Aki Giizhigad (Earth Day)

AKI GIIZHIGAD (EARTH DAY) CELEBRATED AT RED LAKE

"Treat the earth well: it was not given to you by your parents, it was loaned to you by your children. We do not inherit the Earth from our Ancestors, we borrow it from our Children." ~Ancient Indian Proverb

The Red Lake Nation Earth Day Fair was held on April 21, 2011. Earth Day was officially April 22nd, but due to Good Friday falling on that date, this year it was decided to celebrate on April 21st. The theme for this year's event was: “Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, Renew”. The earth day fair, much bigger and broader than last year, was held again at the Red Lake Nation Boys and Girls Club. 

Promotion of Indigenous Foods

“We are enthusiastic about the event and were pleased to have a good turnout from the community and programs”, said Red Lake DNR Water Resources Director and organizer Jenilynn Bohm. The event was well attended with 342 people registered. “Our events  (the community clean-up and Earth Day) were scheduled to not conflict with Good Friday as tribal employees were scheduled to be released at noon that day. The 'clean-up', then, was scheduled before our fair, so that people could attend both the clean-up and the fair”.   

Oshki-Aangitoon or Renew

“We wanted this years Earth Day Fair to be an interactive event,” said Environmental Program Director Cody Charwood. “Our plan was that this would allow the community to learn of natural resources related projects and/or services, in hopes to inspire an awareness of the environment”, he said. “Open to all - activities and booth presenters incorporated the theme (Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, Renew) into their presentations and was geared to both children and adults”.

Parking Lot:  Upon arriving at the Boys and Girls Club, the first thing one saw were activities outside the building. The first was a “tire pressure check” near the entrance to the old casino door at the Humanities Center.  

A mechanic supervised volunteers who looked like NASCAR workers surrounding each car as it drove up, one person to a tire. Proper tire inflation can improve gas mileage. The first 50 drivers got a free tire pressure gauge.

Walking toward the Club building, one came upon a booth about “Bike Safety”. Sponsored by the RLPD, volunteers explained bicycle safety, and that proper bike safety practices prevent accidents. Volunteers checked brakes, chains, air pressure, etc. Utilizing bikes for transportation saves gas, provides good exercise, and helps the environment. 

Next came a truck and trailer collecting hazardous household waste. The household waste collection drop off (sponsored by the Red Lake DNR) gathered household waste items for proper disposal. These types of waste need to be properly disposed of, not dropped off in a dump for example.

Lawn:  On the lawn, just before one entered the Boys and Girls Club, was a plastic bag recycling exchange booth. Used plastic bags were gathered to be recycled so as to eliminate their disposal in trash. In return persons received a reusable grocery bag to use in recycling efforts. Several business places donated canvas bags to give in return for the plastic bags.  One Redby business offers 5% off if you bring in your recycle bags, and use them for purchases.

Spiritual Elder Eugene Stillday with Al Pemberton and Floyd Jourdain

Opening Ceremony and Blessing: Spiritual Elder Eugene Stillday provided a prayer at the beginning of a program held in the Boys and Girls Club gymnasium. Speakers on the subjects of Earth Day and the environment included; Stillday, Red Lake Chairman Floyd Jourdain, Jr., and Red Lake DNR Director and Redby Representative Al Pemberton.  

What to throw, and where to throw it.

Jourdain gave praise to tribal programs and others who were just finishing two days of clean-up on the Reservation. “Red Lake members and tribal program employees hit the streets, ditches, and other areas of Red Lake Nation with big green bags and yellow vests and proceeded to pick up trash and clean up the community”, he said.  

Eugene Stillday and Red Lake Chairman Floyd Jourdain Jr.

“Hundreds of Red Lakers were participating in Earth Day activities” said Pemberton, and marveled at how the event has grown over just one year. Jourdain said that new “controlled” dumping recycle areas will soon be open, and the old ones closed. “We are having too many foraging bears and fires being started”, said Jourdain. “This does not bode well for us as a proud people. We have a responsibility as Indians and as cultural stewards of the land to do better”.  


Stillday was then asked by Jourdain to explain more fully about Ojibwe tradition, in regard to and respect for, Mother Earth and the environment. After a lesson on respect for all living things and the environment that supports them, Stillday concluded with a positive thought. “The world may yet realize the ancient American Indian environmental ethic”, said Stillday, “this is important, it begins with us, and we must share this ethic”. 

Main Lobby: Upon entering the Boys and Girls Club, attendees signed in and then received an Aki Giizhigad (Earth Day) t-shirt, and a pen made from recycled materials. The T-shirts made of recycled plastic, were quite creative, the design highly symbolic.  The logo was not unlike a medicine wheel with “reduce, reuse, recycle, renew”, representing the four directions as feet of a mikinaak (turtle), and even included the sky and earth if one included mikinaak’s head and tail. The design also included Red Lake logo contained within.

Charity Pemberton (right) took Green Mug Shots

Turning to the right upon entrance, one could get a “Green Mug Shot”. Participants wrote on a whiteboard their statement of environmental stewardship commitment, then a photographer would take a photo. Being photographed with a promise hopefully will encourage compliance. Charity Pemberton from Red Lake Nation Newspaper took many of the photos. She will be putting together the pictures of the Earth Day commitments for that publication.

To the left were tables of give-a-ways related to Earth Day. Drawings were held to provide an incentive to complete a survey on the day’s events and what was learned. Snacks of a sustainable nature were provided.  

Gym: In the gym, where the program was held earlier, were several hands-on demonstration booths.  Booths were staffed by the Red Lake DNR,  tribal programs, federal and local organizations, community service members and High School students. There was a power point presentation on solar energy. 

Fishing game: A fun activity for children was a “fishing game”, a teaching tool for kids sponsored by the Red Lake DNR and Fire Prevention. The game was modeled after the old “fish pond game” idea one saw at church carnivals “back in the day”. Kids would put in their fishing rod lines in a hole, then a magnet on the end would pick up and old tire or other such garbage rather than fish or prize, to demonstrate to children the importance of keeping Red Lake clean, and to create awareness of outdoor activities.

Tech Center: “Red Lake Walleye Recovery”, a recent video was played in continuous loop in the tech center. The Native Nations Institute Film, Ogaag bii azhe giiwewag (Return of the Red Lake Walleye) was filled with many familiar faces. Sponsored proudly by Red Lake DNR/fisheries.

Arts Room:  Face painting was going on in the arts room, with designs of an environmental nature. The theme was geared toward children to teach about sustainability practices. This was sponsored by the Boys and Girls Club members and staff.

Bangiiwagitoon, Reduce

Aki Giizhigad was yet another gathering including Ojibwemowin as an integral part of it's event over the past year. Pertinent, as more and more Indian Nations seek to revitalize language and culture. This is consistent and very important in re-establishing the importance of the environmental ethic and care for the land that is so much a part of American Indian culture. Written words used in addition to Aki Giizhigad (Earth Day) included the events theme: Reduce (Bangiiwagitoon), Reuse (Ayaabajitoon), Recycle (Aanike-aabajitoon), and Renew (Oshki-Aangitoon).