Great Lakes Lifeways Institute
Rooted in tradition. Growing the future.
Great Lakes Lifeways Institute partners with communities to revitalize living land-based knowledge through practice. For nearly fifteen years, our work—canoes, lodges, food systems, harvest camps, and intergenerational learning—has strengthened identity, restored connection, and supported resilient futures. We lead with humility, reciprocity, and deep respect for land, ancestors, and community.
What we do
Revitalizing cultural knowledge through hands-on, intergenerational learning
Traditional Building & Cultural Spaces
Elm bark lodges, maple sugar bush structures, bark houses, and community learning spaces grounded in traditional design.
Canoe Building & Waterway Knowledge
Birchbark canoes, dugout canoes, cedar-bark watercraft, and teachings rooted in ancestral navigation and waterways.
Food Systems & the Giiwekii Flint Corn Project
Growing, harvesting, rematriating, and teaching regionally adapted flint corn and traditional foods across multiple communities.
Youth & Apprenticeships
Hands-on learning in building, harvesting, carving, planting, cooking, and knowledge-sharing alongside Elders and cultural leaders.
Land-Based Education & Cultural Programming
Harvest camps, community gatherings, seasonal workshops, storytelling, and curriculum partnerships.
Why This Work Matters
Land-based practices carry the teachings that sustain healthy, connected communities. When youth learn by doing, when Elders are honored, when seeds return home, and when canoes return to the water, communities are strengthened.
This work supports cultural continuity, community healing, and the knowledge systems future generations depend on.