation, and treating the itching.

These treatments consist of antifungal creams and medicated shampoos.

Topical steroids and other prescription medications are sometimes needed.

If over-the-counter measures don't work, schedule a visit with your healthcare provider.

More difficult cases can be referred to a dermatologist.

And remember to call an elder.

They've been waiting for your call.

I'm Dr. Arne Vainio, and this is Health Matters.

(lively flute music) - Native veterans have served as protectors of our nation since some of the earliest of conflicts.

Of those with a lasting legacy is the Oneida Nation, whose tribal members have served in every American conflict since the Revolutionary War.

- We visit the Oneida Veterans Memorial and Veterans Department to hear how they're honoring their veterans and making sure our country's protectors are financially protected.

(gentle guitar music) (rousing music) - [Kerry] Welcome to Oneida.

We are in the Veterans Department building.

If you know any veterans out there who need help, we are accredited.

Our veteran-service officer, we're called a tribal veteran-service officer, that's my job, to get veterans claims for disabilities, homeless veterans.

I get them into their health care.

That is my real job.

And so I get to meet the best of the best, and it's good.

(rousing music continues) - [Michelle] Today we are standing in front of our Oneida Veterans Memorial.

This wall is approximately 175 feet long, and it is to be big so that we can make a statement to all of our veterans to say thank you for your participation in protecting us and keeping our country free.

One of the reasons why the Oneidas actually wanted to create this really nice monument was because of our participation in wars over time.

The first war that we actually participated in was the Revolutionary War.

The design of this wall was actually created by a tribal member.

And essentially what it was is, it's kind of like a timeline over the course of all of the conflicts.

And each conflict actually has a really nice plaque that has been created with a short amount of text so that you can actually see every war that we have participated in.

And, at the end of the wall, it's actually very interesting because you would think that, normally, everything is housed in a nice little box.

Well, the last plaque actually kind of hangs over the edge of the last of the wall.

And the reason why is because there may be other conflicts that we actually will participate in in the future.

And then, on the other side of the wall, is artwork.

And the artwork is actually what's called an Oneida wampum belt.

The interesting thing about the Oneida language is it is really, really hard to learn.

Like, literally, I have tried.

It is hard.

So back during World War II, there was a group of men.

Kind of like the Navajo code talkers, we had the Oneida code talkers.

And there was a group of Oneida men who actually did that, where they could speak Oneida over the radio and the enemy had no idea what they were saying.

- [Kerry] It's kind of interesting, 'cause it was never talked about within our community.

And so some research was done.

They had gone to certain schools, certain veterans that we thought were code talkers.

And we had four code talkers.

(melancholy music) I've been doing this now 18 years and all our World War II veterans, I got one World War II...

I take that back.

Two World War II veterans left.

Then we go into our Vietnam veterans.

There are...

They are our elder statesmen right now.

They are all mid-70s to 80 years old now.

I'm retired from the military.

I did 20 years in the air force.

I retired in 2000.

I never thought I'd be doing this.

It's the best job there is, helping veterans, I'm telling you.

You can't beat it.

(melancholy music continues) Every community has a place, you know.

Our place used to be the old VFW.

We needed a memorial site.

We really needed a place for veterans.

- [Michelle] And it doesn't matter.

If you look around, every step that you take, you're stepping on Native land.

Part of our responsibilities as Native people is to ensure that we take care of the Earth, and ensure that we take care of each other.

- The head of the Oneida Nation's Veterans Department says it's important to him to assist all veterans, and he emphasized he doesn't turn away non-tribal veterans who are seeking his help.

If you missed a show or want to catch up online, find us at nativereport.org and follow us on Facebook, YouTube, and Instagram for behind-the-scenes updates.

And drop a comment on social media if you enjoyed the show.

- Thanks for spending this time with your friends and neighbors from across Indian country.

I'm Ernie Stevens.

- And I'm Rita Karppinen.

We'll see you next time on Native Report.

(uplifting music) - [Announcer] Partial funding of this episode of Native Report is provided by the citizens of Minnesota through the Minnesota Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund.