My Story

Boozhoo,

Wazakone Binesi nindizhinikaaz. Zaagakwandagowaniniwaag nindadibendaagwaz. Asabiikone Zagaa'iganing nindonjiba. Makwa indoodem.

Hello,

My name is flash of the thunderbird or Darren Landgren in english. I am from the tribe known as the people of the dense forest or Bois Forte Band of Chippewa. Nett Lake is where I am from. Bear is my clan.

The Start of The Journey

Ever since I was a young man, I have been introduced to different cultures, religions, and knowledge, but I was never told which one I should follow or believe in. One day, while working for my tribe, I was invited to sit at the drum by one of our spiritual leaders, Gene Goodsky. He kept inviting me back until I finally started to drum and sing. Even though I was very shy, I was drawn back to the drum over and over again. That was when I decided I needed to learn more about my Ojibwe ancestors—simply put, it just felt right.

The Repository

The inspiration for this website began with my role as the American Education Director at Chisholm School. Initially, I wanted to create a school bulletin board that showcased a different tribe each week. Then I thought, 'Why not turn this into a website to share with everyone?' With the help of AI, Wix, and the incredible foundation of work already done by scholars and tribal members worldwide, I decided to bring all of this knowledge together in one place for my students—and everyone else—to explore.

The Trust of AI

When people hear the term 'AI,' they often take the phrase 'artificial intelligence' literally. In reality, the technology is far from that. True intelligence requires thought, emotion, and imagination. The AI we use today is essentially an advanced program designed to compile, translate, and organize information. It doesn't actually 'think.' Because of this, I am confident that utilizing AI to help build this platform is a safe and practical choice. The so-called 'hallucinations' that AI sometimes produces aren't the result of a confused mind, but rather mathematical errors in its code. Until technology evolves to truly mimic the organic human brain, AI remains exactly what it is: a powerful tool to help restructure and organize our own human intelligence.

AI Art

My deepest wish for this project would be to commission incredible American Indian artists to provide the visual artwork. However, because this is a self-driven educational project, I currently lack the funding required to support those artists the way they deserve. To make sure the knowledge on this site is still visually engaging, I am using AI to help create my own art for these educational pieces. While it doesn't replace the hand of a human artist, it gives me a way to build a rich, visual learning experience for our community while working within my current means.