Museum exhibit features Anishinabeg Culture

The Art and Heritage Place/Haehn Museum at Saint Benedict’s Monastery will feature an exhibition, The Living Culture of the Anishinabeg, which opens Sunday, Jan. 30, and continues through Sunday, Aug. 28, 2005. The opening will be at 1p.m. on Sunday, Jan. 30, with a presentation on the Anishinabeg creation story at 1:30 p.m. in the lobby of the Artisan Studios next door to the museum. The exhibition and presentation are free and open to the public. The American Indian Reservations of Red Lake, White Earth, and Mille Lacs in northern Minnesota with whom the Sisters of the Order of Saint Benedict, St. Joseph, Minn., have a long history will be featured.

The Anishinabeg are also known as the Ojibwe or Chippewa. Anishinabeg, however, is the preferred title and means “first people.” The Sisters’ relationship with them began in the late 1800s and continues today. Over the years, Sisters received gifts from the Anishinabeg which will be shown in the exhibition. Artifacts and photographs related to their dependence on the seasons to provide a livelihood will be featured. Included will be bandoliers, baskets, toys, beadwork, and birch bark containers as well as food preparation and storage items. Current art work and an introduction to important features of each of the Reservations will also be highlighted. The sovereign status of the Reservations is illustrated by flags from the Reservations that greet visitors in the entrance.

This project was undertaken in collaboration with representatives from the Reservations, personnel from the Minnesota Historical Society and Stearns Historical Museum, and a private collector. They helped interpret the artifacts, that is, gave direction regarding the history of the artifacts, as well as loaned pieces that illustrate, in particular, Anishinabeg life today. Photographs related to these and the loaned items will give the visitor insights into the past and present life of the Anishinabeg. The exhibition depicts traditional life as it was lived in the past. It addresses the suppression of the culture in the attempt by the European settlers to assimilate them. They were denied the right to practice their spirituality, speak their language, and were only granted citizenship in 1924 even though they served in the military for the United States prior to that time. Their resilience is highlighted by the revitalization of the traditions, language and practices that are important to their identity. This same revitalization is depicted by their more recent efforts to improve their infrastructures. Schools, health centers, centers for elder care, and government buildings are pictured in the exhibition.

The Haehn Museum is located at the Art and Heritage Place, Saint Benedict’s Monastery, 104 Chapel Lane, St. Joseph, Minnesota. The museum’s regular hours are 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Friday, and 1 to 3:30 p.m., Saturday and Sunday. The Art and Heritage Place is also home to the Whitby Gift Shop and Gallery, which features the Sisters’ handmade items and presents periodic gallery displays.

The Sisters of the Order of Saint Benedict, St. Joseph, Minn., is a community of women religious who are committed to enhancing the spiritual lives of others. In their ministries, the Sisters of Saint Benedict are devoted to serving others in parishes, social justice organizations and educational and healthcare institutions that reflect the current needs of the Church and the world.