Culture & Traditions

Moccasin Telegraph

Ancestors of today’s Ojibwe people lived in family clans. Before the advent of telephones or mail service, the clans’ patriarchs designated people to carry their news on birch bark scrolls to other Ojibwe families. This way of sharing news became known as the “moccasin telegraph” (referring to the moccasins worn at that time). Today Mille Lacs Band members share their stories about the Ojibwe culture, history and traditions through a local newspaper column called the “Moccasin Telegraph.” The success of this column, led to the creation of “Perspectives,” which is a series of columns by the next generation of Band members. In this series, Band members describe what it is like to be an American Indian today.