In Ojibwe tradition, Ajijaak (sandhill crane) represents wisdom and communication. All other clans look to Ajijaak for guidance. What does Ajijaak teach us? What can we learn from his connection to manoomin (wild rice), the Great Lakes, and his other relatives? 

Join us for an evening with Dr. Patty Loew as we learn from the stories of Ajijaak and celebrate the start sandhill crane migration season! Can't attend the live event? Register to have access to the recording.

Patty Loew, Ph.D., is professor emerita in the Medill School of Journalism and inaugural director of the Center for Native American and Indigenous Research at Northwestern University. A citizen of Mashkiiziibiig-- the Bad River Band of Lake Superior Ojibwe, Dr. Loew is the author of four books, including Indian Nations of Wisconsin: Histories of Endurance and Renewal, now in its second edition; Native People of Wisconsin, which is used by 20,000 Wisconsin school children as a social studies text; and Teachers Guide to Native People of Wisconsin. Her book, Seventh Generation Earth Ethics, won the 2014 Midwest Book Award for Culture. Loew has produced many documentaries for public and commercial television, including the award-winning Way of the Warrior, which aired nationally on PBS in 2007 and 2011. For 20 years, she hosted news and public affairs programs, including WeekEnd and In Wisconsin, for PBS Wisconsin.

Loew has written extensively about Ojibwe treaty rights, sovereignty, and the role of Native media in communicating Indigenous world views. In 2024, Loew was inducted into the Wisconsin Broadcaster’s Hall of Fame and received the 2024 Distinguished Service Award from the UW-Madison School of Journalism and Mass Communication. In 2019, she was inducted into the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and received Wisconsin’s 2019 Martin Luther King Jr. Heritage Award. 

Ajijaak: Ojibwe Lessons From the Crane