The women of Grand Portage Reservation know that their strong sense of ethnic identity has been the key to survival. "We are still Indian in spite of a thousand treaties and missionaries with their black frocks" writes one Ojibwe author. "We will endure because we are Indian."

Inspired by those who have handed down elements of tribal heritage from generation to generation, the women carry on. They sew outfits with beads, ribbons, and feathers, jingles for the jingle dresses, and fringes for the shawls of powwow dancers.

At home on the shores of Lake Superior, in the land of their mothers or the families of their husbands, they honor the great cycles of nature and tradition. These women bestow upon their children a sense of pride, purpose, and destiny in their vital role as living history.

Schroeder Area Historical Society permanent collection (Artist’s gift).
Metropolitan Area Women’s Shelter (Board of Directors’ purchase)