University of Minnesota Press, $14.95
Long before it became known as Duluth, the land was known to the Ojibwe as Onigamiising, “the place of the small portage.” There, the Ojibwe lived in keeping with the seasons, moving among different camps for hunting and fishing, for cultivating and gathering, for harvesting wild rice and maple sugar. In Onigamiising, award-winning author Linda LeGarde Grover accompanies us through the cycle of the seasons, one year in a lifelong journey on the path to Mino Bimaadiziwin, the living of a good life.
In 50 short essays, Grover reflects on the spiritual beliefs and everyday practices that carry the Ojibwe through the year and connect them to this northern land. Grover is a professor of American Indian studies at the University of Minnesota Duluth and is a member of the Bois Forte Band of Ojibwe.—Breana Roy