Legacy lives in beadwork and in book

For many of us, the opportunity to tell people how much we admire them or recognize their accomplishments slips away when that person passes from this life. Ozhaawashkogiizhigokwe Janis Fairbanks found herself in this predicament after the death of her brother, Abajiins-ba Ralph Charles Fairbanks, in 2020.

"I didn't know the impact he had on people until I saw the collection of beadwork that was returned to me about 16 months after Ralph passed away," Janis said.

Ralph, a member of the Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa, was an artist and instructor of Ojibwe language and American Indi...