Monica Jo Raphael, Anishinaabe – Sicangu Lakota – Enrolled Grand Traverse Band Ottawa and Chippewa Indians
The Anishinaabe word for “old woman” is Mindimooyehn and when broken down translates to “one that holds it all together”; the Mindimooyehn is the foundation for many Anishinaabe families. Monica Jo Raphael (Anishinaabe-Lakota) considers herself a mindimooyehh who likes to create art and share stories of creation from Mother Earth. A culture bearer, knowledge keeper, grandmother and fifth generation quill worker, Monica has dedicated her life to preserving her culture’s traditional teachings, stories, language, and practices, and sharing her cultural knowledge with others to be carried on.
Born to the Ginew “golden eagle” clan of the Anishinaabek, Monica is an enrolled member of the Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa, a descendant of Chief Spotted Tail of the Sičánğu Lakota, and the Huron and Pokagon Potawatomi. She learned the traditional art form of quill and birch box making while living in the village of Peshawbestown on the Grand Traverse Band Reservation. Quickly mastering both the woodland flora and fauna designs for which her family was known, Monica has excelled in creating even more complex designs while using traditional materials and techniques along with bright modern colors to create a modern twist to a timeless art form. When creating her interpretation of an art that predated European contact and the introduction of glass seed beads, Monica feels as if she is having a dialogue with her ancestors. She was and is inspired to create art as a form of peaceful resistance; a way to share that “We as Native peoples are still proudly here and have survived despite the devastating effects that settler colonialism created for our ancestors and people”.
After working for over 25 years to uplift the youth in tribal communities and making data-driven change in her community, Monica made a career change to becoming a full time, self-sustaining artist. In 2021 she was awarded the prestigious First Peoples Fund Cultural Capital Fellow and the Native Arts and Cultures Foundation LIFT Fellowship.
Her award-winning work is quickly becoming known all over the world for its clear intention to craftsmanship, unwavering dedication to patience. It has received awards at the Smithsonian National Craft Show, SWAIA Santa Fe Indian Market, Cherokee Art Market, Eiteljorg Indian Market Festival, Heard Indian Market, Abbe Museum Indian Market, Autry Indian Market, Southeastern Art Show and Market, Artesian Arts Festival, and the Woodland Indian Market. Her celebrated work can be found in several personal collections, including the Gochman Family Collection at the Forge Project, the Eiteljorg Museum of American Indians and Western Art, the Hood Museum of Art at Dartmouth College, and the Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian.
In September 2023, Monica relocated from Oklahoma to Indianapolis accepting the position of Thomas G. and Susan C. Hoback Curator of Great Lakes Native Art, Cultures and Community Engagement at the Eiteljorg Museum of American Indians and Western Art.