Travels+in+MN

=Travels with My Ah-nii-moosh, Muffin =

My job as Liaison for Indigenous Arts Education for the Perpich Center for Arts Education takes me on many travels throughout the State of Minnesota. In one long weekend recently, my Animush, Muffin and I, put on more than 1,200 miles. Our journeys have included visits to the Leech Lake, White Earth, and Red Lake Indian Reservations and points in between. One of our earliest adventures was the dedication of a new sculpture in August in. . . . = Walker, MN = "On Eagle's Wings" A Community Gathering Focusing on Cooperation & Mutual Support August 24th, 2009 The Unveiling of the Sculpture "On Eagle's Wings" Sculptor - Paul Albright Native American Consultant and Quill Artist - Melvin Losh Commissioned by Ed Robinson This remarkable event at the Walker Area Community Center in Walker, MN was sponsored by the Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe, The Walker Area Chamber of Commerce and associated businesses, the Leech Lake Fishing Task Force, the Boys and Girls Club with a powwow demonstration by the Native Youth Drum Group and Native Dancers under the direction of Gary Charwood.

"On Eagle's Wings", commissioned by Ed and Donna Robinson, is the worlds' largest (12') sculpture made of one solid piece of black oak.

Ed Robinson heard that the walnut tree from his boyhood home had fallen in a storm. He salvaged a 6 ton piece of the treasured tree, shipped it to Minnesota, and asked Paul Albright and Mel Losh to create a piece that would represent the hope for cooperation and mutual support between the Native and non-Native people of the Walker, MN area.

The result of those efforts is this magnificent piece of art.

The artwork below the picture of Mel and Paul at the unveiling is the prototype of the final sculpture created by Mel using dyed porcupine quills and birch bark.



A Short Video of the Sculpture media type="file" key="On Eagle's Wings.mov" width="360" height="360" align="center"

A Video of Mel Losh describing his Quill Work on Birch Bark Boxes: media type="file" key="Melvin Losh - Quill Artist-web.mov" width="300" height="300" See an article written by Jim Proebstle on the event in Walker, MN [|The Event in Walker] =Saturday November 7th, 2009 = = 1st Annual Leech Lake Veteran's Powwow = = Cass Lake-Bena High School Gymnasium =

This Short video is of a bunch of "Elder's" jaw-jacking before the Grand Entry. It's a rare glimpse of the transformation from "the guys" to the warriors in the subsequent video of their honored role as the leaders of the Annishinaabe Nation. Enjoy. media type="file" key="Old Guys Talking.mov" width="300" height="300"Old Guys Jaw-Jacking

media type="file" key="Leech Lake - Grand Entry.sm.mov" width="300" height="300"Grand Entry Leech Lake Veteran's Powwow

= Aerosol/Graffiti Art Demonstration = = by = = Ezra Nausner-Wilson = = at the = = Leech Lake Youth Center =

November 25th, 2009
Watch this movie of and the Leech Lake Drum and Dance group in ACTION:

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