New Spirit Pole Raised at UW-Superior to Honor Anishinaabe Culture

A ceremony was held on campus to honor the indigenous people who once lived on the land the campus sits on

SUPERIOR, Wisc. – A ceremony was held at UW-Superior to honor the indigenous people who lived on the land the campus sits on.

Each spring, a new spirit pole is decorated with an eagle feather and colored ribbons, then raised as a symbol of connecting past generations to the present.

Today, members of the Lake Superior Chippewa band led a ceremony with students and the community which included a drum demonstration and lighting of a spiritual pipe.

“This Indian land, the idea that it is our land has not been forgotten and so we honor that fact,” said Dan Jones, an instructor of First Nation Studies at UWS. “The administration allows us to do events such as this and they support the endeavor that we do to try and honor our customs and our traditions.”

Those at the ceremony also fed the tree with tobacco as an offering. This is the 26th year the Anishinaabe people have raised a new spirit pole on the UWS  campus.