Ignatia Broker facts for kids

Ignatia Broker (born 1919, died 1987) was an Ojibwe writer and community leader from Minneapolis, Minnesota. She is famous for her novel Night Flying Woman, published in 1983. This book tells the story of her great-great-grandmother and her family's life. It shows how their lives changed when they met white explorers. Ignatia Broker was a member of the Ojibwe tribe and the Ottertail Pillager Band.

Ignatia Broker's Early Life

Ignatia Broker was born on February 14, 1919. Her birthplace was the White Earth Indian Reservation in northwestern Minnesota. She went to school at Wahpeton Indian School in North Dakota. This was a federal Indian boarding school. She also studied at Haskell Institute in Kansas.

In 1941, she moved to Minneapolis, Minnesota. During World War II, she worked at a defense factory. She also took night classes. Ignatia said these war years were "unstable." She also wrote about the challenges the Ojibwe community faced in Minneapolis.

Family Life and Community Work

After the war, she married a veteran. They had two children together. They lived in St. Paul, Minnesota. Sadly, her husband went back into military service. He died in the Korean War.

Ignatia Broker wrote that her husband's death and the difficulties she faced made her want to help others. She became involved with different Native American groups. One of these was the American Indian Center of Minneapolis.

Her Book: Night Flying Woman

Night Flying Woman was Ignatia Broker's only novel. It was published in 1983. In the beginning of the book, she explains why she wrote it. Her own children wanted to learn more about the Ojibwe people's past.

Keeping Stories Alive

A main idea in the book is keeping the past alive. This happens by sharing stories through oral tradition. Oral tradition means telling stories by speaking them, not writing them down.

The book starts with some details about Ignatia Broker's own life. But most of the story is about her great-great-grandmother, Ni-bo-wi-se-gwa. Her nickname was Oona. Oona lived from the 1860s to the 1940s.

Changes for the Ojibwe People

During Oona's life, many big changes happened. These changes came from contact with Euro-American society. For example, her tribe had to move from their traditional lands. They moved to the White Earth Indian Reservation. New things like guns, alcohol, and steel also came. Missionaries arrived, and diseases like smallpox spread. All these things changed traditional Ojibwe life.

This book was important because an Ojibwe storyteller shared the story. It was not told by a white historian.

Awards and Recognition

• 1984 Wonder Woman Award

Her Passing

Ignatia Broker died on June 23, 1987. She passed away from lung cancer.