Aanjichigeng

OUR VISION:

The vision of Aanjichigeng is to protect and maintain the site of the Chief Buffalo Memorial in partnership with responsibilities agreed upon with the City of Duluth, to continue to build ways of engaging with the history of Chief Buffalo and the Treaty of 1854, through public art, historical signage, and community engagement, and to celebrate contemporary Indigenous storytellers, leaders, artists, and community members, both descendants of Chief Buffalo and those who continue to work for the betterment of conditions for Native people in our region.

Our region is home to many Indigenous artists and storytellers, yet there are currently no local institutions whose primary focus is on offering support, resources, and funding to Indigenous creators. Understanding this gap motivated us to launch this nonprofit as a support for not only the preservation and eventual expansion of the Chief Buffalo Memorial site, but also for Indigenous artists and culture bearers seeking to heal our community. Our hope is to leverage funds to support these two causes equally. 

We're early in our development but already have an enormous amount of community backing us, and are grateful for the momentum that's building. We were selected to be a part of an emerging nonprofits cohort through Propel Nonprofits and are learning the ropes! Miigwech for reading our story! We're hoping to host community listening sessions in the coming months to get a better sense of priorities for our organization and how to build a sustainable foundation for our work for years to come.