Anooj izhitigweyaa i'iw ziibi

circa 2025

Anooj izhitigweyaa i'iw ziibi is an exhibit honoring the tradition of collecting and sharing stories from one generation to the next. The exhibit features photographic, video and audio works created by newly developing artists seeking to honor the stories and teachings of knowledgeable elders from their communities. The stories that were collected and presented are from Nett Lake Village / Bois Forte Nation and Cass Lake, Bena, WInnie Dam and Inger / Leech Lake Reservation. The collectors of these stories are all graduates of the Nigaane Bizindamoo-Makak Language Immersion Program of the Bug O Nay Ge Shig School and were created as part of the Waterer’s Project, an initiative dedicated to creating a model for contemporary storytelling between generations. The image presented below are being presented in part in their home communities, in Saint Paul and Crookston.

The majority of the young people when I was growing up were respectful because they were taught by their parents. And of course, there was some that that weren't, they made fun of you, you know, the ones that didn't show that respect. But I was taught respect from the elders. I listened to the elders talk. I can still hear them sometimes talking in the language. Our mother spoke her language all the time. Her father didn't so much, but he did speak the language. Listening to the elders, how they they told the stories about all kinds of different things. It was talked about respect. So that's what I learned. You know, I learned how to respect people.

—Shirley Young / Elder from the Bena & Winnie Dam Communities of Leech Lake Reservation