Bazile Minogiizhigaabo Panek is a proud member of the Red Cliff Band of Lake Superior Chippewa. Growing up in the northernmost reaches of Wisconsin, Panek reveled in nature.
“I was highly immersed in the culture and the ceremony thanks to my parents, and I like to recognize them for that,” he says.
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Bazile came to recognize the importance of his people’s traditional ecological knowledge and of honoring his ancestors.
“The relationship we have to the environment is within the language. The idea of animacy, that referring to trees, animals and even rocks as living beings provide a different way of understanding them — a greater respect. Referring to them as relatives is incredibly important is a whole different way of thinking of things compared to the majority of people in Western society,” Bazile says.
He gained experience through his undergraduate years.
“I went to Northern Michigan University. The two goals there were I was going to major in Native American studies and I was going to join the Native American Student Association. I did both of those,” Bazile says.
Bazile learned more when he worked with the Great Lakes Indian Fish and Wildlife Commission.
“I had the amazing opportunity to listen to interviews that were conducted with elders and knowledge holders of tribes. And I got to transcribe them, so put them into written form and that was an amazing job because I could just listen to all of this knowledge that tribal members had shared with the Commission, incredibly important environmental knowledge, cultural history,” he says.
Bazile learned about what he calls cultural indicators. “That deer are ready to harvest when we see fireflies for the first time. It’s a point of knowledge that I think is just amazing but because of climate change, these indicators and these relationship between beings is being affected. These things don’t always line up anymore,” he says.
Bazile says he’s part of a generation of resilient changemakers.
“It is challenging recognizing some of the historical trauma that some of our generations carry. There has been a lot of efforts to oppress Indigenous peoples across centuries and across the world. But the resiliency carried by our ancestors is not just impressive but it also shows our generations that we can also have that resiliency. We can also be resilient in the face of climate change, oppression and racism. And that we have the duty to honor them, to say thank you for allowing us to be here today,” he says.
Bazile thinks Indigenous perspectives are gaining traction among environmental organizations and researchers today. “People are integrating Indigenous knowledge into their research. It doesn’t need proving. Indigenous peoples know this,” he says.
Now 25, Bazile has just begun graduate studies at the University of Minnesota Twin Cities.
“I am working toward a master’s in natural resources and management as well as a Ph.D. in American Indian and Indigenous studies,” he says.
The university is home to the first American Indian and Indigenous Studies department in the country, and Bazile is part of its inaugural Ph.D. program.
Bazile’s thesis focuses on the reintroduction of cultural fire to Minnesota Point, located in Duluth.
“We have a grant from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to implement this burn. The grant also includes education for the community to learn about Indigenous peoples’ burning techniques and knowledge. There’s a lot of people that have a role in making this happen and we’ve gained some incredible support so far and it’s just an honor to be actually leading this project,” he says.
Bazile reflects on the name given to him early in life.
“When I was just a few days old I went through a traditional naming ceremony where a Knowledge Holder provided me with a name that was given through dreams and consultation with the spirits. That name that was given to me was Minogiizhigaabo,” he says.
It translates to Standing in the Good Sky.
“It’s taken me a while to understand what it means to me but I think I need to be of good heart and good mind in all the work I do,” Bazile says.
