A new Ceremonial Hall, “Gimanidoowichigemin Gwaaba’iganing” is now open on the Fond Du Lac Reservation. This is the first permanent structure for the tribe to have their traditional ceremonies.

Jeff Savage, Museum Director on the Fond Du Lac Reservation says this is a historic moment for the tribe. He says the new ceremonial hall will also be instrumental bringing cultural histories of the past into the future. However, according to Savage, it’s been a long, difficult history for the Fond Du Lac people trying to practice their traditional ceremonies.

“We’re still trying to create community cohesion. To pass on our traditions, our heritage and our culture to the future generations. For many, many years, our traditional religion was declared unlawful by the U.S. government. A lot of our ceremonies had to be done that kind of hidden,” Savage said. “In my lifetime, I’ve been able to watch our tribal traditional ceremonies go from old army tents to crowded community centers. Now finally we have a real nice new building to house our ceremonies in and for our community to celebrate it.”

Vern Northrup, is a member of the Drum Society. He says the districts of Sawyer, Brookston and Cloquet on the Fond Du Lac Reservation contributed significant funds to help make his great-great grandfather’s dream of a permanent ceremonial hall become a reality.

“This started in the turn of the century when my great-great-grandfather, dreamt this drum and the ceremony that goes with all the people, the songs. He dreamt all that. It’s been a long time in the making, about three years,” Northrup said. “But we came together with the tribal councils, the council at the time, and all our drum members. We talked about it and see how we were going to figure out the funding, and it happened.”

Northrup also says the ceremonial hall is more than just a permanent community space for their ceremonies, it’s a sanctuary of healing.

“This is so important to heal from our historical trauma and also to heal from our current traumas, you know? Not everybody’s life is perfect,” Northrup said. “Their lives go through changes, and this is one of them to help them.”

The Fond Du Lac Reservation is hosting a ceremony at the new ceremonial hall on Sept. 20th and the 21st. They are welcoming everyone to participate. For more information about the ceremonial hall you can read more here. Although for other stories with the Fond Du Lac Reservation you can read more here.