Native Land Digital Map
Find out whose indigenous lands you’re currently residing on or visiting around the Great Lakes region and beyond. Great Lakes Now is sharing this map provided by Native Land Digital, a nonprofit organization in Canada.
Click on the map to learn more about Indigenous territories, treaties, and languages.Find stories below that have been published on Great Lakes Now and center indigenous voices and issues related to drinking water and the Great Lakes region.
Waves of Change: Meet Ojibwe leader, activist and water walker Sharon Day
Sharon Day is enrolled in the Bois Forte Band of Ojibwe and lives in Minnesota, where she is the executive director of the Indigenous Peoples Task Force and leads several water walks each year.
Iconic whitefish on edge of collapse as Great Lakes biodiversity crisis deepens
Few fish are as synonymous with Michigan as whitefish. Pushed to the edge by invasive species, their struggle is the tip of a cataclysmic species collapse that could change our way of life.
The Legacy of Chief Blackstone: Ojibwe resistance in Great Lakes history
A powerful account of Ojibwe leaders Chief Blackstone and his son Bakindeghiizhik. A family legacy of challenging narratives and defending Anishinaabe rights.
Wildfires are getting worse. Can an old technique help control them?
The Great Lakes will likely see more wildfires, but Ojibwe land practices could reduce future risks.
Chequamegon Bay Superfund site: History, environmental impact and its importance to Indigenous communities
It took 174 years to clean up the mess made by extractive industries at Chequamegon Bay, a place of cultural importance for the Ojibwe-Anishinaabeg.
Fish, mines and Indigenous Rights ensnared in court case in northern Ontario
Establishing the Robinson Treaties, covering land around Lake Huron and Lake Superior, created a mess of jurisdiction and rights for First Nations — both signed and unsigned.
Groups fight to preserve future of Michigan’s indigenous wild rice
To aid in restoration across the state, the Michigan Wild Rice Initiative, comprising tribes indigenous to the Great Lakes region, state officials, and academic experts, created a stewardship plan.
Azhigwa Zhiiwaagamiziganike or She Makes Maple Sugar Right Now
The 1854 Treaty Authority is asking tribal sap harvesters to share the details of their 2025 season in an effort to examine climate impacts on sugar maples.
Could Lake Erie really become Lake Ohio?
Vivek Ramaswamy jokingly suggested renaming Lake Erie to Lake Ohio, sparking discussions on the history and impact of renaming places.
Nibi Chronicles: Invisible Borders
Learn about how the creation of the U.S.-Canada border divided Ojibwe communities, creating issues around citizenship and land rights.
How do you heal a sacred lake?
When a sacred site is damaged after decades of pollution, who bears the responsibility for cleaning it up? And how do we know when the process is complete?
US Forest Service firings decimate already understaffed agency: ‘It’s catastrophic’
“We are losing an entire generation of talent and passion.”
Find video segments below that have aired on Great Lakes Now and center indigenous voices and issues related to drinking water and the Great Lakes region.