Band Member Voices
July Culture Column - 2075: ANISHINAABE WITHOUT MENTORSHIP
By Nazhike, Mille Lacs Band Member
As Anishinaabe in 2075, our communities face profound cultural loss. Without intentional mentorship investments made in the critical decades between the 2000s and 2030s, fluency in Anishinaabemowin has faded dramatically, nearly extinct. Traditional ceremonies, once robust and deeply healing, have become fragmented and often misunderstood, practiced infrequently and inconsistently.
Back in the 2010s, elders repeatedly emphasized the urgent need for dedicated cultural mentorship. Despite their warnings, community leaders failed to prioritize Anishinaabe Culture. Resources were diverted to American Programs, and initial efforts to support mentorship programs were brief and without goals. Over time, elders began to pass away, carrying invaluable teachings with them to the spirit world. The younger generation, left without sustained guidance, grew distant from their ancestral language and cultural foundations.
As decades passed, traditional protocols, critical for maintaining the integrity of ceremonies, grew diluted or lost entirely. The once-clear connection between spiritual practices and their meanings became blurred, turning ceremonies into superficial performances rather than healing gatherings.
By mid-century, the impacts became increasingly clear. Younger Anishinaabe felt isolated, caught between worlds. Identity struggles intensified, manifesting in higher rates of addiction, mental health challenges, and community disengagement. Many youth, without the grounding of meaningful cultural relationships, found themselves vulnerable and disconnected.
Attempts to revive Anishinaabemowin and cultural knowledge arose periodically but remained limited in scope. Programs appeared reactively, often in response to crises rather than proactive cultural preservation efforts. These short-term initiatives lacked structure, leaving participants frustrated and confused, as they were unsure how to incorporate cultural teachings into their lives fully. Valuable knowledge continued slipping away each year as elders transitioned without passing their teachings to students.
By 2075, the magnitude of loss was undeniable. Communities faced significant cultural gaps, painfully evident in daily life. Environmental stewardship, once guided by ancestral teachings, deteriorated sharply. The absence of knowledge had profound ecological consequences: wild rice beds, critical for both nourishment and spiritual practice, fell into neglect, and waterways, previously revered and protected, suffered degradation as traditional ecological wisdom vanished.
Yet, even in this challenging landscape, seeds of renewal are always stirring. Young community members often recognize their responsibility to reclaim their heritage. They understand now that survival requires intentional recovery of language and culture, lessons clearly learned from decades without mentorship. As commitments emerge, driven by a powerful desire to reconnect the future generations to their ancestral roots, they remain unguided.
The lessons from decades without mentorship were painful but powerful: investing early in cultural knowledge transfer is essential. In 2075, Anishinaabe communities are aware that their teachings, language, and identity must endure. They now move forward with humility and purpose, determined never again to underestimate the sacred importance of mentorship. Miigwech
