Waa-izhi-anokiidiyaang (Forging New Futures)

As the Ojibwe relations liaison for the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, James Ozaawaanakwad Clark’s role is to improve relationships and communication between the DNR and Tribal governments in Minnesota—all separate, sovereign nations. “We forge new futures, and we forge better government-to-government relations that have been a little bit difficult,” Clark says.

As part of the DNR’s Office of Tribal Relations, Clark works alongside Dakota relations liaison Mat Pendleton. The Ojibwe and the Dakota, comprising 11 federally recognized tribes, are the two Native American groups that historically have shared geography with the state of Minnesota.  

Though Clark was raised in Blaine, as a child he often went “home” to the Mille Lacs Reservation. After college, he worked for the Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe as a cultural and language revivalist and an archivist. We caught up with Clark to learn more about his life and work.

Q | Why are tribal relations important for the DNR? 
For many decades the treaties and cultural understanding of Indigenous people were muted, suppressed, so as we move to an age of reconciliation it’s important to know that they were the original caretakers of the land, and their sovereign natures make each tribe different. We did not sign treaties with the state but with the U.S. government. That’s not to be understated. We must make sure our voices are at the front of the table, not the back anymore. We Tribal liaisons communicate between our sovereign nations and the DNR, working to repair those relationships one meeting at a time. It is also our job to assist DNR staff so they are equipped with as much knowledge as possible.

Q | When we began the interview, I asked about your background and you replied in Ojibwe. I don’t speak the language. Why did you respond in Ojibwe?
I was taught by our elders that our languages are some of the first things that are brought into spaces, and it is important for us to make sure that language lives in every space that we’re in.

Q | What did you say?
I was born in Fridley and raised in Blaine. My family is the subject of what they call Indian relocation. It was an act signed by Congress in 1956 that encouraged Indigenous populations to move off their reservations into urban areas. There weren’t a lot of economic opportunities on reservations in the ’40s and the ’50s, so my great-grandparents moved to the Twin Cities from the Mille Lacs Reservation, started a family, and raised four kids off one income. That’s why I was born and raised in the city, because my family moved down there over 50 years prior to my birth. But we always went back home. Indigenous people went home for ceremonies. They gave money back home. It was important to them that they knew where they came from.

Q | Many state employees have taken Tribal-state relations training. Now the DNR Tribal Relations Office is creating DNR-specific training. What is the goal of this new training? 
To make sure our DNR employees are given more specialized training for their regions and for their work to foster relationships with Tribal nations. The training is all centered within a region, and within the Tribal nations in those regions. Additionally, I want a priority to be consultation with every Tribal nation. We need to ensure the Tribes have a seat with the commissioner, making relationships and building relationships that have been hurt for the past 130 years.

Q | What are your impressions so far in your role?
I am very thankful because we are given the opportunity to be a powerful, commanding voice, not just a concerned constituent. When we speak, our voices are heard. Everything we have learned, everything we’ve been given by our elders, by our ancestors, has been acknowledged, welcomed, and thanked for. We’ve been using the knowledge we’ve gained from our community, from the beginning of our lives, to help people within the DNR understand what they weren’t taught or what they haven’t experienced.  

Q | How do you connect with nature? 
I go on walks and hikes in our parks. I go foraging, fishing, hunting. I harvest things important to Anishinaabe people such as birch bark and sage. We harvest wild rice in the fall. I do a lot recreationally and culturally and spiritually. I’m thankful that I’m able to enjoy that which we were given as Ojibwe people. When I go outdoors, I think of all the generations of our ancestors that took care of this land, and I’m forever grateful.