Electa Quinney Institute at UW-Milwaukee

Last week we started our Three Sisters mounds at Sandburg, and our corn relatives have already started to grow! 🌱

These seed relatives came to us from Ukwakhwa, and we are grateful to continue learning from them and caring for them here on campus.

We are also tending to wild strawberries and got to see our first tiny berry beginning to grow. Alongside our Three Sisters relatives, we are growing a variety of other food relatives near the Physics Building and continuing to build relationships with this space.

A huge shoutout to our MMSD interns who helped build the mounds and create a place for our seed relatives to grow. We are so grateful for the care, energy, and intention they brought to this work.

We can’t wait to continue watching this space grow throughout the summer!

🌱 Our Indigenous Land Management Summer Internship has officially begun!

Yesterday, we welcomed our summer interns as they started their journey of learning with the land. This program begins from an Indigenous understanding of flourishing and recognizes that land management is not just about caring for the land, but building and honoring relationships with the land.

Over the summer, students will explore Indigenous agriculture, seed relationships, restoration practices, and the interconnectedness between people, plants, animals, water, and place. Through hands-on experiences and collective storying, students will deepen their understanding of what it means to be good relatives.

We can’t wait to see what grows from this summer. 🌱

Our Field to Fire interns, students, and community members spent the day at Ukwakhwa planting, crafting, and being in community.

Last month at AISC & EQI's Honor for All celebration, we recognized Jacob Valtierra with the Wallace Pyawasit Leadership Award.

Jacob was nominated for his consistent and wide-reaching commitment to community care. His work spans many areas—supporting recovery through Teen Challenge, mentoring youth through ACE Boxing Club Ministry, and guiding students as a Transition Coordinator, where he helps prepare them for high school and future opportunities.

He has also built relationships across Wisconsin by visiting Tribal communities, offering his time, presence, and care. Through coaching, community meals, resource distribution, and personal acts of support, he continues to show up in ways that meet both immediate and long-term needs.

Jacob’s leadership reflects humility, service, and a deep commitment to others. We are grateful for his work and the impact he continues to have across communities.

We’re grateful for everyone who joined us for the Honor for All celebration.

Held in the morning, the gathering brought together community members, students, artists, and leaders to celebrate the success and accomplishments of our students, whose work and commitment continue to shape our community.

We shared a meal together featuring food from Ono Kine Grindz, along with wild rice pancakes and this year’s maple syrup, an important part of coming together and honoring relationships.

Thank you to everyone who attended and helped make the event meaningful. We appreciate the continued support and commitment.

Last week, our Oneida language class had the opportunity to gather in person after a semester of online learning. It was a meaningful way to reconnect, learn together, and bring language into shared space.

Yawʌko to Dr. Powless and Lalia for leading and supporting this group of students throughout the semester.

Interested in learning an Indigenous language this fall? Join us for Oneida, Potawatomi, or Ojibwe and be part of carrying these languages forward.

This weekend we stopped by Ukwakhwa to pick up some of our seed relatives for the summer planting season. 🌱

We are excited to care for these plant relatives, learn alongside them, and continue growing our relationships with the land and the knowledge they carry. Interested in getting involved? Reach out to learn more about the Field of Fire internship and opportunities to visit Ukwakhwa this summer.

✨ Join Us for 4/14 Day at EQI & AISC ✨

We warmly invite students, staff, and community members to spend April 14 with us for a full day of creativity, learning, and connection at EQI & AISC. Our 4/14 Day celebration brings together art, story, food, and shared experience—come for one event or stay for the day!

🕙 10:00 AM | Pottery Firing at the EQI Fire Circle
Join us for a day of pottery firing with our Artist in Residence, Jennifer StevensBrewer-Sears
*Firing dependent on weather.

🕓 4:00 PM | Kanenon:we – Original Seeds Film Screening
We’ll gather for soup before the screening, followed by the film and a Q&A with Ukwakhwa afterward. Come nourish your body and mind while engaging with powerful storytelling and dialogue.

🕕 6:00 PM | Medicine Pouch Making
End the day creating together during Medicine Pouch Making with Artist in Residence Rachel Jeske—a space for learning, reflection, and connection.

All are welcome. We hope you’ll join us to build community, share knowledge, and spend the day together. 🌿

Celeste is out tabling at the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra for their Stage for the Future - High School Career Day! Stop by and say Hi!

Yesterday we traded some of our freshly boiled maple syrup for corn mush flour—just in time for Coffee and Corn Mush tomorrow! Join us at 10am for a cozy morning of corn mush, jellies, jams, and plenty of coffee options.