J.T. Shining Oneside stood before an audience of 100 at the North Dakota State Capitol, a pile of stuffed animals on the podium in front of her. She displayed a picture of one of her ancestors before embarking on a series of stories from a life imbued in Ojibwe and Anishinaabe traditions.

The visual aids were part of her unique approach to presenting as one of the storytellers at the Native American Heritage Month Celebration Nov. 15-16 in Bismarck. She learned about the event after seeing an advertisement back home on the Turtle Mountain reservation. Its call for dancers piqued her interest. Shining Oneside, a lifelong jingle dress dancer, said she enjoys reconnecting through dance.

The sponsoring North Dakota Native Tourism Alliance invited her to join as a storyteller. “Once I saw the flier and my name was on it for storytelling, I thought, great, I love to tell stories,” Shining Oneside said in an interview with Buffalo’s Fire.

The 62-year-old is an enrolled member of the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewas and belongs to the Moose Clan. Shining Oneside’s family raised her with cultural teachings she has clung to throughout her life, she said.

“The only reason why I come to know different stories about our people is because I sat with the elders growing up,” she said.“I dedicate what I know to my mom, dad and grandfather. Without our Turtle Mountain Chippewa and Ojibwe Anishinaabe roots, we wouldn’t be here.”

She talked about coming-of-age ceremonies, such as a young woman’s first moon time, and the sacred rites of birth.

“I started thinking about the child-rearing that our people did,” the elder recalled. “And I thought, I want to share that with our people because I don’t think that’s heard enough.”

During the event at the North Dakota Heritage Center, Shining Oneside acknowledged the hardships her ancestors endured. She explained that, like many other tribes, her people experienced forced assimilation and conversion to Christianity. This led to cultural erasure, and the resulting trauma has affected generations.

Turtle Mountain citizens “didn’t understand themselves because the missionaries did a really big number on our people,” Shining Oneside said. Outsiders “hurt our people by making fun of them and making them look like they were not important.”

Her love and appreciation for her culture inspired her to become an educator. She offered history and context to students eager to reconnect with their heritage, seeking to be a supportive guide throughout their journeys.

“[Turtle Mountain citizens] didn’t understand themselves because the missionaries did a really big number on our people.”

JT Shining Oneside, Turtle Mountain educator and storyteller

Shining Oneside has now been working as an educator at Dunseith Public Schools for 36 years. She previously developed a curriculum on Ojibwe and Anishinaabe culture. Currently, she serves as the Title VI project director and teaches cultural courses to students in grades 7 through 12. Title VI of the 1964 Civil Rights Act provides eligibility for federal funds where non-discrimination policies are in effect.

Throughout her career as an educator, she has taught her students many cultural lessons, including how to respectfully approach an elder and build trust.

“You don’t go up to them and say, ‘Hey, I got this gift, and I want to give it to you’,” she said. “You have to sit with that elder for a while. They’re not going to tell you all this stuff because you want to know it.”

While the elder holds a lot of traditional knowledge, Shining Oneside said, reconnecting is a lifelong process for her and others.

“There’s just so much to our way of life that’s beyond our scope,” Shining Oneside said. “The older I get, I always think, well, I really don’t know that much because there’s just so much out there to learn.”

Her advice to students who are willing to learn from elders is to keep an open heart and mind.

“You sit with them, you learn from them,” she said. “There are things that I didn’t know how to do, but I just got busy learning myself how to do it. There’s going to be trial and error, but don’t give up.”