Mille Lacs Indian Museum & Trading Post

Mille Lacs Indian Museum & Trading Post A museum with a trading post dedicated to telling the story of the Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe.
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This summer, to celebrate our Museum’s 30th Anniversary, we will be offering a new program, Minnesota Native Arts and Ar...
06/16/2026

This summer, to celebrate our Museum’s 30th Anniversary, we will be offering a new program, Minnesota Native Arts and Artists. Participants will spend an evening learning about Minnesota Native American artists that have been at the forefront of art movements throughout the years. Learn about past artists that are represented in the Minnesota Historical Society’s collections and contemporary artists that are redefining what Native art is.

This program will be offered on select Friday evenings, once a month throughout the summer. The first program is taking place on June 26th from 6-8 pm. Attendees will learn about Minnesota Native artists, get a tour of the Four Seasons Room and learn about items from the Ayer’s Collection that help us highlight seasonal activities of the Anishinaabe. Participants will then get a behind the scenes tour of the museum’s collections and learn about bandolier bags, the different materials used for baskets and containers and get to check out some dolls and toys that are part of the collection. At the end of the evening, guests will have their own private shopping experience at the Trading Post and will learn about contemporary artists and their art. Light snacks and refreshments will be provided. Register here: https://mnhs.info/3S8JEZK

Here we are sharing an image from the MNHS collections. This artwork will not be on display, but the artist will be just one among many Minnesota Native Artists that will be discussed.

Image Citation: DesJarlait, Patrick. Chippewa Dancer. 1964. Minnesota Historical Society. Saint Paul.

06/13/2026

The Ojibwe Word of the Weekend is bineshiinh. We are choosing this word because we have a story walk on our grounds this summer. A story walk is an outdoor reading experience where you can read a story as you walk along. The book we are featuring is How the Bird Got their Songs, by Travis Zimmerman, which you can read in English or Ojibwe. If you choose to go on this story walk, there is also a seek and find activity you can try available at the front desk.

We want to point out the “nh” at the end of bineshiinh. The “nh” indicates that the vowel sound that comes before it should be made by letting the air come out through your nose. This is called a nasalized vowel. This can be challenging; it may take lots of listening and practice. Listen closely to Mille Lacs Band Elder Zhaawanigiizhigookweban, the late Millie Benjamin,in the video below. The artwork in the video comes from Mille Lacs Band tribal member Wesley Ballinger.

Tomorrow we are celebrating the Museum's 30th Anniversary! Speakers for the program that begins at 11 am, include Kent W...
06/12/2026

Tomorrow we are celebrating the Museum's 30th Anniversary!

Speakers for the program that begins at 11 am, include Kent Whitworth, Director and CEO of the Minnesota Historical Society (MNHS), Virgil Wind, Chief Executive of the Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe, Nina Archabal, Former Director of MNHS (1987-2010), Vernon Laplante, Vice President of Tribal Relations and Native American Initiatives for MNHS and Travis Zimmerman, Site Manager of the Mille Lacs Indian Museum and Trading Post (MNHS).

There will be collections and walking tours offered. Our Artist of the Month, Benji Sam, will be doing demonstrations, kids can decorate a free shoulder bag to take home, there will be a food truck on site and it's also double discount days for all members. So, instead of the usual 10% off at the Trading Post, members will receive 20% discounts!

Bring the whole family and help us celebrate this important milestone of sharing and supporting Native art, culture and history!

We hope you will join us Saturday, June 13th, to celebrate the Museum's 30th Anniversary. We are asking all the people t...
06/10/2026

We hope you will join us Saturday, June 13th, to celebrate the Museum's 30th Anniversary. We are asking all the people that have ever worked at the site, or sold anything at the Trading Post to come out and help us celebrate 30 years of the current museum and over 100 years of supporting Native artists at the Trading Post. This year will also mark our 66 year as a Historic Site, which makes us the longest running Historic Site in our network.

There will be a short program at 11 am with leaders from the Minnesota Historical Society and the Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe. We will be giving special behind the scenes tours of our collections area and also debuting our Walking Tour which will be offered on select Saturdays throughout the summer.

Our Artist of the Month, Benji Sam will be doing demonstrations, kids can decorate a free shoulder bag to bring home and there will be a food truck on site, the Big Red Wagon serving food throughout the afternoon.

Of course we will have our regularly scheduled Four Seasons Room tours throughout the day and the Trading Post will be open all day to shop for unique, authentic Native art.

Bring the whole family and help us celebrate this long standing partnership between the Minnesota Historical Society and the Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe!

Today we’d like to share a historical photo from the Minnesota Historical Society’s collection. We chose this because we...
06/10/2026

Today we’d like to share a historical photo from the Minnesota Historical Society’s collection. We chose this because we’re trying something new this summer with walking tours highlighting some of the features and history of this site. Did you know that there was a boat works on site from 1929-1939? This is a photo taken about 1931 of a completed boat. Find out more on a walking tour of the site on select Saturdays this summer. See the MNHS events page for more info: https://mnhs.info/3Srsjv2

Image Citation: Completed boat, Indian Trading Post Boat Works, Mille Lacs. Approximately 1931. Minnesota Historical Society. St. Paul.

For the next several months, we would like to feature an artist from the Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe as our Artist of the ...
06/08/2026

For the next several months, we would like to feature an artist from the Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe as our Artist of the Month. The first artist we would like to highlight for June, is Benjamin Sam, Mashkode-Bizhikigahbaw. He works with birchbark, beads, wood and deer antlers. He enjoys the seasonal activities of Anishinaabe life, hunting, fishing and gathering, as well as spending time with family and passing on his knowledge to the younger generation. Benjamin is a professional Physical Therapist practicing out of Grand Rapids and also helps run his family owned business, Bizhiki Creations. https://mnhs.info/4vvknY0 You can also find his art at the Trading Post.

Benjamin will be on site demonstrating his art for the 30th Year Anniversary of the Mille Lacs Indian Museum celebration on June 13th. Come by and enjoy the incredible gifts of this very talented artist. You can find more info about this event here: https://mnhs.info/4vASxtx

The photos we are sharing are of Benji Sam working with wiigwaas (birchbark) and wiigob (basswood fiber). We are also sharing some photos of him learning from his grandmother, Netaawaashikweban, the late Betty Kegg, working with the same materials.

06/08/2026

The Ojibwe Word of the Weekend is Gitigewinini, which is translated to farmer in the video, but can also mean gardener. Today is Gardening Exercise Day, so we thought it would be a good day to highlight this word and Native American gardening. Many Native groups used a method of gardening called the Three Sisters. The Three Sisters are Corn, Beans, and Squash. Corn is the supportive sister. She grows up nice and tall and provides a support system for her sister, Bean, to climb up. Bean is a provider for her sisters. She produces nitrates into the soil to make it a rich place for her sisters to grow from. Squash is a protector. Her large leaves shade the ground to keep it from drying out in the sun. Her long vines and prickly stem help to choke out weeds and deter mice and other creatures from eating the sisters.

Our museum features a three sister’s garden in our site’s walking tour. Join us on June 13 or June 27, to try a walking tour of the site at 11 am and 2 pm. If Jeffer’s Petroglyph’s is in your travel plans this summer (which we highly recommend), they have a three sister’s garden too!

Listen to Mille Lacs Band Elder Zhaawanigiizhigookweban, the late Millie Benjamin, pronounce Gitigweinini in the video below. The artwork in the video comes from Mille Lacs Band tribal member Wesley Ballinger.

We hope you will join us next Saturday, June 13th, to celebrate the Museum's 30th Anniversary. We are asking all the peo...
06/05/2026

We hope you will join us next Saturday, June 13th, to celebrate the Museum's 30th Anniversary. We are asking all the people that have ever worked at the site, or sold anything at the Trading Post to come out and help us celebrate 30 years of the new museum and over 100 years of supporting Native artists at the Trading Post. This year will also mark our 66 year as a Historic Site, we are the longest running Historic Site in our network.

There will be a short program at 11 am with leaders from the Minnesota Historical Society and the Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe. We will be giving special behind the scenes tours of our collections area and also debuting our Walking Tour which will be offered on select Saturdays throughout the summer.

Our Artist of the Month, Benji Sam will be doing demonstrations, kids can decorate a free shoulder bag to bring home and there will be a food truck on site, the Big Red Wagon serving food throughout the afternoon.

Of course we will have our regularly scheduled Four Seasons Room tours throughout the day and the Trading Post will be open all day to shop for unique, authentic Native art.

Bring the whole family and help us celebrate this long standing partnership between the Minnesota Historical Society and the Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe!

May 18 marked the 30th anniversary of the grand opening of the current museum building. This year will also be the 101st...
06/03/2026

May 18 marked the 30th anniversary of the grand opening of the current museum building. This year will also be the 101st anniversary of the Trading Post opening in its current location. We want to celebrate these milestones all year.

Join us on June 13 for a celebration. There will be a short program featuring leaders of the Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe and the Minnesota Historical Society from 11-11:30. There will also be two walking tours offered of the grounds, highlighting some site history at 11 am and 2 pm. Tours of our collections will also be offered. Benji Sam, Mashkode-Bizhikigahbaw, will be demonstrating his artwork. The Big Red Wagon food truck will be onsite for lunch and kids in attendance will receive a free shoulder bag to decorate. Bring the whole family out for this event honoring 30 years of this state-of-the-art museum!

The images we are sharing here are from the May 18th, 1996 grand opening. Marge Anderson, Chief Executive of the Mille Lacs Band at the time is addressing the crowd in the first image. Joyce Wedll, the Site Manager of the museum and trading post at that time is addressing the crowd in the second image. Linda Wade (Kazlowski), Mille Lacs Band Member and talented regalia maker, is demonstrating her art in the third image.

Address

43411 Oodena Drive
Onamia, MN
56359

Opening Hours

Wednesday 10am - 5pm
Thursday 10am - 5pm
Friday 10am - 5pm
Saturday 10am - 5pm

Telephone

+13205323632

Website

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