A group of Waadookodaading Middle and High School students made a presentation at the Kinnamon Museum at the end of May, in which they presented two mannequins (one female, one male) authentically dressed from the 1870s.
The presentation was the result of a project-based learning collaboration between the Kinnamon Museum and the Ojibwe Language Immersion school, funded by an NEH grant.
According to Niizhoobinesiikwe Catherine Howes, Middle and High School Instructor, the students researched local history and the settling of Lac Courte Oreilles with the help of Migisi Dr. Rick St. Germaine, and also researched trade during the era to discover what materials would authentically be included in the dress of the period.
“Every single thing the mannequins are wearing was handmade by the students with guidance from Waadookodaading Staff and Migisi St. Germaine,” explained Howes. “When they presented their work at the museum, their presentations centered around local history, trade practices, and day-to-day practicalities that were taken into account while choosing what the mannequins would wear and how they would represent this time period here at Lac Courte Oreilles. This was the students' first foray into project-based learning, where students are given more autonomy in the process by which they learn as well as the content and it was wildly successful.”
L to R Manidoo Gwiiwizens Wilson, Manidoobines Denomie, Miskwaanangookwe Denomie, Gwanaajiwiikwe Jerome, Ode'iminikwe Leach.
(Male Mannequin Group): L to R Gwanaajiwiikwe Jerome, Manidoobines Denomie, Baswewe Belille
(Female Mannequin Group): L to R Ode'iminikwe Leach, Miskwaanangookwe Denomie, Manidoo Gwiiwizens Wilson