Jim Northrup (writer)
Encyclopedia
Jim Northrup is an Anishinaabe
(Native American
) newspaper columnist
, poet, performer and political commentator from the Fond du Lac Indian Reservation
in Minnesota
. His Anishinaabe name is "Chibenashi" (from Chi-bineshiinh "Big little-bird").
through several Native American papers, such as The Circle, The Native American Press and News From Indian Country. It has won many awards (see below) and is known for a warm humour with a sharply political undertone. Northrup often tells stories through the perspective of his immediate family, most of whom like himself live a traditional Anishinaabe lifestyle, and uses a folksy style to make points about United States
-Native American interactions. Fond du Lac Follies was named Best Column at the 1999 Native American Journalists Association convention. In 1990-1992, Jim worked as a roster artist for the COMPAS Writer in the Schools Program. He has been a Mentor in the Loft Inroads Program, a Judge for the Lake Superior Contemporary Writers Series and The Jerome Fellowship, and a Member of the Minnesota State Arts Board Prose Panel. Jim also has given radio commentaries on the Superior Radio Network, National Public Radio, Fresh Air Radio], and the BBC-Scotland. His two books, Walking the Rez Road and Rez Road Follies, are written in the same style, and have been highly praised for their insights into reservation life. He peppers his column, and the books, with jokes (e.g. Q: Why is the white man in such a hurry to get to Mars? A: He thinks we have land there) and words or phrases from his tribal language, Ojibwemowin, of which he is a student.
Born in the Government Hospital on the reservation, Northrup was brought up on Pipestone Indian School, where he was physically abused by teachers and fellow students, Northrup grew up a tough streetfighter with a smart mouth. Service in Vietnam
and a surfeit of family tragedy have added to a strong, humorous voice that is unafraid to talk about the darker side of life.
Jim and his family live the traditional life of the Anishinaabe
in northern Minnesota, on the Fond Du Lac reservation. Year around they practice the construction of making winnowing backets, and harvest wild rice and maple syrup. Nonetheless, his traditional lifestyle does not deter him from participating in events like the Taos Film Festival and the Taos Poetry Circus.
Poetry Harbor Press
Anishinaabe
Anishinaabe or Anishinabe—or more properly Anishinaabeg or Anishinabek, which is the plural form of the word—is the autonym often used by the Odawa, Ojibwe, and Algonquin peoples. They all speak closely related Anishinaabemowin/Anishinaabe languages, of the Algonquian language family.The meaning...
(Native American
Native Americans in the United States
Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples in North America within the boundaries of the present-day continental United States, parts of Alaska, and the island state of Hawaii. They are composed of numerous, distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of which survive as...
) newspaper columnist
Columnist
A columnist is a journalist who writes for publication in a series, creating an article that usually offers commentary and opinions. Columns appear in newspapers, magazines and other publications, including blogs....
, poet, performer and political commentator from the Fond du Lac Indian Reservation
Fond du Lac Indian Reservation
The Fond du Lac Indian Reservation is an Indian reservation in northern Minnesota near Cloquet in Carlton and St. Louis counties, with off-reservation holdings in Douglas County in Wisconsin...
in Minnesota
Minnesota
Minnesota is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States. The twelfth largest state of the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.3 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the thirty-second state...
. His Anishinaabe name is "Chibenashi" (from Chi-bineshiinh "Big little-bird").
Summary
Northrup's regular column, the Fond du Lac Follies, is syndicatedPrint syndication
Print syndication distributes news articles, columns, comic strips and other features to newspapers, magazines and websites. They offer reprint rights and grant permissions to other parties for republishing content of which they own/represent copyrights....
through several Native American papers, such as The Circle, The Native American Press and News From Indian Country. It has won many awards (see below) and is known for a warm humour with a sharply political undertone. Northrup often tells stories through the perspective of his immediate family, most of whom like himself live a traditional Anishinaabe lifestyle, and uses a folksy style to make points about United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
-Native American interactions. Fond du Lac Follies was named Best Column at the 1999 Native American Journalists Association convention. In 1990-1992, Jim worked as a roster artist for the COMPAS Writer in the Schools Program. He has been a Mentor in the Loft Inroads Program, a Judge for the Lake Superior Contemporary Writers Series and The Jerome Fellowship, and a Member of the Minnesota State Arts Board Prose Panel. Jim also has given radio commentaries on the Superior Radio Network, National Public Radio, Fresh Air Radio], and the BBC-Scotland. His two books, Walking the Rez Road and Rez Road Follies, are written in the same style, and have been highly praised for their insights into reservation life. He peppers his column, and the books, with jokes (e.g. Q: Why is the white man in such a hurry to get to Mars? A: He thinks we have land there) and words or phrases from his tribal language, Ojibwemowin, of which he is a student.
Born in the Government Hospital on the reservation, Northrup was brought up on Pipestone Indian School, where he was physically abused by teachers and fellow students, Northrup grew up a tough streetfighter with a smart mouth. Service in Vietnam
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
and a surfeit of family tragedy have added to a strong, humorous voice that is unafraid to talk about the darker side of life.
Jim and his family live the traditional life of the Anishinaabe
Anishinaabe
Anishinaabe or Anishinabe—or more properly Anishinaabeg or Anishinabek, which is the plural form of the word—is the autonym often used by the Odawa, Ojibwe, and Algonquin peoples. They all speak closely related Anishinaabemowin/Anishinaabe languages, of the Algonquian language family.The meaning...
in northern Minnesota, on the Fond Du Lac reservation. Year around they practice the construction of making winnowing backets, and harvest wild rice and maple syrup. Nonetheless, his traditional lifestyle does not deter him from participating in events like the Taos Film Festival and the Taos Poetry Circus.
Quotes
I used to be known as a bullshitter but that didn't pay anything. I began calling myself a storyteller - a little better, more prestige - but it still didn't pay anything. I became a freelance writer. At first it was more free than lance, then I started getting money for my words (Rez Road Follies, p. 2)Awards
- Jim was named Writer of the Year in syndicated columns for 2001 by the Wordcraft Circle of Native Writer's and Storytellers for his column The Fond du Lac Follies.
- Walking the Rez Road was awarded a Minnesota Book Award and a Northeast Minnesota Book Award. Jim was honored as writer of the Best Feature Story in 1987 by the Native American Press Association for the story "Jeremiah, Jesse and Dan". In 1987 he also was named winner of the Lake Superior Contemporary Writers Series for "Culture Clash".
- The film Jim Northrup: With Reservations received an award at the Dreamspeakers Native Film Festival '97, and was named Best of Show at Red Earth '97. It was named Best Short Film at the Native American Voices Showcase 2002 at the Fargo Film Festival. It was also shown at the 1997 Native American Film & Video Festival, National Museum of the American Indian, New York City.
- The Rez Road Follies has been nominated for a Minnesota Book Award, in the Creative Non-fiction category in 1995.
- Fond du Lac Follies was named Best Column at the 1999 Native American Journalists Association convention.
Anthologies
- Nitaawichige: Selected Poetry and Prose by Four Anishinaabe Writers, with Jim Northrup, Marcie Rendon &, Linda Legarde Grover, Poetry Harbor.
- Stories Migrating Home: Anishnaabe Prose, Kimberly Blaeser (Editor), Loonfeather Press: Wisconsin
- Returning the Gift: Poetry and Prose from the First North American Native Writers' Festival, (Sun Tracks Books, No 29) University of Arizona Press.
- Touchwood: A Collection of Ojibway Prose (Many Minnesotas Project, No 3), New Rivers Press.
- North Writers: A Strong Woods Collection, John Henricksson (Editor), University of Minnesota Press.
- Stiller's Pond, New Fiction From The Upper Midwest, Jonis Agee, Roger Blakely & Susan Welch (Editors), New Rivers Press.
- Do you know me now?: an anthology of Minnesota multicultural writings, Elisabeth Rosenberg (Editor), Normandale Community College.
Autobiographies
- Walking the Rez Road, 1993, Voyageur Press.
- Rez Road Follies: Canoes, Casinos, Computers and Birch Bark Baskets, 1997, Kodansha America, Now issued by U Of Minn Press.
- Anishinaabe Syndicated, A View From The Rez, 2011, Minnesota Historical Society Press.
Interviews
- Catching up with writer Jim Northrup in News from Indian Country
- Revisiting Vietnam, Slideshow & RealAudio
- "Walking with Jim Northrup and Sharing His "Rez"ervations", Roseanne Hoefel, in SAIL, 9, 2, 11.
- "Stories, Humor, and Survival in Jim Northrup's Walking theRez Road", Chris LaLonde, in SAIL, 9, 2, 23.
- Down Home With Jim Northrup, by Mark Rolo, 1996, Aboriginal Voices, 3, 1.
- COLORS Magazine, Language of the Land Project, Volume 1, Issue 2: March/April, 1992, David Mura and Jim Northrup on "Whose story is it, anyway?"
- Northern Lights, A Look at Minnesota Books and Writers, video #270 of the series.
Poetry
- Three more: poems, illustrations by Eva Two Crow, Minnesota Center for Book Arts and the Loft, 1992.
- Days of Obsidian, Days of Grace (with Adrian Louis, Al Hunter, and Denise Sweet), 1994,
Poetry Harbor Press
Plays
- Rez Road 2000—performed at the Great American History Theatre in St. Paul for a five week run in January 2000.
- Rez Road Follies
- Shinnob Jep—performed October 9, 10 & 11, 1997, at the Weisman Art MuseumWeisman Art MuseumThe Frederick R. Weisman Art Museum is an art museum located on the University of Minnesota campus in Minneapolis. A teaching museum for the university since 1934, the museum is named for Frederick R. Weisman, and was designed by the renowned architect Frank Gehry...
, University of MinnesotaUniversity of MinnesotaThe University of Minnesota, Twin Cities is a public research university located in Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota, United States. It is the oldest and largest part of the University of Minnesota system and has the fourth-largest main campus student body in the United States, with 52,557...
, as part of the Indian Humor exhibition.
See also
- List of writers from peoples indigenous to the Americas
- Native American StudiesNative American StudiesNative American Studies is an interdisciplinary academic field that examines the history, culture, politics, issues and contemporary experience of Native peoples in North America, or, taking a hemispheric approach, the Americas...
External links
- Personal website (includes contact details, links to poems and other online writing)
- The United States of Poetry
- Against Forgetting: The Legacy of the Vietnam War for People and Politics
- War by Kelly Brock
- Interview with Mike Hazard, about making With Reservations
- "Words of the Past", a Minnesota Public Radio story on the Ojibwe language
- Pictures of Jim discussing wild rice fanning
- A short biography from the Internet Public Library's Native American Authors Project