You Can Never Have Too Much Onzaam

Tonight at 4:35 during All Things Considered on 91.7 KAXE, we'll be joined by two handlers of Onzaam O Onzaam, an online persona residing on Facebook that represents Native American views and issues in a highly interactive, creative, often funny and sometimes extremely serious way. "Onzaam" means "too much," but instead of too much subjugation and oppression of Native People, they offer too much love, fun and information of/about their people.

Joining us from the Rice Lake Band of Ojibwe over towards McGregor, Onzaam's handlers will talk with Doug MacRostie about what they're doing, "We're representing people that have never had a voice...all the Native people that aren't in a place to speak or to share or to celebrate their culture..." Onzaam will at one moment share a music video and then the next do a time-line of media coverage of the recent issue of treaty rights in northern MN and how that situation was covered and reported on by media such as the Star Tribune. Nothing is off limits, from the hilarious to the heartbreaking.

What started as a way to sell some of their handpicked rice and birch bark/bead work quickly evolved into an online phenomenon that connects people and helps spread ideas and news from Native Country, bringing often ignored or overlooked views, opinions and ideas to the forefront.

Pictured is a bead-work/birch bark piece in progress - the 2nd image has a mirror in the middle - it's reflecting the camera :)