Born: 21 July 1921, United States
Died: 13 January 2004
Country most active: United States
Also known as: Mindimooye Ginew Ikwe
The following is republished from the National Endowment for the Arts. This piece falls under under public domain, as copyright does not apply to “any work of the U.S. Government” where “a work prepared by an officer or employee of the U.S. Government as part of that person’s official duties” (See, 17 U.S.C. §§ 101, 105).
Rose and Francis Cree are highly respected Ojibwe elders on the Turtle Mountain Indian Reservation in north central North Dakota. As is the case with many elders, their lives reflect the intersection of artistic skill, tribal knowledge, and cultural authority. The Crees collaborate in making willow baskets, both collecting the materials, while Francis makes the frames from ash and Rose weaves the willows. Both are also storytellers and keepers of Ojibwe cultural knowledge. Francis is a singer, a spiritual leader, a carver of pipes, and a keeper of the ceremonial drum for the Dunseith community.
In addition, both Rose and Francis Cree teach young people in their community about Ojibwe culture through school programs. They mentor local youth and participate in the North Dakota apprenticeship program. In 1984, the Crees received the North Dakota Governor’s Award for the Arts. The Crees set an important example, according to North Dakota folklorist Troyd Geist. “We would like to see this humble, generous, and artistic couple recognized nationally not only for the quality of the artistic traditions they uphold but also for showing us that traditional art is not apart from other aspects of life, that it is a way of life.”