The Duluth-Superior Community Foundation is contributing approximately $500,000 to the Bad River Band through a five-year grant. Northern Wisconsin tribes use the funds to support food sovereignty on their reservations.
Legend has it that they were looking for a place to grow food above the water. Most of the Ojibwe land can grow wild rice, but the Bad River Band on Lake Superior Chippewa plans to grow fresh produce.
Sean Frolke, president and CEO of the Duluth-Superior Community Foundation, said the funds donated to the Bad River Band are part of the transformation grant.
“This is a step forward and an investment at a time when we didn't have a plan yet. We thought, 'This is perfect.' We can be the right time and the right place,” Frolke said.
It took several years for the Bad River Band to bring local fresh produce to the reservation. Food Sovereignty Coordinator Katie Koch said Ursula's Farm was given to the community to help feed the tribe.
“As part of our food sovereignty program, we provide our citizens with healthy, organic food. Food that is grown right here,” Koch said. “We eat together. We feast. Food is at the heart of it, as it is the most important substance to humans. Connecting peace is paramount. And as Anishinabe, We were hunter-gatherers, and many of us still are.”
According to Koch, Ursula's Farm was a gift from Ursula Schramm to the Bad River Band. She was a Holocaust survivor. Katie says Ursula knew how she felt when she was hungry. After seeing the members of the Bad River Band struggling to obtain fresh food, she began helping them.
“She survived with 15 orphans, but she lost her entire family. These children also lost their families. She survived Auschwitz by pulling nettles out of the fence with her children. '' Koch said. “She had a particular connection to the Bad River people because she was able to empathize with the genocide experienced by the Anishinabe people. So she developed meaningful connections with members of the various tribes here. So when she died, she gifted her farm to the Bad River Tribe.”
The Bad River Band tribe turns to their local Walmart in Ashland when looking for fresh produce. The trip takes 20 minutes by car from the reservation location. But with future funding, the tribe could establish food sovereignty on Ursula's farm.
Bad River Band Tribal Chairman Robert Blanchard said food sovereignty will help make the reservation more sustainable.
“This is an important part of our culture, and one of the reasons is that we have a high prevalence of diabetes here. I hope this delicious food for people will help with that. I am a diabetic. But if you had diabetes 50 years ago, you might not have had it.”
Learn more about Bad River Band here. You can also learn more about Duluth Superior Community Foundation's community grants and read their story here.
Related article: William Lien, Bad River Band of Lake Superior, Northern Wisconsin
Source link