Details

Storyteller: Tony
Tribe: Red Lake Band of Ojibwe
Created: 2018
Location: Minneapolis, MN
Transcript: My birth name is Anthony Andrew Nichols, my Indian or Anishinabe name is Bebamikamiiganang. I was born at Saint Mary's Hospital in Duluth, Minnesota on December 19th, 1965. I was adopted at birth from my biological mother Ramona Lajeunesse who was Makwa Doodem (Bear Clan) from Red Lake, my biological father's name was Leonard Spears and he was Miigizii Doodem (Eagle Clan). My birth father was also Ogema, Leonard was one of the 7 Hereditary Chiefs of Red Lake Reservation and was fluent in Ojibwemowin (The Ojibwe Language).

I was adopted at 7 months old by my white parents Ronald Nichols and Darlene Osberg-Nichols and grew up as an only child on Park Point in Duluth Minnesota. I had a good childhood and a good education while growing up. When I was 13 my parents got a divorce and I went with my mother to live at my grandparents’ house. It wasn't long after I completed 7th grade, me and my mother moved to Solon Springs, Wisconsin with my now stepfather Allen Lindblad whom with my mom is still with to this day. When I was 16 I went to live with my dad back in Duluth because I didn't see eye to eye with my step-father and I was - I guess you could say - a troubled youth, but not quite feral. I didn't graduate from Duluth Central High School on time because of my burnout lifestyle hence my lack of credits. I went to live with my friend I met while in Upward Bound at the University of Minnesota Duluth, George Strong, and his family who lived on the Nett Lake Reservation otherwise known as Bois Forte (which means "strong wood" in French). I graduated from Orr High School on May 18th, 1985. I was the only drummer that school year and our little 12 piece band went all the way to state competition and got 3 stars (that's the highest score you can get at state high school band competition)!

I learned so much living with the Strong family and the people of Nett Lake like language, culture, humor and how to do hand parched wild rice, the whole process, which is a lot of work. Looking back in my life had I not attended Upward Bound and met George Strong I would not be the person I am today. I might have wound up just another lost bird or as some might call it, an apple (red on the outside, but white on the inside).

Jumping quite a bit forward in my life I was blessed with Nindaanis ("my daughter" in Ojibwe). Her name is Darlene Marie Whitefeather, who I gave a very unique name. Her first name Darlene is my mother’s first name, her middle name is the middle name of both biological grandmothers and her last name is her mother’s last name. She is named after women, in honor of women. Darlene is 16 years old now and lives with her mother in Bemidji, Minnesota. Our daughter is also enrolled at Red Lake Nation, a totally and absolutely sovereign reservation 30 miles north of Bamidjiigamaag, the Anishinabe Aninii (Native man) whom Bemidji is named after. I recently relocated back down here in the Twin Cities from Virginia Minnesota, which is located up on the Iron Range in Northern Minnesota. I like living in Saint Paul, there is so much more opportunity here and in living my life in sobriety, it has awakened in me an old spirit, a spirit that was always there, but was squandered by alcohol & drugs. So now I am re-inventing myself and am in the process of getting myself established here in Minneapolis-Saint Paul as a Multi-Media Specialist. I do video, audio, radio and photographic editing and production work. I am also currently enrolled at Twin Cities Rise in North Minneapolis.