Ojibwe Storytellers return this month as part of a free, virtual online series produced by the Wisconsin Historical Society.
The first storyteller session on January 9 features Sirella Ford from the Wolf Clan who's an enrolled member of the Lac Courte Oreilles Ojibwe. She is called Asiniwaabikwe.
Sirella is a graduate of Northland College with a degree in Business Administration. Early in her career, Sirella worked for the Great Lakes Indian Fish & Wildlife Commission in the accounting office and as payroll manager. She has worked most recently in education, sharing her love of Ojibwe culture with her students. She is known for her beautiful beadwork and famous frybread.
Sirella was raised in a powwow family, traveling the contest and traditional powwow circuit all over the Midwest and beyond. She was a fancy shawl dancer in her youth and transitioned to a jingle dress dancer in her teen years. The family powwow tradition continued when she became a mom and brought her two children on the powwow trail.
Now, Sirella has four grandchildren, whom she loves spending time with and speaking Ojibwe together. Two of her grandchildren are currently students at Waadookodaadiing, the Ojibwe language immersion school in Lac Courte Oreilles.
