Ojibwe Storytelling Series

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courtesy Wisconsin Historical Society

A collage of pictures of speakers for the 2024 Ojibwe Storytelling Series.

Speakers for the 2024 Ojibwe Storytelling Series (clockwise from top left): Sirella Ford, Tinker Schuman, Liz Arbuckle, Tina Van Zile.

Relax and listen Tuesdays in January as the Wisconsin Historical Society hosts a series on Ojibwe stories on Zoom. Storytellers Sirella Ford, Lac Courte Oreilles (Jan. 9), Tina Van Zile, Sokaogon (Jan. 16), Tinker Schuman, Lac du Flambeau (Jan. 23), and Liz Arbuckle, Bad River (Jan. 30) share tales that entertain while teaching attendees about Wisconsin’s Native American culture and history.

media release: In Ojibwe culture, winter is a time for storytelling and we are celebrating the season with the return of the popular Ojibwe Storytelling Series. Tune in virtually each Tuesday evening from January 9-30 to hear from Ojibwe storytellers from the Lac Courte Oreilles, Sokaogon, Lac du Flambeau and Bad River Tribes. This is the third year the Wisconsin Historical Society is hosting this series, which has brought in listeners from across the state, country and globe to listen to and learn from Ojibwe narrators.

January 9, 2024: Sirella Ford is from the Wolf Clan and an enrolled member of the Lac Courte Oreilles Ojibwe. She is called Asiniwaabikwe. She is a graduate of Northland College with a degree in Business Administration. Early in her career, Sirella worked for the Great Lakes Indian Fish & Wildlife Commission in the accounting office and as payroll manager. She has worked most recently in education, sharing her love of Ojibwe culture with her students. She is known for her beautiful beadwork and famous frybread. Sirella was raised in a powwow family, traveling the contest and traditional powwow circuit all over the Midwest and beyond. She was a fancy shawl dancer in her youth and transitioned to a jingle dress dancer in her teen years. The family powwow tradition continued when she became a mom and brought her two children on the powwow trail. Now, Sirella has four grandchildren, whom she loves spending time with and speaking Ojibwe together. Two of her grandchildren are currently students at Waadookodaadiing, the Ojibwe language immersion school in Lac Courte Oreilles.

anuary 16, 2024: Tina Van Zile is an enrolled member of the Sokaogon, Mole Lake Band of the Lake Superior Chippewa Indians and a descendent of the Forest County Potawatomi. She is the Environmental Director for the Sokaogon and has been with the department since 1994. Tina is passionate about natural resources, using an approach that respects and acknowledges her ancestors' sacrifices and hopes while working to preserve for future generations. Tina believes we must speak for - and act on behalf of - those who cannot speak for themselves, like water, trees, plants, and animals. She enjoys educating people about traditional wild rice processing, rice chiefs, and the cultural significance of wild rice for Ojibwe. Tina is President of the Wisconsin Tribal Conservation Advisory Council and a former board member for River Alliance of Wisconsin.

January 23, 2024: Tinker Schuman is a published poet, storyteller, pipe carrier, artist, tribal elder, and spiritual helper. She is called Migizikwe, Eagle Woman. Tinker is the author of Baa Bii Dwe We Win: Sounds of Living, Reborn in the Sun and co-author of The Healing Blanket. Tinker attended the Institute of American Indian Arts in Santa Fe and has a Bachelor of Arts degree in Education. She has been a member of Ancestral Women, a performance group, and is featured in "Women and Water: Woven Portraits from Around the World," a fiber arts exhibit by Mary Burns. Tinker is an enrolled member of the Lac du Flambeau Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Indians and has two children, seven grandchildren, and four great-grandchildren.

January 30, 2024: Liz Arbuckle is a member of the Bad River Chippewa in northern Wisconsin, where she currently resides. She is a Senior Councilwoman on the Bad River Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Tribal Council. She has a bachelor's degree from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and a Ph.D. in political science from the University of Michigan. Her areas of expertise are Native American culture and history and ethnic group identity. She is the Northern Outreach Coordinator for the Wisconsin Historical Society. She is the founder and leader of Bad River's 4-H club, Rezberries. Liz is the proud mom of two beautiful, brilliant daughters, Bella and Viddy.