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Fond du Lac Arts is a series exploring the stories, creative expression, and craftsmanship of Fond du Lac artists from a range of disciplines.
This project is produced by AMPERS, Diverse Radio for Minnesota’s Communities in partnership with WGZS, the Radio Voice of the Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa, with support from the Minnesota Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund.
INTRO: You are listening to Fond du Lac Arts: Community through the Creative Arts.
NARRATOR: Allie Tibbetts is a big reader. Her little girl is too.
ALLIE TIBBETTS: I've read to her every night since I brought her home from the hospital. I was reading to my daughter one night, and it was this story about a mama bear and a baby bear, and she was telling him about how when he was in her belly. Music, lullaby-type music
NARRATOR: Her daughter loved the story.
ALLIE: Children love origin stories, and they love hearing about when they were in their mom's belly, and what that was like. So, I thought about some of the things I was told when I was pregnant, and some of the things I've been taught about our culture and our origins.
NARRATOR: That got Allie to wondering if there was a book like this that included Ojibwe teachings. No, not that she noticed. But she could write one.
[sound element: writing noises]
NARRATOR: As a kid, she knew she wanted to be a writer. For her birthday, she asked for an old-school typewriter. Her first two children’s books were published in 2023, both drawing from Ojibwe culture and language.
[sound element: typewriting noises]
NARRATOR: But now she was at work on an origin story, one to remind Ojibwe children of where they came from and that there’s always somewhere to turn when facing difficulties.
ALLIE: It's called Anangokaaning Wenjibaad: The One Who Comes from the Stars. And the message is that you're loved, you were wanted, and that the manidoo are always there for you, and you can put your tobacco out and talk to them.
NARRATOR: Her daughter was in the bath when Allie finished the book.
[sound element: bath sounds, child talking singing]
ALLIE: So I went into the bathroom with my laptop. I was like, I'm done with this story. Do you want to hear it? She had me read it to her five times. She loved it so much. And that to me too, when the kids like it, that's the ultimate. That's the critique I'm looking for, is if they like it.
OUTRO: Fond du Lac Arts is produced by AMPERS and WGZS, the radio voice of the Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa, with support from the Minnesota Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund.