About the Author

Wub-e-ke-niew was an Anishinabaeotjibway of the Bear Clan. He was born on the Red Lake Reservation in Red Lake, Minnesota, in 1928 and lived there until he died on October 15, 1997. He was raised in traditional Anishinabeotjibway ways by his grandfather, Bah-wah-we-nind. Upon his grandfather's death he was placed in a Catholic Mission school, where his native language was beaten out of him and taught very little English. At the end of World War II he joined the army and was sent to Germany. He has been a farmer, fire fighter, electrician, truck driver, stevedore, and journalist. He was one of the founders of the American Indian Movement (A.I.M.) and wrote a column for the Ojibwe News/Native American Press.