Latest news with #Chippewa
DW
01-08-2025
- Business
- DW
Pewabic Pottery: Still handcrafted in Detroit – DW – 08/01/2025
For over 120 years, a tiny pottery manufacture in Detroit has been turning clay into durable handicraft, proving that the city is more than just fast-paced assembly lines and Motown music. Over the last century, Detroit was home to monumental manufacturing prosperity before experiencing deindustrialization, violent riots and the biggest municipal bankruptcy in US history. Yet, through it all Pewabic Pottery has stood the bumpy test of time. Founded the same year as Ford Motor Company in 1903, Pewabic focused on individual handcrafted products instead of the mass production that turned the city into the epicenter of American auto manufacturing. Its survival was anything but assured and most other famous pottery studios have long since closed their doors. Pewabic Pottery was founded by artist Mary Chase Perry and kiln specialist Horace Caulkins in a Detroit stable. Their first employees were a German-born potter named Joseph Heerich and Julius Albus Jr., a 12-year-old boy who did odd jobs. Both would spend the rest of their careers there, a pattern other employees would repeat over the years. When looking for a company name, Perry picked "Pewabic," which was the name of a copper mine near her Michigan birthplace. The word comes from the Chippewa — or Ojibwa — language and means either "metal" or more specifically "iron." The pottery started producing lamp bases, vases, planters, cups, bowls and tabletop cigarette boxes. Tile production came a little later and would eventually prove to be an important source of income. These tiles were used as ordinary floor coverings or eye-catching architectural accents like fireplace surrounds or friezes. The growing business soon needed more room, and a custom-built factory opened in 1907. It is a half-timbered building that doesn't look like a traditional workshop. And despite the challenges of working in Detroit during turbulent times, Pewabic hasn't budged. It expanded the facility in 1911 and 2018. At a time when women didn't run many businesses, Mary Chase Perry was good at selling and not afraid to take on large-scale projects. Pewabic's co-founders combined art, technology and entrepreneurship. This let them experiment and create new, iridescent glazes — each attempt meticulously recorded in notebooks — and those glazes allowed Perry to "paint with fire" as she often said. Pewabic set itself apart through its nearly 600 glazes. These glazes plus creative firing techniques led to unexpected colors and textures. Many pieces had a crackle effect that was smooth to the touch. Other times the glaze melted and flowed down the sides making it more tangible to the touch. Pewabic tiles are found in homes, libraries, schools, fountains, churches and public buildings across the country. Its vases are in museums like the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City and the Smithsonian in Washington D.C. As Detroit's fortunes ebbed and flowed so did Pewabic's. The Great Depression and WWII had a big impact on the workforce and their output as people scaled back spending. When people stopped building big homes or left the city altogether, the business suffered more. Later Detroit went into a steep decline and its population dropped by two-thirds from its 1950 peak. While the world changed around them, Pewabic clung to their traditional ways. They kept making clay with the same belt-driven mixer and filter press first installed in 1912. They still pressed their tiles into molds by hand. Vessels, a general term for vases, bowls and cups, were still hand-thrown on a wheel or slip cast, which means pouring liquid clay into a plater mold. Today, around 50 employees work at Pewabic; 16 of them are artisans and four work on the design team. The rest are in education, retail or administration. In the workshop, there are three big gas-powered kilns big enough to walk in. Exposed shelves are tightly stacked with tiles and objects ready to fire, which usually happens overnight three times a week. The next room is where they mix the 3,000 pounds of clay needed every week. Other spaces are full of pottery in different states of finish and niches for glazing. Another area is reserved for tile making and storing hundreds of molds. Everything from glaze making to unloading the massive kilns happens in a coordinated way. Important information is imparted on tiny slips of paper that everyone understands. Teamwork, individual judgement and trust are important. Pewabic has always been a proponent of the Arts and Crafts design movement, which flourished between 1880 and 1920. The idea is a return to craftsmanship instead of industrial mass production. It was a reaction "to the dehumanization of workers through mechanization, division of labor, and the prevailing ugliness of machine-made goods resulting from the Industrial Revolution," wrote Thomas W. Brunk in "Pewabic Pottery: The American arts and crafts movement expressed in clay." Under Perry's leadership Pewabic did not print catalogs or standardize their work. Today, they still make some iconic pieces that the co-founders would recognize, but their work is more standardized. Before something new goes into production, the entire team votes on the design, says Amanda Rogers who is head of marketing. Potters are also free to use extra clay to make one-of-a-kind pieces. Mary Chase Perry worked well into her 90s and died in 1961. Total sales for the first six decades came in at just over $1 million (€870,000). Of that, 65% came from tiles and 17% from vessels. The rest came from firing and glazing for others and selling materials like clay and glazes. The Calkins family took over the pottery and gave it to a university to look after. After 15 years of struggling, the business was turned into nonprofit in 1981. Renewed interest in Detroit and the Arts and Crafts movement plus big civic projects revitalized the business. In 2024, the pottery had its best year ever and made nearly 9,500 vessels, 40,000 architectural tiles and almost 33,000 art tiles, according to executive director Steve McBride. Store sales and architectural commissions brought in $3.38 million, a 42% increase since 2018. Events, fundraising and education services brought in an additional $1 million. The pottery was founded as the industrial age was gearing up, and it went against that trend. Now as artificial intelligence is reaching new heights, the pottery is still standing its ground. As people rediscover the value in handmade goods, they want to reach out touch them, says Rogers. This appreciation could keep Pewabic in business another 120 years.
CBC
21-07-2025
- General
- CBC
Chippewa of the Thames First Nation residents told not to consume tap water
The 1,000 people who live in Chippewa of the Thames First Nation have been told not to drink the water coming out of their taps because of broken, aging infrastructure that can't keep up with the demands of the community, Chief Joe Miskokomon told CBC News. "It's been a problem at Chippewa for decades," Miskokomon said. "We have an inadequate delivery system and an inadequate filtration system, and so it's been a struggle to maintain quality water. The system is not good enough to meet the growing needs of our community." Residents have been told to not use their tap water for drinking, cooking, brushing their teeth or using it for baby formula. Boiling the water will not make it safe, officials say. "It's unfiltered, raw water," Miskokomon said. "It goes through a two-stage filtration and the last stop is where the micro-organisms are being filtered out of the water. We're having trouble keeping that filter. It's supposed to last for a month, but we're going through them every three days." Pumps that should only run eight hours per day have been running 24-7, the chief said. Water deliveries are being arranged and the u-fill station will be operating on extended hours, from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. Staff will be on-site to help fill and carry just for people who need assistance, Miskokomon said. The issue of poor water quality in First Nations communities has been frustrating for leaders and residents, he added. "We're getting to the point where our system is so overworked and out of date that it can only handle so much. There needs to be a whole rethinking on how to do infrastructure within First Nations." The problem with the Chippewa water was caught at 5 a.m. Monday, Miskokomon said. The nation is waiting for deliveries of specialized filters, he added. The fix is expected to take about a week. "We've been faced with this now for 20 years," the chief said. "It just speaks to the inability of government to address health and safety concerns and issues within First Nations, not only within Chippewa of the Thames First Nation, but quite truthfully, nearly every First Nation in southwestern Ontario and indeed, many across Canada."
Yahoo
13-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Chippewa Falls Area Chamber of Commerce getting ready for Farmer Appreciation Dinner
CHIPPEWA FALLS, Wis. (WLAX/WEUX) – The Chippewa Valley is mooing with excitement. The Chippewa Falls Area Chamber of Commerce is getting ready for the 55th annual Farmer Appreciation Dinner. While dairy farmers play a vital role in the Chippewa Valley, we can't forget about the farmers growing corn, wheat, and other products that wind up on our dinner table. Along with an incredible chicken dinner, the evening will feature music, kids' activities, and ice cream. The Chippewa Falls Area Chamber of Commerce is not only celebrating the farmer with this dinner, but they are also dedicated to helping the next generation of farmers as well. Chamber Director of Commerce Programs and Partnership, Angela Kapp, explained, 'We have a school-to-skills program at the Chamber. Our workforce Development Director works with local school districts to get kids exposed to different careers that are right here in our community. So really filling that workforce pipeline, keeping our students here, kind of expanding or exposing them really to a lot of different careers. Farms are very technologically based nowadays as well. It's not just dairy, it's grain and everything. They kind of have to learn, but it's important to just recognize those individuals that really kind of are the backbone of our community.' The dinner is on Wednesday, June 18th, between 4 and 8 pm at the Northern Wisconsin State Fairgrounds. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
11-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Enbridge Line 5: A clear and present danger
Anti-Line 5 graffiti at Enbridge's pumping station in Mackinaw City, Mich. (Laina G. Stebbins | Michigan Advance) Canadian energy company Enbridge's Line 5 traverses an extremely sensitive ecological area across northern Wisconsin, 400 rivers and streams as well as a myriad of wetlands, in addition to a path under the Mackinac Straights between Lake Michigan and Lake Huron, all the while skirting the southern shore of Lake Superior. Such close proximity to the Great Lakes, lakes that hold over 20% of the world's fresh surface water, lakes that supply drinking water to nearly 40 million people, yes, that does indeed make Line 5 a ticking time bomb. Northern Wisconsin is also a very culturally sensitive area, home to the Bad River Reservation. The Bad River Band of the Lake Superior Chippewa were guaranteed rights to their lands by an 1854 treaty with the U.S. government. The easements for Line 5 across the reservation, granted to Enbridge by the Chippewa, expired in 2013 and the Bad River Band chose not to renew them. Enbridge continues to operate the line, illegally and in direct violation of the Bad River Band's right to sovereignty over their land. The Bad River Band has a guaranteed legal right to their land. They also have a right to Food Sovereignty, the internationally recognized right of food providers to have control over their land, seeds and water while rejecting the privatization of natural resources. Line 5 clearly impinges on the Band's right to hunt, fish, harvest wild rice, to farm and have access to safe drinking water. A federal court ruled that Enbridge has been trespassing on lands of the Bad River Band since 2013 and ordered the company to cease operations of Line 5 by June of 2026 (seems that immediate cessation would make more sense), but rather than shut down the aging line, Enbridge plans to build a diversion around the Bad River Reservation. They plan to move the pipeline out of the Bad River Band's front yard into their back yard, leaving 100% of the threats to people and the environment in place. Liquid petroleum (crude oil, natural gas and petroleum product) pipelines are big business in the U.S. With 2.6 million miles of oil and gas pipelines, the U.S. network is the largest in the world. If we continue our heavy and growing dependence on liquid fossil fuels, we must realize that we will continue to negatively impact the climate and the lives of everyone on the planet. Instead of moving to a just transition away from fossil fuels, liquid or otherwise, the government continues to subsidize the industry through direct payments and tax breaks, refusing to acknowledge the cost of pollution-related health problems and environmental damage, a cost which is of course, incalculable. There are nearly 20,000 miles of pipelines planned or currently under construction in the U.S., thus it would appear that government and private industry are in no hurry to break that addiction, much less make a just transition. While no previous administration was in any hurry to break with the fossil fuel industry, they at least gave the illusion of championing a transition to cleaner energy. The current administration is abundantly clear. Their strategy is having no strategy. They don't like wind and solar and they plan to end any support for renewable energy. They don't care if they upend global markets, banking, energy companies or certainly any efforts to help developing countries transition away from fossil fuels. Pipelines are everywhere across the U.S., a spiderweb connecting wells, refineries, transportation and distribution centers. The vast majority of pipelines are buried and many, if not all, at some point cross streams, rivers, lakes and run over aquifers. Pipeline ruptures and other assorted failures will continue and spillage will find its way into the bodies of water they skirt around or pass under. It's not a question if they will leak, but when. Enbridge controls the largest network of petroleum pipelines in the Great Lakes states, and they are hardly immune to spills. Between 1999 and 2013 it was reported that Enbridge had over 1,000 spills dumping a reported 7.4 million gallons of oil. In 2010 Enbridge's Line 6B ruptured and contaminated the Kalamazoo River in Michigan, the largest inland oil spill in U.S. history. Over 1.2 million gallons of oil were recovered from the river between 2010 and 2014. How much went downstream or was buried in sediment, we'll never know. In 2024 a fault in Enbridge Line 6 caused a spill of 70 thousand gallons near Cambridge Wisconsin. And Enbridge's most infamous pipeline, the 71-year-old Line 5 from Superior Wisconsin to Sarnia Ontario, has had 29 spills in the last 50 years, loosing over 1 million gallons of oil. Some consider Line 5 to be a 'public good' because, as Enbridge argues, shutting the line down will shut down the U.S. economy and people will not be able to afford to heat their homes — claims they have never supported with any evidence. A public good is one that everyone can use, that everyone can benefit from. A public good is not, as Enbridge apparently believes, a mechanism for corporate profit. Line 5 is a privately owned property, existing only to generate profits for Enbridge. If it were a public good, Enbridge would certainly be giving more attention to the rights of the Bad River Band, the well-being of all the people who depend on the clean waters of the Great Lakes and to protecting the sensitive environment of northern Wisconsin and Michigan. They are not. Their trespassing, their disregard for the environment, their continuing legal efforts to protect their bottom line above all else, only points to their self-serving avarice. The Bad River Band wants Enbridge out, and in their eyes it is not a case of 'not in my back yard' they do not want Line 5 in anyone's back yard. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
New York Post
10-06-2025
- Entertainment
- New York Post
These three zodiac signs will feel the 2025 full Strawberry Moon in Sagittarius the most
Shoot your shot and try not to shoot off at the mouth, folks — the full Strawberry Moon in Sagittarius is upon us. Peaking on Wednesday, June 11 at 3:44 a.m. EST, at 20 degrees of Sagittarius, we'll all be under the optimistic arrows of this full moon — but three signs in particular are poised to feel its effects most acutely. Strawberry Moon 2025 4 Read on to see if your sign is among those most affected by the sweet, swashbuckling strawberry moon. Jelena – Advertisement The full moon in June is known by the Algonquin, Ojibwe, Dakota, Lakota, Chippewa, Oneida and Sioux tribes as the Strawberry Moon. It's the first flush of summer that coincides with the wild and widespread ripening of the ruby red fruit. Can dig. Read on to see if your sign is among those most affected by the sweet, swashbuckling Strawberry Moon. 4 Friendship or romantic relationships might shift during this time. Mia – Ahoy, Gemini! The Strawberry Moon is throwing a love light on your seventh house of trusted relationships, both platonic and romantic. Advertisement The seventh house, like the moon, is a mirror and this one offers course-correcting clarity. Given the truth, letting energy of Sagittarius, you may receive information about a friend or partner that changes the dynamic of your relationship. Regardless of whether these changes feel abrasive or amicable, they are here to help you deepen your bonds or break free from the bondage of them. 4 Virgos will be reflecting on how far they've come. Mia – Advertisement Hello Virgo! The Strawberry Sag Moon is transiting your fourth house of origin; home, nurturance, heart strings and umbilical cords. This is tender territory and a buried family secret or acute memory may surface for you. This is not meant to destabilize you, but to help you discern what you need to feel safe in the here and now — and to reveal how far you've come from where you've been. Pulled between the obligations of others and your own needs, remember that a healthy bond is a boundaried bond. Advertisement Draw the line, build your sanctuary and know that you can always go home to yourself. 4 The Sagittarius sign will need to let their guard down. Mia – Happy full moon to you, Sagittarius! The Strawberry Moon rises and shines on your first house of identity, heralding a moment of culmination and restructuring. There's nowhere to hide and nothing to do but drop the mask, lay down your defenses, speak what's true without fear of consequence and look long and hard at your unadorned self. The word adventure comes from the Latin adventura, meaning 'to reach, or something about to happen.' I hope under the light of your moon and the realization that anything can happen, you'll reach for the road that feels like freedom. Astrologer Reda Wigle researches and irreverently reports on planetary configurations and their effect on each zodiac sign. Her horoscopes integrate history, poetry, pop culture, and personal experience. To book a reading, visit her website.
