Community Leaders Speak at Ceremony Concluding Lac Courte Oreilles/Hayward ‘Healing Field’®

Community leaders from Lac Courte Oreilles and Sawyer County came together Friday, Sept. 21, at a ceremony marking the conclusion of the Lac Courte Oreilles/Hayward Healing Field^® after a month-long installation at the junction of Highways B and K. Over 600 flags were placed at the site to recognize and promote common bonds between the people of Sawyer County and Lac Courte Oreilles. It was the first Healing Field^® to have two nations’ flags flying together.

After introductory performances from the Hayward High School Choir and a Lac Courte Oreilles student drum circle, Lac Courte Oreilles Tribal Secretary/Treasurer Mic Isham, on behalf of the LCO Boys & Girls Club, welcomed attendees.

“Any time we focus on making our community a great place to live, raise a family, and be happy, that’s always a great thing,” he said.

Project co-chair and organizer Karen Rougeau, executive director of the LCO Boys & Girls Club, recognized the significance of the Healing Field^® to the LCO and Hayward community.

“It is essential that we focus on what is good and right in our own world, in our own community,” she said. “We have erected the first Healing Field^® in the United State in which two nations’ flags are flown together. People who visit the field are moved by its presence.”

Among the slate of speakers was a keynote address presented by Lac Courte Oreilles Tribal Governing Board Chairman Gordon Thayer, who recognized the contributions of those who helped make the Healing Field^® a reality and those who gathered in solidarity with one another at the ceremony. He especially recognized the bonds between tribal and non-tribal law enforcement agencies, and the efforts the tribal governing board is taking to meet regularly with the Hayward Community School District board.

“It really warms my heart to be here, this is really a special time,” Thayer said. “I’m excited to see how things have come along in our community. I really feel that today, with what’s going on in the world, we need to even moreso be closer together in our community. Not depending on race, but what we represent in our community for our young people.

Other speakers included: Sawyer County Board Chairman Hal Helwig, Sawyer County Sheriff Mark Kelsey, Lac Courte Oreilles Tribal Police Chief Tim DeBrot, City of Hayward Police Chief Joel Clapero, Hayward Community School District Superintendent Craig Olson, Winter School District Principal Adam Zopp, Pastor Mark Wilson, and Lac Courte Oreilles School Administrator Dennis White.

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Ferrellgas Offers Price Protection Plan to Tribal Members

Lac Courte Oreilles tribal homeowners living within Sawyer County are now eligible for a Ferrellgas Price Protection Plan, which includes a guaranteed $1.399 price per gallon on propane through March 31, 2013.

Ferrellgas will provide a free tank switch out and pump over of current propane on premises and will also conduct a free system leak check. Ferrellgas will not charge delivery fees, and keep full, will call, budget billing, cash on delivery and pay in advance are available.

Tribal members need to present a LCO tribal enrollment ID number to take advantage of the Price Protection Plan. Interested tribal members should contact Ferrellgas at (715) 634-2696 or toll free at (800) 272-0685, please have your tribal ID available when calling.

Read Ferrellgas Welcome Letter for Full Details

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Lac Courte Oreilles/Hayward Community ‘Healing Field’ Ceremony Scheduled Sept. 20

First Healing Field Nationwide to Show Strength Between Native American and Non-Native Community

HAYWARD, WI – A ceremony will be held at the Lac Courte Oreilles/Hayward Community Healing Field® at the intersection of Highway K and Highway B, Sept. 20 from 1 to 2:30 p.m. The event will feature speakers and attendees present to show recognition of the strength between the Lac Courte Oreilles Tribe and Hayward communities. This will be the first Healing Field® of its kind between a Native and Non-Native community with both nations’ flags flying side-by-side.

As many as 625 arranged flags have been posted at the field for public viewing since August. The healing field culminates in the closing ceremony Sept. 20.

Those slated to speak at the event include: Lac Courte Oreilles Tribal Chairman Gordon Thayer (keynote), Sawyer County Commissioner Hal Helwig, Sawyer County Sheriff Mark Kelsey, LCO Tribal Police Chief Tim DeBrot, Ojibwe Spiritual Leader Jerry Smith, Wesleyan Church Pastor Mark Wilson, and school superintendents. Students from area schools will be on-hand as well as the Hayward High School Choir from the Hayward schools and a youth drum group from Lac Courte Oreilles.

Healing fields were a common sight in the wake of the 9/11 attacks, but have since taken on other roles with the goal of displaying solidarity and raising awareness for different causes throughout the nation.

Community sponsors for the Lac Courte Oreilles/Hayward Community Healing Field® include: Beehive Botanicals, Chippewa Valley Bank, and Lac Courte Oreilles Tribal Government.

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GLIFWC Board Chairman on Taking of Elk for Ceremony

A statement from Great Lakes Indian Fish & Wildlife Commission (GLIFWC) Board of Commissioners Chairman Michael J. Isham Jr. about the taking of an elk for an upcoming intertribal Thanksgiving ceremony

It has been my sincere honor to issue a ceremonial harvest permit for an intertribal hunting party to harvest one bull elk (omashkooz) in the Wisconsin ceded territory. Ojibwe tribes consider this harvest to be a matter of spiritual and ceremonial significance in the fulfillment of their cultural obligation to aki (the earth) and all that She provides. As the Anishinaabe pay respect and honor their relationship to the omashkooz, they express gratitude to the important connection that elk play in a healthy ecosystem.

The tribes are truly grateful to all their partners who have played a role in the reintroduction of this species. This ceremonial harvest is an integral aspect of the continued success of the reintroduction project based upon the principles of Anishinaabe teachings, traditions and customary tribal law.

Contact: Sue Erickson, GLIFWC Public Information Director, (715) 682-6619, ext. 2105

Click here for the GLIFWC statement online

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Lac Courte Oreilles Receives $1.2M U.S. Dept of Education Grant to Train Native Teachers

HAYWARD, WI – The Lac Courte Oreilles Tribe was one of 10 recipients nationwide awarded a Professional Development Grant for Indian Education from the U.S. Department of Education. The grant application, entitled “Future Indian Teachers,” was developed by Dr. Stanley Roy Jonjak and submitted by the Lac Courte Oreilles Ojibwe Community College. The four-year, $1.2 million dollar grant will be used to train 15 students to become teachers for the Lac Courte Oreilles Ojibwe K-12 School and the Waadookodaading Ojibwe Language Immersion School.

The Future Indian Teachers (FIT) project is a consortium between the Lac Courte Oreilles Tribe, the LCO Ojibwe Community College and the University of Wisconsin to train and certify teachers with bachelors’ degrees in Elementary Education. The teachers will serve Ojibwe youth attending tribal and public schools on or near the Lac Courte Oreilles reservation.

Consortium partners will analyze and use data through the Equity Scorecard Process, academic and non-academic records, and dual-culture support systems to drive decision-making. An additional goal is to support five participants to receive advanced training in Ojibwe oral fluency and immersion pedagogy so that the Waadookodaading Ojibwe Immersion Charter School will increase its capacity to serve three more grade levels.

Eligible participants must be able to complete their education and serve a one-year induction period within the four-year timeframe.

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