Traditional Arts Project Description
The Burt Lake Band is happy to announce that the Administration for Native Americans has approved our grant application for Anishinaabe Bmaadiziwin Naagademing (Taking Care of Our Way of Life) Traditional Arts Project.
This two-year grant is designed to instruct BLB citizens in several traditional forms of art with the goal that each person who learns an art, will then go on to mentor (after two years) another BLB member in order to ensure that the teachings continue.
The grant’s objective is as follows:
“By the end of the 24th Project month, the Burt Lake Band will train at least 12 members in two or more arts: Quill boxes, black ash basketry, beadwork (jewelry, loom, appliqué and/or peyote stitch), leather tanning, leather mitts, cattail matting, or another suitable traditional art not listed here. Each CPP’s (Committed Project Participant) skill will progress from Apprentice level to Nta (skilled) (by the end of the 12th month) and to Kinoomaaged (teacher) level (by the end of the 24th month) which is defined as having the ability to create a quality, marketable product and to also be able to teach that skill to others in our future Eyaawing (Who We Are) Mentorship Program in which all final planning will be complete by the 24thmonth.”
What exactly does this mean? It means we will be looking for at least 12 dedicated BLB citizens (hopefully more) to take part in this Project. Though the above Objective may seem overwhelming, each person (Committed Project Participant, i.e. CPP) who signs up will not be asked to learn all of the arts, but will be required to learn at least two of them within the two-year life of this grant. (The arts listed above are our planned arts but may change as needed.)
Each CPP will additionally learn necessary harvesting techniques that may be require for use in their particular chosen art. For example, black ash trees for use in basket making, and birch bark and sweetgrass for quill box making, etc.
This grant encourages all BLB citizens to attend! While we are looking for at least 12 people to sign up for our Project, all Burt Lake Band members are welcome and indeed, encouraged to attend the trainings. The more the merrier in this community endeavor and the more who will learn these important traditional skills which can then be passed to our children and grandchildren.
We want to help you achieve your goals! For the most part, our trainings will take place after a tribal council meeting covering the latter half of the day on Saturday and will also take place the first half of the following day on Sunday. As such, the Anishinaabe Bmaadiziwin Naagademing Project will sponsor CPP’s. This means that those who sign up as Committed Project Participants will receive a stipend to cover traveling and/or lodging costs to attend the trainings in their chosen arts.
If you are interested--there are further details that will be explained after folks sign up. For now, if you are a member of the Burt Lake Band, you like creativity, would like to learn to make quill boxes or do beadwork, or would be interested in learning how to tan hides to make leather, please contact Kathy Kae at any of the following…
Office phone: 231-529-6113
Mailing address: Burt Lake Band, Attention: Kathy Kae
Box 206
Brutus, MI 49716
Email: kathykae47@gmail.com (please include “Traditional Arts Grant” in subject line if emailing)
You can help ensure the success of this grant! Since our goal by the end of two years is to have all plans finalized to create an Eyaawing (Who We Are) Mentorship Program this grant will not only teach but retain traditional art forms for future generations. Please consider taking part if you can, whether as a CPP or as a volunteer or by donating items. If you are good at woodworking, we may need stretchers or frames made for tanning deer hides. We will also be in need of an old blender for tanning. If you have leather scraps laying around that you won’t be using, we could use those as well.