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As we look toward a new year, the wisdom of our ancestors feels particularly relevant. Indinawemaaganidog — this Ojibwe term, meaning “all my relatives,” captures a truth that runs as deep as the Mississippi’s waters: We are all connected — past to present, people to land, community to community. Raised by my grandparents, and now a grandparent myself, I’ve learned that our most profound responsibility is not to our immediate moment, but to the generations that will follow.
My grandmother taught me the art of birchbark crafting as a child, passing down a traditional practice and a fundamental understanding of our relationship with the land. That first $2.40 I earned from crafting tiny canoes came with teachings about respecting our resources and our responsibility to each other. The birch trees that once flourished in our forests have become scarce — a reminder of how quickly we can lose what nature has taken centuries to create. This loss carries a powerful lesson: We don’t inherit the land from our ancestors; we borrow it from our children.
This lesson is a guiding principle for me as the newly elected chief executive for the Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe, and I am particularly concerned about our clean waters being threatened. Once pristine waters are contaminated, they cannot be restored. Once underground aquifers are compromised, they cannot be replaced. What happens in this watershed flows downstream, touching every community along the river’s path across 40% of the continental U.S. — Native and non-Native alike.
This interconnectedness is why the proposed Tamarack nickel mine isn’t just a Mille Lacs Band concern — it’s a watershed moment for all Minnesotans. The mine’s location threatens the Mississippi River and St. Croix River basins, putting critical drinking water sources, habitats and surrounding communities at risk. And for our people, this isn’t only about protecting resources — it’s about preserving our forever home.
International polluters like Talon Metals/Rio Tinto have not proven their methods are safe for our interconnected ecosystem. That’s why the Mille Lacs Band has created Water Over Nickel, an initiative to protect Minnesota’s people, natural resources and cultural sites from the negative impact of nickel mining. We are not opposing progress — we’re advocating for progress that considers all our relations, including future generations. Why must this mine be placed in the Upper Mississippi River basin, where its impacts could flow through countless communities? There are alternatives. We get only one chance to protect these waters for our children, their children, and so forth.
Our collective wisdom proves we’re stronger when we prioritize long-term community welfare over short-term environmental risks. The health of our water doesn’t recognize boundaries between tribal and state lands — its vitality or degradation affects us all equally.
