New Bemidji State degree draws on Indigenous practices to teach 21st century sustainability

By Mathew Holding Eagle III
MPR News
May 4, 2022

On a recent brisk spring morning, in the backwoods of the Red Lake Reservation, Bemidji State University assistant professor, Awanookwe Kingbird-Bratvold worked among the maple trees. She emptied thick plastic bags of clear sap, harvested a drop at a time, into an old, white, five-gallon bucket.

On this day she’s alone. But often she has students help her as part of the curriculum for BSU's new Indigenous Sustainability Studies Program. Together they manage dozens of maple trees, transforming a forested syrup camp into a modern-day classroom.

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