Learning Ojibwe: Gii-Paapiwag

From Chelsea Annette's book, "Discovering the Little Brothers"

Gii-paapiwag: They laughed
Listen

When Nagamowin-bineshiinh, the songbird, and his friend, the fox, Waagosh, played in the woods, noopiming, they laughed, gi-paapiwag. Listen

Click here for more editions of Learning Ojibwe.

Christmas Trees on Between You and Me

DJ the DJ's 2010 remembrance tamarac tree

This week on Between You and Me we're talking about Christmas trees.  DJ the DJ has a tradition with Christmas trees - he gets a tree without needles to represent the people who are missing at Christmas time.  What a great tradition!

We received this email from Harvey from Bemidji:
I enjoyed the conversation between John Bauer and Marshall Helmberger this morning (Dec 10).  The awkwardness that developed during their discussion of Christmas trees and people who don't observe that tradition reflected the reality that members of cultural minorities live with daily.  To hear this transpire on live radio seemed more real than any staged discussion could get.  It made me smile and say, "YES!"

What's your family's tradition?  Do you use the same decorations every year?  Do you have a new theme every year?

Why do we have Christmas trees anyway?

The Christmas Tree originated in Germany in the 16th century. It was common for the Germanic people to decorate fir trees, both inside and out, with roses, apples, and colored paper. It is believed that Martin Luther, the Protestant reformer, was the first to light a Christmas tree with candles. While coming home one dark winter's night near Christmas, he was struck with the beauty of the starlight shining through the branches of a small fir tree outside his home. He duplicated the starlight by using candles attached to the branches of his indoor Christmas tree. The Christmas tree was not widely used in Britain until the 19th century. It was brought to America by the Pennsylvania Germans in the 1820's.

Handbell Choir documentary by Jennifer Poenix

by Travis Ryder

Several KAXE staffers recently completed a training course on audio documentary storytelling.  We get to reap the benefits starting Thursday morning, December 9, in the 8 o'clock hour.  Member Services Manager Jennifer Poenix tells her story of involvement in a handbell choir.  

Says Jennifer, "When I tell people I ring hand bells, I usually get a questioning look in response. Since I was pretty comfortable with the subject, I chose to explore the topic when presented the opportunity to learn radio documentary. This turned out to be a little more personal than I thought it would be when I started. That’s alright though. I think my story really needed to be a part of it. I’m excited for others to hear it!"  

Tune in live, and find the audio archived on the Culturology page and at Ampers.

Ryan Tischer's evocative photography

by Travis Ryder
The December 9 edition of Culturology features an interview with Northland-area photographer Ryan Tischer.  Justin Cook caught up with him at the recent Gifts Worth Giving event.

Tischer finds inspiration in the woods and waters of his home region, but also shows proficiency capturing the magic of the American Southwest.  "When you sit and you watch a sunset over the ocean, or over Lake Superior, there's that emotion," Tischer says.  "There's that feeling that you get deep inside, and it's really hard to convey that in words.  So what I always try to do is capture the emotional essence of the scene.  I don't try and just capture things literally, what the camera says is there, because that's never going to be what you feel."  Tischer hosts an open studio event this weekend, Saturday and Sunday from 11 to 5 at 315 North Lake Avenue, Apartment 403, in Duluth.  The interview will be posted to the Culturology page and ampers.org.

Gifts from the Edge (Center) on 'Culturology'

by Travis Ryder

The holiday showcase at the Edge Center Gallery in Bigfork

There's now a name for KAXE's series of programs featuring stories from Northern Minnesota's arts, culture, and history scene.  Culturology takes to the air select Thursdays in the 8 o'clock hour.  On December 9, we hear from Lynn Nachbar and Patricia Feld from the Edge Center for the Arts. 

The Edge Center, attached to the schools in Bigfork, offers a holiday shopping experience through this Sunday, December 12.  That's the same day that the Center welcomes the group Not Necessarily Bluegrass for a Christmas concert. The group features members of the LaPlant Family and friends. That show starts at 2 p.m.

Other marketplaces around the region also offer high-quality, local artisan gifts, like the Bemidji Community Art Center, Lyric Center in Virginia, and MacRostie Art Center in Grand Rapids.

Culturology on 91.7 KAXE

Culturology with Travis Ryder and volunteer/freelance contributors Select Thursdays, 8 a.m on 91.7 KAXE. Discover and get involved with the broad and deep world of arts and culture in Northern Minnesota. Each edition features profiles of artists from a wide spectrum of creativity, from painters, potters and sculptors to fine-arts and heritage musicians, authors and poets. The program also endeavors to be an entry point into the rich cultural past and present of our region. Join in the cultural conversation by using the calendar of events, and providing stories and reviews of events you attend. A variety of arts and culture voices, textures, and topics await you select Thursday mornings in the 8 o’clock hour. Check out recent features from Culturology.

A John Lennon Special with Timothy William

Tonight from 7-10 on 91.7 KAXE, volunteer host Timothy William has a special John Lennon On the River. He's going to do John and Beatles stuff, plus a bunch of live stuff like the first 3 songs they did on the Ed Sullivan Show and The Dirty Mac. He's also got an acoustic performance of John Lennon in '71 at a rally to free John Sinclair, and there will also be a couple of sets of covers and some surprises as well.

Michael Small, another KAXE volunteer, called the station this morning and mentioned he lived in Brooklyn when John was murdered and that, "New Yorkers were stunned, and they can be pretty callous. It's hard to shock a New Yorker - and EVERYONE was just stunned." New Yorkers, the U.S. and the World.

Join us in celebration and remembrance on the John Lennon Special tonight with Timothy William starting at 7 on 91.7 KAXE Grand Rapids, 89.9 Brainerd, 105.3 Bemidji, and streaming at http://www.kaxe.org.